david bowie - oh you pretty things (mp3)

david bowie - panic in detroit (mp3)

david bowie - speed of life (mp3)

now here's something that's suprised me. if i search this site for david bowie there are a grand total of no results. that's close to 18 months without one mention of the man who is, in my own inflated and self-important opinion, the greatest solo artist of all time. think about it, bowie had 25 strong years of being a complete trailblaizer, creating all sorts of muscial styles, personal identities and hipster scenes, and elevated pop music to a higher level through a combination of great writing, unique showmanship and an appreciation of art and literature. oh and if you're wondering where 25 years comes from, let's just say that everything after the "let's dance" lp doesn't count ...

i've picked my current favourite 3 david bowie releases here, and if you asked this time next week it'd probably be a totally different set. first up is "oh you pretty things" from "hunky dory", a track that makes me long to get started on those forever delayed piano lessons. secondly is "panic in detroit", which hits the ground running with a fabulous riff and the instant opening line "he looked a lot like che guevara, drove a diesel van". finally i give you "speed of life", the opening track from the ultimate bowie album, "low".

"low" is bowie's musical apex, a fact noted by the man himself. the powerful reach of the lp, the first part of the much feted "berlin trilogy" created with the aid of brian eno, is still being felt strongly 30 years on. air's wonderful four hour essential mix began with "speed of life", q magazine rated the album #14 in it's "greatest british albums ever", and pitchfork, the new testament for the new indie generation, recently decreed "low" as the #1 album of the 1970's. side a (or tracks 1-7 for those more familiar with the CD format) are classic bowie ("sound and vision", "be my wife"), although dealing with the unfamiliar and slightly darker topics of lethargy, depression and estrangement, highlighting bowie's overcoming of his cocaine addiction. over on side b the album's true colours really come through - four ambient tracks, originally rejected for the soundtrack to "the man who fell to earth" (the source of low's iconic cover image), which see bowie pay homage to can, neu! and eno himself.

bowie means so much to so many, and with low reaching three decades old and david bowie turning 60 i thought it nice to throw a party in his honour. so the picture you see above is a flyer for "all the young dudes", a night taking place this friday at common from 9-2. i've found a whole load of manchester dj's who've grown up with bowie being a big part of their life, and for one night only we're all going to play records from, related to or influenced by the man himself. if you're from these parts, make sure not to miss it, and you live to far away to join in the bowie fun and are feeling upset, drop your thin white duke love in the comments below.