Wednesday MidDay Medley
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning

Wednesday, Jan 9, 2019

Wednesday MidDay Medley Celebrates David Bowie

1. “Main Title Instrumental – It’s Showtime Folks”
from: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to All That Jazz / 1980 [WMM’s theme song]

2. James Murphy – “Golden Years”
from: While We’re Young (Original Soundtrack) / Power Elite / March 23, 2015
[Born February 4, 1970. James Murphy is a musician, producer, DJ, and co-founder of record label DFA Records. His most well-known musical project is LCD Soundsystem. James Murphy was influenced by Bowie and remixed songs for Bowie’s The Next Day Extras, and is credited as a percussionist on Bowie’s Backstar.][“Golden Years” was written and recorded by David Bowie in 1975, and originally released in a shortened form as a single in November 1975, and in its full-length version in January the following year on, Station to Station. It was the first track completed during the Station to Station sessions, a period when Bowie’s cocaine addiction was at its peak. “Golden Years” was more similar in style to the Young Americans funk/soul material from earlier in 1975 than the rest of Station to Station, that foreshadowed the Kraftwerk-influenced Euro-centric and electronic music that Bowie would move into with his ‘Berlin Trilogy’.]

3. Col. Chris Hadfield – “Space Oddity”
from: Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can / Chris Hadfield / October 9, 2015
[The video has had over 27,000,000 views on YouTube. The performance was the subject of a piece by Glenn Fleishman in The Economist on 22 May 2013 analyzing the legal implications of publicly performing a copyrighted work of music while in earth orbit. The song is the only one of Bowie’s for which Bowie did not own the copyright. Bowie’s publisher granted Hadfield a license to the song for only one year. Due to the expiry of the one year license, the official video was taken offline on May 13, 2014, despite Bowie’s explicit wishes that the publisher grant Hadfield a license at no charge to record the song and produce the video. Following a period of negotiations, the video was restored to YouTube on November 2, 2014 with a two-year license agreement in place.]

In May of 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, commander of Expedition 35 to the International Space Station, recorded a video of “Space Oddity” while on board the space station. This was the first music video ever shot in space. The lyrics were slightly changed to reflect Hadfield’s imminent return from his final mission. Hadfield announced the video on Twitter, writing, “With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here’s Space Oddity, recorded on board the Station. A last glimpse of the World.” Bowie responded to the video, tweeting back to Hadfield, “Hallo Spaceboy”.

David Bowie seemed to be from another world. He seemed to have multiple lives, he seemed immortal. His art kept coming. His influence vast. He was a guide. Much of my journey as an outsider queer kid finding a way through, was influenced by Bowie.

Bowie’s death, three years ago, in New York City, on January 10, 2016 sent shock waves of grief across the world. Bowie made over 50 years of music, for those of us who felt left out.

Bowie was a “gateway drug” to other important influences: The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, Glam Rock, Electronica, Brian Eno, William S. Burroughs, Beat Poetry, Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti, T-Rex, Kraftwerk, Klaus Nomi, Nicolas Roeg, Bauhaus, Gender Expression, and more. Bowie was a synthesizer weaving them together.

Thanks for tuning into Wednesday MidDay Medley, on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio. I’m Mark Manning. Today we Celebrate David Bowie with selected songs from some of his 27 studio albums, and recordings that Bowie wrote and produced for Lou Reed, and Mott the Hoople.

Plus, we’ll play some of our favorite Bowie songs performed by musicians he influenced: Joan As Police Woman, Nile Rodgers, OK Go & Bonerama, including two Kansas City bands: Soft Reeds, and The Band That Fell To Earth. We started with James Murphy and Chris Hadfield

And into this mix of original songs and covers, we’ll feature short stories about David Bowie, from nine of his biggest fans: Michelle Bacon, Barry Lee, Ben Grimes, Cody Wyoming, Krystle Warren, Jesse Bartmess, Marion Merritt, Ian Michael Flanagan Johnson, and Nico Gray.

Our first story comes from band leader, musician, and director, Cody Wyoming, lead guitarist, singer, and founder of the Kansas City band, The Philistines, who released their debut full length album, “The Backbone of Night” on May 27, 2016 and was #1 on WMM’s 116 Best Recordings of 2016.

4. Cody Wyoming’s Bowie Story – “You’re Wonderful”
recorded by Mark Manning, Saturday, February 7, 2016

5. OK Go & Bonerama – “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide”
from: You’re Not Alone – EP / Capital / November 7, 2006
[Collaboration by rock band OK Go and brass funk rock band Bonerama, recorded to raise money for New Orleans musicians displaced in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. The EP was recorded in August 2007 in New Orleans, Bonerama’s home city.] [“Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” by David Bowie, was originally released as the closing track on the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in June 1972. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine found it to have “a grand sense of staged drama previously unheard of in rock & roll”. The exhortation “Oh no, love, you’re not alone” references the Jacques Brel song “You’re Not Alone” (“Jef”) that appeared in the musical Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Bowie covered Brel’s “My Death” during some Ziggy Stardust live shows. Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”, recorded on February 4, 1972, was one of the last songs recorded for Ziggy Stardust, along with “Suffragette City”, which would immediately precede it in the album track list. As the final song on the album and climax to the Ziggy Stardust live shows throughout 1972-73, it soon became a slogan, appearing on many fans’ jackets.]

6. Jesse Bartmess’ Bowie Story – “Changes in my 4-year old ears”
recorded by Mark Manning, Saturday, February 27, 2016

7. David Bowie – “Changes”
from: Hunky Dory / RCA – (Rykodisk – Virgin – Sony – EMI – Columbia ISO) / Dec. 17, 1971
[Written by David Bowie, originally released on Hunky Dory and as a single in January 1972. “Changes” became one of Bowie’s best-known songs. The lyrics are often seen as a manifesto for his chameleonic personality, the frequent change of the world today, and frequent reinventions of his musical style throughout the 1970s. This single is cited as David Bowie’s official North American debut, despite the fact that the song “The Man Who Sold the World” was released in North America two years prior. This was the last song Bowie performed live on stage before his retirement from live performances at the end of 2006.]

8. Nico Gray’s Bowie Story – “Thank you Bowie!”
recorded by Nico Gray, Sunday, February 28, 2016

9. Mott The Hoople – “All The Young Dudes”
from: All The Young Dudes / Columbia / September 8, 1972
[The album was written and produced by David Bowie, during the same year he recorded and released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Regarded as one of glam rock’s anthems, the song originated after Bowie came into contact with Mott the Hoople’s bassist Peter Watts and learned that the band was ready to split due to continued lack of commercial success. When Mott rejected his first offer of a composition, “Suffragette City” (from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars), Bowie wrote “All the Young Dudes” specially for them, allegedly sitting cross-legged on the floor of a room in Regent Street, London, in front of the band’s lead singer, Ian Hunter. With its dirge-like music, youth suicide references and calls to an imaginary audience, the song bore similarities to Bowie’s own “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”, the final track from Ziggy Stardust. Described as being to glam rock what “All You Need Is Love” was to the hippie era, the lyrics name-checked contemporary star T. Rex and contained references to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Bowie himself once claimed that the song was not intended to be an anthem for glam, that it actually carried a darker message of apocalypse. According to an interview Bowie gave to Rolling Stone magazine in 1973, the boys are carrying the same news that the newscaster was carrying in the song “Five Years” from Ziggy Stardust; the news being the fact that the Earth had only five years left to live. Bowie explains: “All the Young Dudes’ is a song about this news. It’s no hymn to the youth, as people thought. It is completely the opposite.” “All the Young Dudes” is also thought of as a gay anthem. Lou Reed said “It’s a Gay Anthem! A rallying call to the young dudes to come out in the streets and show that they were beautiful and gay and proud of it.

10:30 – Underwriting

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM

1972 was an amazing year for the 25 year old David Bowie

Starting with Bowie’s third album, The Man Who Sold The World, in 1970, through Hunky Dory in ’71, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars in ’72, Alladdin Sane and Pin Ups in ’73, Bowie records were built around a 4-piece band that included the great Mick Ronson on lead guitar, backing vocals, piano, and arrangements.

Mott The Hoople’s “All The Young Dudes” was written and produced by Bowie, in 1972, the same year he recorded and released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. “All the Young Dudes” was written specially for the band to keep them from breaking up, with Bowie allegedly sitting cross-legged on the floor of a room in Regent Street Hotel, in London, in front of the band’s lead singer, Ian Hunter.

During the year that saw the recording, and release, of two of rock music’s most important albums, David Bowie and Mick Ronson also served as producers on Lou Reed’s second solo album, the classic, Transformer, released on Bowie’s label RCA, in November of 1972.

In many ways Bowie was giving back to one of his biggest influences. Six years earlier, David Bowie’s manager Ken Pitt, returned from a trip to New York City, where he had met with artist Andy Warhol about the possibilities of representing a new, unknown group called The Velvet Underground. Ken Pitt didn’t much care for their music, so he gave the Andy Warhol signed acetate of The Velvet Underground & Nico, the band’s unreleased debut, to the 19-year old Bowie. Bowie said that receiving this acetate was “life changing.” He immedately learned the songs, and encouraged his band to perform, “I’m Waiting for the Man” in live shows, long before the album had been officially released. The Velvet Underground would mark the start of Bowie’s love affair with New York City.

I was able to view up close, this holy grail of glam rock music, the very special acetate, from Bowie’s own personal collection, as part of the internationally touring exhibition, David Bowie Is, at the The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, in September 2014.

Next we play the rare, previously unreleased track from the recording sessions of Lou Reed’s, Transformer” produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, from the incredible year of 1972.

10. Lou Reed – “Take A Walk on The Wild Side”
from: Monitor This / Monitor This / June-July 2003 (Transformer / RCA / Nov. 8, 1972)
[Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. A previously unreleased version found during remastering sessions for Transformer release – different from version found on the BMG album NYC Man: The Collection. A Lou Reed song from his 1972 second solo album Transformer. It was produced by David Bowie. The song received wide radio coverage, despite its touching on taboo topics such as transsexuality, drugs, male prostitution and oral sex. In the United States, RCA released the single using an edited version of the song without the reference to oral sex. The lyrics, describing a series of individuals and their journeys to NYC, refer to several of the regular “superstars” at Andy Warhol’s New York studio, The Factory, namely Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Joe Dallesandro, Jackie Curtis and Joe Campbell (referred to in the song by his nickname Sugar Plum Fairy). Candy Darling was also the subject of Reed’s earlier song for The Velvet Underground, “Candy Says”. Mick Ronson (who was at the time the lead guitarist with Bowie’s band, the Spiders from Mars) played a major role in the recording of the album at Trident Studios, serving as the co-producer and primary session musician (contributing guitar, piano, recorder and backing vocals), as well as arranger, notably contributing the lush string arrangement for “Perfect Day”. Reed lauded Ronson’s contribution in the Transformer episode of the documentary series Classic Albums, praising the beauty of his work and keeping down the vocal to highlight the strings. The songs on the LP are now among Reed’s best-known works, including “Walk on the Wild Side”, “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love”, and the album’s commercial success elevated him from cult status to become an international star.]

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

Marion Merritt grew up in Los Angeles and St. Louis and used to sing the lyrics to David Bowie’s “We Are The Dead,” at her family reunions, when she was just a kid. Marion is creator of Records With Merritt, a small, independent, minority owned business. Marion is keeping the tradition of, female-owned, independent record stores, on Westport Rd., alive. Here is Marion’s story…

11. Marion Merritt’s Bowie Story – “Strange Scary Bowie”
recorded by Mark Manning, Monday, February 22, 2016

12. Joan As Police Woman – “Sweet Thing”
from: Real Life (B Sides) – EP / Cheap Lullaby Records / June 12, 2007
[Extra tracks from the solo debut recording of Joan Wasser, born July 26, 1970, known by her stage name, Joan As Police Woman. She is an American musician and singer-songwriter. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders. Throughout her career, she has regularly collaborated with other artists as a writer, performer and arranger. Kansas City artist Krystle Warren has toured around the world with her.] [“Sweet Thing” or “Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)” is a suite of songs written by David Bowie for the album Diamond Dogs. Recorded in January 1974, the piece comprises the songs “Sweet Thing” and “Candidate” and a one-verse reprise of “Sweet Thing.” In the opening line, “Sweet Thing” contains the lowest note Bowie had recorded in a studio album (C2) until “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spacecraft” for the album “Heathen” (2002), where he growled the word “Well” (G1) towards the end of the song. Diamond Dogs was the 8th studio album from Bowie, was released May 24, 1974, after the ‘retirement’ of Bowies’s Ziggy Stardust, character. Diamond Dogs featured a new lead character named Halloween Jack, “a real cool cat,” who lives in the decaying “Hunger City”. Bowie, however, still wore the Ziggy haircut on the cover of Diamond Dogs, and the first single, “Rebel Rebel” continues his glam rock sound. However, with the rest of the album, music writers noticed a new Bowie. For his song “Sweet Thing” / “Candidate”/ “Sweet Thing (Reprise)” Bowie first used the William S. Burroughs’ cut-up style of writing. The song “1984” reflected the “plastic soul” sound of Bowie’s next release, Young Americans, from 1975. The Diamond Dogs Tour of 1974 was one of the first huge Rock and Roll, bus and truck tours. Bowie produced the show with a giant set, like a big Broadway production.]

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM

For his song “Sweet Thing” Bowie first used the William S. Burroughs’ cut-up style of writing. Sweet Thing was from Diamond Dogs, Bowie’s 8th studio album, released May 24, 1974. The first single from Diamond Dogs was “Rebel Rebel” which continued Bowie’s glam rock sound, but the rest of Diamond Dogs was different, Mick Ronson was gone, Bowie was on lead guitar, music writers noticed a new Bowie, and songs like “1984” reflected the “plastic soul” sound of Bowie’s next release, Young Americans, from 1975. Bowie released his 10th album, Station to Station in 1976. It’s first single “Golden Years” was completed during a period when Bowie’s cocaine addiction was at its peak. “Golden Years” was more similar in style to his previous album Young Americans, but the rest of the songs on Station to Station were all foreshadowing of the Kraftwerk-influenced and electronic music of Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy of 1977’s Low, Heroes, and 1979’s Lodger.

Our next story, about Bowie, comes from one of Bowie’s biggest fans, Ben Grimes, founder of two influential KC bands: Soft Reeds and The Golden Republic. Ben Grimes now lives with his family in Los Angeles, where he recorded this story for us, along with sharing a special track, written by Bowie, during that Berlin Trilogy, and recorded by Ben’s band Soft Reeds. Ben will also be performing with The Band That Fell To Earth, Saturday, January19 as a special guest.

13. Ben Grimes Bowie Story – “You are Never Stuck In One Thing”
recorded by Ben Grimes, Sunday, February 28, 2016

14. Soft Reeds – “Sound and Vision”
from: unreleased track recorded during the sessions for Soft Reeds album ‘Blank City’
[Blank City was Soft Reeds second album, released by The Record Machine on April 23, 2013. Produced at Element Recording with Joel Nanos. Soft Reeds is the brainchild of Ben Grimes (formerly of Astralwerks’ The Golden Republic), a Chicago native whose roots grip firmly in the ’77 Berlin sounds of Brian Eno, David Bowie and Iggy Pop, with Austin, TX native Josh Wiedenfeld on drums, Beckie Trost, a fellow Chicagoan and childhood friend of Grimes on bass, and KC native John Mitchell on guitar, saxophone, keys.]

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

1977 was another big year for the 30 year old David Bowie. He released the first two albums of his “Berlin Trilogy” Low and Heroes, recording with longtime friend and producer Tony Visconti, and collaborating with musician Brian Eno.

Low came from the creative energy of Bowie’s previous album Station to Station, and music he had intended for the soundtrack to he film The Man Who Fell to Earth. When Bowie presented his material to Nicolas Roeg, the director decided that it wasn’t suitable. Elements from these pieces were incorporated into Low instead. The album’s cover, like Station to Station, is a photographic still from “The Man Who Fell To Earth.”

As a recovering cocaine addict, Bowie’s songwriting on Low dealt with difficult issues. Visconti contended that the title was partly a reference to Bowie’s “low” moods during the album’s writing and recording. Bowie said, “There’s oodles of pain in the Low album. That was my first attempt to kick cocaine, so that was an awful lot of pain.” Bowie and Iggy Pop went to Berlin together to try to kick their drug habit. Bowie said “And I moved to Berlin to do it. I moved out of the coke center of the world, Los Angeles, where Station to Station was recorded, into the smack center of the world, Berlin”.

Heroes was Bowie’s 12th studio album also released in 1977. The second installment of his Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno .”Heroes” developed the sound of Low and featured the contributions of guitarist Robert Fripp, who flew in from the US to record his parts in one day. Of the Berlin Trilogy, it was the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. The title track remains one of Bowie’s best known. Recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in what was then West Berlin, “Heroes” reflected the zeitgeist of the Cold War, symbolized by the divided city. Co-producer Tony Visconti considered it “one of my last great adventures in making albums. The studio was about 500 yards from the Berlin Wall. Red Guards would look into our control-room window with powerful binoculars.”

11:00 – Station ID

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio,

15. Ian Johnson’s Bowie Story – “My Dad Tim”
recorded by Mark Manning Sunday, February 13, 2016

16. David Bowie – “Heroes” (Single Version)
from: Heroes / RCA / October 14, 1977
[Twelfth studio album by David Bowie, released in 1977. The second installment of his Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno – the other releases being Low and Lodger – “Heroes” developed the sound of Low and featured the contributions of guitarist Robert Fripp, who flew in from the US to record his parts in one day. Of the three albums, it was the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. The title track remains one of Bowie’s best known, and the song has received lasting critical acclaim and is continually mentioned as one of the greatest songs of all time. Recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in what was then West Berlin, “Heroes” reflected the zeitgeist of the Cold War, symbolised by the divided city. Co-producer Tony Visconti considered it “one of my last great adventures in making albums. The studio was about 500 yards from the Berlin Wall. Red Guards would look into our control-room window with powerful binoculars.” Earlier in 1977, Kraftwerk had name-checked Bowie on the title track of Trans-Europe Express, and he again paid tribute to his Krautrock influences: the title is a nod to the track “Hero” on the album Neu! ’75 by the German band Neu! – whose guitarist Michael Rother had originally been approached to play on the album – while “V-2 Schneider” is inspired by and named after Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider.]

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

Our next story about Bowie comes from another one of Bowie’s biggest fans, musician and writer, Michelle Bacon who talks about The Band That Fell To Earth and band she put together for a Tribute to David Bowie that has now become an annual event.

19. Michelle Bacon’s Bowie Story – “Putting together a perfect band”
recorded by Mark Manning, Saturday, February 27, 2016

19. The Band That Fell To Earth – “Boys Keep Swinging”
from: Recorded Live at recordBar for A Tribute To David Bowie / January 2018

11:15 – Interview with Michelle Bacon

Multi talented, musician and writer, Michelle Bacon, is Content Writer at 90.9 The Bridge, where she helps to shine a light on area musicians and events. Michelle Bacon works as a freelance writer and has written for The Kansas City Star, The Deli Magazine KC, and Folk Alliance International. Michelle Bacon plays drums, bass, and sings harmony vocals. Over the last several years she performed and recorded music with, Other Americans, The Band That Fell To Earth, Heidi Lynne Gluck, Erica Joy, Chris Meck and the Guilty Birds, The Blackbird Revue, John L. Johnson, The Philistines, and Nathan Corsi.

Michelle Bacon is the producer and organizer of The Band That Fell To Earth: A Tribute to David Bowie, with TWO nights of music: Friday, January 18 and Saturday, January 19, doors at 8:00 PM, show at 9:00 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO. A portion of ticket sales will benefit KC for Refugees, an organization that creates a welcoming environment for refugees moving to and living in the greater Kansas City area.

Michelle Bacon, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

The band was curated by musician/writer Michelle Bacon to pay homage to the groundbreaking artist while showcasing talent across Kansas City’s vast musical spectrum. Their annual With Bowie’s untimely passing only three weeks before the inaugural concert, the event garnered an attendance of more than 800 at the Uptown Theater, and generated press from KCPT, The Kansas City Star and various radio stations, along with high demand for an annual show.

Michelle Bacon on bass,
Alex Alexander on guitar,
Nathan Corsi on vocals/guitar,
Kyle Dahlquist on keys/brass,
Katy Guillen on guitar,
Steve Tulipana on vocals,
Stephanie Williams on drums,
Havilah Bruders on backing vocals,
Camry Ivory on backing vocals,
Matt Ronan on percussion,
Christine Broxterman on cello,
Betse Ellis on violin,
Rich Wheeler on saxophone,

American Sign Language interpretation from Peige Turner and video projections from XO Blackwater.

Each night will contain a unique set list and different special guests.

Guest vocalists for Friday, Jan. 18:

Julia Haile who performs solo and with neo-soul/funk group Hi-Lux.

Rachel Mallin songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, leader of Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type.

Michael Tipton who fronts the Talking Heads tribute band, Found A Job!

Wick Thomas activist and educator who leads the glam punk band Wick & The Tricks.

Guest vocalists for Saturday, Jan. 19

Ben Grimes – musician, writer, filmmaker, leader of Soft Reeds and The Golden Republic. He works in TV production on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Baskets.

Madisen Ward of Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear, “The Radio Winners” received accolades from NPR, the AP and was in the Top 5 of WMM’s 118 Best Recordings of 2018

Slim Hanson singer/songwriter, founding member of the Hellcat Trio and Grand Marquis. He now leads the honky tonk country band Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices.

Miki P is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, she was in American Slim, and recently released her debut solo album, “Dome of Swallows.”

Jeff Harshbarger is a bassist, composer, teacher, radio show host on KKFU, and has performed with jazz, rock, tango and avant-garde collectives including Bach Aria Soloists, Krystle Warren, and The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City.

A portion of ticket sales will benefit KC for Refugees, an organization that creates a welcoming environment for refugees moving to and living in the greater KC area.

Commemorative David Bowie prayer candles & pillows will be sold by Kitschup Creations.

Michelle Bacon, thanks for being with us on Wednesday MidDay Medley

The Band That Fell To Earth: A Tribute to David Bowie, with TWO nights of music: Friday, January 18 and Saturday, January 19, doors at 8:00 PM, show at 9:00 PM, at recordBar, 1520 Grand Ave, KCMO. A portion of ticket sales will benefit KC for Refugees, an organization that creates a welcoming environment for refugees moving to and living in the greater Kansas City area. More info at: http://www.therecordbar.com

11:32 – Underwriting

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

To study Bowies albums to to learn about the many guitarists and producers who worked with Bowie including on of the most influential guitarist of modern music…Nile Rodgers.

19. Nile Rodgers talks about making “Lets Dance”

20. David Bowie – “Let’s Dance” (Single Version)
from: Let’s Dance / EMI / April 14, 1983
[Let’s Dance was co-produced by Chic’s Nile Rodgers, the album contained three of his most successful singles; the title track, “Let’s Dance”, reached No. 1 in the US, “Modern Love” and “China Girl” both reached No. 2 in the UK. “China Girl” was a new version of a song which Bowie had co-written with Iggy Pop for the 1977 album The Idiot. The album also contains a re-recorded version of the song “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” which had been a minor hit for Bowie a year earlier. Let’s Dance was a stepping stone for the career of the Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who played on it. Let’s Dance has sold over 10.7 million copies worldwide, making it Bowie’s best-selling album. Let’s Dance is Bowie’s 18th official album release since his debut in 1967, including two live albums, one covers album (Pin Ups, 1973), and a collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra (1977). The success of the album surprised Bowie, who felt he had to continue to pander to the new pop audience he acquired with the album. This led to Bowie releasing two further solo albums in 1984 and 1987 that, despite their relative commercial success, did not sell as well as Let’s Dance, were poorly received by critics at the time and subsequently dismissed by Bowie himself as his “Phil Collins years”. Bowie would form the hard rock and grunge-predecessor band Tin Machine in 1989 in an effort to rejuvenate himself artistically. David Bowie had planned to use producer Tony Visconti on the album, as the two had worked together on Bowie’s previous four studio albums. However, he chose Nile Rodgers for the project, a move that came as a surprise to Visconti, who had set time aside to work on Let’s Dance. Visconti called [Bowie’s personal assistant] Coco and she said: “Well, you might as well know – he’s been in the studio for the past two weeks with someone else. It’s working out well and we won’t be needing you. He’s very sorry.” The move damaged the two men’s relationship and Visconti did not work with Bowie again for nearly 20 years (until 2002’s Heathen). Rodgers later recalled that Bowie approached him to produce his album so that Bowie could have hit singles. Rodgers reported that Bowie came into his apartment one day and showed him a photograph of Little Richard in a red suit getting into a bright red Cadillac, saying “Nile, darling, that’s what I want my album to sound like.”]

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM. Our next story comes from our talented friend, singer, songwriter, Krystle Warren, who has worked with some of the musical artists we’ve played today, including Joan As Police Woman. Krystle sent us her story from France, where she now lives.

21. Krystle Warren’s Bowie Story – “Always be genuine in your expression”

22. David Bowie – “Without You” (Single Version)
from: Let’s Dance / EMI / April 14, 1983

You are listening to Wednesday MidDay Medley’s Tribute to David Bowie on 90.1 FM.

27 studio albums, 8 live albums, over 50 compilation albums, 119 singles, 58 music videos, over 25 films. He was a working artist. He was always working, always creating, always studying, always interested in how it could be put together.. Bowie inspired multiple generations of people with his beautiful catalog of song.

I would like to thank all of our contributors for sharing their stories: Cody Wyoming, Jesse Bartmess, Nico Gray, Marion Merritt, Ben Grimes, Ian Johnson, Michelle Bacon, Krystle Warren, and Barry Lee, who we will hear from in just a few moments.

And we’ll close with “Lazarus” the final single from David Bowie, released on his 27th and final studio album, on January 8, 2016, Bowie’s 69th birthday. Bowie died two days later. Co-producer Tony Visconti described the album as Bowie’s intended swan song and a “parting gift” for his fans before his death.

For Wednesday MidDay Medley I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

23. Barry Lee’s Bowie Story –”i wasn’t always a fan”

24. David Bowie – “Lazarus”
from: Blackstar / ISO Records – Columbia / January 8, 2016
[Lazarus features David Bowie on vocals, acoustic guitar, and Fender guitar; Donny McCaslin on saxophone, flute, and woodwind; Jason Linder on piano, Wurlitzer organ and keyboards; Tim Lefebvre on bass; Mark Guiliana on drums. McCaslin and the rest of the jazz group recorded their parts in the studio over a period of about one week a month from January to March 2015, and until later in recording were unaware of Bowie’s declining health. The song “Lazarus” is part of Bowie’s Off-Broadway musical of the same name. The album has received universal critical acclaim and commercial success, reaching the number one spot in a number of countries in the wake of Bowie’s death and becoming his first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 album chart in the U.S. Blackstar is the twenty-fifth and final studio album by musician, writer, actor, chameleon, David Bowie. It is the 27th when you count the Tin Machine records, which you should. The album was released worldwide on January 8, 2016, on Bowie’s 69th birthday, and just two days later David Robert Jones passed away at home surrounded by his wife Iman, and his son Duncan Jones from his marriage to Angela Bowie, and daughter Alexandria from his marriage to Iman.]

25. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Next Week on Wednesday, Jan 16, we present: “Remembering MLK” to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929. We’ll play music from: The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, Mahalia Jackson, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Tramaine Hawkins, Ella Mitchell, Billy Porter, Solomon Burke, Nina Simone, Pops Staples, Mavis Staples, The Staple Singers, Thelonius Monk Septet, Pete Seeger, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Labelle, Darwin Hobbs & Karen Clark-Sheard, Bobby Watson & The I Have a Dream Project.

Our Script/Playlist is a “cut and paste” of information.
Sources for notes: artist’s websites, bios, wikipedia.org

Wednesday MidDay Medley in on the web:
http://www.kkfi.org,
http://www.WednesdayMidDayMedley.org,
http://www.facebook.com/WednesdayMidDayMedleyon90.1FM

Show #768