Pin Ups [Enhanced, Original recording reissued]

By 1973 the sixties lay a mouldering, forgotten. This was David's attempt to resurrect them and gives these killers a kiss of life. Whilst the 60's are always remembered for the Beatles, Dead and later Floyd, David showed where the real scene lay, under the debris. In the frenetic high octane, hormonally charged rush to headbutt the past and live for the moment RNB. One cute template for punk along with the Dolls who also incidentally resurrected another set of 60's rockers to blow the lungs back into shape.

These tunes marked an English renaissance. It was only a few years before these blasts of hormones caught on vinyl, Tommy Steele and a host of lackadaisical crooners ruled young people's lives in a post war sepia. Then there was the early 60's with Them, Pretty Things, early Floyd, Who, Zombies, Animals, Stones and Dave Clark 5 who took the beat back to the US. For the first time ever, a successful British invasion occurred after two hundred years of trying. All we did was repackage their black acts, speed up with the sound and coat an English amphetamined sensibility into the groove. This weaved a new form of imagination, as it highlighted the working classes had thoughts; a new revelation which turned into a cultural revolution - bigger than China.

These sounds showcased the white working classes of the UK, the ones that bore the body count in two world wars had something going between the ears, heart, groin and then upward, onward- al connecting the spirits of zest, zing and zap. The first cultural revolution that over turned the Bloomsbury tables. So we have the mournful "Sorrow," the acid drone of "See Emily Play," and the frantic rocking of "Rosalyn."

David took us back to the big bang, recreating the moment deep in the caverns of mod sensibility, in the same way the Dolls and the Cramps gave the kiss of life to Americana. Turning these slabs of 7 inch vinyl fires into pure sonic sparklers. Personally if he had never done anything else I think he was a genius. Although covers, the originals are outright brilliant killers, David charged these songs with his particular presence, electrifying them.

In the mid 70's you could rightfully ask "Where have all the good times gone?" By the early 70's beards, flares and Rick Wakeman bored the pants of the loons. They were all at it, spanking the guitar and pulling their best orgasm face. Do not look in the mirror.

Once digested, the rough edges bring back the glitz- return to the originals, a whole other world lies dormant under the dross of 60's hagiography. Note no Beatles covers. The real scene lay in submerged waters. This dives down and lets you out just at the right places.

For those of you who remember when Melody Maker was the only music paper worth reading, this album will take you back to the heady days of Eel Pie Island, The Fishmongers Arms and The Ricki Tick. With a cracking band, Bowie storms through a set of covers from Pink Floyd, Them, The Pretty Things, The Merseybeats , The Who and the Kinks to name but a few.
Excellent production and energetic arrangements give familiar songs a new feel. Good to hear a bit of Bowie's sax, and there's chance for Ronno to show off a bit too.
Was this Ziggy's covers set? Could be, and a bargain at the price.
Well worth a punt for Bowie fans and sixties pop lovers.

Bowie's tribute to the sixties contains familiar and obscure covers from The Kinks, The Merseys, Yardbirds and Pink Floyd among others. The band is tight and the selection is interesting, but the sound is rather samey throughout. More variety or flavor in instrumentation and arrangement would have lifted this album above the ordinary. Using different producers would have been a good idea. The overall style is not dissimilar from his cover of the Stones' Let's Spend The Night Together on the Aladdin Sane album. Having said that, I still find Pin Ups enjoyable to listen to and definitely more rewarding than some of his later exploits. My favorite tracks include Here Comes The Night, Friday On My Mind and of course the beautiful Sorrow with its lilting rhythm which was a well-deserved great hit. This new CD edition includes some extra tracks.