David Bowie

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Lore & Background

David Bowie was let go from Pye Records in September 1966 after a string of singles that failed to chart, with a lack of promotion from Pye also contributing to his disenchantment. His soon-to-be manager Kenneth Pitt financed a recording session at London's RG Jones Recording Studios on 18 October, where Bowie and his backing band the Buzz produced new versions of tracks including "The London Boys", "Rubber Band" and "The Gravedigger". Pitt showed acetates to Decca Records executives, who were impressed and signed Bowie to the label's progressive pop subsidiary Deram Records. His contract financed a full-length studio album and paid £150 for the three tracks plus a further advance of £100 for royalties. Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl later said: "I had a minor obsession about David—I just thought he was the most talented, magical person. ... I think I would have signed him even if he didn't have such obvious musical talent."

In Their Own Story

The sessions officially commenced on 14 November 1966 at Decca Studio 2 in West Hampstead, London with the recording of "Uncle Arthur" and "She's Got Medals". Rather than hire an arranger, Bowie and Buzz member Derek Fearnley used Freda Dinn's Observer's Guide to Music to study orchestra arrangements and requested producer Mike Vernon hire the appropriate musicians. Fearnley had little experience writing music charts, while Bowie could not read music at all, making it a daunting task. When presenting charts to musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, some threw them back and requested new scores, which Fearnley had to rewrite himself while Bowie monitored from the control room. The sessions continued through March 1967, with Vernon hiring uncredited session musicians including guitarist John Renbourn and multi-instrumentalist Big Jim Sullivan. Vernon recalled having "a lot of fun" and described Bowie as "the easiest person to work with", while engineer Gus Dudgeon found the material "very filmic, all very visual and all quite honest and unaffected".

Reader's Guide

David Bowie is a debut album that showcases a songwriter focused on orchestral arrangements and third-person narratives rather than first-person love stories. The album consists of 14 tracks all written entirely by Bowie, with influences including Anthony Newley, music hall acts like Tommy Steele, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Syd Barrett's psychedelic nursery rhymes, and the Edwardian flair of the Kinks and the Beatles. Rather than using traditional pop instruments like guitar, piano, bass and drums, the album features brass instruments (tuba, trumpet, French horn) and woodwind instruments (bassoon, oboe, English horn, piccolo). Key tracks include the brass-led "Rubber Band", "Little Bombardier" and "Maid of Bond Street", the woodwind-led "Uncle Arthur" and "She's Got Medals", and the minimalist "Please Mr. Gravedigger" which uses studio sound effects with no backing instrumentation. The album was mixed in both mono and stereo, making it one of the first albums released in both formats.

Did You Know?

• Bowie and Buzz member Derek Fearnley used Freda Dinn's Observer's Guide to Music to study orchestra arrangements because neither could read music well.
• The album was one of the first to be released in both mono and stereo mixes.
• Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl said he would have signed Bowie even without obvious musical talent, calling him 'bursting with creativity'.
• The track 'Please Mr. Gravedigger' uses various studio sound effects and no backing instrumentation, compared to a radio play from the 1940s and 1950s.
• Bowie was granted an album deal before having a hit single, which was a rare occurrence at the time according to biographer Nicholas Pegg.

A Rare Contract Amidst Early Struggles

David Bowie was let go from Pye Records in September 1966 following a string of singles that failed to chart, with a lack of promotion from Pye also contributing to his disenchantment. His soon-to-be manager Kenneth Pitt financed a recording session at London's RG Jones Recording Studios on 18 October, where Bowie and his backing band the Buzz conducted a four-hour session with local studio musicians, producing new versions of "The London Boys", "Rubber Band" and "The Gravedigger". Pitt showed acetates to Decca Records executives, who were impressed and signed Bowie to Deram Records. His contract gave him a deal that financed a full-length studio album and paid £150 for the three tracks and a further advance of £100 for royalties. According to biographer Nicholas Pegg, being granted an album deal before having a hit single was a rare occurrence at the time. Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl later said: "I had a minor obsession about David—I just thought he was the most talented, magical person. ... I think I would have signed him even if he didn't have such obvious musical talent. But he did have talent. He was bursting with creativity."

Orchestral Ambitions and DIY Arrangements

Bowie spent time before the album sessions writing songs, accumulating almost 30 new compositions. According to author Paul Trynka, his songwriting focused less on traditional instrumentation and more in favour of orchestral arrangements, in the vein of the Beach Boys' recently released Pet Sounds. The sessions officially commenced on 14 November 1966 at Decca Studio 2 in West Hampstead, London. Rather than hire an arranger, Bowie and Buzz member Derek Fearnley used Freda Dinn's Observer's Guide to Music to study orchestra arrangements and requested producer Mike Vernon hire the appropriate musicians. Fearnley had little experience writing music charts, while Bowie could not read music at all, so Fearnley found it a daunting task, later stating: "It was bloody hard work. I knew how to read the staves and that a bar had four crotches; David had never seen or written a note, so I was the one qualified to write stuff out." When presenting charts to musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, some threw them back and requested new scores, which Fearnley had to rewrite himself while Bowie monitored from the control room. Vernon hired several uncredited session musicians including guitarist John Renbourn and multi-instrumentalist Big Jim Sullivan, who contributed banjo and sitar on certain tracks.

Thematic Depth and Stylistic Identity

David Bowie consists of 14 tracks, all written entirely by Bowie. His influences included Anthony Newley, music hall acts like Tommy Steele, British-centred material by Ray Davies of the Kinks, Syd Barrett's psychedelic nursery rhymes for early Pink Floyd and the Edwardian flair shared by the contemporary works of the Kinks and the Beatles. The album displays a baroque pop and music hall sound. Rather than using traditional instruments in pop music at the time, such as guitar, piano, bass and drums, the instruments on David Bowie likened to those in music hall and classical music, such as brass instruments (tuba, trumpet and French horn) and woodwind instruments (bassoon, oboe, English horn and piccolo). Buckley notes almost a complete absence of lead guitar in the final mix. The lyrical themes range from lighthearted childhood innocence to drug use and totalitarianism. The cover artwork is a headshot of Bowie with a mod haircut and wearing a high-collared jacket. The album was released in both mono and stereo mixes, making it one of the first albums to be released in both formats.

Commercial Failure and Retrospective Reevaluation

Released on 1 June 1967, David Bowie received positive reviews from music journalists but was a commercial failure due to a lack of promotion from Deram. Two tracks were omitted for its release in the United States in August 1967. Following its release, Bowie provided more tracks for Deram, all of which were rejected and led to his departure from the label. Retrospective reviews unfavourably compare David Bowie to Bowie's later works, but some recognise it positively on its own terms. The album was reissued in a two-disc deluxe edition in 2010, featuring both mono and stereo mixes and other tracks from the period.