Carlos Alomar

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Lore & Background

Carlos Alomar's collaboration with David Bowie began in early 1974 during sessions for Lulu's recording of the Bowie-penned song "Can You Hear Me?" Bowie wanted Alomar to join his band for the Diamond Dogs tour, but negotiations stalled and Alomar stayed with The Main Ingredient. During a six-week break from his tour in mid-1974, Bowie recorded songs for a new album at Sigma Sound Studios with Alomar, who brought in Luther Vandross, Robin Clark, Dennis Davis, and bassist Emir Kassan. Most of the material for the Young Americans album was recorded during these sessions, and Alomar joined Bowie for the second leg of the Diamond Dogs tour (dubbed "The Philly Dogs Tour") in September–December 1974. In January 1975, Bowie and John Lennon recorded "Across the Universe" at Electric Lady Studios, and from this session resulted the impromptu song "Fame", which evolved from the guitar riff Alomar had originated for the song "Foot Stompin'" during the Philly Dogs shows. With writing credit divided between Bowie, Alomar and Lennon, "Fame" gave Bowie his first US#1 single, and its parent album Young Americans (1975) marked Carlos Alomar's first appearance on a David Bowie album.

In Their Own Story

Alomar played on Bowie's next album, Station to Station (1976), designing the riffs that opened the songs "Golden Years" and "Stay", and touring with Bowie for the Station To Station tour of 1976. This was Alomar's first Bowie tour as musical director. Around this time, Alomar, Bowie, and Iggy Pop wrote the song "Sister Midnight"; originally performed by Bowie during the 1976 tour, it was later recorded by Bowie and Iggy as the opening track on Iggy's album The Idiot (1977) before being re-written by Bowie as "Red Money" for his album Lodger (1979). Alomar played on Bowie's groundbreaking "Berlin Trilogy" of albums—Low (1977), "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger; he also co-wrote the "Heroes" track "The Secret Life of Arabia" and the Lodger track "DJ" with Bowie and Brian Eno. In the Lodger single "Boys Keep Swinging", Alomar swapped instruments with Dennis Davis and played drums. Alomar played guitar on Iggy Pop's two Bowie-produced albums of 1977, The Idiot and Lust For Life, and in 1978, he joined Bowie for the world tour which resulted in the live album Stage. On this tour, Alomar was again the musical director, swapping his guitar for a baton to conduct the band during the drum-free instrumental pieces from Low and "Heroes".

Reader's Guide

Scary Monsters (1980) marked the last time Alomar would play alongside George Murray and Dennis Davis on a Bowie album. Alomar did not play on Bowie's album Let's Dance (1983) – the role of rhythm guitarist was undertaken by that album's co-producer, Nile Rodgers – but he re-joined Bowie as rhythm guitarist and musical director for the Serious Moonlight world tour in 1983. In 1984, Alomar played on Bowie's album Tonight; he also co-wrote the album's closing track, "Dancing With the Big Boys", with Bowie and Iggy Pop. In 1987, Alomar played on Bowie's album Never Let Me Down; the album's title track – released as a single and credited to Bowie/Alomar – was originally an Alomar composition entitled "I'm Tired," before it was re-written by Bowie. Alomar was the musical director/rhythm guitarist for Bowie's Glass Spider Tour in 1987, but Bowie ended his long-running creative association with Alomar after the critical panning of Never Let Me Down and the Glass Spider tour. The two men would not record together again until January–February 1995, during sessions in New York for Bowie's album Outside (1995). Alomar toured with Bowie's band for the first leg of the Outside Tour (September 1995 – February 1996). He later played guitar on the Bowie tracks "Everyone Says 'Hi'" (from the album Heathen in 2002) and "Fly" (a bonus track on the limited-edition version of the album Reality in 2003).

Did You Know?

• Alomar co-wrote David Bowie's first US#1 single 'Fame' with Bowie and John Lennon, with the guitar riff originating from a song called 'Foot Stompin'' that Alomar had played during the Philly Dogs tour.
• On the Lodger single 'Boys Keep Swinging', Alomar swapped instruments with drummer Dennis Davis and played drums instead of guitar.
• Alomar played on more Bowie albums than any other musician, from Young Americans (1975) through Reality (2003).
• During the 1978 world tour, Alomar served as musical director and would swap his guitar for a baton to conduct the band during drum-free instrumental pieces from Low and 'Heroes'.
• Alomar's composition 'I'm Tired' was re-written by Bowie and became the title track of the 1987 album Never Let Me Down, credited to Bowie/Alomar.