David Bowie Documentary 3/8

part 3 of Bowie documentary

Category:

Music

Tags:

• David
• Bowie
• Documentary
• Hunky
• Dory

[Bodacea1]

What is that guy talking about when he says Bowie's no pianist and is just barely able to play Oh You Pretty Things? I've seen that Old Grey Whistle Test clip and Bowie plays the piano fine. Doesn't look like he's struggling.

[charmlessman666]

Life On Mars? wasen't written at the height of Ziggymania. Its on the Hunky Dory album. Ziggy didn't even exist yet.

[dlfunky1]

@precinkt lol I was about to say that bowie plays on that track and many others on hunky I personally like his "honkytonk" piano playing its charming and adds to the vaudeville/music hall-ness of the album.

[MenkeriosAndemicael]

Pretty things is "decadent" and "homosexual?"

It's about aliens allying with human youth to overthrow mankind, mixed in with occult/metaphysical/existentia­list stuff.

I hate it when people who should know better take Bowie at face value.

[NebulizerChi]

DB isn't actually playing the piano when doing OYPT on OGWT --he's "singing [live] to a pre-recorded track," as they used to say in the day (note among other things the perfect harmonies on the backup vocals; that's how they used to do it for TV). And "Life on Mars?" was released as a single by RCA in June of 1973 to capitalize on Ziggymania ("The Man Who Sold the World" was the B side, and of course the last public Ziggy performance was on 3rd July of '73). All of this stuff can be looked up.

[Johnnywhamo]

@Emma8887 You're bang on. WTF is this darkhaired guy blabing about? Hunky Dory was before the Ziggy and it took a bit for Ziggy to really take off after the Rise and fall album came out.

[stiggyh]

@Emma8887 oh you pretty things is a love song for his fans

[Emma8887]

The dark haired guy hasn't got a clue what he's talking about... Oh You Pretty Things being a love song and Life on Mars in the midst of the Ziggymania? Meh.

[precinkt]

@Bodacea1 I'm sure. He plays on the record and he's miming on Whistle Test.

[Bodacea1]

@precinkt Well that's interesting to know he was piano player on the recorded version... although I'm not sure he is in all honesty. I've heard the demo version that he does play on and it's not as succinct as the Hunky Dory final album recording which leads me to believe it's Wakeman. However, my point is he can play the piano part fine and wasn't hanging on by his fingernails as the guy in the clip suggests. I tend to think he's actually playing here...from 2:17 you'll see the keys go down. :)

[precinkt]

@Bodacea1 Two things about this.

1: Bowie isn't 'missing Rick Wakeman' here, as the scottish guy suggests, because it's Bowie playing the piano on the recorded version of OYPT NOT Rick Wakeman.

2: If you look closely at The Whistle Test performance of OYPT, Bowie is miming the piano part. In fact, on all those Whistle Test performances the only live bits are Bowies voice and some of Ronsons guitar.

[xentech]

that guy with dodgy teeth is annoying rofl