Biff Rose - Fill Your Heart

An odd and goofy singer/songwriter who didn't fit in any comfortable niche when he emerged in the late 1960s, New Orleans pianist Biff Rose was like a vaudeville entertainer reincarnated as a spacy hippie. It isn't quite accurate to call him a rock artist, but he fits in rock about as well as anywhere else. If he's remembered by rock audiences, it's because David Bowie covered a Rose song -- "Fill Your Heart" (co-written by Rose and Paul Williams), from Rose's 1968 debut album The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side on Hunky Dory. Bowie also covered another song from that album, "Buzz the Fuzz," in live performances (it can be heard on a 1970 bootleg), and there can be no doubt that Rose influenced Bowie's early-'70s work, particularly Hunky Dory, which owed something to Rose's early albums in both the quasi-musical piano styles and thorny-rose lyrics. [AMG]

http://www.biffrose.com/

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 1968
• outsider
• music
• david
• bowie
• hunky
• dory

[23moksha]

I had a copy of "The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side" in 1970 I think. I love a cut titled "The Children of Light".Please retrospecta2010, if you have this could you PLEASE download it? I"d really like to hear it again. Light be upon thee.

[retrospecta2010]

@23moksha My pleasure my friend:

Edit: for some reason I cannot paste the link, but hit the search or check out my yt channel and you will find.

Enjoy!

[MalquiLans]

For years, gazing at the album cover of Hunky Dory, I've wondered about this guy called Biff Rose. This is a charmer of an original & I can understand why Bowie chose it. Both versions are equal in their splendour I reckon :)

[fratricideisfun]

I stumbled across this at a record store in Vallejo, California. Bought it on a lark. Must admit, I love it, quirky as it is.

[YY4Me133]

It's great to see that there are other Biff Rose fans, especially after all these years. His style is so gentle and loving that I can't help but smile when I listen to him.

Thanks for sharing.

[KCCAT5]

@lastrada52 I love Tim s version of this.... This version sounds off beat... and bowies version sounds like cats wailing...UGH

[skatmanm]

great double-bill singer songwriter concert I'd like to see Biff Rose and David Bromberg, throw in Roy Harper from the UK

[lastrada52]

David Bowie & Biff Rose both needed Tiny Tim to teach them how a song like this should be performed & recorded. I am not a big Tiny Tim fan but after listening to all versions -- Tiny Tim comes out on top. More energy, more fun, solid arrangement & musicians. Both Bowie & Rose -- both of whom I like -- are out of their league here. Listen to Tiny's version without the silly spoken word intro -- the way it was on the 45. Tiny sings it straight , adds a little silliness to remind you it's him.

[sonicsteev]

love this song!

[Gatdecor]

not at anyone in particular.,. but this has nothing on Rick Wakemans piano arrangement/playing on the Hunky Dory LP

[guitarkenny]

Biff is on facebook and he's pretty cool with messages it seems. I also loved his album "The Thorn In Mrs. Rose's Side" when I was a teenager.

[TheTanager]

@TheTanager In reply to myself---did i say "buzz the cop"???must be VERY tired---of course i meant "buzz the fuzz"!!!!!! ooops