In an attempt to clean up, Ig & David travel to the Heroin Capital of the World to write and record in 1976! They wind up with a song that both record, and it culminates in an '80s cover by a legend!
What a rich, creatively-vibrant period '76-'78 was for Iggy and David. Seeing it all laid out as you do leaves me gobsmacked. It also stands out because it stands out as a giant landmark in careers dotted with landmarks. I also love the quote you share about how Bowie was not going to let a good idea go to waste if the inventor/creator wasn't going to properly utilize it!
I had always preferred the Iggy version of "Tonight" but I had never seen the live performance clip with Tina Turner before! Wow, that blows the studio version out of the water! The love and joy between Tina and David is off the charts! I love that they are dancing to their own song.
I woke up in a shit mood and that video completely flipped it. Thanks, Brad!
Thanks, Steve....that means a lot to me. Can't help thinking about your So. Cal aunt, and hope she's safe and sound. Check out my recent reply to Patrick's comment, here. It's hard to fully understand what Bowie meant for all of "rock-kind" over the decades! We may never be able to fully appreciate the far-reaching impact he had on fellow artists, and, thereby, THEIR sound, even if he, personally, was nowhere near their studio at the time!
This is one piece (with Dan's noted introduction of Tina's and David's live duet to me) where my "industry-dark" mid- to late-'80s ('cause I was in college, at 30, affecting a career change) pretty much served as a bonus, 'cause so much of what was happening in music and records I just wasn't paying attention to! So, when I saw that live clip, it motivated me to draw the connecting lines of how we got THERE in '88 with Tina....all of which had its genesis in that late-'70s era I WAS so glued to!
As for that Bowie quote I found....isn't it refreshing, if not surprising, to find an artist who was so artistically economical...."re-purposing" material if the artist and that material was a good match! And, that one song was able to transcend its life in one decade, and be completely re-invigorated in a decade that was so enveloped by visuals and synths, and yet, not suffer at all in the trip!
Speaking of Bowie quotes, if you didn't catch my Note, Thursday, where I found a "translation" of Bowie's hilarious ear-whisper to Tina onstage, DM me, and I'll let you know. I wanted to keep that as an exclusive to readers of the Note, and not include it in the article! That seems so "hidden track," non-LP B-side exclusive that Bowie would've loved!
What a journey! I always love the fact you take us back in time and tell us the full story! Thank you for the mention and the opportunity to give my two cents on the live performance! Didn't we all want to be the frenzied fan? I would have kissed both of them, David and Tina, for such a stunning performance!
Thanks, Andy.....always happy to lift the velvet rope to give you all-access, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE! You know I love what your unique POV brings to the table! Once Dan introduced me to the '84 Bowie/Tina recording, it was so natural to go back and "lift the curtain" on how the song began its life!
I think we have to sit back and marvel at how both intricate and all-encompassing Bowie's musical mind was! "Tonight" is the perfect example of his ability to mold, alter, and even re-purpose a perfectly good sheet of music!🎵😱🎵😊
Glad you enjoyed, Nick.....thanks! I knew how much of a Tina fan Andy is, so I was eager to get his reaction! Thanks for the link.....Bowie was always as much a part of any era as he was a trend-setter! I think that Faithful duet was from Bowie's "1980 Floor Show" aired on "The Midnight Special"--an absolutely stunning aural and video performance aired into middle-American homes in '73 (I was 18 at the time, and was riveted)!
I've said that, as a singer, David Bowie is like an actor; there's a sense that each song involves crafting a role. Clearly his performance instincts also translate to live performance.
I always love your deep dives Brad but this one brought me such joy! I’d never heard the song before —neither Iggy’s nor Tina’s version—but both renditions are lovely. The two interviews with Iggy and David added so much to the entire story, filling in gaps in their relationship I’d never known about. But the live duet really took the cake. I couldn’t get the smile off my face! Their chemistry, their delivery, the suaveness of Bowie while the security staff pulls the adoring fan off him, all of it!! This article and that performance made my whole weekend. Thank you!!
Thanks so much, Mark! I really appreciate the unabashed appreciation! That IS interesting: "Tonight" seems to be relatively unknown, more so than I thought. I was all over the Iggy version in '77, but I realize not many were (it certainly wasn't on the radio). When David did his with Tina in '84, I was smack dab back in college affecting a career change (at 29), and NEVER saw or heard Tina's live '88 version with David! So, THOSE two were new to ME (thanks to Dan Pal's intro from his article)!
So, unveiling a song, and a couple versions, to folks is an extra bonus for me!! But, at the end of the day, that's a lot of what FR&B is all about...at least, that's the aim! I'm also beginning to realize that a lot of longtime Bowie fans didn't know about, or misunderstood (or under-heard) Bowie's involvement in Iggy's life and career! Rarely, did Ig's airplay match or come close to Bowie's, so it might be easy to lose track of the Ig over time!
Plus (and, this just in....you're the first to hear), that the live David/Tina video has now whelped the groundwork for a possible future collab with a certain Londoner you had the pleasure of visiting recently! I can't reveal who it is, but his name begins with the letter Andy!😁He and I have discussed deep-diving into an accompanying player's career who's seen elsewhere on that stage! Stay tuned!
Great interviews, vids, etc from an interesting point in time. I think Bowie seemed to provide Iggy with support dealing with his demons and gave his career a shot when it looked like he might flame out. To be honest I never was completely enamored of the musical direction they undertook. To me The Stooges were what Iggy was. Bowie made him into something that never seemed to quite fit. Fortunately he did get back to basics until the Asheton brothers passed.
Apt assessments, Daniel! I agree with your view of Iggy's early career, and it's fun to speculate where Iggy could've/would've gone, musically, sans Bowie. But, it makes me shudder to think where Iggy might've ended up, personally, without David's big-brother companionship! And, I think that's my biggest takeaway about Bowie's overall impact on the rock firmament.....A selfless, altruistic superstar!
Love those interviews with Iggy and David. They both come across as very personable, fun, and funny, the kind of guys you'd have a great time hanging out with.
Also enjoyed the Tina and David performance. David was such an important supporter of women musicians, never have forgotten his unique and wonderful support for Fanny.
Those WERE nifty interviews with the two! I think we benefit from both having been given far removed from the time frame they're addressing. An interview, say, in '79, might not have given us such clarity or even honesty, with either or both trying to uphold a bit of cool or living up to an image the may have perceived they had at the time!
Bowie's support of other musicians (see my replies elsewhere here) certainly included the ladies....and, you're right: He was an early proponent of Fanny when others didn't/wouldn't!
Very nice piece, Brad. I guess I didn't realize two of my favorite artists, Iggy and Bowie, were so closely connected. Also cool to learn that Bowie introduced Iggy to Tom Waits, who is pretty much the definition of cool in my book. It's not necessarily a great movie (& certainly not Jim Jarmusch's best), but I've always loved the scene with Waits and Iggy in Coffee and Cigarettes. And it's interesting to note that Bowie, who was very active in film himself, helped lay the groundwork for it, even if just in an indirect manner.
Thanks, Patrick! It's hard to overstate all of what Bowie brought to rock and its history. Beyond his prodigious artistic contributions, he was one of our most appreciative musicologists (Billy Joel, Joe Elliott, and Dave Grohl come to mind as other devoted and outspoken rock historians), and such a selfless soul, especially regarding his fellow artists.
I see Bowie acting like a big brother to Iggy, helping the latter to reign in his off-the-wall tendencies, and focus, just a tad, on streamlining his sound, while not losing what he knew was his one-of-a-kind tornado-energy and rock POV (as well as brother-in-arms in getting clean)!
We saw, thru the decades, how all-embracing Bowie was to new talent, and other superstars...always willing to hang with 'em at local nightspots and invite into the studio! If anyone could've been excused for sequestering away in a Hollywood mansion, it was him. But, as much of an awe-inspiring musical artist/superstar he certainly was, he was always giving and welcoming to whomever he was artistically attracted, and even those who looked like they needed a hand up.
As much as we all miss Bowie, I'd actually argue we don't miss him nearly enough.
What a rich, creatively-vibrant period '76-'78 was for Iggy and David. Seeing it all laid out as you do leaves me gobsmacked. It also stands out because it stands out as a giant landmark in careers dotted with landmarks. I also love the quote you share about how Bowie was not going to let a good idea go to waste if the inventor/creator wasn't going to properly utilize it!
I had always preferred the Iggy version of "Tonight" but I had never seen the live performance clip with Tina Turner before! Wow, that blows the studio version out of the water! The love and joy between Tina and David is off the charts! I love that they are dancing to their own song.
I woke up in a shit mood and that video completely flipped it. Thanks, Brad!
Thanks, Steve....that means a lot to me. Can't help thinking about your So. Cal aunt, and hope she's safe and sound. Check out my recent reply to Patrick's comment, here. It's hard to fully understand what Bowie meant for all of "rock-kind" over the decades! We may never be able to fully appreciate the far-reaching impact he had on fellow artists, and, thereby, THEIR sound, even if he, personally, was nowhere near their studio at the time!
This is one piece (with Dan's noted introduction of Tina's and David's live duet to me) where my "industry-dark" mid- to late-'80s ('cause I was in college, at 30, affecting a career change) pretty much served as a bonus, 'cause so much of what was happening in music and records I just wasn't paying attention to! So, when I saw that live clip, it motivated me to draw the connecting lines of how we got THERE in '88 with Tina....all of which had its genesis in that late-'70s era I WAS so glued to!
As for that Bowie quote I found....isn't it refreshing, if not surprising, to find an artist who was so artistically economical...."re-purposing" material if the artist and that material was a good match! And, that one song was able to transcend its life in one decade, and be completely re-invigorated in a decade that was so enveloped by visuals and synths, and yet, not suffer at all in the trip!
Speaking of Bowie quotes, if you didn't catch my Note, Thursday, where I found a "translation" of Bowie's hilarious ear-whisper to Tina onstage, DM me, and I'll let you know. I wanted to keep that as an exclusive to readers of the Note, and not include it in the article! That seems so "hidden track," non-LP B-side exclusive that Bowie would've loved!
What a journey! I always love the fact you take us back in time and tell us the full story! Thank you for the mention and the opportunity to give my two cents on the live performance! Didn't we all want to be the frenzied fan? I would have kissed both of them, David and Tina, for such a stunning performance!
Thanks, Andy.....always happy to lift the velvet rope to give you all-access, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE! You know I love what your unique POV brings to the table! Once Dan introduced me to the '84 Bowie/Tina recording, it was so natural to go back and "lift the curtain" on how the song began its life!
I think we have to sit back and marvel at how both intricate and all-encompassing Bowie's musical mind was! "Tonight" is the perfect example of his ability to mold, alter, and even re-purpose a perfectly good sheet of music!🎵😱🎵😊
Thank you, Brad! And I am very grateful to be the recipient of such honour!
Absolutely. He was a musical genius, no question about it!
That video with Bowie and Tina Turner is amazing (and the comments from Andres are spot on)! Thank you for sharing.
Just think, 15 years earlier he looked like this (a strange and delightful duet with Marianne Faithful in 1973): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2DTwK5xysg
Glad you enjoyed, Nick.....thanks! I knew how much of a Tina fan Andy is, so I was eager to get his reaction! Thanks for the link.....Bowie was always as much a part of any era as he was a trend-setter! I think that Faithful duet was from Bowie's "1980 Floor Show" aired on "The Midnight Special"--an absolutely stunning aural and video performance aired into middle-American homes in '73 (I was 18 at the time, and was riveted)!
He does also have great stage presence.
I've said that, as a singer, David Bowie is like an actor; there's a sense that each song involves crafting a role. Clearly his performance instincts also translate to live performance.
That's it.....so well said, and that was his rare "secret"!
I always love your deep dives Brad but this one brought me such joy! I’d never heard the song before —neither Iggy’s nor Tina’s version—but both renditions are lovely. The two interviews with Iggy and David added so much to the entire story, filling in gaps in their relationship I’d never known about. But the live duet really took the cake. I couldn’t get the smile off my face! Their chemistry, their delivery, the suaveness of Bowie while the security staff pulls the adoring fan off him, all of it!! This article and that performance made my whole weekend. Thank you!!
Thanks so much, Mark! I really appreciate the unabashed appreciation! That IS interesting: "Tonight" seems to be relatively unknown, more so than I thought. I was all over the Iggy version in '77, but I realize not many were (it certainly wasn't on the radio). When David did his with Tina in '84, I was smack dab back in college affecting a career change (at 29), and NEVER saw or heard Tina's live '88 version with David! So, THOSE two were new to ME (thanks to Dan Pal's intro from his article)!
So, unveiling a song, and a couple versions, to folks is an extra bonus for me!! But, at the end of the day, that's a lot of what FR&B is all about...at least, that's the aim! I'm also beginning to realize that a lot of longtime Bowie fans didn't know about, or misunderstood (or under-heard) Bowie's involvement in Iggy's life and career! Rarely, did Ig's airplay match or come close to Bowie's, so it might be easy to lose track of the Ig over time!
Plus (and, this just in....you're the first to hear), that the live David/Tina video has now whelped the groundwork for a possible future collab with a certain Londoner you had the pleasure of visiting recently! I can't reveal who it is, but his name begins with the letter Andy!😁He and I have discussed deep-diving into an accompanying player's career who's seen elsewhere on that stage! Stay tuned!
Great interviews, vids, etc from an interesting point in time. I think Bowie seemed to provide Iggy with support dealing with his demons and gave his career a shot when it looked like he might flame out. To be honest I never was completely enamored of the musical direction they undertook. To me The Stooges were what Iggy was. Bowie made him into something that never seemed to quite fit. Fortunately he did get back to basics until the Asheton brothers passed.
Apt assessments, Daniel! I agree with your view of Iggy's early career, and it's fun to speculate where Iggy could've/would've gone, musically, sans Bowie. But, it makes me shudder to think where Iggy might've ended up, personally, without David's big-brother companionship! And, I think that's my biggest takeaway about Bowie's overall impact on the rock firmament.....A selfless, altruistic superstar!
Agreed. My reflection was primarily based on music, not physical wellness.
Love those interviews with Iggy and David. They both come across as very personable, fun, and funny, the kind of guys you'd have a great time hanging out with.
Also enjoyed the Tina and David performance. David was such an important supporter of women musicians, never have forgotten his unique and wonderful support for Fanny.
Those WERE nifty interviews with the two! I think we benefit from both having been given far removed from the time frame they're addressing. An interview, say, in '79, might not have given us such clarity or even honesty, with either or both trying to uphold a bit of cool or living up to an image the may have perceived they had at the time!
Bowie's support of other musicians (see my replies elsewhere here) certainly included the ladies....and, you're right: He was an early proponent of Fanny when others didn't/wouldn't!
Thanks for the shout out Brad! I was a bigger Tina fan than Bowie fan in the 80s but this is a pretty cool duet.
Very nice piece, Brad. I guess I didn't realize two of my favorite artists, Iggy and Bowie, were so closely connected. Also cool to learn that Bowie introduced Iggy to Tom Waits, who is pretty much the definition of cool in my book. It's not necessarily a great movie (& certainly not Jim Jarmusch's best), but I've always loved the scene with Waits and Iggy in Coffee and Cigarettes. And it's interesting to note that Bowie, who was very active in film himself, helped lay the groundwork for it, even if just in an indirect manner.
Thanks, Patrick! It's hard to overstate all of what Bowie brought to rock and its history. Beyond his prodigious artistic contributions, he was one of our most appreciative musicologists (Billy Joel, Joe Elliott, and Dave Grohl come to mind as other devoted and outspoken rock historians), and such a selfless soul, especially regarding his fellow artists.
I see Bowie acting like a big brother to Iggy, helping the latter to reign in his off-the-wall tendencies, and focus, just a tad, on streamlining his sound, while not losing what he knew was his one-of-a-kind tornado-energy and rock POV (as well as brother-in-arms in getting clean)!
We saw, thru the decades, how all-embracing Bowie was to new talent, and other superstars...always willing to hang with 'em at local nightspots and invite into the studio! If anyone could've been excused for sequestering away in a Hollywood mansion, it was him. But, as much of an awe-inspiring musical artist/superstar he certainly was, he was always giving and welcoming to whomever he was artistically attracted, and even those who looked like they needed a hand up.
As much as we all miss Bowie, I'd actually argue we don't miss him nearly enough.