April 18th sees the release of the latest special limited DAVID BOWIE 7" picture disc, the Record Store Day 2015 edition of 'CHANGES' as well as a limited edition white/clear vinyl 'Side By Side' 7" 'KINGDOM COME'. One side features the Tom Verlaine version of the track and the other has Bowie's rendition from the album 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)'.
'CHANGES' was first released in January 1972 and was the first of two singles taken from the album 'Hunky Dory', the other being 'Life On Mars' It was originally backed with the album track 'Andy Warhol'.
The AA-side for the 2015 picture disc is 'EIGHT LINE POEM (GEM PROMO VERSION)' which is making it's official release debut.
In August 1971, David Bowie's then management had a small run of promo LPs made to secure him and another Mainman artist Dana Gillespie a record deal. This promo album, featuring seven songs by Bowie on side A and five by Dana Gillespie on the reverse, is often being referred to as the GEM Promo, named after GEM Records the small independent record label that pressed the album.
The LP came in generic white outer and inner sleeves and had no printed labels, so it's matrix number (BOWPROMO 1A-1/1B-1) is the only way to identify it. Most of the Bowie songs on this promo LP would appear four months later on Hunky Dory. However, as the recording and mixing of that album had not yet been finished, it transpired that the Gem Promo LP contained a Bowie song that would not end up on any official album for the next 20 years in any version, 'Bombers' but also alternative takes/mixes of the tracks. The 2015 AA-side version of 'EIGHT LINE POEM' is taken from this album.
'KINGDOM COME' was first released by ex Television frontman Tom Verlaine on his eponymous solo album in 1979, a year later Bowie covered the song for inclusion on the album 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)', Bowie wanted to know how the song would sound in the style of Ronnie Spector thus giving us this very unusual performance. This 'Side By Side' release will be issued in a clear sleeve on white/clear vinyl. The packshot, sleeve sticker and single labels are attached below.
DAVID BOWIE
CHANGES LIMITED EDITION 7" PICTURE DISC FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2015
A-Side Changes
(David Bowie)
Produced by Ken Scott and David Bowie
AA-Side Eight Line Poem (GEM promo version)
(David Bowie)
The image (attached below) used on the A-side is by Brian Ward taken from the Hunky Dory album shoot, the photograph on the AA-side is a previously unpublished shot from the same session.
CHANGES is released on Parlophone April 18th 2015
KINGDOM COME is released on Parlophone/Elektra April 18th 2015
DAVID BOWIE/TOM VERLAINE
KINGDOM COME LIMITED EDITION 7" 'SIDE BY SIDE' WHITE/CLEAR VINYL FOR RECORD STORE DAY 2015
A-Side Kingdom Come by Tom Verlaine (1979)
(Tom Verlaine)
Produced by Michael Ewasko and Tom Verlaine
AA-Side Kingdom Come by David Bowie (1980)
(Tom Verlaine)
Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti
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