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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)

@bowiesongs.bsky.social

3.7K followers 470 following 4.7K posts

Books (Rebel Rebel; Ashes to Ashes), blogs (64 Quartets; Pushing Ahead of the Dame; Locust St.)

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · Jun 4

A brief note about the Rebel Rebel revision (on sale July 8, but you can order it now): bowiesongs.wordpress.com/2025/06/04/r...

Rebel Rebel: A New Version

Presenting: The second edition of Rebel Rebel: The Songs of David Bowie, 1963-1976, which will go on sale on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, and which can be pre-ordered right now. This site gives you some o…

bowiesongs.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 7h

you’d think the “AI can replace all artists and writers” people would have noticed that no one gives a shit about watching computers compete with one another, and yet

gzt aka zoidberg @giziti.bsky.social · 7h

or chess: people play chess, they watch other people play chess, it's even getting a little popular to do. computers are infinitely better than humans at chess. nobody watches computer chess.

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 7h

Reboost for the eve. It's early Wire A to Z, and we're still in the As

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 16h

64 Quartets No. 9. Wire: Harvest, ALLY to ANOTHER. 64quartets.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/9...

9. Wire. Harvest Lexicon: ALL-ANO

ALLY IN EXILE. Kim Lim, Woodcut (1975). [Words: Lewis; music: Wire.] “Personal demo” recording, guitar sounds as if all of its strings are ready to snap: January 1979, Cadaqués, Catalon…

64quartets.wordpress.com

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 11h

had no idea Robert Palmer makes a cameo at the end of the Sgt. Pepper movie (from a Record Mirror interview, Oct 1978)

wavering ever so slightly
because despite only being
interested in being involved in films from a producer's seat,
he accepted a small part in
'Sgt Pepper' with the Bee Gees
and Peter Frampton, despite turning down many other
offers to appear on screen.
"This is going to sound
terrible. I'd been on the road
and I hadn't done any
Christmas shopping and you can't get much In Nassau (his home). I got this invite to fly out to Hollywood, all expenses
paid, to stand with 2 or 300 of the Celebrities and sing a song. It was a great opportunity to do my Christmas shopping. It was a great party. That's all I want to say about It. "I think it's the worst film that's ever been made. I can't find any redeeming values in it."

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 11h

he likes them, kinda ("fairly competent" playing)

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 12h

feels like Gene got taken off the local politics beat because it wasn't working out, and was given the music critic slot for an unhappy year

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 12h

Gene Crouch of the El Paso Herald Post not a "Pink Flag" fan, fears it's a sign of British decay; will stick with his Eagles records (31 March '78)

"The lead singer, Colin, screams about the unhealthy climate, rats and flies, food shortages, crime and cancer. There are 20 short songs on the album, all pretty much alike--loud. Britain must really be decaying fast for its youth to get off on musical junk like Pink Flag. If the punk rock sound is the music of the future, I'd just as soon keep playing my old Eagles albums."

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 14h

"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" is Lennon in perfect miniature--four or 5 bits of songs he couldn't bother to finish, mashed together, with weird time signatures throughout, then given some of the most spine-tingling vocals heard on a rock record in the 60s

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 16h

64 Quartets No. 9. Wire: Harvest, ALLY to ANOTHER. 64quartets.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/9...

9. Wire. Harvest Lexicon: ALL-ANO

ALLY IN EXILE. Kim Lim, Woodcut (1975). [Words: Lewis; music: Wire.] “Personal demo” recording, guitar sounds as if all of its strings are ready to snap: January 1979, Cadaqués, Catalon…

64quartets.wordpress.com

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 17h

Nobel committee: "the self-titled LP is a killer, of course, but 'Coexist' is underrated--go check it out"

"XX wins 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature" place-filler NPR headline

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 18h

Eno diary, 9 Oct 1995: "Talked with Anthea about Bowie’s songs and U2 work etc....Outside down to 19 (I predicted 21). A. reminded me that Virgin have never paid me any royalties on Devo - which I produced at my risk and with my money, not theirs."

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Reposted by Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)

The Tonearm @thetonearm.com · 2d

Chris O'Leary, author of 'Rebel Rebel', discusses his revised deep dive into David Bowie's formative years, the growth of his song-by-song blog, and why he fears the tools that supported his research may not exist for future music writers.

Chris O'Leary on Bowie, Blogging, + Music Writing's Future:

Chris O'Leary on Bowie, Blogging, and Music Writing's Future

The author of 'Rebel Rebel' discusses his revised deep dive into David Bowie's formative years, the organic growth of his song-by-song blog, and why he fears the resources that supported his research may not exist for future music writers.

www.thetonearm.com

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

that's so awful---hope you're doing as ok as you can be.

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

the next section of the Wire piece is the "Art" entries, and having fun with this one

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

the Valley Advocate (Amherst MA) attempts an "Art Rock" canon, 30 November 1977

Sgt. Pepper to Zappa's Hot Rats, with Bowie, Family, Kansas, Genesis, Tull, King Crimson, Henry Cow, Meat Loaf, Moody Blues, Floyd, Strawbs, Talking heads, Yes, etc

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

missed an obvious one, "Tupelo Honey": the happiest Van Morrison ever sounded

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

was thinking that! contented (mostly) suburban Lou

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

he basically could say the same thing now (and probably has)

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

yeah it's a mix

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

this is a tough one! "Black Tie White Noise" is the Bowie entry. "Comes a Time" is somewhat about NY & Nicolette Larson

Jessica Ritchey @jmritchey.bsky.social · 1d

It's a given in the music industry that "I've fallen in love!" albums are usually regrettable, and "I've gotten a divorce!" ones often have some of the artist's best work. So question for the group, what are the best "I've fallen in love!" albums?

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

yeah if we're going w/ "still living," there's EC, Ray Davies, Townshend, Joni Mitchell. Eddie Holland is still here!

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

xgau preview

Wire: This is a band that takes getting used to and some find their abstract take on the Eng punk scene rather cold, but if the pacing of their LP is any indication this show should be kinda like a Ramones roller coaster across a war zone

Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 1d

NYC night life, July 1978 (Village Voice). Wire, Roches, Mars, Dead Boys, Squeeze

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Reposted by Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)

Mike Barthel @mikebarthelauthor.com · 1d

As promised/threatened! More in a little bit.

bring on the headless horses @ihavethatonvinyl.com · 1d

today at IHTOV:

@mikebarthelauthor.com goes long and deep on billy joel in a beautiful, gorgeously written essay on being a joel fan. you're going to want to read this one. put a few minutes aside. it's good ihavethatonvinyl.com/essays/life-...

Life in a Glass House

All of which is to say that I loved Billy Joel because I loved my dad. I loved that he’d moved 300 miles away from Farmingdale to some little rural town (the Hudson River line would only take you part...

ihavethatonvinyl.com

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Reposted by Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary)

Joe Banks @joebankswriter.bsky.social · 1d

My new book - Rock and Role: The Visionary Songs of Peter Hammill and Van der Graaf Generator - is off to the printers, and will be published 21 November!
Officially launching today, here's the book's site, which I'll be updating regularly. But check out the A/V section now! www.rockandrole.net

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 2d

And he and Mary Pickford lived long enough to see the company they founded sign the Buzzcocks

Sexy Andrew Hickey Costume @andrewhickey.500songs.com · 2d

Charlie Chaplin died the same day the Sex Pistols played their last UK gig before they split.

Folk Puritan Mary Jane Watson @bettybitter.bsky.social · 2d

Gene Autrey may have heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

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