David Bowie: The 10 best songs from the era of Davy Jones
David Bowie knew everyone. But only a few recognized Davy Jones. An English teenager who dreamed of singing American R&B and playing saxophone for Little Richard.
Before he became David Bowie, David Robert Jones spent the early sixties of playing in a handful of little -known bands. And to find his voice. The music he made during this time has largely been forgotten. But it gives a crucial insight into his artistic development. In addition, a lot of it is damn good. Here are 10 of the best pieces from Davy (and “Davie”) Jones era from the man we will always know as David Bowie.
“Liza Jane”
On August 29, 1963, he had the first experience of young Jones in a professional recording studio with his band The Kon-Rads at an audition for Decca Records. As in the previous year at the Beatles, the label decided against the future Ziggy Stardust. The 17-year-old left the group frustrated by the rejection to join a trio of older boys. Who called the King Bees.
After several months in which they played in pubs and at talent shows, the band signed a contract with manager Leslie Conn, who arranged and produced this rocky version of the old Southern Spiritual “Liza Jane”. David Bowie’s recording debut was there. And went under singing and soundless.
“Louie, Louie Go Home”
The B-side of “Liza Jane” is a cover version of Paul Revere and the Raiders’ continuation of the great garage hit “Louie Louie”. Jones and the Bees only had a few days to learn the song. That was hardly more than a call-and-response jam to heat the audience.
The volume was missing the piano, which was so central in the original. But she sold the song by concentrating on the bass-and-drum groove. The future super producer Glyn Johns has technically implemented the track. And Jones’ growled voice.
“I Pity the Fool”
Just one month after the commercial failure of “Liza Jane”, Jones left the King Bees to join the bluesy manish boys. The band soon caught the attention of Shel Talmy. An independent producer who was responsible for the early hits of the Kinks and the WHO.
The first record of the Manish Boys with Talmy, a cover version of Bobby Blands R&B hit “I Pity the Fool” from 1961, Before large-gauge teenage arrogance instead of Bland’s raw emotions. One of the frankly soulful songs in the entire Bowie canon, who gets a shot reinforced skirt by a young session guitarist named Jimmy Page.
“Take My Tip”
“Take My Tip” begins with a seductive walking bass line and zombie-like organ recess and is the B-side of ‘I Pity the Fool’. Jones’ “Tip” to put on women is to make a lot of money. And he makes the lyrical advice with the knowing grin of a hipster.
“You have to move forward, get a car and send clothes. It is not the best song he has ever recorded. But it is the very first Bowie composition that has ever been banned on plate.
“That’s where my heart is”
Is it flamenco? Merseybeat? Early Cat Stevens? Jones has not yet fully found on this acoustic demo recording, which offers a variety of singing theater and music styles. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to hear how he tried different roles. And cultivated the shape converter personality, which should catapult him to the superstar. The song was left in the drawer until 1991. And then too Early on (1964-1966) Added, a collection of rarities.
“Bars of the County Jail”
In this excessive, self-made folk ballad, Jones gives his best to sound like Bob Dylan. His preference for the American West is expressed in the texts that contain pictures from television western. Instead of appearing kitschy, the serious vocals and the sparse instrumentation give the title – which is also up to the publication of Early on remained unanimated – a house -baking charm. Jones should take up the Wild West again when he chose his artist name, which comes from the Alamo hero Jim Bowie.
“You’ve got a Habit of Leaving Me”
In the summer of 1965, the British music scene left the interpretation of American R&B behind. And began playing their own hymns fired by amphetamines. With a new band and a daring new spelling of his first name, Jones went fully onto the mod wave with “You’ve got a Habit of Leaving Me”.
He had won the mod supporter for himself that its official speaker, Pete Townshend, angrily accused himto copy his sound. The song is probably the most famous Bowie song from the Davy-Jones era. He appeared on the groundbreaking sixties-deep-cut compilation Nuggets.
“Baby Loves that way”
You can understand Townshend’s resentment well if you listen to the B-side of the song that the current single “Anyway Anywhere Anyhow ”of the WHO. The similarity is quite understandable because both songs were produced by Shel Talmy. One of the most important architects of the Mod sound.
Despite his relationship with a number of young artists, Talmy was little impressed by Jones’ songwriting skills. “To be honest, I didn’t think that what he wrote at the time was only a chance to make it”, ” recalled he himself in later years. “But I thought: ‘He’s so original and cheeky.'” Jones wanted the chorus to sound like singing monks. Quite original for 1965.
“(Baby) that’s a promise”
Later in autumn, Jones used the band to record studio demos for a number of his new compositions. Some, including “The London Boys” and “Over The Wall We Go”, were later published this decade. But this hard rocking title is officially unpublished to this day. The swirling guitar figure could be an earlier harbinger of his seventies classic “Golden Years” be.
“Silly Boy Blue”
Many known from his Debut album from 1967, David Bowiethe elegant “Silly Boy Blue” actually comes from the same sessions, from which “(baby) that’s a promise” also emerged.
Without the “Be my Baby” drag pattern of the album version and with a completely different text, this early version is catchy enough to teach Lennon and McCartney to fear. The song should later As a pop anthem be reborn. Jnspirated by Bowie’s lifelong fascination for Tibetan culture.