Information AboutDiamond Dogs |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DIAMOND DOGS | |
| david bowie albums | |
| 1974 albums | |
| concept albums | |
| glam rock albums | |
| rock operas | |
''Diamond Dogs'' is a Concept Album by David Bowie , originally released by RCA in 1974. Thematically it was a marriage of the novel '' 1984 '' by George Orwell and Bowie's own Glam -tinged vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Bowie had wanted to make a theatrical production of Orwell's book and began writing material after completing sessions for his 1973 album '' Pin Ups '', but the late author’s estate denied the rights.David Buckley (1999). ''Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story'': pp.210-217 The songs wound up on the second half of ''Diamond Dogs'' instead where, as the titles indicate, the ''1984'' theme was prominent. PRODUCTION AND STYLE Though the album was recorded and released after the 'retirement' of "/" Candidate "/"Sweet Thing (Reprise)", whilst " Rock 'n' Roll With Me " and the '' Shaft ''-inspired wah-wah guitar style of " 1984 " provided a foretaste of Bowie's next, 'plastic Soul ', phase. The original vinyl album ended with the juddering refrain (actually, a tape loop) ''Bruh/bruh/bruh/bruh/bruh'', the first syllable of "(Big) Brother", repeating insistently. ''Diamond Dogs'' was the first Bowie album since 1969 to not feature any of the 'Spiders From Mars', the backing band made famous by Ziggy Stardust. Instead, , who provided string arrangements and helped mix the album, and who would go on to co-produce almost all his work for the rest of the decade. COVER The cover art features a striking half-dog, half-Bowie figure painted by Guy Peellaert . It was controversial as the full painting clearly showed the hybrid’s genitalia. Very few copies of this original cover made their way into circulation at the time of the album's release. According to the record-collector publication '' Goldmine '' price guides, these albums have been among the most expensive record collectibles of all time, as high as thousands of US dollars for a single copy. The genitalia was quickly airbrushed out for the 1974 LP’s Gatefold sleeve, although the original artwork (and another rejected cover featuring Bowie in a cordobes hat holding onto a ravenous dog) was included in subsequent Rykodisc / EMI re-issues. RELEASE AND AFTERMATH The record was Bowie's glam swansong; according to author David Buckley, "In the sort of move which would come to define his career, Bowie jumped the glam-rock ship just in time, before it drifted into a blank parody of itself". At the time of its release Bowie described ''Diamond Dogs'' as "a very political album. My protest ... more me than anything I've done previously".Nicholas Pegg (2000). Op Cit: pp.289-291 ''Disc'' magazine compared the album to '' The Man Who Sold The World '' (1971), while ''Rock'' and '' Sounds '' both described it as his "most impressive work ... since Ziggy Stardust". It made #1 in the UK charts and #5 in the US, Bowie's highest stateside placing to that date. Rough in sound and pretentious in theme, ''Diamond Dogs''' raw guitar style and vision of urban chaos, scavenging children and nihilistic lovers ("We'll buy some drugs and watch a band / And jump in the river holding hands") have been credited with anticipating the ''). "Rebel Rebel" has featured on almost every Bowie tour since, "Diamond Dogs" was performed for the 1976 '' Station To Station '' and 1995-96 '' Outside '' tours, and "Big Brother/Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" was resurrected for the 1987 Glass Spider tour. TRACK LISTING All songs written by David Bowie except where noted. # "" ( Richard Rodgers ) # " Diamond Dogs " – 5:56 # " Sweet Thing " – 3:39 # " Candidate " – 2:40 # "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" – 2:31 # " Rebel Rebel " – 4:30 # " Rock 'n' Roll With Me " (Bowie, Warren Peace ) – 4:00 # " We Are The Dead " – 4:58 # " 1984 " – 3:27 # " Big Brother " – 3:21 # " Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family " – 2:00 CD RELEASES ''Diamond Dogs'' was first released on CD by RCA in 1985 with censored cover art. The German (for the European market) and Japanese (for the U.S. market) masters were sourced from different tapes and are not identical for each region. The album was reissued by Rykodisc in 1990 with two bonus tracks and the original uncensored artwork. It was again reissued in 1999 by EMI featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks, and in 2004 by EMI as the ''30th Anniversary Edition'', containing a bonus disc with additional material (a demo instrumental containing elements of "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" called "Tragic Moments" was scheduled for inclusion but remains unreleased). In 2007, a Japanese mini LP was released that replicates the artwork of the original RCA LP. 1990 rerelease bonus tracks All songs written by David Bowie .
2004 rerelease bonus disc All songs written by David Bowie except where noted. # "1984/Dodo" (Recorded 1973) – 5:29 # "Rebel Rebel" (US single version, 1974) – 3:00 # "Dodo" (Also known as "You Didn't Hear It From Me", recorded 1973) – 2:53 # " Growin' Up " ( Bruce Springsteen ) (Recorded 1973) – 2:25 # "Alternate Candidate" (Demo version, recorded 1973) – 5:09 # "Diamond Dogs" ( K-Tel ''Best of Bowie'' edit, 1980) – 4:41 # "Candidate" (Intimacy mix) – 2:58 # "Rebel Rebel" (2003 mix) – 3:09 PERSONNEL
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