Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.
After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).
During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie
Studio albums
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
Hours (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)
Band Intro
David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Earl Slick, Mike Kamen, Mike Garson, Pablo Rosario
The lyrics to David Bowie's "Band Intro" are essentially just that - an introduction to his band. However, there are some interesting insights that can be gleaned from the names mentioned. Firstly, we see that Bowie was working with quite an eclectic group of musicians, including saxophonist Dave Sanborn and percussionist Pablo Rosario. This speaks to Bowie's desire to experiment with different sounds and instruments in his music.
Additionally, the fact that Bowie took the time to write a song specifically introducing his band members speaks to his appreciation of their talents and the importance he placed on their contributions to his music. This is particularly interesting given Bowie's reputation for being somewhat mercurial and difficult to work with at times.
Line by Line Meaning
Richie Grando, Dave Sanborn, Herbie Flowers, Tony Newman
Allow me to introduce you to the incredibly talented members of my band: Richie Grando, Dave Sanborn, Herbie Flowers, and Tony Newman. Each of them brings something unique and valuable to our performances.
Earl Slick, Mike Kamen, Mike Garson, Pablo Rosario
But let's not forget these other amazing musicians who also play with us: Earl Slick, Mike Kamen, Mike Garson, and Pablo Rosario. They too contribute greatly to the overall sound and energy of our shows.
Contributed by Isaiah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bionicbigfoot
Amazing to think...he was only 36 years old here, but look at the catalogue of incredible music he had already accumulated..!
gerardo salazar
After all these years watching this video makes the hairs on my arm stand straight up. Bowie was an amazing artist,
Geoff Alexander
I was thrilled to have been at this show, about thirty feet from the front of the stage.
Lazlo Mattachine
Stone cold harmonies- absolutely human and flawless. Bowie at the height of his powers-
Murray Shaw
Live shows like this we will never see again with the musical talent that's out there today!
Kurt Schmidt
Awesome, I saw very similar show "Serious Moonlight Your" Offenbach Germany in June 1983 when The Let's Dance album was on fire all over the World. Was near the stage as well. Also saw Bowie in LA Dodger Stadium in 91 and The Glass Spider tour At Anaheim Stadium with Frampton on Guitar on that tour Oct 1987.
Mister
At least we were alive to see them yeah. 7 gigs I've seen since 78
Lee Lowry
this is Bowie at his very best!...no gimmicks...the music stands alone!...an excellent archive of a long and prodigious career...people have tried to imitate Mr Bowie but they always fall short....lol..and this recording happens to be the first thing I ever pirated...back when VHS was the medium of the day...1984..LOL
Janique Vaillot
OMG ! His lovely smile ! So charismatic genius ! We still love u and miss u ! 2022
UCD BNXT
One of THE greatest vocalists ever..... RIP............... Just listen to his Tonight album... OMG!!!