David Bowie -- "Bowie-ing Out"

Tuesday is David Bowie's birthday -- he would have been 72 -- so I thought this would be a good time to offer this idea of a covers album.

Bowie's 1973 album Pin Ups was supposed to be the first of two collections of 1960s cover versions. While Pin Ups featured covers of British songs, the second was to be made up of songs by American artists. One tentative title for the second album was Bowie-ing Out although that title was being considered for a live album as well.

Why the plan for the second album fizzled is not really clear. What is known is that Bowie loved Bruce Springsteen's then-new debut album Greetings from Asbury Park and recorded two of the tracks. However, since Springsteen's album was a 1973 release, the two tracks didn't really fit the original concept of covering 1960s songs.

But while Bowie never released Bowie-ing Out, he did continue covering 1960s/early 1970s songs throughout much of his career. 

1. Growin' Up - Bruce Springsteen [Pin Ups - 1990 reissue]
2. I Keep Forgettin' - Chuck Jackson [Tonight]
3. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan [Heaven and Hull (Mick Ronson)]
4. God Only Knows - Beach Boys [Tonight]
5. I'm Waiting for the Man - Velvet Underground [Bowie at the Beeb]
6. Knock on Wood - Eddie Floyd [David Live]
7. Alabama Song - The Doors [Scary Monsters (and Super Freaks) - 1992 reissue]
8. White Light/White Heat - Velvet Underground [Bowie at the Beeb]
9. I've Been Waiting for You - Neil Young [Heathen]
10. America - Simon and Garfunkel [The Concert for New York]
11. I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship - Legendary Stardust Cowboy [Heathen]
12. I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges [Glass Spider]
13. It's Hard to be a Saint in the City - Bruce Springsteen [The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979]

Since the Springsteen songs were from 1973, I used only covers of tracks that were from that year and prior. The rip-roaring version of "Like a Rolling Stone" actually comes from Mick Ronson's Heaven and Hull album and features Bowie on lead vocals.

Yes, I know that "Alabama Song" was written in the 1920s, originally in German and translated into English soon afterward. But let's face it, the version most people know is that of The Doors. 

I mixed up the songs from different years as well as studio and live tracks. Although it doesn't really mirror Pin Ups, I think this is an interesting compilation that forgoes the usual songs found on hits collections (and Bowie certainly has plenty of those already). This collection could have been a compilation album released during the 10-year gap between Bowie's Reality and The Next Day albums.

For a cover, I wanted something contemporary but also somehow mimicked the Pin Ups cover, where Bowie appears with supermodel Twiggy. I found it when I spotted a series of photos of Bowie posing with supermodel Kate Moss in (I think) 2003. I liked this photo best and added titles. 

Interestingly (at least to me), the Pin Ups cover shoot was photographed for Vogue Magazine, but Bowie requested the use of it for his album instead. The picture of him and Kate Moss was also part of a photo shoot for Vogue. So it all comes together.