Lennon / Bowie Sessions ????

[mikestop]

Hi. Does anybody have any info/links about the sessions John & David did. Have never seen or read much about them. Would love to hear some of the outtakes!!!

[dudley07726]

I remember reading that it was recorded in Philly.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

I love an easy challenge, so I Googled "Lennon Bowie" and got a few hits. Here is what I found, copied and pasted:

David Bowie and John Lennon hung out a lot in the '70s, but share only one songwriting credit: Fame, Bowie's first number-one hit. How did that one-off come about, and why did it stop?

"John was hanging out. It was one of those hanging-out sessions so much a part of the '70s," Bowie told the News. "He said 'Hey, why don't we do something?' I said 'OK, you're on.' Then I (thought) 'Oh (damn), what do we do? How do you write something with a Beatle?'"

Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar had come up with a riff they'd been doing in a cover of the old '50s Flares tune, Foot Stomping.

"We immediately started doing that. John was just playing along with it, and every now and again he'd go 'AYYMM!!' And I said 'I got it, I got it!' And I just put an F in front of it Fame! We were off and running from there."

Lennon wrote the chords, Alomar the roaring guitar line and Bowie filled in the lyrics and the lower guitar parts.

"I really wish, obviously, in hindsight that we'd done more work together. It was such a joy being in the studio with him. I wonder what we would have done," he said. "But we were having too much of a laugh. Most of the time we spent together was pure stupidity. There wasn't much work going on at all, as you can imagine."

John Lennon helped write this. Bowie invited him to the studio, and Lennon played rhythm guitar on a jam session that resulted in this. Bowie met Lennon less than a year earlier, at a party thrown by Elizabeth Taylor. Lennon was one of Bowie's idols, and they became good friends.
Lennon came up with the title. At first, he was saying something like "Aim," but then he muttered "Fame," and Bowie wrote the lyrics around it.
This is about what it is like to be famous. Bowie often had conversations with Lennon about how fame took away parts of their lives.
Bowie's guitarist Carlos Alomar came up with the guitar riff. It was based on a song called "Foot Stompin'" by The Flares, which Bowie had been performing on tour.
This was Bowie's first big hit in America, and also his first to do better in the US than the UK. He had a few UK hits before this, including "Rebel Rebel," "Life On Mars," and "Diamond Dogs."
Bowie: "Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them."
This was recorded at the Sigma Sound studios in Philadelphia, where many Soul classics of the '70s were made. Bowie wanted the album to have a Rhythm & Blues feel, and he called the sound he created "Plastic Soul."
Bowie whispers something at the end. It is rumored to be either "Brings so much pain" or "Feeling so gay, feeling gay."
Bowie performed this on Soul Train. He is one of only a few white performers to appear on the show.

[randyz]

Didn't they also record 'Across The Universe' for the same album, with Bowie on vocals and Lennon on guitar? I might be mistaken...

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Bowie did it without Lennon, but it was a tip of the hat to his new friend. And more royalties for Sir Winston O'Boogie.

[jeff]

Actually Lennon DID play guitar on 'Across The Universe' Randy. I checked the credits in the CD booklet ("Young Americans") just to make sure.

[randyz]

Jeff: It's probably been twenty-five years since I last saw that album jacket, but I seemed to recall that Lennon played on that track too. I guess I'm not quite as damaged as I thought!

[byu]

Lennon also sings backup on Fame & Across the Universe.

[rickboy88]

Thanks for the info on "Fame", Mark. I'd always wondered how it came about.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

You're welcome, but I was dead wrong on Across the Universe.

First time ever, though...

[dudley07726]

Fame," was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan. Written by Bowie and a new collaborator named John Lennon plus Carlos Alomar, it sounds very much like the Average White Band's "Pick Up The Pieces."

[jwilli]

What about "Changes"? "Turn and face the strain" has got to be Lennon.

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

What's happening to us? We're all over the map on this thing... someone get David on the phone immediately.

This site places the recording at the Power Plant in New York. I'm inclined to believe it. Hmm, Fame vs Pick Up the Pieces? Which one would you rather listen to? I'll take Fame any day.

The lyric is "Turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes."

Kind of like when Frank Zappa covered Purple Haze and they sang, "'Scuze me while I kiss this guy!"

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

oops, here's "this site":

http://www.answers.com/topic/fame-david-bowie-song

[jwilli]

Dang! I always get the lyrics wrong.....;-P