Pin Ups

At a time when corporate sponsorship and merchandising wasn't even part of the rock star financial retirement scheme, David Bowie's Pin Ups, an album of songs by bands he used to see in clubs as a kid was considered a blatant commercial move and was dismissed by the critics accordingly. Of course, many of the reviewers had seen or loved those same bands and their allegiance was with History, memories and nostalgia.

 David Bowie Pin Ups

Nevertheless, this beefed-up Spiders From Mars (dumping drummer Woody Woodmansey for hot-sticks Aynsley Dunbar) performed brilliantly and to be fair, the only songs that a kid of today might recognize are:

• Friday On My Mind  The Easybeats &
• I Can't Explain   The Who

...with...

• Shapes Of Things   The Yardbirds
• Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere   The Who &
• Where Have All The Good Times Gone   The Kinks

...remaining reasonably obscure. The other tracks, like the hit single, Sorrow, are well and truly forgotten, so in my eyes, Bowie did a great thing, bringing some recognition and let's not be coy, welcome ongoing royalties to those old rockers. 

As for Bowie, well, he sounds completely confident, dropping many of the camp affectations and really creating a fine (albeit short) album. I'm not even going to talk about the quality of the songs as I don't really think that's relevant but I must mention that Mick Ronson does a wonderful job as co-producer & arranger. 

Forget your disappointment about this follow-up to Aladdin Sane not containing updates on the latest glam rock apocalypse, Pin Ups is party time. What is relevant is that the songs on this album were some of David Bowie's favorite tracks when he was a teenager, making it a fascinating companion to his early career.

David Bowie: Sorrow

from The 1980 Floor Show (see below)

Pin Ups remains one of my favorite David Bowie albums. It's certainly the lightest thing he's ever done and still a joy to hear, especially when the kids are out, it's cranked up loud and you're having a shower. Excellent!

David Bowie: Pin Ups

"...it is a brisk, vibrant, affectionate roller coaster through some classic British r'n'b. Take it at face value and you will enjoy it. Great cover too, Bowie and Twiggy..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Magic Rat

"...It really does sound good loud...A must for a Bowie fan and a recommendation for all classic rock fans...(The songs) hold up well 30+ years later..." Amazon reviewer factory35

"...I've only recently bought this album, having deliberately avoided it, not sure why...Well, I wish I'd bought it sooner! First impression was that it didn't really turn me on much but having given it a few more listens it suddenly gels - it's one of the more consistent Bowie albums, which I find intriguing..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer rob @ robsoft

"...Who cares if they're all covers? Bowie does them all really well and this album...stands up incredibly well next to the rest of Bowie's catalogue. Ownership is essential..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Christopher Morris

"...This Virgin 24-bit mastering is a big improvent over the early 90's Ryko versions, flushing out drums and bass..No Bowie collection is complete without Pin Ups. Get it..." Amazon reviewer Eric Berg

Three bits of Pin Ups trivia:

1    "Pin Ups" refers to pictures of pop stars that you would thunb-tack onto the wall 

2    The astro-girl on the cover with Bowie is #1 60s model, Twiggy, recently a judge on TV's America's top model 2005/6.

3    The first EXTRA on my CD is a studio version of Jacques Brel's Amsterdam which makes for dramatic listening (Bowie had been performing Brel's My Death in concert for quite a while). Amsterdam was originally the b-side to Sorrow, the single from Pin Ups.

The other EXTRA on Pin Ups is a surprisingly lacklustre version of Bruce Springsteen's Growing Up which shows that Bowie was onto The Bruce-ster very early on, a good few years before Springsteen cracked it. Bowie seems to have adapted the song concept, Bowie-fied it and created the superb Growing Up & I'm Fine  donated it to Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson's first solo album, Slaughter On Tenth Avenue.

No natural front man, Ronson stepped very tentatively into the spotlight, even while being give the full backing of Bowie's management team Mainman (which was about to fall apart). Although Slaughter isn't a triumph, it's pretty damn good with all the tracks standing up, especially I'm The One and the riffy Only After Dark, both of which have some very tasteful rock guitar. The only clunker is Elvis' Love Me Tender for the album opener (and single), a disastrous choice, from which the Ronson's career, undeservedly, had trouble recovering from...

Mick Ronson: Slaughter On 10th Avenue

"...Slaughter is a classic album that never quite moved out of Bowie's shadow at the time but now stands on it's own as Ronson's finest solo recording..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer P. Clark

"...The music is hard to describe. The sound is very Alladin Sane-era Bowie but at the same time, it's not like Bowie at all...unlike anything else I've ever heard..." Amazon reviewer KSG

Ronson was a genuine talent both as a gifted player and a meticulous arranger and his solo albums are real treasure troves for the Bowie fan, being exactly the type of albums that Bowie might have made if he'd been in the least bit conventional.

Ronson's second album, Play Don't Worry was also pretty good and contained The Velvet Underground's White Light / White Heat track from the Pin Ups sessions, which is fabulous! There are other delights here, too, especially Billy Porter, an excellent movie-like narrative pop mini-masterpiece and the romantic This Is For You. While the vocals are a little labored...Play Don't Worry is so unpretentious and likable, I  can't help but recommend it.

Mick Ronson: Play Don't Worry

"...Play Don't Worry is an aptly titled album; right from the start, Ronson wastes no time in taking his own advice and letting his guitar playing go full-tilt..." Amazon reviewer C. Potocki

"...Ronson may not have possessed the world's best singing voice, but with that unbelievably transcendant guitar tone and sustain, who cares! The re-issue also features a generous helping of bonus tracks of varying quality and/or historical interest. Required listening for guitar afficiandos..." Amazon reviewer D. Hartley

Ronson was never going to be a great SOLO star and he soon became involved with the end of Mott The Hoople and then Ian Hunter's solo career, where he was overshadowed by a stronger personality but a lesser talent.

Still, these two albums contain a surprising amount of really good mid-70s pop, seldom heard and completely under-appreciated.

For more info, see:

• wikipedia Pin Ups
• the brief story behind the Pin Ups cover
• Rock Bowie interview during the Pin Ups sessions 
• because there was no Pin Ups tour, Bowie recorded a television special to promote it. Here's photographer Mick Rock's  1980 Floor Show article about the day's proceedings and here's the gallery
• wikipedia Mick Ronson
• Music Scene Ronson tentatively steps into the spotlight
• respectful Record Collector Mick Ronson obituary