Black Cat Bone

I saw the 1990 EMI CD of Pin Ups at flea yesterday, at twenty pence. Crimped booklet, but the CD itself was like new, and that is what matters most. So, owning everything else bar a couple of 1980s duds, I thought, what the hell, and bought it for that princely sum of 20p. Playing it now is a "WOW" moment. Why the hell did I hold out for so long? Yes, it's all covers, but dammit, Bowie puts his personal stamp all over that album. And it's from my fave period, the Aladdin Sane period. I can hear that it's Mick Ronson without even looking it up. It's Bowie's covers of his 60s faves. He even shows the Floyd how it's done with an inspired "See Emily Play". I hate Floyd, but love this cover. It has been fiercely de-progged into playability. I bought all the other Ryko's when they came out in 1990, and I might even have bought Pin Ups, in which case I must have ended up trading it in. Glad I finally came round to it, even if my copy is "only" an EMI from the 1990 batch. We all know the 1990 batch is the one to get, Ryko or EMI, fuck all other editions.

GoogaMooga wrote:He even shows the Floyd how it's done with an inspired "See Emily Play". I hate Floyd, but love this cover. It has been fiercely de-progged into playability.

This is making me wonder if you've ever actually heard the Pink Floyd version. (For me, Bowie's is the one outright dud on Pinups.)

Charlie O. wrote:

GoogaMooga wrote:He even shows the Floyd how it's done with an inspired "See Emily Play". I hate Floyd, but love this cover. It has been fiercely de-progged into playability.

This is making me wonder if you've ever actually heard the Pink Floyd version. (For me, Bowie's is the one outright dud on Pinups.)

I have. But a long time ago. I may just be biased. Emily was from the Syd Barrett era, and I think I've got some solo Barrett kicking around somewhere.

GoogaMooga wrote:Emily was from the Syd Barrett era, and I think I've got some solo Barrett kicking around somewhere.

Not the same thing.

Give a listen - I promise it won't hurt you:

GoogaMooga wrote:We all know the 1990 batch is the one to get, Ryko or EMI, fuck all other editions.

I'm not sure about this. I've never done an A/B (much less an A/B/C) comparison, but the Rykos sound good to me, and the bonus material was usually well curated.

No, he's saying the Rykos are good. (I agree.)

Ah, thanks!

Charlie O. wrote:

GoogaMooga wrote:Emily was from the Syd Barrett era, and I think I've got some solo Barrett kicking around somewhere.

Not the same thing.

Give a listen - I promise it won't hurt you:

It's alright, but I can live without it. Now that I have Bowie's.

Yeah, the 1990 Rykos have the bonus cuts and good remastering with plenty of dynamic range, Bowie approved.

The suggestion that the Floyd's "See Emily Play" is prog is ludicrous. But I like the rest of the opening post

I loved the Rykos.

GoogaMooga wrote: I can hear that it's Mick Ronson without even looking it up.

if it ain't his finest hour it is certainly in his top drawer.

This one took a while to grow on me. I was overly familiar with about half the tunes and it seemed to me at the time that he was smothering them in his own personality. I can't say why I thought this was a bad thing because now it's the very thing I love about it. I think the band absolutely smokes on this one.

Different drummer! Aynsley is pretty good!

Quaco wrote:The suggestion that the Floyd's "See Emily Play" is prog is ludicrous. But I like the rest of the opening post

Ah, so THAT'S why it was so easy to de-prog !! I guess there's more psych in there than prog, but the proggy leanings are still gestating...

GoogaMooga wrote:

Quaco wrote:The suggestion that the Floyd's "See Emily Play" is prog is ludicrous. But I like the rest of the opening post

Ah, so THAT'S why it was so easy to de-prog !! I guess there's more psych in there than prog, but the proggy leanings are still gestating...

Really, relatively few PF songs, just taken as individual songs, are particularly proggy. Most of 'em are just... songs.

Charlie O. wrote:

GoogaMooga wrote:

Quaco wrote:The suggestion that the Floyd's "See Emily Play" is prog is ludicrous. But I like the rest of the opening post

Ah, so THAT'S why it was so easy to de-prog !! I guess there's more psych in there than prog, but the proggy leanings are still gestating...

Really, relatively few PF songs, just taken as individual songs, are particularly proggy. Most of 'em are just... songs.

Pink Floyd are pigeonholed as prog. Can't dance to it, can't snap your fingers, nor will the milkman hum those "songs" on his morning rounds.

GoogaMooga wrote:Can't dance to it, can't snap your fingers, nor will the milkman hum those "songs" on his morning rounds.

Not a whole lotta dance tunes, to be sure. But plenty of hum-able ones.

They got lots of dance songs

GoogaMooga wrote:Pink Floyd are pigeonholed as prog. Can't dance to it, can't snap your fingers, nor will the milkman hum those "songs" on his morning rounds.

It was good enough for Tony...

Hey, some people don't like Toto, others don't like Floyd!

My Floydian ordeal goes something like:

odd track here and there
DSOTM in full (Brian Wilson rates that one, AAARRRGGH!!)
THE WALL in full

The "Dance" comp posted upthread is ironic, of course. Show me a club where they ever played Pink Floyd. Tony likes some Floyd, but then Tony also likes Chi-Lites and Journey. So he is in fact more eclectic than all of us put together.