Want a Rare David Bowie CD?

David Bowie recently released David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ’72 in Limited Edition CD and numbered 180-gram double vinyl LP packages. The release is also available digitally.  The physical copies are sold out - and already a collector's item.  If you want a physical copy - I might be able to help! I'll give away a copy of the CD. Just keep reading.

Previously unreleased, the October 20, 1972 concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium was Bowie’s first live U.S. radio appearance, broadcasted by the now-defunct Los Angeles station KMET (“The Mighty Met,” 94.7 FM ). The CD and double vinyl packages include photos taken at the show and a reprint of Robert Hilburn’s original Los Angeles Times concert review.

In 1972, David Bowie set out on his first U.S. tour. He'd recently introduced the world to his Ziggy Stardust persona with his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and he had completed a hugely successful U.K. tour. Accompanying Bowie on tour were The Spiders From Mars: Mick Ronson – guitar, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass; Mick "Woody" Woodmansey – drums; and Mike Garson – piano.

David Bowie is also particularly fond of the concert recording, saying, “I can tell that I’m totally into being Ziggy by this stage of our touring. It’s no longer an act; I am him. This would be around the tenth American show for us and you can hear that we are all pretty high on ourselves. We trainwreck a couple of things, I miss some words and sometimes you wouldn’t know that pianist Mike Garson was onstage with us, but overall I really treasure this bootleg. Mick Ronson is at his blistering best.”

David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ’72 

1. Introduction	10. My Death
2. Hang On To Yourself	11. The Width Of A Circle
3. Ziggy Stardust	12. Queen Bitch
4. Changes	13. Moonage Daydream
5. The Supermen	14. John, I'm Only Dancing
6. Life On Mars?	15. Waiting For The Man
7. Five Years	16. The Jean Genie
8. Space Oddity	17. Suffragette City
9. Andy Warhol	18. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

So, by now you're wondering just how you can get a copy of this rare disc. I want you to know this is so rare that I don't have the actual release - just a media sample. If you like 70s Glam, then you already know you need this release. ***If you want David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ’72, simply send an email to allyson@bringbackglam.com saying how Bowie influenced popular 80s Glam bands like Motley Crue and Poison. Please, keep your submissions to 75 words or less. You have until Saturday, August 9, 2008 at 11:59 pm EST to enter. The winner will be notified by email. If you don't receive an email by noon on August 11, 2008 you didn't win. Good luck!

You Really Got Me

I swear, "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks is the bane of my existence. I am supposed to learn this song for my next bass lesson - which is Saturday - and I can't get up to speed. Quite frankly, I should be practicing instead of writing this. At any rate, I can't play the song fast enough - and the whole song is based around speed.

The main riff to "You Really Got Me" is instantly recognizable, thanks in part to the popular Van Halen cover.  It's that popular riff that also earned the track a spot on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best rock songs of all time. 

The song isn't just fast - it's aggressive in a way that music fans were unfamiliar when Ray Davies first penned the song back in the early 1960s. I have trouble with the aggression part, too. Oh, I am a frustrated artist for sure - but that never comes through when I play my bass. The only thing that comes through is... mud.

I grew up listening to the Van Halen version of "You Really Got Me."  That song still enjoys a healthy rotation on classic rock radio. I think part of song's charm is its length - you get in, you get out, you get some rock - in about two and half minutes. Van Halen were smart to not mess with the timing of the original. 

I think "You Really Got Me" is one of those songs that will make anyone look cool. I'm sure you are familiar with at least one local band that isn't very good, but has spirit nonetheless. I would suspect that playing a Kinks classic equals automatic street cred.

I guess I should practice now.

*Musicians - ever been really frustrated by one song in particular?

The Kinks:

Van Halen's version:

On Repeat

Do you ever listen to the same song on repeat over and over? Recently, I've been listening to Tesla's "Modern Day Cowboy" several times in a row. Man, talk about a great song. I think "Modern Day Cowboy" is Tesla's greatest track. I can't get enough of the line "The USA - the USSR, with their six-guns at their side." I love that part!

Watch the video and hit repeat right along with me!

Hollywood Rocks

I love the Hollywood Rocks (Cleopatra Records) box set! It usually takes quite awhile to get through box sets, and this one is no different. Many of the bands are obscure Sunset Strips acts, so that meant discovering new bands. So far, disc one remains my favorite but I've found gems on the other three discs as well.

I won't put the entire track listing here because it is massive, but I want you to know I *love* "Time Warp" by Plain Jane, "Whatever Happened to Fun" by Candy,  "Hold On" by Rough Cutt, "Doghouse" by Sea Hags and many more.

All told, there are something like 78 songs in the box set. Sure there are some tracks you probably already own from artists like LA Guns, Poison and Pretty Boy Floyd - but the rarities are what make this collection so much fun.

The intro to Candy's song "Whatever Happened to Fun" is straight from radio! Two girls calling in to request their favorite song of the moment. The DJ asks the girls if Candy has a hit and they answer "yes" without wavering. 

Some bands I've dug for a long time are featured on Hollywood Rocks, such as Angora and Spiders and Snakes. Having so many great Glam bands together in one compilation is very exciting - and an easy way to sample tracks.

The box set also comes with a decent book. The best parts are the "then" and "now" photos. I love that sort of thing! There's also a pin and backstage laminate. As you can imagine, both are basically worthless. 

A note about sound: I typically *love remastered albums, but some of the tracks on Hollywood Rocks are...grainy. I actually prefer the diminished sound in this instance, as it adds some charm to the tracks. The first time I listened to the entire box set, I felt like I was on an archaeological dig. You don't get that very often when it comes to a favorite type of music. 

You can purchase Hollywood Rocks through Amazon.com

Up and Down Sunset

Do bands still make cool flyers to promote shows like back in the day? I don't mean the odd poster printed by a label to promote a big-scale tour. I mean those small, handmade flyers that were once the calling card of Glam bands.

Man, seeing old flyers is like a blast from the past. I was never old enough to truly enjoy Glam in its heyday (and by truly "enjoy" I mean walk up and down the Sunset Strip with a mane of teased hair wearing some fishnets). Anyway, when I see a homemade poster by a band I instantly think of 80s Glam. Back then bands had to be smart to play. They were hungry, and I don't just mean for fame. They were literally broke and starving! Those copied posters helped bring fans into the doors - and pay for beer, er - dinner.

I always thought it would be cool to have a bunch of framed vintage Sunset Strip flyers displayed as art. I know there are people out there that had the piece of mind to grab Motley Crue and Poison flyers from way back before either band was famous. Talk about a great collector's item. I'd guess they would be worth even more if the staple holes were visible. After all, most bands just stapled hundreds of flyers to telephone poles up and down Sunset.

Maybe the reason we don't see as many homemade flyers these days is because 1) they are no longer cheap and 2) there are probably rules against tacking items to telephone poles. I'm pretty sure that in Ohio, you can't just post stuff up willy nilly anymore. After all, there are laws against just about everything these days.

Are you lucky enough to have any classic Sunset Strip flyers?

Buy Lynam's New CD...Now!

You can buy Lynam's new album, Tragic City Symphony now. If you visit the band's official Myspace, you can click the CD art to their merchandise store. 

Tragic City Symphony is due out August 26...so in just a few days! August 26 is my husband's 30th birthday and I just purchased a copy of the CD for him as one of his gifts. It doesn't matter that I spilled the beans here - he knew he was getting this disc one way or another.

If the promoters of Rock the Bayou were smart, they would add Lynam to the bill - and not necessarily as a side stage act. I feel like I keep repeating myself and no one is listening. People - buy Lynam's music.  After all, Lynam owns you.

Photo credit: Lynam via Myspace.

To Sleep...Perchance to Dream

Do you ever listen to music to help you sleep?

By the time I actually get to put my head against the cool side of a pillow, I'm pretty much out. It's a very rare occasion that I have sleeping troubles and for that I am thankful. Still, I sometimes find it is soothing to lull myself to sleep with some music. On days that I am upset, there are particular songs that I enjoy. If I'm feeling really morose the Heroin Diaries soundtrack usually does the trick. Otherwise, I like to mix it up.

My choices for a perfect slumber:

The Last Mile - Cinderella
Love Song - Tesla
Amanda - Boston
Trampled Rose - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant
Restless - Alison Krauss and Union Station
Forever and Always - Bullet for My Valentine
I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1 and 2) - Avenged Sevenfold

Then... if I still can't sleep...I move straight to Tori Amos.

When I was younger I slept with music a lot. Sometimes the music would meld right into REM sleep and eventually dreams. I suppose listening to Aerosmith while sleeping when I was a kid made for some rocking dreams that I can't remember. I only know that I seemed more calm after listening to favorite songs while sleeping. I'm sure some doctor has researched the effects of music on the sleeping brain.  I'd be interested in reading such research.

Do you sleep with music? If so, are you like me and try to select songs that will make your heartbeat a little slower?