Recording: Candidate, Take It In Right

David Bowie kicked off 1974 with a recording session at Olympic Sound Studios on 1 January.

He recorded demos of two songs – ‘Candidate’ and ‘Take It In Right’ – neither of which was released in its original form.

‘Candidate’ was eventually released on the 1990 Rykodisc reissue of Diamond Dogs, although it was almost entirely different from the ‘Candidate’ known to 1974 listeners of the album. The only similarities were the lines “I’ll make you a deal” and “pretend I’m walking home”.

‘Take It In Right’ was reworked as the Young Americans song ‘Can You Hear Me’ (not, as occasionally reported, ‘Right’).

‘Can You Hear Me’ was written for somebody but I’m not telling you who it is. That is a real love song. I kid you not.

‘Take It In Right’ did not easily fit the theme or mood of Diamond Dogs, so Bowie earmarked it for an album he intended to produce for Lulu. Her version was taped at Olympic on 25 March 1974, with Bowie producing and playing guitar, and Tony Newman on drums. Mick Ronson later added a string arrangement, which was recorded during an overdub session at RCA Studios in New York on 17 April.

Not for a minute did I think ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ was the greatest thing. I just thought, ‘Do what Bowie tells you,’ but that song ‘Can You Hear Me’, that was more my thing. It was a very soulful track.