Diamond Dogs | The Bowie Bible

US album release: Diamond Dogs

Joe — Fri, 31 May 1974 08:00:41 +0000

David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album was released in the USA on 31 May 1974. The album was given a $400,000 promotional campaign in America, which included huge billboards in Times Square and Sunset Boulevard, subway posters, adverts in the press, and a made-for-television promo clip. Diamond Dogs topped the album charts in the United Kingdom and Canada, and peaked at number five in America – Bowie’s highest placing there to date.

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David Bowie receives the Diamond Dogs artwork

Joe — Thu, 07 Mar 1974 18:00:57 +0000

David Bowie collected the artwork for Diamond Dogs on 7 March 1974. It had been painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert to Bowie’s specification. Peellaert was shortly to publish the acclaimed book Rock Dreams, which launched at a one-day exhibition the following day at the Rainbow Room, above the Biba department store in London. Bowie had discovered Peellaert through Mick Jagger; the artist was designing the sleeve for the Rolling Stones’ forthcoming album It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll. Jagger mentioned this to Bowie, who moved quickly to secure the artist for his own release. I’ve caused a lot of discontent

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Mixing: Diamond Dogs

Joe — Thu, 14 Feb 1974 12:00:06 +0000

Bowie and Visconti completed the Diamond Dogs album on 14 February 1974. The final mixing session took place at Studio L Ludolf, which later became Bullet Sound Studios, in the town of Nederhorst den Berg near Hilversum, the Netherlands. Diamond Dogs was released on 24 May 1974.

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Photo session: Diamond Dogs

Joe — Wed, 30 Jan 1974 12:00:09 +0000

David Bowie was photographed by Terry O’Neill for the forthcoming Diamond Dogs album on 30 January 1974. Although not ultimately used on the album, O’Neill’s shots were used as promotional material around the release. They featured Bowie, wearing a Spanish Cordoba hat and high-heeled boots, accompanied by a large and imposing Great Dane dog. Bowie walked into the studio with this giant, beautiful dog. He sat in a chair, all stretched out, with the dog standing next to him. But every time we took a photo, the dog would bark at the strobe light. The dog got so excited by

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Recording: We Are The Dead

Joe — Wed, 16 Jan 1974 12:00:12 +0000

David Bowie recorded the Diamond Dogs song ‘We Are The Dead’ on 16 January 1974. The session took place at Olympic Sound Studios in Barnes, London, with Bowie producing. The birds sang, the proles sang, the Party did not sing. All round the world, in London and New York, in Africa and Brazil, and in the mysterious, forbidden lands beyond the frontiers, in the streets of Paris and Berlin, in the villages of the endless Russian plain, in the bazaars of China and Japan – everywhere stood the same solid unconquerable figure, made monstrous by work and childbearing, toiling from

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Recording: Rock ‘N’ Roll With Me, Candidate, Big Brother, Diamond Dogs

Joe — Mon, 14 Jan 1974 12:00:39 +0000

David Bowie worked on four songs at Olympic Sound Studios on 14 January 1974, for the Diamond Dogs album. The songs were ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll With Me’, ‘Candidate’, ‘Big Brother’, and ‘Diamond Dogs’. Kate Simon was taking shots for Disc & Music Echo of Stomu Yamashta, who was recording in another studio at Olympic. Afterwards, Simon visited Bowie as he was recording ‘Big Brother’ with Mike Garson, and was later given a lift home in Bowie’s limousine. I can see David clearly now, sitting behind the huge desk in the main room, in a long green synthetic fur coat and

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Recording: Rebel Rebel

Joe — Thu, 27 Dec 1973 12:00:37 +0000

David Bowie recorded an early version of ‘Rebel Rebel’ on 27 December 1973. The session took place at London’s Trident Studios, where much of his major works of the 1970s were recorded. This was, in fact, his last known session at the studio. This was not the final version of the song, but a series of demo versions which helped flesh out the template and structure.

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Recording: 1984

Joe — Fri, 19 Jan 1973 12:00:02 +0000

David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars recorded an early version of ‘1984’ on 19 January 1973. At the time Aladdin Sane was still incomplete, suggesting that the song was a possible contender. It was not to be, however, and the song was re-recorded again later in 1973 and in early 1974.

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