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Mags Meanderings: From
Som Tam To Mushy Peas
a starman waiting in the sky
One problem with writing a column just once a week
is those headline stories which break just as you have
submitted the next weeks’ page. And that is what
happened last week with the announcement of the
death of David Bowie.
At such times it would be all too easy to read the lengthy
media articles about the person in question, and to be
influenced by them. Which is why, on this occasion, I
have so far avoided reading those articles and might
catch up with them later. One thing though has become
clear over the last couple of weeks - that many of Bowies’
fans are much younger than those of us who remember
his early days.
With some failed records already behind him (including
an album in 1967 which contained The Laughing Gnome)
Bowie hit the big time in 1969 with Space Oddity, and
then just carried on and on until the release of Blackstar
just three days before his death. Little wonder that he
continued to attract new fans along the way. But those
who were around when he first fell to Earth will know
that it wasn’t all plain sailing back then, as a browse
through the UK album charts will show.
From 1969 and through the early 1970’s British music
was undergoing far more of a revolution than it had a
few years before when the Beatles shot to fame. As well
as all of grandmas old favourites - Val Doonican, Max
Bygraves, Dana and the like, there was a vibrant mix
of rock, heavy metal, glam and prog rock, along with
ongoing hits from Elvis and Cliff, and the Osmonds for
the children!
The Stones, Rod Stewart, Slade, Fleetwood Mac, Abba,
Wizzard, Hendrix, Mungo Jerry, 10CC, and many others
were all up there in the early 70’s charts, all providing
some serious competition. Disco was also big. People
wanted to dance, and apart from Jean Genie and Rebel
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Rebel, there wasn’t much in Bowies’ early singles
catalogue that you could fling yourself around to.
So although he had some 68 entries in the UK charts
between 1969 and 2000, only 19 reached the top 10, with
just 5 making it to number 1. And yes, against all the
odds The Laughing Gnome finally made it to number 6
when released as a single in 1973.
Where Bowie really excelled was with albums, and in
1983 he had a record number of 10 albums all in the top
100 at the same time. He also chose an excellent backing
group to accompany him on the Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust, and Aladdin Sane. The Spiders from Mars were
formed in Hull of all places