Film shows footage thought lost and speaks to singer’s early friends, collaborators and lovers
They were a “routine beat group” with a “strange choice of material” and an “amateur-sounding vocalist who sings wrong notes and out of tune”. In 1965 the BBC’s conclusion on David Bowie and his band was clear: “Nothing to recommend it.”
The thudding rejection of Bowie after a three-song audition has been unearthed for a revealing documentary to be broadcast next week on BBC Two, telling the story of his faltering journey to superstardom.
“I don’t think the group will get better with more rehearsal – what we heard will always be the product.”
“The treatment of Chim Chim Cher-ee kills the song completely. Instead of being bright and gay the song becomes a sad ballad. The singer is a cockney type but not outstanding enough.”
“There is no entertainment in anything they do. It’s just a group and very ordinary, too, backing a singer devoid of personality.”
Continue reading...from Top stories | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2HVWyG7
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook