David Bowie: This Is Not America (1985)

 |   |  <1 min read

David Bowie: This Is Not America (1985)

Accidentally catching David Bowie in Labyrinth on television recently reminded just how much he put himself about for a while there.

Recording Peter and the Wolf, singing the Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby, strutting with Mick Jagger for Dancing in the Street, the Absolute Beginners and When the Wind Blows soundtracks, knocking off stuff for Labyrinth which allowed him to dance in very tight pants wearing That Hair . . .

And around the same time he teamed up with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny for this hypnotic if rather anodyne tonal piece of obscure sentiment for the soundtrack to John Schlesinger's "bland and boring" (according Australia's Bulletin) espionage film The Falcon and the Snowman.

Metheny spoke about it to Elsewhere in this interview

Suitably mysterious perhaps and the title at least parallels something in the film.

But really, Bowie seemed a bit lost for direction after the success of Let's Dance in '83.

Fortunately Tin Machine was just over the horizon.

Ho ho ho!

For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory check the massive back-catalogue at From the Vaults.

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   From the Vaults articles index

Bob Dylan: Up to Me (1974)

Bob Dylan: Up to Me (1974)

Never throw anything away, huh? And Bob Dylan's career, with the massive and on-going Bootleg Series, just keeps presenting outtakes, live material, different versions and sometimes many complete... > Read more

The Beatnix: Stairway to Heaven (date unknown)

The Beatnix: Stairway to Heaven (date unknown)

There are any number of bands who can convincingly replicate the look, sound and songs of Beatles (our money always goes to excellent Bootleg Beatles). But Australia's Beatnix took a different... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

TOY LOVE: PULL DOWN THE SHADES (Real Groovy DVD)

TOY LOVE: PULL DOWN THE SHADES (Real Groovy DVD)

Anyone still wondering why all the fuss over thirtysomething years gone Toy Love -- the legacy award induction, double albums on vinyl, one of which has been the first New Zealand vinyl album to... > Read more

Various Artists: Rumba Blues (Rhythm and Blues Records/Southbound)

Various Artists: Rumba Blues (Rhythm and Blues Records/Southbound)

From the same label which has brought the superb 4-CD sets of rhythm and blues (here) comes this equally excellent 26-song collection of post-war material which had soaked in a Latin rumba-shuffle... > Read more