We Were So Turned On
Encyclopedia
We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie is a David Bowie
tribute album
released worldwide on September 6, 2010 by Manimal Vinyl
as a charity for War Child
UK. The album features contributions from Duran Duran
, Carla Bruni
, Devendra Banhart
, Vivian Girls
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
, A Place to Bury Strangers
and others.
This is the only tribute album that has been approved by David Bowie
and his management. The project began in early 2008 by Manimal Vinyl founder Paul Beahan. The album was to originally feature contributions from Radiohead
, Nine Inch Nails
and MGMT
, who all pulled out due to recording and scheduling conflicts.
The artwork was done by Los Angeles based artist and musician Nico Turner. The cover includes three images of Ziggy Stardust
filled with psychedelic
s items. The week before the album dropped the label released A Place to Bury Strangers
' cover of "Suffragette City
" on the music blog Cover Me.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
released worldwide on September 6, 2010 by Manimal Vinyl
Manimal Vinyl
Manimal Vinyl is a Los Angeles based record label founded in 2006 by fashion stylist, Paul Beahan. They are known for releasing underground and experimental pop music. They were originally known as a folk label that makes annual tribute records for worldwide charities, having eventually switched to...
as a charity for War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
UK. The album features contributions from Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
, Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
, Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls are an American band from Brooklyn, New York.- History :Vivian Girls, named after the magnum opus of outsider author Henry Darger, started in Brooklyn, NY in March 2007 as the trio of Cassie Ramone ; Katy "Kickball Katy" Goodman; and Frankie Rose...
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...
, A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
and others.
This is the only tribute album that has been approved by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and his management. The project began in early 2008 by Manimal Vinyl founder Paul Beahan. The album was to originally feature contributions from Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
and MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
, who all pulled out due to recording and scheduling conflicts.
The artwork was done by Los Angeles based artist and musician Nico Turner. The cover includes three images of Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
filled with psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
s items. The week before the album dropped the label released A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
' cover of "Suffragette City
Suffragette City
“Suffragette City” is a song by David Bowie. Originally from the 1972 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album, it was later issued as a single in 1976 to promote the Changesonebowie compilation in the UK, with the US single edit of “Stay” on the B-side...
" on the music blog Cover Me.
Disc one
- "Space Oddity" (by Exitmusic)
- "Boys Keep SwingingBoys Keep Swinging"Boys Keep Swinging" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released as a single from the album Lodger on 27 April 1979.-Recording and release:...
" (by Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) - "Sound and VisionSound and Vision"Sound and Vision" is a song and single by David Bowie which appeared on the album Low in 1977.The song is notable for juxtaposing an uplifting guitar and synthesizer-led instrumental track with Bowie’s withdrawn lyrics...
" (by MegapussMegapussMegapuss is a band with the following members: Devendra Banhart, Gregory Rogove , Fabrizio Moretti , and Noah Georgeson...
and Devendra BanhartDevendra BanhartDevendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
) - "Ashes To AshesAshes to Ashes (David Bowie song)"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet...
" (by WarpaintWarpaint (band)Warpaint is an American art rock group from Los Angeles, formed in 2004. The band's members are Emily Kokal , Theresa Wayman , Jenny Lee Lindberg , and Stella Mozgawa . The band's membership has also included actress Shannyn Sossamon and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer...
) - "Be My WifeBe My Wife"Be My Wife" is a song and single by David Bowie.Arguably the most conventional track on Low, "Be My Wife" toned down the electronic feel of the rest of the album...
" (by Corridor) - "Always Crashing in the Same CarAlways Crashing in the Same Car"Always Crashing in the Same Car" is a song by David Bowie for his album Low from 1977.The song's lyrics express the frustration of making the same mistake over and over. The narrator of the song recounts driving at high speed in circles around a hotel garage, cautiously checking for danger, yet...
" (by ChairliftChairliftAn elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
) - "John, I'm Only DancingJohn, I'm Only Dancing"John, I’m Only Dancing" is a single by David Bowie, released in September 1972.-Recording and release:The song was widely believed to be concerned with a homosexual relationship, the narrator informing his boyfriend not to worry about the girl he's with because he's "only dancing" with her...
" (by Vivian GirlsVivian GirlsVivian Girls are an American band from Brooklyn, New York.- History :Vivian Girls, named after the magnum opus of outsider author Henry Darger, started in Brooklyn, NY in March 2007 as the trio of Cassie Ramone ; Katy "Kickball Katy" Goodman; and Frankie Rose...
) - "FameFame (David Bowie song)"Fame" is a song recorded by David Bowie, initially released in 1975. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of September 20, 1975.-Song development:...
" (by All Leather) - "I'm Afraid of AmericansI'm Afraid of Americans"I'm Afraid of Americans" is a song and single by David Bowie from the 1997 album Earthling. The song, co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, was originally written during Bowie's studio sessions for the 1995 album Outside but was not released until a rough mix appeared on the soundtrack to the film...
" (by We Are The WorldWe Are the World"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
) - "Suffragette CitySuffragette City“Suffragette City” is a song by David Bowie. Originally from the 1972 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album, it was later issued as a single in 1976 to promote the Changesonebowie compilation in the UK, with the US single edit of “Stay” on the B-side...
" (by A Place To Bury StrangersA Place to Bury StrangersA Place to Bury Strangers are a New York–based noise rock band composed of Oliver Ackermann , Dion Lunadon and Jay Space . The band plays a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock...
) - "RepetitionRepetition (song)"Repetition" is a song written by David Bowie in 1979 for the album Lodger. In the song Bowie explores domestic violence from the abuser's point of view, sung in a deliberately unemotional tone that served to highlight the lyric and the unnatural slur of the bass guitar.Musicians on this song:*...
" (by Tearist) - "Look Back In AngerLook Back in AngerLook Back in Anger is a John Osborne play—made into films in 1959, 1980, and 1989 -- about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man , his upper-middle-class, impassive wife , and her haughty best friend . Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace...
" (by Halloween Swim Team) - "Fashion" (by Afghan Raiders)
- "Theme from Cat People" (by Polyamorous Affair)
- "Red MoneyRed Money"Red Money" is a song written by David Bowie and Carlos Alomar. The song had originally appeared on The Idiot as "Sister Midnight" with lyrics by Iggy Pop...
" (by Swahili BlondeSwahili BlondeSwahili Blonde is an experimental musical project formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. Founded by former 'WEAVE!' drummer and vocalist Nicole Turley, violinist and bassist Laena Myers-Ionita, Duran Duran bassist John Taylor and multi-instrumentalists Stella Mozgawa and Michael Quinn...
feat. John FruscianteJohn FruscianteJohn Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
) - "I'm DerangedI'm Deranged"I'm Deranged" is a song written by David Bowie and Brian Eno in 1995 for the album Outside. Musically and lyrically, it shares many themes with "Look Back in Anger" from Lodger , including the appearance of an angel figure before an artist...
" (by Jessica 6Jessica 6 (band)Jessica 6 is a Brooklyn-based Nu-disco and R&B trio that formed after helping put together the Hercules and Love Affair live show. Formerly known as Deep Red, their name was taken from the lead character of the same name from the 1967 novel Logan's Run....
, ex-Hercules and Love AffairHercules and Love AffairHercules and Love Affair is a musical project from New York based DJ Andy Butler. Members include Andrew Butler, Kim Ann Foxman, Mark Pistel,Aerea Negrot, and Shaun Wright...
) - "African Night Flight" (by AskaAska (singer-songwriter)Aska, past stage name; is a Japanese singer-songwriter.Aska is best known for work as part of the music duo Chage and Aska. As a composer, he wrote most of the principal hit songs for the duo, such as "Morning Moon", "Love Song", "Say Yes", and "Meguriai"...
+ Bobby EvansBobby EvansRobert "Bobby" Evans was a Scottish football player and manager, most notable for his time with Celtic....
feat. Moon & Moon) - "China GirlChina Girl (song)"China Girl" is a song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appearing on Pop's album The Idiot...
" (by Xu Xu Fang)
Disc two
- ""Heroes"" (by VOICEsVOICEs)
- "Absolute BeginnersAbsolute Beginners (song)"Absolute Beginners" was the theme tune to the film of the same name , composed and performed by David Bowie....
" (by Carla BruniCarla BruniCarla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
) - "Blue JeanBlue Jean"Blue Jean" is a song from the album Tonight by David Bowie. One of only two tracks on the album to be written entirely by Bowie, it was released as a single ahead of the album....
" (by Papercranes) - "Life On Mars?Life on Mars?"Life on Mars?" is a song by David Bowie first released in 1971 on the album Hunky Dory. The song—which BBC Radio 2 later called "a cross between a Broadway musical and a Salvador Dalí painting"—featured guest piano work by keyboardist Rick Wakeman. When released as a single in 1973,...
" (by Keren AnnKeren AnnKeren Ann Zeidel is a singer-songwriter-composer-producer and engineer based largely in Paris, Tel Aviv and New York City. She plays guitar, piano and clarinet, engineers and writes choir and musical arrangements.-Life and career:...
) - "ChangesChanges (David Bowie song)"Changes" is a song by David Bowie, originally released on the album Hunky Dory in December 1971 and as a single in January 1972. Despite missing the Top 40, "Changes" became one of Bowie's best-known songs. The lyrics are often seen as a manifesto for his chameleonic personality, sexual ambiguity,...
" (by Lewis & Clarke (band)) - "It Ain't EasyIt Ain't Easy (song)"It Ain't Easy" is a song written and originally recorded by Ron Davies. Davies recorded the song on his 1970 album Silent Song Through the Land...
" (by ZAZA (band)ZAZA (band)ZAZA is a New York based musical duo, composed of Jennifer Fraser and Danny Taylor. Formed in 2008, their EP entitled "Cameo" was released in 2009 by Kanine Records.-Tributes / Covers:...
) - "Soul LoveSoul Love"Soul Love" is a song written by David Bowie in for the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars .-Live versions:* A version recorded at the Philadelphia Spectrum, in April 1978, was released on Stage...
" (by Genuflex) - "The Bewlay BrothersThe Bewlay Brothers"The Bewlay Brothers" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. The last track to be written and recorded for Hunky Dory, this ballad has been described as "probably Bowie's densest and most impenetrable song"...
" (by Sister CrayonSister CrayonSister Crayon is a Sacramento-based quartet signed to independent label Manimal Vinyl. Led by vocalist Terra Lopez with Dani Fernandez playing backing tracks, the band was a two member act for approximately one year before keys player Genarro Ulloa and drummer Nicholas Suhr joined the following year...
) - "Art DecadeArt Decade"Art Decade" is an instrumental by David Bowie for his album Low from 1977.The song is named for a street Bowie had encountered in West Berlin, whose name was a pun on the art deco style. In fact, the song itself is, like the rest of the songs on the b-side of Low, a portrait piece of a certain...
" (by Marco BeneventoMarco BeneventoMarco Benevento is a pianist, organist and composer from Brooklyn, New York. Benevento is known for his effected piano work with his trio as well as his Hammond Organ and Wurlitzer Electric Piano work with the Benevento Russo Duo...
) - "Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes (David Bowie song)"Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet...
" (by Mick KarnMick KarnAndonis Michaelides , better known as Mick Karn, was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982....
) - "As the World Falls DownAs the World Falls Down"As the World Falls Down" is a song written by David Bowie in 1986 for the soundtrack of the film Labyrinth.The song is the backdrop for an illusion which Jareth the Goblin King builds around Sarah through the use of an enchanted peach. The illusion is of a masquerade ball inside a bubble...
" (by Lights (NYC)) - "The SupermenThe Supermen"The Supermen" is a song written by David Bowie in 1970 and released as the closing track on the album The Man Who Sold the World. It was one of a number of pieces on the album inspired by the works of literary figures such as Friedrich Nietzsche and H. P...
" (by Aquaserge) - "StarmanStarman (song)"Starman" is a single by David Bowie, released in April 1972. The song was a late addition to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, included at the insistence of RCA’s Dennis Katz, who heard a demo and loved the track, believing it would make a great single...
" (by Caroline Weeks) - "QuicksandQuicksand (David Bowie song)"Quicksand" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. This ballad features multi-tracked acoustic guitars and a string arrangement by Mick Ronson...
" (by Rainbow ArabiaRainbow ArabiaRainbow Arabia is an electronic duo based in Los Angeles, California consisting of Future Pigeon and Whisky Biscuit keyboardist Danny Preston and wife Tiffany Preston....
) - "Sound and VisionSound and Vision"Sound and Vision" is a song and single by David Bowie which appeared on the album Low in 1977.The song is notable for juxtaposing an uplifting guitar and synthesizer-led instrumental track with Bowie’s withdrawn lyrics...
" (by Mechanical Bride) - "Memory of a Free FestivalMemory of a Free Festival"Memory of a Free Festival" is a 1970 single by David Bowie. The song had originally been recorded as a seven-minute opus for Bowie's second self-titled album...
" (by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic ZerosEdward Sharpe and the Magnetic ZerosEdward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...
)
iTunes Bonus Tracks
- "Letter to HermioneLetter to Hermione"Letter to Hermione" is a song written by David Bowie in 1969 for the album Space Oddity. This ballad is a love letter to Hermione Farthingale, whom Bowie met through Lindsay Kemp. She became Bowie's girlfriend and they lived together for a short while in London in 1968...
" (by Viv AlbertineViv AlbertineViv Albertine is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits....
) - "Ziggy StardustZiggy Stardust (song)"Ziggy Stardust" is a song written by David Bowie in 1972 for the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The name Stardust was inspired by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy...
" (by Ariana Delawari) - "Oh You Pretty Things" (by Gangi)
- "The Man Who Sold The WorldThe Man Who Sold the World (song)"The Man Who Sold the World" is a song by David Bowie. It is the title track of his third album, released in the U.S. in November 1970 and in the UK in April 1971. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, notably by Lulu in 1974, and Nirvana in 1993.-Inspiration and explanation:The...
" (by Amanda Jo Williams) - "Within You" (by Laco$te)
- "Heathen (The Rays)Heathen (The Rays)"Heathen " is a song written by David Bowie in 2002 and is the title and closing track for the album Heathen.A withdrawn press kit containing a CDR with a 4'01" "US Radio Mix" indicates that there were plans to release the track as a single....
" (by Universe) - "The Secret Life of ArabiaThe Secret Life of Arabia"The Secret Life of Arabia" is a song written by David Bowie, Brian Eno and Carlos Alomar in 1977 for the album "Heroes". It was the final track on the original vinyl album, following the instrumental "Neuköln"...
" (by St. Clair Board) - "Modern LoveModern Love (song)"Modern Love" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie, and the first track on his album Let's Dance. It was issued as the third single from the album in 1983....
" (by Pizza!)