DAVIDBOWIE: ALBUMTOALBUM

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep7: Murray Chalmers on Young Americans Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

Here we are, with the shimmering soulboy, Bowie '75 style and 'Young Americans', that louche blend of slow jams, dirty funk and smooth grooves. Bowie's 1975 album veered dramatically away from the trashglam-apocalypso of 1974's 'Diamond Dogs' and presaged the chilly Eurotech of 1976's 'Station To Station' with joyous verve and energy. 'Blue eyed soul', its emaciated creator later dismissed it as being, but we love it to bits and so does my guest this week, the PR main man Murray Chalmers. As a young pup in 1970s Dundee, Bowie lit up Murray's world, paving the way for a punk obsession that brought him to London and led to him today, being the PR for the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Yoko Ono, Kate Bush, Robbie Williams, Suede and many more. Over two meetings (one in the slightly echoey surroundings of Murray's London HQ), we blether away about Bowie, Young Americans, meeting Bowie, Murray's beginnings in the London music industry of the late 70s and how one particular track from this album gets him. Every. Single. Time.. Enjoy and as ever, please do let me know what you think and spread this podcast like melting butter on internet toast. Ain't there one damn podcast that can make you…

S2 Ep6: Siân Pattenden on Low Nov 02, 2018

Show notes

Low! The 1976 masterpiece which saw our man frazzled and burned-out, on the cusp of mayhem, relocated from the madness of Los Angeles and teaming up with Brian Eno for a lot of experimental doodling and dallying and along the way, coming up with one of the most revolutionary albums in rawk history. The opening salvo of the 'Berlin Trilogy', Low is a beautiful racket of proto-electronica, effects and ambient soundscapes, that gave Bowie a new lease of life, electronic music to the mainstream and no doubt, ulcers to the good folk at Bowie's long suffering record label RCA.

In this episode, we meet the wonderful Siân Pattenden, writer, artist, co-host of the brilliant Bigmouth podcast and all-round good egg, for an illuminating wander along the Low road. Along the way, we debate the value of creative block, blues and greys, masculinity, divorce, love and depression as well as the circumstances around the making of this extraordinary album. Unfortunately, there was a car alarm outside during recording, which some of you might find annoying, but I hope you can persevere and enjoy Siân's engaging and illuminating chat, nevertheless. And should you be in the market for some quirky, fabulous lo-fi art creativity, check out her site at raw-art.co.uk for Bowie mugs and much more!

S2 Ep5: Nicholas Pegg on Hunky Dory (Part 2) Oct 22, 2018

Show notes

We return from a short international expedition with Part 2 of our Hunky Dory hoe-down in which acclaimed Bowie biographer and Albumtoalbum regular Nicholas Pegg and I sit down to try and work out what makes Bowie's 1971 album just so damn good. I can't seem to string together a coherent sentence in this episode, which I will defend, by saying Hunky Dory leaves me speechless. In this edition, we focus on side two, and cover all manner of Bowiephilia, debating the impact of his first trip to the States, his adoration of Biff Rose, Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, the creepy witchy genius of 'The Bewlay Brothers' and try to avoid the use of the word 'iconic'. Plug in, tune in and turn on and enjoy!

S2 Ep4: Nicholas Pegg on Hunky Dory (Part 1) Oct 04, 2018

Show notes

It's the album that, arguably, revealed more of Bowie than any other, before or since. It's a masterstroke of songwriting, melodies, esoterica and soul-searching. It's Hunky Dory and in the latest episode of Album To Album, we embark on the first of a two-part discussion of Bowie's 1971 landmark work, with our good pal Nick Pegg in the house to discuss Bovril, Andy Warhol, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Mickey Mouse, Norfolk Broads, generational angst, Peter Noone, Alley Oop, Alastair Crowley and much much more! (And that's only side one...)

Thank you for listening and please do share, rate and get in touch with your thoughts as ever, I appreciate all feedback and love hearing what you make of our ramblings.

S2 Ep3: Charlotte Hatherley on Tin Machine Sep 27, 2018

Show notes

Heaven's In Here! Under The God! Video Crime! Bus Stop! The critical consensus is one of mockery and disdain, but to paraphrase a magazine article of the time - "Are Tin Machine Crap? Discuss" - the wonderful Charlotte Hatherley and I reconvene in the kitchen to crack open a bottle of wine and do just that. We ponder the stories behind the Tin Machine project, chew over our favourite and not so favourite tracks, look at what alternatives Bowie had at the time and how the group did him a bit of good. We had a great time on this conversation, I hope you enjoy listening to it!

S2 Ep2: Let's Dance with Joachim Hentschel Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

Let's primp our hair, pat our shoulder pads into place, put on our red shoes and dance the blues in this edition as we head back to 1983 and the world-beating, mainstream-baiting majesty of Let's Dance, with the Berlin-based author and critic Joachim Hentschel. In this episode of Albumtoalbum, we explore the back story of Let's Dance and talk through the uneven collection of dance, rock, r'n'b and pop, as Bowie began his uneven, perilous navigation of the hostile swamps of the 1980s. We hear from Joachim's interview with the man himself, ruefully reflecting on the aftermath of the album's phenomenal success, and debate the possibility of a revised track listing and chew over that rather dodgy China Girl video. If you know when to go out, when to stay in, or simply, just when to get things done, this is a must-listen. Enjoy!

S2 Ep1: Nicholas Pegg on Lodger Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

Released in 1979 to mixed reviews and a sense of bewilderment at the change of direction from the preceding two instalments of the 'Berlin trilogy', 'Lodger' has never quite assumed iconic status. But there is much to enjoy in this 10-track outing, from a sort of travel themed suite of songs to a more broader set of topics on side two. Containing hits such as 'DJ' and 'Boys Keep Swinging', it also referenced Bowie's long-standing love affair with Krautrock, the Middle Eastern/reggae mashup of 'Yassassin', the starkly minimal story of 'Repetition' and the proto-world music feel of 'African Night Flights' and much more.

So, to get to the heart of Lodger - which was remixed last year by Tony Visconti, a mix I am a bit unsure of - I called up the one and only Nicholas Pegg, author of 'The Complete David Bowie' and went down to visit him one sunny day to get his take on all things Lodgerian. I really enjoyed this one, and hope you do too - spread the word, Albumtoalbum is back for another batch of Bowie geekery!

S1 Ep6: David Quantick on PinUps Apr 05, 2018

Show notes

PinUps is Bowie's fond parting gift to 1960s London, with covers of classic and less-known tracks from the Who, Kinks, Yardbirds, Syd's Pink Floyd, Them and more. It's also his farewell to Ziggy - having broken up the band when the kids had killed the man in July of 1973, our little wonder was going places - inventing Orwellian rock dystopia and becoming a grand, raddled dame of despair. But first! There was this LP to do, and what a fine album it is, a rocking, reeling rolling romp through the track listing but unlike similar covers albums by contemporaries Bryan Ferry, and a few years later, Lennon, PinUps has a deliciously freaky feel to it - these aren't straight covers, they're fantastically inventive impressionistic reworkings. You hear Bowie and band deconstruct the Who's 'I Can't Explain' or Pink Floyd's 'See Emily Play' with spooky menace and dread, yelp manically through Them's 'Here Comes The Night' and the Pretty Things' 'Rosalyn' and croon beautifully in the Merseys' 'Sorrow'. It's an extraordinary album and one that stayed close to its creator's heart for many years to come. David Quantick tells me why it has stayed with him all these years in a most enjoyable chat - so come and hear for yourself and enjoy!

S1 Ep5: Albumtoalbum: The Easter Pegg bonus episode Mar 31, 2018

Show notes

Hello! Here's a little Easter treat for you all, a couple of outtakes from my conversation with Nicholas Pegg last week in which Nick explains how he came to write 'The Complete David Bowie' and then, an interesting bit about the Glass Spider tour and Bowie at Live Aid. My mic was undergoing some sort of trauma for this section, which is why it didn't make the final cut - but it's well worth hearing. Enjoy and I'll be uploading the next edition of ALBUMTOALBUM next week!

S1 Ep4: Nicholas Pegg on Never Let Me Down Mar 27, 2018

Show notes

Mullets! Marimbas! Multimedia arachnid mayhem! Yes it's the spidery folly of 1987's 'Never Let Me Down', with Nicholas Pegg returning to stoutly defend his choice of album to a sceptical public, in this highly entertaining ramble.

The 1987 album 'Never Let Me Down' was a mishmash of styles, songs and haircuts as Bowie attempted to jumpstart his flagging career, with this confused follow up to 1984's 'Tonight'. Reflecting the uncertainty of Bowie's mindset at the time - casting around for a new direction and harking back to the theatricality of 'Diamond Dogs' a decade earlier, while trying to forge a contemporary sound. In this very entertaining conversation, The Complete David Bowie author Nicholas Pegg joins me again to chew over the album which he maintains, is not quite the car crash I always considered it to be... Plus, we hear Bowie's Iggy and Springsteen imitations and Nick explains why the Glass Spider is really a magical moment in Bowie's oeuvre...

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected