È stata annunciata una nuova pubblicazione postuma del compianto David Bowie.

The Mercury Demos conterrà 10 demo, realizzati da Bowie nell’appartamento in cui viveva nel 1969, in cui canta, suona la chitarra e lo stylophone. Alle registrazioni prese parte anche il chitarrista John “Hutch” Hutchinson, con il quale il Duca Bianco collaborava in quel periodo.

Calvin Mark Lee, rappresentante della Mercury Records, all’epoca commissionò la sessione a Bowie e Hutch per avere qualcosa da far ascoltare al suo capo Bob Reno. Grazie alle demo Bowie ottenne il contratto con la Mercury, e sia Lee che Reno sono menzionati nelle registrazioni.

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MERCURY DEMOS LP BOX DUE IN JUNE “I recall how we lived on the corner of a bed…” As part of the ongoing Space Oddity 50 celebrations and following the recent Spying Through A Keyhole and Clareville Grove Demos collections, Parlophone is releasing a further set of recordings known as The ‘Mercury’ Demos on 28th June 2019. The ‘Mercury’ Demos are 10 early Bowie recordings captured live in one take to a Revox reel to reel tape machine in David’s flat in spring 1969, with Bowie on vocals, guitar and Stylophone and with accompaniment from John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson on guitar and vocals. The version of ‘Space Oddity’ from the Demos, originally released with edits on the S&V box, is presented here in its true context for the first time. The other recordings on the album are all previously unreleased. In addition to Bowie originals, the session also includes the Roger Bunn’s Life Is A Circus (which features as an earlier demo version on the Clareville Grove Demos set) and the Lesley Duncan composition, Love Song, later recorded by Elton John for his Tumbleweed Connection album. David’s own Conversation Piece is announced as ‘a new song’ and Janine features a short section sung to the melody of The Beatles’ Hey Jude. The session was a document of the ‘Bowie & Hutch’ duo’s set of the time recorded at the request of Mercury Records A&R man Calvin Mark Lee for his boss Bob Reno. Both Calvin and Bob are referenced during the 41-minute recording which was key in securing David his deal with Mercury Records. The ‘Mercury’ Demos comes in a replica of the original tape box and will feature 1 mono 33 1/3 rpm vinyl LP, a print, two photo contact sheets and sleeve notes by Mark Adams. The labels of the LP feature the same EMIDISC acetate styling as Spying Through A Keyhole and Clareville Grove Demos with the song titles in David’s own handwriting. Side 1 Space Oddity Janine An Occasional Dream Conversation Piece Ching-a-Ling I’m Not Quite (aka Letter To Hermione) Side 2 Lover To The Dawn Love Song When I’m Five Life Is A Circus #BowieTheMercuryDemos

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I dieci brani di The Mercury Demos sono tutti inediti, tranne una versione della demo di Space Oddity già presente nel cofanetto Sound & Vision.

Oltre ai brani originali Bowie nelle collezione sono presenti le cover di Life Is A Circus di Roger Bunn e Love Song di Lesley Duncan, apparsa in seguito sull’album Tumbleweed Connection di Elton John.

La raccolta verrà stampata su un vinile 33 giri che sarà contenuto in un cofanetto insieme ad una stampa e alcune fotografie.

The Mercury Demos sarà pubblicato il prossimo 28 giugno via Parlophone Records.

The Mercury Demos Tracklist:
1. Space Oddity
2. Jenine
3. Occasional dream
4. Conversational piece
5. Ching-a-ling
6. I’m not quite
7. Lover to the dawn
8. Love song
9. When I’m five
10. Life is a circus