Editorial
On the cover: David Bowie © The David Bowie Archive, photograph by Brian Ward
ONE ofmyfavouritemoments ofthenewDavidBowie boxset, covering the birth of Ziggy Stardust, is the demo of “SoulLove” recordedatHaddonHallin November 1971. This has evidently been made for Mick Ronson and, after playing the song through, Bowie leaves a message for his co-conspirator. “I think we should work on that as a single, Mick,” he begins, going on to list ideas for arrangements he has in mind for the song, based around a “heavy, warm sax lineup”. Bowie’s ideasare clear, preciseanddetailed, revealingalotabouthisabilityto imagine how a finished song might sound. After this, there’s a pause, then Bowie signs off in the kind of cute parentese he might have used with his then-six-month-old son, Zowie. “Oo-kay? Right ’den.” In the space of just a few moments, we have heard from several different David Bowies: the performer, the composer, the friend. Three months after this charming, intimate recording, Ziggy Stardust made his earthly debut on stage at the Toby Jug, a pub off the A3.