Space Oddity (album)
Encyclopedia
Release history
| Region | Date | Title | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 4 November 1969 | David Bowie | Philips Philips Records Philips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also... |
Stereo LP Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
SBL 7912 |
| USA | 1969 | Man of Words/Man of Music | Mercury Mercury Records Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... |
Stereo LP | 61246 |
| USA | 1972 | Space Oddity | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
Stereo LP | LSP 4813 |
| USA | 1972 | Space Oddity | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
Stereo 7 inch open reel tape | EPPA 4813-C |
7" open reel tape releases
There was only one release of Space Oddity on open reel, in 1972 duplicated by Magtec, North Hollywood, CA 91605. This is a high speed 7.5 ips release. RCA is the only known company Bowie has been assigned to that released his albums in this format, and only in the US, though imports into other regions may have occurred.CD releases
Space Oddity was first released on CD by RCA in 1984. In keeping with the 1972 RCA LP release, the track "Don't Sit Down" remained missing. The German (for the European market) and Japanese (for the United States market) masters were sourced from different tapes and are not identical for each region.In 1990, the album was reissued by Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
with an expanded track listing including a restored "Don't Sit Down
Don't Sit Down
"'" is a song written by David Bowie in 1969 for the album Space Oddity. This short song is a folk-rock-style stub consisting mainly of the lyrics "Yeah yeah, baby, yeah" and "Don't sit down" before ending in laughter after only 40 seconds....
" as well as "Conversation Piece" and the two-part re-recording of "Memory of a Free Festival
Memory 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...
" that had been released as a single in 1970.
1990 bonus tracks
- "Conversation Piece" (Single B-sideSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of "The Prettiest StarThe Prettiest Star"The Prettiest Star" is a song by David Bowie, originally released as a single in 1970.Bowie had recently re-recorded an old Deram track, "London Bye Ta Ta", intended as a follow-up single to "Space Oddity" in early 1970. However, the same sessions had also spawned a new composition named "The...
"), 1970 – 3:05 - "Memory of a Free Festival Part 1" (single version A-side), 1970 – 3:59
- "Memory of a Free Festival Part 2" (1970 single version B-side), 1970 – 3:31
1999 Remaster
The album was reissued again in 1999 by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
/Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, without bonus tracks but with 24-bit digitally remastered sound and retaining the original "Don't Sit Down". The Japanese mini LP replicates the cover of the original Philips LP.
2009 Special Edition
In 2009, the album was released as a 2 CD Special Edition by EMI/Virgin as David Bowie with the original cover art, with the first disc containing the original nine tracks and the second disc a collection of unreleased demos, stereo versions and previously-released B-sides and BBC session tracks.2009 bonus disc
All songs written by David BowieDavid 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...
unless otherwise indicated.
- "Space Oddity" (Demo versionDemo (music)A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
) – 5:10 different to the demo released on Sound + Vision, 2003 - "An Occasional Dream" (Demo version) – 2:49
- "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (B-side of "Space Oddity", 1969) – 4:56 previously released on Sound + Vision, 2003
- Brian MatthewBrian MatthewBrian Matthew is a veteran English broadcaster, who became well known in the 1960s. He is still broadcasting on radio for the BBC, having presented Sounds of the 60s since 1990, often employing the same vocabulary and the same measured delivery he used in previous decades.-Early life and...
interviews David/"Let Me Sleep Beside You" (BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
session D.L.T. (Dave Lee Travis Show)Dave Lee TravisDave Lee Travis , also known professionally as DLT and the Hairy Cornflake, is a British radio presenter, best known for his career on BBC Radio 1.-Early life:...
, 1969) – 4:45 previously released on Bowie at the BeebBowie at the BeebBowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three CD set, the third, bonus CD being a recording on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre...
, 2000 - "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" (BBC Radio session D.L.T. Show, 1969) – 3:54
- "Janine" (BBC Radio session D.L.T. Show, 1969) – 3:02 previously released on Bowie at the BeebBowie at the BeebBowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three CD set, the third, bonus CD being a recording on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre...
, 2000 - "London Bye Ta-Ta" (Stereo versionStereophonic soundThe term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
) – 3:12 previously released on Sound + Vision, 2003 - "The Prettiest Star" (Stereo version) – 3:12 previously released on The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974, 1997
- "Conversation Piece" (Stereo version) – 3:06
- "Memory of a Free Festival (Part 1)" (Single A-side) – 4:01 previously released on EMI/Rykodisc reissue of Space Oddity, 1990
- "Memory of a Free Festival (Part 2)" (Single B-side) – 3:30 previously released on EMI/Rykodisc reissue of Space Oddity, 1990
- "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (Alternate album mix) – 4:45
- "Memory of a Free Festival" (Alternate album mix) – 9:22
- "London Bye Ta-Ta" (Alternate stereo mix) – 2:34
- "Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola" (Bowie (music), Ivan Mogul (lyric)) (Full-length stereo version) – 5:14
Personnel
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid 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...
– vocals, 12-string guitarTwelve string guitarThe twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar...
, StylophoneDubreq StylophoneThe Stylophone is a miniature stylus-operated synthesizer invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis and going in to production in 1968. It consists of a metal keyboard played by touching it with a stylus — each note being connected to a voltage-controlled oscillator via a different-value resistor -...
, Kalimba - Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
– MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, electric harpsichordClavecin électriqueThe clavecin électrique was a musical instrument invented in 1759 by Jean-Baptiste Thillaie Delaborde, a French Jesuit priest. It is the earliest surviving electric-powered musical instrument, pre-dated only by the Denis d'or, which is only known from written accounts.Delaborde described the...
, keyboards - Terry CoxTerry CoxTerence William Harvey 'Terry' Cox played drums in the British folk rock bands The Pentangle, Duffy's Nucleus and Humblebums....
– drums - Tim RenwickTim RenwickTimothy John Pearson 'Tim' Renwick is an English guitarist.-Career:Renwick started playing guitar in the 1960s. He performed with many bands, including Little Women, Wages of Sin, Junior's Eyes, The Hype, Quiver and Lazy Racer...
– electric guitar - Keith ChristmasKeith ChristmasKeith Christmas is an English singer and songwriter. In 1969 his first album Stimulus was released...
– acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Mick Wayne – guitar
- Tony ViscontiTony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
– bass guitar, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple... - Herbie FlowersHerbie FlowersHerbie Flowers is an English musician specialising in bass guitar, double-bass and tuba. He is noted as a member of Blue Mink, T...
– bass - Benny Marshall and Friends – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- Paul BuckmasterPaul BuckmasterPaul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
– cello
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | UK Albums chart | 17 |
| 1972 | Australian Kent Report Albums Chart | 21 |
| 1973 | Canadian RPM 100 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Albums Chart |
13 |
| 1973 | US Billboard Pop Albums | 16 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | "Space Oddity" | UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| 1969 | "Space Oddity" | US Billboard Pop Singles | 124 |
| 1973 | "Space Oddity" | US Billboard Pop Singles | 15 |
| 1973 | "Space Oddity" | Canadian RPM 100 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles Chart |
16 |
| 1975 | "Space Oddity" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |