In July 1973, a week after announcing Ziggy Stardust’s retirement, David Bowie flew to France to record an album of 60s-era cover versions. Although the resulting Pin Ups remains the dark horse of his 1970s catalogue, it captures Bowie at his most relaxed, and his right ‐hand man Mick Ronson at the height of his powers. Even Starmen need to come down to earth now and then.
Consider David Bowie’s gravity-defying release schedule of the early 1970s: Hunky Dory, December 1971. Ziggy Stardust, June 1972. Aladdin Sane, April 1973. Even by the standards of the era, that’s prolific. Then consider that all three are classics, two of them regulars on Greatest Albums round-ups. Then throw in constant touring, press and the day-to-day of trying to live up to lofty accolades such as “brilliant songwriter”, “darkling prophet” and “TS Eliot with a beat”. Bowie may not have been ready to ‘kick it in the head when he was twenty-five” (he was 26), but he sure needed a breather to recharge his creative batteries.
His idea of a break was a walk down Memory Lane – in this case Wardour Street in London’s Soho – to a time when he was amod teen at the Marquee club, soaking up sounds by his favourite bands, such as The Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, Them, The Yardbirds and The Who. Bowie planned to repay the debt of inspiration with an album of cover versions. And really, he’d already been indulging his fanboy tendencies with
