Happy 50th Anniversary to David Bowie’s seventh studio album Pin Ups, originally released October 19, 1973.
Pin Ups, David Bowie’s seventh album is a pastiche of glam rock and proto-punk cover songs. Released in the wake of Aladdin Sane (1973), the album pays homage to the inspirations of his youth and the sounds that his early career was built around. Including the last remaining bits of the Spiders From Mars backing group, Pin Ups doesn’t have the gravity of his more original albums, but acts as an interesting historical layover on the way to a more avant garde sound after his prolific classic pop period.
Conceivably, Pin Ups served as a musical reset following Bowie’s exhausting Ziggy Stardust tour. Pin Ups is straight rock & roll, comfortable and familiar. After playing this specific spaceman persona for years on the road, perhaps Bowie needed a reminder of where his passion stemmed from. Similar to Bowie at this point in his career, several of the bands covered, like The Yardbirds, were the developmental starting point for future rock giants, like Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin.
While it is precarious to take on legendary musical acts, like Pink Floyd and The Who, Bowie approaches the material with a joyful reverence. Consequently, the place where Bowie is most successful is in reimagining smaller songs that he connected with in his youth. In The Merseys’ “Sorrow,” Bowie layers tracks of his own vocals to imitate the original harmonizing that makes the song so enchanting. The tempo is slowed down and the arrangements pop with Bowie’s colorful instrumentation. The Pretty Things covers, “Rosalyn” and “Don’t Bring Me Down,” are the most hard-rocking tracks on the album and play nicely with Bowie’s fierce proto-punk style.
While Pin Ups was a commercial success for Bowie, it was critically panned. Many saw it as a rush job, full of copies that didn’t improve on the source material. The New York Times’ Loraine Alterman panned the album saying it, "suffers from too much style and technique and not enough musical substance." It came at the peak of Bowie’s career and was a clear attempt to keep the momentum moving. Another complicating factor is in the choice of songs. Many were popular in their own right, performed by British bands, but written by American songwriters. In many cases, like “I Wish You Would,” a Bo Diddley-esque blues classic, it had already been through the wash once, with The Yardbirds. By the time it reached Pin Ups, “I Wish You Would” lost so much of the original grit that made it so good.
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While not a particularly favored record in fan’s collections, Pin Ups still has one of Bowie’s most iconic glam rock covers. Aesthetically, it stands as memorable thanks to the famous album cover from a Vogue photoshoot featuring the famous model Twiggy. It’s also a pivotal moment in Bowie’s biography. Pin Ups is Bowie’s last collaboration with Ken Scott, a producer whom he had worked with on all of his previous albums. When Bowie had abruptly ended his tour earlier in the year, much to the surprise of many of his longtime bandmates, he created a tension that precipitated the departure of Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey, original members of the Spiders from Mars.
A precursor to Diamond Dogs (1974) and the “Thin White Duke” era, Pin Ups is a nice reminder of David Bowie as an artist, and not in character. Even without the Ziggy Stardust costume, Bowie is still full of drama, with his theatrical vocals and layered arrangements. “Shape of Things,” a song from The Yardbirds, and already psychedelic in its own right, is made even weirder, with fuzzed out synth accents in place of guitars. Pink Floyd’s “See Emily Play” goes from earth to the chaotic, spacey sounds synonymous with Bowie. His ability to riff on music that seems singular is best displayed in these moments of experimentation.
Opinions on "Pin Ups" are diverse. Some people love it for its nostalgic charm and Bowie's ability to breathe new life into old songs, while others view it as a minor work in his vast and influential discography. Regardless of where one stands, it's a testament to his chameleon-like ability to adapt to different styles and eras in music. The album gives context to Bowie’s origins as well as the musician he would become. Fifty years later, Pin Ups is worth revisiting, especially for fans interested in understanding the full scope of Bowie’s influences and artistry.
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