Another of my all time favorites. Bowie’s first truly production album featured Space Oddity. However, as great a song it is, Cygnet Committee was Space Oddity on steroids. At over nine minutes long, it tells the story of a rebellion from both the perspective of a financial supporter, and then from a rebellion leader as well. It meanders, the music builds somewhat, and it ends in a over-emotional plea that the rebellion member just wants to live. This to me was Bowie at his most bizarre and creative self. He didn’t have elaborate instrumentation, Wakeman and Ronson were yet to on the scene. It was primarily Bowie with accoustic guitar and little else. This was folk on acid. The lyrics are funny as hell in their bitterness and IMO, confusion. Before you listen to anything else from this pre-Ziggy era, listen to Cygnet Committee.
Here’s my version. I think it sounds better musically, but I’ve got a lot more to work with than Bowie did then. It’s also from another Lunamagic midi as well, which means it’s great.
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
I saw Bowie about 6-7 times at the Tower theatre in Phila. PA (1972) and once doing the Ziggy tour at Carnegie Hall in New York City. I actually stood next to Anthony Perkins ( Psycho ) in the men’s room
before the show started. He asked me “is this guy any good?”. I said I think you’ll like this. Needless to say that show was outstanding. All the shows were.
I also saw the original Velvet Underground 4 nights in a row ($1.50 each night ) in a tiny Phila club called the Trauma (1967?). This was my first real foray into live hard rock and roll.
I got a hold of Man of Words/Man of Music (1970?) after hearing Space oddity on the radio. I pretty much liked everything on the album, but I really got hooked into Cygnet Committee. I listened to that cut hundreds of times and you know how long it is. Til this day it is my favorite piece of music. and I have listened to a LOT of rock and roll.
I had Cygnet Committee pretty well ingrained when we went to that first Tower show. Bowie opened sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar. As he was getting ready someone yelled out Cygnet Committee! And in a disappointing moment that I feel to this day, he said “Do you really think I can remember the words to that ? ”
I don’t know if he ever performed it anywhere or anytime.
I think the song has a little more going on lyrically than you and others may feel. But of course, I am somewhat unwashed and more than slightly dazed.
I’ve always felt that this song should be the foundation of a movie soundtrack .
After 35 yrs I was searching the net to find a commentary on the song with some actual quotes by Bowie himself. Which I have not found. That’s when I bumped into your site and your version of Cygnet Committee. I think it’s great. (I’m not using that word casually ) It reflects how well you know the song’s beauty, majesty, emotional power and intricacies of the music. You must have been where it took me.
I always told my friends in those days that Bowie would be bigger than the Beatles. I guess in a sense he is. For a while he was — maybe still is — the wealthiest rocker , the Man Who Sold the World.
Best Wishes,
Greg
While we were trading emails, I knew I had heard a live version of Cygnet Committee.
I have tons of old bootlegs and knew it was on there somewhere. Finally
found it, but it’s not really a bootleg. It’s on
Bowie at the Beeb. This is a VERY FUN CD if you’re into Bowie at all.
It features a lot of his very early stuff. Currently it’s not available on
Amazon. But, you can hear a short clip of the live Cygnet Committee just
so you’ll know that it actually was done. Now, as far as I know, this is
about the only time he ever tried to do it. And, if you ever get a copy of
the CD, you’ll understand why he never tried it again. He screws up the
lyrcis! On Bowie at the Beeb, my personal favorite is his performance of
Silly Boy Blue. As far as I know, it’s the only live recording of that
song as well. He REALLY should have done more with that song.
Thanks for the email, I’ve enjoyed this chat a lot!
Thanks for the enlightening comments on Cygnet Committee. I’ve been trying to figure out what the fuck Bowie was up to but my one year old son, sensing my interest in the music, demands I read to him, or worse, turns on the automatic piano of Jingle Bells, Mickey Mouse, and other mind numbing lyrical noises (my cds get play time while mom is in the shower). Amazing that Bowie has no commentary on it. Talk about over dramatic–I just played My Death for my class today (Japanese uni students). They were transfixed and silent. I guess it’s acceptable to be overdramatic about death. Too bad Bowie didn’t write it; it seems so Bowie. As much as I love Bowie, old Genesis–Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot–still rule.
Peace and Love
john
Glad you enjoyed my take on Cygnet Committee. I really think that song is very relavent to events occurring today. And oddly enough, out of 52 songs I have redone ranging from Bowie to The Righteous Brothers to Elton John to ACDC, Cygnet Committee is the most played song to this date by far. I really think Bowie should have redone this one once he had better musicians and gear. It’s an awesome song and still one of my top 5 Bowie favorites.
My Death is an odd choice for your class IMO. As far as I know, it was never actually recorded(?) other than the live version. How did you come to pick that one? ( I probably would have used Width of a Circle and Quicksand ).
Thanks for the comments!
My Death i have from a cd I can no longer find–the cd cover was black with Bowie smoking a cig I believe. Bought it here in Japan. My porous memory says Ziggy Stardust (not the motion picture) but it seems you’d know of it. Since I couldn’t find that version I played the slower, less powerful live version that was recorded several times by friends before reaching me via our “music exhcange tape.” Don’t know the original source of that one. One student said his friend who’s a big Bowie fan asked the same question as you. Altho i could never play it well, i used to play around with the guitar with my favories to play being almost all bowie: Moonage Daydream, Rock and Roll Suicide, and of course My Death. In class, when i played it, students were all staring at the lyrics so intently and the room was so silent. I let the silence linger several extra seconds. After Kazumi, a good looking female student, broke into a big smile. I said “Dramatic, no?” and she seemed to agree. But dealing with second language is always guesswork.
Very interesting. My Death was on the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture. So, the live version has been around a while in pretty decent quality. I’ve never heard a studio version that I’m aware of.
Enjoy your posts, drop by more often!