David Bowie & John 'Hutch' Hutchinson
"Lover To The Dawn"

Foxgrove Road, Beckenham
April 1969
Lineage: SilverCDs--> EAC(secure)--> Flac--> HungerCity!

1. Introduction
2. Space Oddity
3. Janine
4. An Occasional Dream
5. Conversation Piece
6. Ching-A-Ling
7. I'm Not Quite (Letter To Hermione)
8. Love Song
9. When I'm Five
10. Life Is A Circus
11. Lover To The Dawn (Cygnet Committee)

A fascinating glimpse of the genesis of the Space Oddity album is afforded by a ten-song acoustic demo tape recorded by David and his Feathers partner John "Hutch" Hutchinson, probably in mid-April 1969. In addition to the 'Space Oddity' demo, the tape features early versions of 'Janine', 'An Occasional Dream', 'Conversation Piece', 'Letter To Hermione' (here called 'I'm Not Quite') and 'Cygnet Committee' (with very different lyrics and called 'Lover To The Dawn'). There are also renditions of the Feathers staples 'When I'm Five', 'Ching-a-Ling', 'Love Song' and 'Life Is A Circus'.

Exactly when and where this demo tape was recorded remains difficult to pinpoint. It was almost certainly after Kenneth Pitt's meeting with Simon Hayes on 14 April, and the presence of Hutch means that it can't have been a great deal later, for he bowed out and returned to Yorkshire the same month. It has been suggested that the demos were recorded on professional equipment at Mercury Records' headquarters in Knightsbridge, but this seems highly unlikely considering Bowie's apologies on the tape for the "very bad tape recorder and microphone" and for the noises coming from the piano teacher upstairs; the usual consensus is that the venue was his new flat in Foxgrove Road, Beckenham, where he moved on 14 April.

In mid-May Pitt successfully negotiated a one-year contract with Simon Hayes whereby Bowie was to receive royalties and production
costs for a new album, while Mercury retained two one-year renewal options. The record would be distributed on the Mercury label in America, and its affiliate Philips in the UK.

- Nicholas Pegg: "The Complete David Bowie"

I have always liked this demo tape, but always found it difficult to listen to, mainly due to the quite severe speed fluctuations.
But now, with a bit of patience, a sprinkle of Jim's Magic Dust and some top-drawer audio restoration software, I finally have a copy I can enjoy listening to.
The first 9 tracks (Space Oddity through Life Is A Circus) I took from the "A Letter To Hermoine" bootleg (Flashback 08.89.0105).
The tape stops and restart after Love Song, then continues with a slightly different tonal quality for When I'm Five and Life Is A Circus. Lover To The Dawn I took from the "Life Is A Circus" bootleg ({b3} CD/003) it appears to have been recorded seperately and has a different tonal quality again. It all seems to have been on vinyl at some point, the Lover To The Dawn section has distortion that sounds like it came from well worn vinyl.

I don't claim it to be perfect, one or two 'wobbles' just refused to go away, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

a JimmyShelter production, 2014

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