DAVIDBOWIE: ALBUMTOALBUM

• S5 Ep13: Carlos Alomar on the DAM Trio

  He's the man who went from Philly soul to Scary Monsters by way of Station to Station and all things Berlin - yes, it's Carlos Alomar, guitarist, songwriter, collaborator, bandleader and all round musical machine joining me on this episode for a wide ranging conversation spanning technology, working with David Bowie, James Brown, George Murray, Dennis Davis, The Monkees, Jimi Hendrix, watermelons, cherries and pineapples and much more. He even gets his guitar out and demonstrates where just a couple of those legendary licks originated from. Now, as he prepares to finally hit the road with his Dam Trilogy road show - a long-awaited celebration of the killer trio who shaped the Bowie sound in the studio and on the road from 1975 into the 1980s - I sat down with him on Zoom recently to find out how and why he, George Murray and the gang are heading out on the road - and where that road might end up. For more information and tickets for the Dam Trilogy BACK TO BERLIN Tour 2025, head HERE Thanks to Leah Kardos for the intro/outro music for this episode

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• S5 Ep12: Tim Palmer on Tin Machine (Part Two)

  Part Two of my conversation with Tin Machine co-producer and amanuensis Tim Palmer takes in the aftermath of the 1989 debut LP and the fractured coming together of elements to make up the arguably stronger second album - a smorgasbord of some classic Bowie songwriting, noise, avant garde guitars, sex toys and good time rock'n'roll. In this episode Tim reflects on those sessions that took place simultaneously with David's round-the-world Sound + Vision tour (in which he set out to lay his back catalogue to rest) as well as the frequently astonishing level of innovation, invention and energy that went into Tin Machine 2. Thanks to Tim for his time and generosity in recalling those days for us and you can find out more about his activities here >>>  Thanks also to Leah Kardos for her presence on this talk and her questions for Tim - and of course her beautiful original music, used in the intro and outro. More on Leah's numerous projects and passions here >>>

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• S5 Ep11: Tim Palmer on Tin Machine (Part One)

  What have U2, The Mighty Lemon Drops, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant, The Mission, The Polyphonic Spree, Gene Loves Jezebel oh and - David Bowie all in common? That's right - superproducer Tim Palmer has worked with them all, and countless others over the decades and is regarded as one of the most accomplished and renowned names in the biz. Following our Tin Machine 2 conversation earlier in the year, Leah Kardos and I thought it would be fun to talk to the man Bowie chose to co-produce his exciting new experiment back in summer 1988, all about his experiences working with the embryonic Machine. Tim was there, from the band's tentative first steps, through to their final sessions for Tin Machine 2. And in this episode, he spills the beans on what really went on behind the scenes in studios across the world from a huge empty casino in Switzerland to a beachside studio shared with Status Quo in Nassau to surveying Reeves's collection of sex toys in Sydney. A genial, knowledgeable and hands-on facilitator and enabler, listening today to Tim talking about his collaboration with Bowie, Gabrels & Saleses, it is obvious how his positive and constructive presence was a vital element in the complex Tin Machine dynamic. Fair to say, its thanks to his work behind the scenes that this disparate group of characters gelled their talents into two albums which despite being much maligned* still offer up plenty of riches for the Bowie fan to discover or rediscover. So, in this first of two parts, we meet Tim, as Tim meets Tin Machine and the whole unlikely, unwieldy, unexpectedly wonderful project lurches into life and Tim reflects on the unbelievable stash of Tin Machine tapes and DATs in his archives (none of which, to be clear, was used in the making of this episode). This recording was meant to have included my Tin Machine co-conspirator Leah Kardos but sadly on the day of recording, her internet connection went totally berserk - less Goodbye Mr Ed, more a live version of Sorry. Her presence is throughout, nevertheless, and I am very grateful to her, not least for the insightful questions that she came up with for Tim. Thanks of course to Tim for his time and generosity in speaking with me and for more info on his work and projects do check out his site here Thanks also to Leah for the intro and outro music for this episode *Maligned by people who have no taste, of course :) 

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• S5 Ep10: Leah Kardos on Tin Machine 2 (Part Two)

  Sorry! Join me for the second part of my conversation with author, musician, professor and all round superstar Leah Kardos on Tin Machine II – the overlooked, underrated work by Hunt and Tony Sales, Reeves Gabrels and David Bowie, from 1991. So underrated, in fact, that it's not even properly available -  a mystery in itself. There have been occasional rumours of a Tin Machine box but this never quite happens. Leah and I feel this is a great tragedy, as to ignore Tin Machine is to ignore a crucial, transformative and vital moment in Bowie’s evolution.  Made largely in Australia, in between Bowie's Sound + Vision tour and filming commitments for The Linguini Incident, Tin Machine 2 was released to a muted critical reception and an even more muted commercial reaction, despite a Herculean effort by the lads to promote the record around the world. But clearly, for whatever reason, the spark didn't burst into flame. Maybe it was the label's lack of promotion as Bowie would later angrily claim ("They did dick to promote it") or perhaps the timing wasn't right, or maybe it was just the weather or something like that. But Nile Rogers was waiting in the wings, Black Tie White Noise was about to get underway, a loved-up Bowie was ready to walk Iman down the aisle and the laddish hi-jinks and rumoured intrapersonal issues within the unit were just too much to deal with. Yet, despite being passed off as yet another misfire in a period where poor old Bowie couldn’t seem to catch a commercial or critical break, we feel there’s some inspired songwriting and brilliant performances on this album. Listen to Amlapura, Goodbye Mr Ed, hell even A Big Hurt - and tell us we're (Betty) wrong. Inventive, boundary-pushing musicianship, flashes of sheer brilliance from the band, moments of sublime songwriting - under different circumstances they would be standout moments in the Bowie canon. Unfortunately, given the times, they were forgotten. Until now. If you want a fat tasty vinyl edition of Tin Machine 2, check out https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tin-Machine-II/dp/B087L8DB9L https://www.juno.co.uk/products/david-bowie-tin-machine-tin-machine-ii-vinyl/867550-01/ https://uk.rarevinyl.com/collections/tin-machine/products/tin-machine-tin-machine-ii-silver-vinyl-uk-vinyl-lp-album-record-movlp2715-834103 etc  Thanks to Leah Kardos for the intro/outro music  

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• S5 Ep9: Leah Kardos on Tin Machine 2 (Part One)

  Tin Machine 2! Turkey or twizzler? It has to be said, full marks to Bowie and the boys for steaming ahead with their second album despite bemused reactions to the 1989 debut, Bowie gallivanting off around the world on the mammoth May - Sep 1990 Sound + Vision tour, being dropped by EMI (leaving DB without a record deal for the first time since 1966) and Reeves getting into the intricate properties of sex toys* - all of this conspired to create this, the occasionally brilliant, sometimes baffling, entirely peculiar Tin Machine 2. Bangers and clunkers come together in a far more focused way than the first album, a greater spectrum of songwriting and Reeves revels in the spacious soundscapes, aided and abetted by producer Tim Palmer.  In this opening episode Leah Kardos and I get to grips with the background to the album, its long gestation and the first few tracks, swooning over our favourites and coming to angry blows over "If There Is Something". Come ahead and dive in!  Many thanks to Leah as ever and also for her background intro music for this and all recent episodes - more information about Leah's many activities at https://www.leahkardos.com/ *I feature Reeves Gabrels, taken from an earlier albumtoalbum episode - do check out his whole interview here! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/davidbowie-albumtoalbum/id1355073030?i=1000547920678 Tin Machine 2 is not currently available on streaming, but cheapish second hand copies abound on ebay and amazon. (Leah and I feel strongly it should be reissued)

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