Pin Ups (1973)

The Bowie Project #6 – Pin Ups (1973)

Click here to listen to an audio version of this review on Spotify 

David Bowie’s seventh studio album Pin Ups (some say Pinups or Pin-Ups) was first released in 1973. A covers album it features mostly British 1960s bands that influenced a teenage Bowie, and besides some shining moments here and there the songs do not improve upon their originals and the entire records feels a little bit like a wasted opportunity. Pin Ups was released just six months after Aladdin Sane but Bowie’s label RCA Records wanted a new album for the Christmas season and according to his biographer David Buckley this album was envisaged as a “stop-gap” record to keep the label happy and hang onto his new original songs while his music published negotiated for larger royalty rights. In essence, this album is not a passion project and its rushed recording, which took place between July and August 1973, shines through when you see how little the arrangements of these songs have been changed from the original artists recordings. 

Another reason for the underwhelming quality of the record is that just after the completion of the Ziggy Stardust Tour Bowie made the surprise announcement that his backing band the Spiders from Mars were breaking up, the other members did not know this and tensions were quite high in the studio while this album was being recorded. This is also the last Bowie album to feature producer Ken Scott (who up to this point had produced all previous Bowie records except for his debut) as well guitarist Mick Ronson (until 1993’s Black Tie White Noise). Every Ken Scott produced Bowie album before this had contained one cover song and the idea here was to reverse that formula and have this be all covers and one Bowie original, but the original never came to fruition (although there was an idea that Bowie would rerecord his 1966 track “The London Boys” but it never happened). In my opinion the cover songs on the previous records were usually the album’s weakest points, so if this exercise in nostalgia would help get Bowie’s tendency to put covers on studio albums out of his system, then that’s fine with me. I hope it doesn’t sound like I am being too hard on his album, it can be a lot of fun and it has its supporters but at this point in his career Bowie’s creativity was off the charts and this album could have been so much better than it is if it wasn’t so by the book in terms how basic these covers can be.

The cover art features Bowie with 1960s supermodel Twiggy (who was previously name-checked in the Aladdin Sane song “Drive-In Saturday” as ‘Twig the Wonder Kid’). The photo was originally taken for a Vogue photoshoot, but it was not used as the magazine was apprehensive about having a man on the front cover, so Bowie used it for this record instead. The music is mostly covers of 1960s British bands except for the Easybeats track (they’re Australian). The songs essentially stay true to the originals with a glam rock/proto-punk style and Bowie’s signature vocal delivery. An early version of the album was to feature the Velvet Underground song “White Light/White Heat” which Bowie had been performing at live shows and at one point there was an idea to do a follow up record that would feature all American covers, one tentative title for that album was Bowie-ing Out but for some reason this never can to fruition. 

Side one opens with the debut single by the R&B band the Pretty Things, “Rosalyn”. This is one of two Pretty Things covers on the album and for me they both benefit by not being as iconic as some of the other songs on the album, so it’s easier to enjoy Bowie’s rendition of it without comparing it negatively to the original. The track has got a punk rock edge that was already present in the original recording and it gives Bowie the opportunity to show off a boisterous gruff vocal delivery that had not been seen that often at this point in his career.

Next is a song popularised by Van Morrison’s 1960s band Them, “Here Comes the Night”. It’s a fine cover but unfortunately, it’s got nothing on the original which see’s Morrison expertly brooding on obsession and jealousy. Bowie just doesn’t capture the tone and I don’t believe he believes what he’s singing. Although, the saxophone solo which Bowie performed himself is great.

Then it’s a cover of a song popularised by the Yardbirds called “I Wish You Would”. Again, it’s a fairly straight cover that adds nothing to the original. I don’t have much more to say about it except that if this cover got more people to discover the Yardbirds then that’s a great thing because I think they’re one of the most slept on bands of the 60s, much more than a just a precursor to Led Zeppelin as they’re often spoken of as.

Then it’s the Pink Floyd cover “See Emily Play” a song which is just far too iconic to even try and play, you will always pale in comparison. The strange vocal edits on this track also make it seem a little bit like a parody of the original instead of an homage. The song was written by the original Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett who unfortunately due to excessive use of psychedelic drugs and mental health issues was kicked out of the band in 1968 before leaving the music industry and retiring from public life entirely in 1972. His tragic life story is one fraught with heartbreak for music fans for the lost potential of one the most creative and idiosyncratic artists of the 1960s. Bowie spoke about Barrett’s tragic story and influence he had on him in an interview with Uncut magazine in 2006:

I can’t tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the ’60s will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also, along with Anthony Newley, he was the first guy I’d heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed.

Syd Barrett

Then it’s “Everything’s Alright”, originally by the British beat band the Mojos. Interestingly this cover featured Aynsley Dunbar on drums who was actually previously a member of the Mojos (albeit after this song was recorded). The song was the Mojos biggest hit and unlike most of the other artists here they haven’t had much of a lasting legacy within mainstream pop culture. Again, a pretty standard cover, it’s quite fun but nothing to write home about.

Then it’s the first of two Who covers with “I Can’t Explain” and unfortunately I can’t fully explain how much I despise this cover, it’s way too slow, it’s so much worse than original it’s not even funny, it hurts me to be so critically of Bowie but this song just misses the mark for me so much. I find it difficult to even listen to it. I hate it.

Side two opens with the only cover by a non-British band with Australian act the Easybeats track “Friday on my Mind”, and although it is quite good when I went back to relisten to the original it just doesn’t stand up to it. The original has got something special that this one is lacking, but luckily for Bowie the Easybeats lead guitarist Harry Vanda described it as “the only cover I ever liked” and I can see why, Bowie is giving it his all, his delivery is impassioned, and he seems like he is having a great time but with it. It’s a solid OK.

Then we reach the real highlight of the record with the only song that I think improves upon the original and is an essential part of Bowie’s discography with “Sorrow”. The song was made famous by the Merseys, but I would say Bowie’s version has now overtaken it as the definitive version of this track. The only single from the album released in the UK it reached number 3 in the charts and stayed charting for 15 weeks. It was also Bowie’s first number 1 in Australia. The string arrangement and overdubbed vocals along with a piano arrangement give the song a beautiful transcendental quality. I love it.

Then it’s the second Pretty Things cover on the album “Don’t Bring Me Down”. First released in 1964 the song was their biggest hit reaching number 10 in UK singles chart. A straight up R&B cover that demonstrates how well Bowie can do this type of music (something he was used to having previously fronted the R&B acts the King Bees, the Mannish Boys, and the Lower Third).

That’s followed by the second Yardbirds cover “Shape of Things” which captures the spirit of the original but with Bowie’s distinctive vocal delivery gives the song a new lease of life. This song was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s exhibition of “Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll” and was said to have a huge influence on both Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix as well as Bowie.

The second Who cover on the album is thankfully not as much a crime against music as the first one, it’s “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” which Bowie has a lot of fun with and does seem to be genuinely enjoying himself. It’s not as good as the original and Bowie lacks the extra bite a Roger Daltrey vocal can give but as an homage to the Who it’s done quite well. 

The album closes with the Kinks cover “Where Have all the Good Times Gone” and in terms of Kinks songs Bowie could have chosen to do I’m surprised he went with this one, not that it’s a bad song just with the entire 1960s discography of the Kinks to choose from it’s quite a deep cut. This is probably a good thing has a cover of “You Really Got Me” would have been too obvious and tackling anything like “Waterloo Sunset” would have fallen into the same trap as he did with the Pink Floyd track, too iconic to really do justice (although Bowie does do quite a good cover of "Waterloo Sunset" much later in his career in 2003) This is a fun cover that again doesn’t stand up to the original, Bowie’s vocals feel a little bit weak and it’s lacking the wit behind Ray Davies original delivery.

Overall, this album is what it is, a collection of covers, with some much better than others and definitely a minor addition to Bowie’s 1970s discography. At the time of its release, it was a huge commercial success reaching number one in the charts bringing Bowie’s total number of album concurrently in the UK charts at the time to six. However, the critical reception was mostly negative with reviews noting that most of the songs were inferior the originals and that artistically it does not add much to Bowie’s career. But that is not to say that the album is not well loved, for many at the time of release this was their first exposure to many of these songs, and if that was the case I can imagine it would feel like an incredible album mixed with so many styles and incredibly high level of lyricism with catchy choruses to boot. In my mind the reason to be so hard on this album is because of where it stands in Bowie’s catalogue, coming right off the back of Aladdin Sane and just before he was entering a new phase with Diamond Dogs, it just doesn’t live up to its own potential. An inessential Bowie album but who says they all have to be essential, take it as it is and it’s a lot of fun.

Pin Ups (1973) - ★ ★ ★ ★ (4/10)

Click here to listen to an audio version of this review on Spotify 

Bonus Tracks:

“Growin’ Up” is a Bruce Springsteen song that Bowie originally recorded in the early stages of Diamond Dogs which first appeared as a bonus track on the 1990 rerelease of Pin Ups. Springsteen’s version was first released on his 1973 record Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. so it’s interesting to see Bowie covering one of his contemporaries. It’s a great cover and it’s nice to see even Bowie liked the boss.

“Amsterdam” is a French song written by Jacques Brel that was translated into English and released by 60s star and later avant-garde icon Scott Walker who Bowie was a huge fan of. The song was originally recorded during the Ziggy Stardust sessions and released as the B-side to “Sorrow”. Bowie’s version is lacking the build up and emotional delivery of both Brel and Walker’s version of the song. A moment that highlights the influence Walker had on Bowie is the birthday message Scott delivered for Bowie’s 50th birthday over the radio where you can genuinely feel that he is starstruck which I imagine was a rare feeling for someone as emblematic as David Bowie.