I couldn't even come up with a decent post title worthy of the legend and idol of Sheena Beaston, he astounds me that greatly. In all of my [xx] years (hint: early 80's baby), he has never failed to disappoint me.


Tuesday, July 8 sees the release of Life Beyond Mars, a Bowie compilation of 12 covers. Each artist was allowed to choose 1 track from the entire Bowie catalogue and hence, the following track list.

1. Au Revoir Simone – Oh! You Pretty Things
2. Heartbreak – Loving The Alien
3. Kelley Polar – Magic Dance (Harold and Baby O in Italy version)
4. Leo Minor – Ashes To Ashes
5. Carl Craig presents Zoos Of Berlin – Looking For Water
6. Drew Brown – Sweet Thing
7. Matthew Dear – Sound & Vision
8. Susumu Yokota – Golden Years
9. The Emperor Machine – Repetition
10. Joakim & The Disco – A New Career In A New Town
11. Richard Walters & Faultline – Be My Wife
12. The Thing – Life On Mars

If you head over to the Life Beyond Mars site, you can throw in your pertinent details and get a free download of the album's version of Be My Wife. Or you can just grab it at the end of this post.

One-upping the forthcoming album, Bowie let out a free CD that appeared with the Sunday Daily Mail. Bowie selected his favorite Bowie, and in his words from the liner notes...

For this CD compilation I've selected 12 of my songs that I don't seem to tire of. Few of them are well known, but many of them are still sung at my concerts. Usually by me. I'll start off with the hit. (along with a few words from Bowie himself on why he chose each track)

1. Life On Mars
This song was so easy. Being young was easy

2. Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing
I was looking to create a profligate world that could have been inhabited by characters from Kurt Weill or John Rechy - that sort of atmosphere.

3. The Bewlay Brothers
The circumstances of the recording barely exist in my memory. It was late, I know that.

4. Lady Grinning Soul
A song will put you tantalisingly close to the past, so close that you can almost reach out and touch it. The sound of ghosts again.

5. Win
This is not, you may be speechless to learn, an ode to Winifred Atwell, though I almost wish it were for she was a real winner.

6. Some Are
A quiet little piece Brian Eno and I wrote in the Seventies.

7. Teenage Wildlife
So it's late morning and I'm thinking: 'New song and a fresh approach. I know, I'm going to do a Ronnie Spector. Oh yes I am. Ersatz, just for one day.'

8. Repetition
I decided to write something on the deeply disturbing subject of wife abuse in the manner of a short-form drama.

9. Fantastic Voyage
It's almost quaint, this one. It has a strong feel of the Fifties variety show to it.

10. Loving the Alien
Oh, recidivism, that'll fit.

11. Time Will Crawl
Over the next couple of months a complicated crucible of impressions collected in my head prompted by [Chernobyl], any one of which could have become a song.

12. Hang On To Yourself (live)
Although of only bootleg quality and despite the drums and bass being casually miked, I hope you can feel our real thrill here of presenting the band to a radio audience for the first time.

mp3: Richard Walters & Faultline - Be My Wife