Having crafted his enduring legend within the 70s, David Bowie had by no means been anyplace close to as commercially a hit as he was once within the early 80s. 1983’s Let’s Dance album was once massive, its accompanying six-month Critical Moonlight excursion monumental.
Its ’84 follow-up This night did an identical industry, however at the back of the scenes Bowie was once going through one thing of a author’s block. Except for This night’s singles (Loving The Alien, Blue Jean) all of its constituent subject material have been co-writes (in large part with Iggy Pop) and covers. Bowie wanted inspiration. So when within the spring of ’85 movie director Julien ‘The Nice Rock ’N’ Roll Swindle’ Temple approached him to jot down the theme track for his bold musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes’ vintage 1959 proto-mod novel Absolute Rookies (and to play the a part of Vendice Companions) he leapt on the likelihood.
In the meantime, former Thomas Dolby sideman Kevin Armstrong’s profession was once in unfastened fall. “Within the shitter, to be truthful,” admits the guitarist, with quite extra cheeriness than one would possibly be expecting. Groomed for solo stardom through EMI, Armstrong had a debut album already recorded (which he owned outright), video made, title remixers and band in position, however “all of it got here crashing down”.
Whilst in a state of ‘Smartly, what do I do now?’ the telephone rang. It was once Hugh Stanley-Clarke, an A&R guy at EMI, who merely said: “Move to Abbey Highway. Take a guitar. You’ll thank me later.”
“We weren’t informed who we have been there to play for,” Armstrong says, “We have been only a bunch of mid-level jobbing musicians who have been informed: ‘Move to Abbey Highway, Mr X will flip up. He’s now not meant to be within the nation for tax causes, so we’re now not allowed to let you know who it’s.’”
Anyway, you’re almost certainly forward of me now – Mr X was once David Bowie. “He didn’t want title gamers, simply purposeful musicians to do a little demos with.”
The primary monitor the band labored on was once That’s Motivation (Bowie’s different contribution to the Absolute Rookies soundtrack). A posh piece, Bowie taught the musicians each and every section in isolation, committing it to tape earlier than transferring onto the following segment. A tortuous procedure, however it labored. With time last on the finish of the consultation, Bowie stated: “I’ve were given this concept for a track, there’s nonetheless a while at the clock, let’s try to paintings it up.”
“So I sat down with him,” recollects Armstrong, “with an acoustic guitar, with him writing lyrics on a pad. He already had some lyrics and many of the track, however he didn’t have the whole construction.”
Fifteen mins later, the band have been recording a demo of Absolute Rookies’ final association. “Paying attention to the playback, all people have been going: ‘My god, what a tearjerker.’ We knew it was once going to be one thing excellent.”
Bowie was once similarly inspired, and invited Armstrong, bassist Matthew Seligman and drummer Neil Conti to seem on the real Absolute Rookies recording consultation to be held the next week with co-producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. Virtually as an afterthought, Bowie added: “I additionally want a woman, that seems like a store woman, to duet with me.”
“So me,” Armstrong recollects, “being a snottily assured younger particular person in need of to get my oar in, stated: ‘My sister works in Dorothy Perkins.’ And with out hesitation he stated: ‘Get her in.’ He didn’t say have you were given a tape or an image, simply ‘Invite her alongside, she’s in.’”
Janet Armstrong had sung with a couple of punk bands, maximum significantly the Normil Hawaiians, however this was once off the charts; the stuff of fairy stories. And sure, this is her making a song at the document.
A lot of what would possibly seem to be further ornature added within the monitor’s final incarnation was once in fact there from the very starting, now not least its defining introductory ‘Bop-bop-ba-ooh’ vocal chorus. Additionally key to the overall model’s enduring attraction, Rick Wakeman, an occasional Bowie collaborator since ’69’s House Oddity, whose florid piano stylings (nearly ABBA-esque at the climactic choruses) entered the fray.
“It was once an exhilarating day within the studio,” Armstrong remembers, “as a result of Bowie wasn’t the one artist within the development at the day recording their portions for Absolute Rookies. Jerry Dammers, Narrow Gaillard, even Mick Jagger. That’s Motivation, Absolute Rookies and Dancing In The Side road (the duet Jagger and Bowie recorded for transmission all the way through Are living Assist) have been all executed on the identical consultation, in the similar studio with the similar band. Then, when all of the productive paintings were executed, we have been all placed on buses with bottles of wine, to Docklands to observe David and Mick poncing about doing the Dancing In The Side road video.”
With Absolute Rookies within the can, crowned off with an expressive saxophone solo from Alan Value sideman Don Weller, Armstong got to work on any other mission Bowie had casually dropped into his lap at Abbey Highway: to place a reside band in combination for “this charity display I’ve been requested to do”.
So, sure, that will be Are living Assist, then. The World Jukebox. A display watched through an estimated 1.9 billion… “This charity display I’ve been requested to do.”
A trifling fortnight previous to assembly with Bowie and Jagger to speak about their recording of Dancing In The Side road, Armstrong was once successfully homeless, his profession in tatters: “I feel I almost certainly would have discovered some way ahead with out it, however clearly that telephone name hanging me in contact with Mr X was once a large kick up the arse.”
Kevin Armstrong went directly to paintings with Bowie for the following 10 years.
Kevin Armstrong’s autobiography Absolute Newbie: Memoirs Of The International’s Best possible Least-Recognized Guitarist is printed through Jawbone.
