Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey - Holy Holy play The Man Who Sold The World

Music is the air that I breathe.

It has been my constant companion for as long as I can recall.

In fact some of my earliest memories are linked to certain songs.

Pre school age I can clearly remember sitting with what seemed like giant headphones on and listening to everything from The Rolling Stones to Elvis Presley.

Credit for that has to go to my uncle though.

When visiting him with my parents he would provide a steady stream of albums for my listening pleasure and I am genuinely forever grateful to him for providing me with an introduction to so many wonderful acts and giving me such a broad foundation to build on.

It’s also actually factually accurate to say that in many ways my appreciation of music has enhanced my life in more ways than I could count.

I have made long lasting friendships, been educated by it, travelled, formed romantic relationships, spent quality time with my children at gigs, and as said so very much more with it all being positive.

However one man who deserves a tip of the hat for providing so many personal golden moments on my journey through life is the producer Tony Visconti.

While the majority fawn over full bands, and especially those with the golden tonsils there is sometimes an appreciation blind spot operating were the people exist who were the conduit for the hits and albums to keep rolling.

While the names of Bowie to Presley roll off the lips it is left to the critics and the more infatuated with music to proclaim the greatness of the producers who worked with the legends.

And if we want to talk about real legends then Visconti is your guy.

Consider this.

Eight albums with Bolan, from the early incarnation as Tyrannosaurus Rex through the T-Rex years, of which included the mighty ‘Electric Warrior’ album.

With that on a CV most people could retire and bask in the reflected glory till they shook off their mortal coil, but not Visconti.

So you can add Bowie to the artists he didn’t only produce, but play with to.

The Man Who Sold The World, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Low, Heroes, Lodger, Scary Monsters, Heathen, Reality and the come back of The Next Day.

Again you would think that would be enough, but it doesn't even come close to how many acts he has worked with and sprinkled his magic in the studio over.

Paul McCartney and Wings, Manic Street Preachers, The Seahorses, Hazel O’Connors Breaking Glass, Thin Lizzy, Iggy Pop.

I’m reeling these off by memory.

Then there are The Stranglers, Adam Ant, Anti-Flag, Strawbs, Ralph McTell and Morrissey.

If I was to go online and check the list of the acts he has been involved in and mention each and every one I would end up with a repetitive strain injury from typing.

Even with what is listed it is very obvious that this is a man that has been at the top of his game for decades.

While artist come and go he has been a constant, and for that reason alone Tony Visconti should be a household name.

In addition to his production and engineering work he has also as mentioned played with the greats and more recently been touring with Woody Woodmansey (Bowie drummer) as Holy Holy performing alongside Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17) and Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) and breathing new life into The Man Who Sold the World to great acclaim from fans and critics alike, and so successful was the mini tour that he is currently back on the road with it to impress all over again.

Undoubtedly this is a bucket list gig and it’s just waiting there to be ticked off.

In fact check out who else is in the band.

James Stevenson (Generation X, The Cult, Scott Walker), guitar
Paul Cuddeford (Ian Hunter, Bob Geldof), guitar
Terry Edwards (Gallon Drunk, PJ Harvey, The Blockheads, Yoko Ono), saxophones, 12-string guitar, percussion
Rod Melvin (Brian Eno, Ian Dury), piano
Berenice Scott (Heaven 17), synthesiser
Hannah Berridge Ronson (Colin Lloyd Tucker), keyboard, recorder, backing vocals
Lisa Ronson (The Secret History), vocals

On Thurday the 25^th of June he is back in the ABC in Glasgow.

Tickets are available here

David Bowie single and album release.

On at least an annual basis the rumour will mill goes into over drive and stories will start trickling down that Dame David of Bowie has been seen in the studio and a release is imminent.

There's been ten years of that trusted old chestnut being rolled out with nary a crumb of factual evidence being there to support it.

So when the story barely resurfaced yet again a few weeks ago some would have been forgiven for thinking it was the same old song and dance.

I certainly did.

A word here and a word there, but that was it.

The whispers fell far short of being of the stage variety, and little credence was lent to them.

Along with the most hardcore fans my Bowie sense failed to tingle at all, and this morning it was as much as a surprise to me as anyone else that we not only have a story in the headlines of a forthcoming outing from the man who fell to earth, but an actual song that is available to download.

While governments all over the world are spectacularly failing to keep a secret it would seem that those in the Bowie camp voluntarily had their lips sown up to ensure that the news didn't leak prior to the single being made available to the public.

That it is now with us is akin to opening the door to find a favourite uncle has returned from a decade long journey.

He's maybe a bit dishevelled looking and we haven't had time to usher him in, find him a seat, or draw a complete story from him, but never the less we are glad to see him.

However we have managed to find out that not only is he back, but a return visit is on the cards to.

Or in plain English the single is with us today and an album is coming in March.

So what's the story with the Tony Visconti produced 'Where are we now'?

Well on first listen it comes across as one of the most literal songs that he has released in a very long time.

In what some may call a laconic delivery he reminisces about his time in Berlin and takes us on a guided tour of the city he knew, and as he isn't particularly known for looking back I found this to be a a strangely compelling angle.

That it is also pretty much a traditional arrangement of music, and bypasses his tendency of looking to be on the cutting edge, adds to the wrong footedness of his return, and with that what we get is yet again the unexpected.

While we could have speculated that his return would have been one that looked to land just slightly ahead of the curve he has once again managed to be veer away from the areas that some would have mapped out for him and reiterate that he is not a man who preconceived ideas sit comfortably with.

I guess that means that the unexpected is now the expected and he delivered on it again.

Even now some may be trying to speculate what the forthcoming album will sound like based on the single, but who really knows?

Only those who have been working with him on it I suppose, and as I said, it's possible their lips have been sewn shut.

So I guess it's now just a waiting game, and I'm happy to admit the anticipation is a rather delightful feeling.

Personally I'm very pleased that he is back.

The Next Day is released on March 8th in Australia, the 11th in the UK and the 12th in the USA.