Right is the fourth track from David Bowie's brilliant 1975 album, Young Americans.
I have tried to construct a credible promo for "Right" from the fragments of footage shot during rehearsals and recording for the album, at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, in the latter part of 1974.
Along with Bowie, the other singers are Luther Vandross, Ava Cherry, and Robin Clark. In the video we see Bowie and Vandross working together on the complex vocal arrangements. I haven't been able to identify the saxophone player, he's clearly not David Sanborn. And the guy grooving next to the sax man is Mike Garson, Bowie's pianist of course.
Right' is my favorite track from Bowie's 1975 album, Young Americans. The final minute of the repeated "Never Need No" falsetto by Bowie, responding to the group's harmonies of "Never No Turning Back", is one of his best vocal performances IMO. For that section I tried to make it seem like Bowie is getting.
Young Americans is the ninth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 7 March 1975 on the label RCA, and his tenth album including the immediately preceding live release David Live (1974). The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, instead showcasing his mid-1970s interest in African American soul and R&B music. Initial recording sessions for Young Americans took place in Philadelphia with producer Tony Visconti and a variety of musicians, including guitarist Carlos Alomar, to become one of Bowie's most frequent collaborators, and singer Luther Vandross. Bowie drew influence from the sound of "local dance halls", which were blaring with "lush strings, sliding hi-hat whispers, and swanky R&B rhythms of Philadelphia Soul." Later sessions took place in New York City, and included contributions from John Lennon. Bowie would call the album's sound "plastic soul", describing it as "the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak rock, written and sung by a white limey". Although Bowie was among the first English pop musicians of the era to overtly engage with black musical styles, the album was very successful in the US; the album itself reached the Top 10 in that country, with the song "Fame" hitting the number-one spot the same year the album was released. It was generally well received by critics, and has received praise in contemporary criticism. NME ranked the album at No. 175 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Background and recording Beginning on 11 August 1974, during breaks in David Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, Young Americans was recorded by Tony Visconti primarily at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. It was agreed early on to record as much of the album as possible live, with the full band playing together, including Bowie's vocals, as a single continuous take for each song. According to Visconti, the album contains "about 85% 'live' David Bowie". In order to create a more authentically soulful sound, Bowie brought in musicians from the funk and soul community, including an early-career Luther Vandross and Andy Newmark, drummer of Sly and the Family Stone. It was also Bowie's first time working with Carlos Alomar, leading to a working relationship spanning more than 30 years. Alomar, who had not heard of Bowie before being called in to help with the album, recalled that Bowie was "the whitest man I've ever seen – translucent white" when they met. Alomar said of how the album was put together: David always does the music first. He'll listen for a while then if he gets a little idea the session stops and he writes something down and we continue. But later on, when the music is established, he'll go home and the next day the lyrics are written. I'd finish the sessions and be sent home and I never heard words and overdubs until the record was released. The song "Young Americans", which Bowie said was about "the predicament of two newlyweds", took two days to record. David Sanborn, at the time a session musician, is featured on saxophone. The sessions at Sigma Sound lasted through November 1974. The recording had attracted the attention of local fans who began to wait outside the studio over the span of the sessions. Bowie built up a rapport with these fans, whom he came to refer to as the "Sigma Kids". On the final day of tracking the Sigma Kids were invited into the studio to listen to rough versions of the new songs. "Fascination" and "Win" were recorded at Record Plant in New York City in December 1974. "Across the Universe" and "Fame" were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City with John Lennon in January 1975. They replaced previously recorded tracks "Who Can I Be Now" and "It's Gonna Be Me" on the record, though these songs were later released as bonus tracks on reissues of the album. The guitar riff for "Fame", created by Alomar, was based on the song "Foot Stompin'" by the doo-wop band the Flairs. Bowie considered several different titles for the album, including Somebody Up There Likes Me, One Damned Song, The Gouster and Fascination.
Packaging For the album cover artwork, Bowie initially wanted to commission Norman Rockwell to create a painting, but retracted the offer when he heard that Rockwell would need at least six months to do the job. The album's cover photo was eventually taken in Los Angeles on August 30, 1974, by Eric Stephen Jacobs. Bowie's apparent inspiration for the cover photograph came from a copy of After Dark magazine which featured another of Jacobs' photographs of Bowie's then choreographer Toni Basil. The cover itself, as well as the cover type was designed in New York at RCA by Craig DeCamps.
Taking it all the right way Keeping it in the back Taking it all the right way Never no turning back Never need, no Never no turning back Flying just a sweet place Coming inside and safe Flying just a sweet place Never been known to fail Never been, no Never been known to fail Wishing you, wishing that sometimes (sometimes) Doing it, doing it right, 'till, ahh time, (one time) Gets you when you're down (Nobody, nobody, do it again, get off) Ahhh, sometimes, (doing) Wishing sometimes (give it back) Up there, up there (giving it) Oh, my darling (No) ah, my darling, (giving it) ah (up there) why? (Gimme, gimme) up there, (yeah) gimme, (doing) Taking with me (sometimes) Loving it, doing it (right) 'till (take it) one time Gimme (doing it) Giving it (giving it back) Taking it all the right way (taking it) Keeping it in the back (hey hey) Taking it all the right way Never no turning back (never never never never) Never no turning back Taking it all the right way Keeping it in the back Taking it all the right way Never no turning back Never need, no Never no turning back (Taking it) Taking it all the right way (yeah) Keeping it in the back (taking it) Taking it all the right way Never no turning back (never never never never) Never no turning back Flying just a sweet place Coming inside and safe Flying just a sweet place Never been known to fail Never been, no Never been known to fail (Taking it all the right way) Taking it all the right way (Keeping it in the back) Keeping it in the back (Taking it all the right way) Taking it all the right way (Never no turning back) never never never (Never need, no) (Never no turning back) (Never no turning back) (Never need no) (Never no turning back) (Never no turning back) (Never, never, never) (Never, never, never, never) (Never, never) (Never no turning back) (Never no turning back) (Never no turning back) (Never no turning back) (I never, I never, I never, I never I never, I never, I never, I never) (I never no turning back) (Never no turning back)
Right is the fourth track from David Bowie's brilliant 1975 album, Young Americans.
ResponderEliminarI have tried to construct a credible promo for "Right" from the fragments of footage shot during rehearsals and recording for the album, at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, in the latter part of 1974.
Along with Bowie, the other singers are Luther Vandross, Ava Cherry, and Robin Clark. In the video we see Bowie and Vandross working together on the complex vocal arrangements. I haven't been able to identify the saxophone player, he's clearly not David Sanborn. And the guy grooving next to the sax man is Mike Garson, Bowie's pianist of course.
Right' is my favorite track from Bowie's 1975 album, Young Americans. The final minute of the repeated "Never Need No" falsetto by Bowie, responding to the group's harmonies of "Never No Turning Back", is one of his best vocal performances IMO. For that section I tried to make it seem like Bowie is getting.
Young Americans is the ninth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 7 March 1975 on the label RCA, and his tenth album including the immediately preceding live release David Live (1974). The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, instead showcasing his mid-1970s interest in African American soul and R&B music.
ResponderEliminarInitial recording sessions for Young Americans took place in Philadelphia with producer Tony Visconti and a variety of musicians, including guitarist Carlos Alomar, to become one of Bowie's most frequent collaborators, and singer Luther Vandross. Bowie drew influence from the sound of "local dance halls", which were blaring with "lush strings, sliding hi-hat whispers, and swanky R&B rhythms of Philadelphia Soul." Later sessions took place in New York City, and included contributions from John Lennon. Bowie would call the album's sound "plastic soul", describing it as "the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak rock, written and sung by a white limey".
Although Bowie was among the first English pop musicians of the era to overtly engage with black musical styles, the album was very successful in the US; the album itself reached the Top 10 in that country, with the song "Fame" hitting the number-one spot the same year the album was released. It was generally well received by critics, and has received praise in contemporary criticism. NME ranked the album at No. 175 in its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Background and recording
ResponderEliminarBeginning on 11 August 1974, during breaks in David Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, Young Americans was recorded by Tony Visconti primarily at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. It was agreed early on to record as much of the album as possible live, with the full band playing together, including Bowie's vocals, as a single continuous take for each song. According to Visconti, the album contains "about 85% 'live' David Bowie".
In order to create a more authentically soulful sound, Bowie brought in musicians from the funk and soul community, including an early-career Luther Vandross and Andy Newmark, drummer of Sly and the Family Stone. It was also Bowie's first time working with Carlos Alomar, leading to a working relationship spanning more than 30 years. Alomar, who had not heard of Bowie before being called in to help with the album, recalled that Bowie was "the whitest man I've ever seen – translucent white" when they met. Alomar said of how the album was put together:
David always does the music first. He'll listen for a while then if he gets a little idea the session stops and he writes something down and we continue. But later on, when the music is established, he'll go home and the next day the lyrics are written. I'd finish the sessions and be sent home and I never heard words and overdubs until the record was released.
The song "Young Americans", which Bowie said was about "the predicament of two newlyweds", took two days to record. David Sanborn, at the time a session musician, is featured on saxophone.
The sessions at Sigma Sound lasted through November 1974. The recording had attracted the attention of local fans who began to wait outside the studio over the span of the sessions. Bowie built up a rapport with these fans, whom he came to refer to as the "Sigma Kids". On the final day of tracking the Sigma Kids were invited into the studio to listen to rough versions of the new songs.
"Fascination" and "Win" were recorded at Record Plant in New York City in December 1974.
"Across the Universe" and "Fame" were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City with John Lennon in January 1975. They replaced previously recorded tracks "Who Can I Be Now" and "It's Gonna Be Me" on the record, though these songs were later released as bonus tracks on reissues of the album. The guitar riff for "Fame", created by Alomar, was based on the song "Foot Stompin'" by the doo-wop band the Flairs.
Bowie considered several different titles for the album, including Somebody Up There Likes Me, One Damned Song, The Gouster and Fascination.
Packaging
ResponderEliminarFor the album cover artwork, Bowie initially wanted to commission Norman Rockwell to create a painting, but retracted the offer when he heard that Rockwell would need at least six months to do the job. The album's cover photo was eventually taken in Los Angeles on August 30, 1974, by Eric Stephen Jacobs. Bowie's apparent inspiration for the cover photograph came from a copy of After Dark magazine which featured another of Jacobs' photographs of Bowie's then choreographer Toni Basil. The cover itself, as well as the cover type was designed in New York at RCA by Craig DeCamps.
ResponderEliminarTaking it all the right way
Keeping it in the back
Taking it all the right way
Never no turning back
Never need, no
Never no turning back
Flying just a sweet place
Coming inside and safe
Flying just a sweet place
Never been known to fail
Never been, no
Never been known to fail
Wishing you, wishing that sometimes (sometimes)
Doing it, doing it right, 'till, ahh time, (one time)
Gets you when you're down
(Nobody, nobody, do it again, get off)
Ahhh, sometimes, (doing)
Wishing sometimes (give it back)
Up there, up there (giving it)
Oh, my darling
(No) ah, my darling, (giving it) ah (up there) why?
(Gimme, gimme) up there, (yeah) gimme, (doing)
Taking with me (sometimes)
Loving it, doing it (right) 'till (take it) one time
Gimme (doing it)
Giving it (giving it back)
Taking it all the right way (taking it)
Keeping it in the back (hey hey)
Taking it all the right way
Never no turning back (never never never never)
Never no turning back
Taking it all the right way
Keeping it in the back
Taking it all the right way
Never no turning back
Never need, no
Never no turning back
(Taking it)
Taking it all the right way (yeah)
Keeping it in the back (taking it)
Taking it all the right way
Never no turning back (never never never never)
Never no turning back
Flying just a sweet place
Coming inside and safe
Flying just a sweet place
Never been known to fail
Never been, no
Never been known to fail
(Taking it all the right way)
Taking it all the right way
(Keeping it in the back)
Keeping it in the back
(Taking it all the right way)
Taking it all the right way
(Never no turning back) never never never
(Never need, no)
(Never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)
(Never need no)
(Never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)
(Never, never, never)
(Never, never, never, never)
(Never, never)
(Never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)
(I never, I never, I never, I never
I never, I never, I never, I never)
(I never no turning back)
(Never no turning back)