Quicksand (David Bowie song)
| "Quicksand" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by David Bowie from the album Hunky Dory | ||||
| Released |
17 December 1971 30 January 1990 (Rykodisc Reissue) | |||
| Recorded | Trident Studios, London, 14 July 1971 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 5:03 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Writer | David Bowie | |||
| Producer | Ken Scott, David Bowie | |||
| Hunky Dory track listing | ||||
| ||||
"Quicksand" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory; it was recorded on 14 July 1971.[1] This ballad features multi-tracked acoustic guitars and a string arrangement by Mick Ronson. Producer Ken Scott, having recently engineered George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, attempted to create a similarly powerful acoustic sound with this track.[2]
Lyrically the song, like much of Bowie's work at this time, was influenced by Buddhism, occultism, and Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Overman.[3] It refers to the magical society Golden Dawn and name-checks one of its most famous members, Aleister Crowley, as well as Heinrich Himmler, Winston Churchill and Juan Pujol (codename: Garbo).[4]
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David Bowie "Quicksand" (1971)
 30 second sample from David Bowie's "Quicksand". |
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Reception
NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have described it as "Bowie in his darkest and most metaphysical mood",[3] while a contemporary review in Rolling Stone remarked on its "superb singing" and "beautiful guitar motif".[5]
Other releases
- It was released as the B-side of the single "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" in April 1974.
- RCA included the song in the picture disc set Life Time.
- A studio demo version of the song was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc release of Hunky Dory in 1990.
Personnel
- David Bowie: lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mick Ronson: acoustic guitars, Mellotron, string arrangement
- Trevor Bolder: bass guitar
- Rick Wakeman: piano
- Mick Woodmansey: drums
Cover versions
- Emilíana Torrini's 2001 single 'Unemployed in Summertime' uses the same verse melody
- Dinosaur Jr. – single (1991) (Dinosaur Jr.'s version makes several changes to the lyrics)
- Seu Jorge - a Portuguese version for the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
- Seal - live recording (MTV)
- Robert Smith - live recording (with David Bowie) (1997)
- End of Fashion - part of Australian radio station Triple J's Like a Version series (2005)
- Aslan - On their 2009 album, Uncase'd
- Abbeyvein - .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
- Rainbow Arabia - We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie (2010)
- Züri West - Tribsand (adaption to Swiss German), on Aloha from Züri West (2004)
Notes
- ↑ Kevin Cann (2010). Any Day Now - David Bowie: The London Years: 1947-1974: pp.223-224
- ↑ David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.115
- 1 2 Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.41
- ↑ David Sheppard (2007). "Wishful Beginnings", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: p.24
- ↑ John Mendelsohn (6 January 1972). "Hunky Dory". Rolling Stone (Rolling Stone). Archived from the original on January 27, 2007.
References
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
External links
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