David Bowie Impersonates Springsteen (and Iggy)
David Bowie doing an impression of Bruce Springsteen? Oh yeah. This is one of my favorite David Bowie stories. In 1985 he was recording the soundtrack for the movie “Absolute Beginners”, when at the end of a session the engineer Mark Saunders noticed David was having fun with one of the tracks. Here’s some notes from the YouTube video:
“The impersonations on this YouTube posting were recorded in August ’85, when Bowie came in to do the lead vocal. At the end of the session, he broke into the impersonations and I realized that these might get erased at some point, so I quickly put a cassette in and hit “record.” I wish we could hear the other side of the dialogue but unfortunately that wasn’t being recorded.”
Somebody actually timed out the impressions done by Bowie:
0:00 Bruce Springsteen
0:43 Marc Bolan
1:37 Tom Waits
2:30 Lou Reed
3:20 Anthony Newley
4:06 Iggy Pop
5:03 Neil Young (could also be Tom Petty) **I Think it’s Petty**
1. “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”
Released in 1972, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” is widely considered to be one of Bowie’s best albums. The album tells the story of Ziggy Stardust, a fictional character who is sent to Earth to save it from destruction. The album features some of Bowie’s most iconic songs, including “Starman” and “Suffragette City.”
2. “Aladdin Sane”
Released in 1973, “Aladdin Sane” was Bowie’s follow-up to “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” The album was inspired by Bowie’s tour of the United States, which he undertook shortly after the release of “Ziggy Stardust.” The album features some of Bowie’s most memorable songs, including “Jean Genie” and “Diamond Dogs.”
3. “Heroes”
Released in 1977, “Heroes” is widely considered to be one of Bowie’s best albums. The album was inspired by Bowie’s time in Berlin, where he recorded three albums with Brian Eno. The album features some of Bowie’s most iconic songs, including the title track, “Heroes,” and “V-2 Schneider.”
4. “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”
Released in 1980, “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” was Bowie’s return to mainstream success after a period of critical acclaim but commercial failure. The album features some of Bowie’s most memorable songs, including “Ashes to Ashes” and “Fashion.”
5. “Blackstar”
Released in 2016, “Blackstar” is Bowie’s final album. The album was released two days before his death from cancer at the age of 69. The album features some of Bowie’s final songs, including the title track, “Lazarus,” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away.”
Bowie’s got a couple albums on this list below