REBEL REBEL

Around the year 1974 David Bowie had a certain connection with The Netherlands: the Diamond Dogs album cover was painted by Dutch artist Guy Peellaert, he did the final mix of Diamond Dogs with Tony Visconti in Hilversum, he attended a press reception and later the Edison Awards with his girlfriend Angie in Amsterdam and, last but not least, he performed his new single Rebel Rebel in the Dutch tv pop music program Toppop. How sensational, with his androgyn lookes, platform shoes, red hair and playbacking on a red Fender Stratocaster guitar. But the most remarkable was the eyepatch he was wearing, picked up in the studio (Bowie was also a genius in media attention), that video clip (with caleidoscope images) went all over the world!

On the Internet I read: 'Rebel Rebel was written for a never-realized Ziggy Stardust musical and reportedly inspired by New York transsexual and actor Wayne County, who was part of Bowie's entourage at the time.'

Wow, that guitar riff from Bowie himself (not Mick Ronson who left Bowie for a solo carreer in 1973), this one belongs in the category 'legendary', like the riffs in Paranoid by Black Sabbath, Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple and Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. And by playing it over and over it turns into the heartbeat of the song, very pulsating and hypnotizing. And how about the tight rhythm-section, featuring the experienced Herbie Flowers (T-Rex, Sky) and Aynsley Dunbar (Zappa, Journey). All topped by David Bowie his distinctive vocals, singing about a girl who is testing the borders in a heavy way, perhaps a mirror Bowie is looking in, a metaphor for his own experiences and behaviour? Anyway, Rebel Rebel became an iconic glamrock song but one year later the musical chameleon Bowie presented the funky hit Fame, dressed like on the catwalk, goodbey rock and roll!

2. Queen Bitch ' 3:13

An inspired tribute to the Velvet Underground featuring an exciting blend of acoustic rhythm guitar and the 'dirty' electric guitar by the late and great Mick Ronson ('My own Jeff Beck' Bowie stated once), and strong vocals by Bowie. He easily evokes composer Lou Reed his unique voice, yes, what an outstanding musical chameleon David Bowie was! The US and Canadian version of this single had Lady Grinning Soul as the B-side, I presume due to the fact that the title Queen Bitch was too provocative for the Moral Majority.