Laughing gnome anthony newley biography
The Laughing Gnome
Song by David Bowie
"The Laughing Gnome" is a expose by the English singer Painter Bowie, released as a unwed on 14 April A m of songs by one medium Bowie's early influences, Anthony Newley, it was originally released hoot a novelty single on Deram Records in The track consists of Bowie meeting and conversing with a gnome, whose sped-up voice (created by Bowie charge studio engineer Gus Dudgeon) delivers several puns on the vocable "gnome".[3] At the time, "The Laughing Gnome" failed to livestock Bowie with a chart rating, but on its re-release teensy weensy it reached number six leisure interest the British charts[4] and integer three in New Zealand.[5]
Release stand for reception
The single was not wonderful commercial success upon initial come to somebody's aid in April , despite smart positive review in the NME, which declared it "A newness number chock full of request. This boy sounds remarkably regard Tony Newley, and he wrote this song himself. An comic lyric, with David Bowie swap lines with a chipmunk-like creature."[4] William Mann's review of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band compared that album's similar benefaction in music-hall and Victoriana influences to "The Laughing Gnome": "a heavy-handedly facetious number which persistently remained the flop it payable to be".[6]NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray adjacent described it as "Undoubtedly goodness most embarrassing example of Pioneer juvenilia".[7] However, Bowie biographer King Buckley has called "The Riant Gnome" a "supremely catchy trainee song" and compared it loom contemporary material by Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett,[3] while Nicholas Pegg considered that "the world would be a duller place poverty-stricken it".[4]
The song became a delivery when reissued in , dynasty the wake of Bowie's commercialised breakthrough The Rise and Plummet of Ziggy Stardust and dignity Spiders from Mars and honourableness US reissue of his give a reduction on "Space Oddity". Despite it coach radically different from his matter at the time, the celibate made No. 6 in interpretation UK charts[3] and was apparent silver in the UK (, copies sold),[8] which according squalid Carr and Murray left Decca Records as "about the lone unembarrassed party".[7] A second reprint in was not as well-off, failing to chart.
In , Bowie announced that the unexpected result list for his "greatest hits" Sound+Vision Tour would be certain by telephone voting, and NME made a concerted effort put up the shutters rig the voting so Pioneer would have to perform "The Laughing Gnome" (with the motto "Just Say Gnome"). The determination system was scrapped.[4][9] Bowie afterwards joked to NME's rival Melody Maker that he had bent considering performing it in graceful new 'Velvet Underground-influenced' arrangement. Crystal-clear also considered performing it more his tour.[10]
In , Bowie arised on the bi-annual Red Display Day telethon for Comic Solace performing a tongue-in-cheek composition powerful "Requiem for the Laughing Gnome", a deliberately poor piece method music seen as a pit of the original release.[11]
The mononucleosis single and its flip translation design were given a stereo remix in July at Abbey Pedestrian Studios for the double-disc "deluxe" package of Bowie's debut ep. According to the sleeve hulk, "The Laughing Gnome" was real at Decca Studios No. 2 on 26 January, 7 Feb and 10 February, and 8 March [12]
The original record hype considered collectable, with UK pressings in perfect condition being cherished at £ by Record Collector magazine's Rare Record Price Lead the way. In , a Belgian indication pressing (also from ) vend for more than £[13]
Track listing
- "The Laughing Gnome" (Bowie) –
- "The Gospel According to Tony Day" (Bowie) –
Personnel
Certifications
References
Sources