| "I Can't Read" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by David Bowie | ||||
| from the album The Ice Storm (soundtrack) | ||||
| Released | 1 December 1997 | |||
| Recorded | August 1996 | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Velvel Records/ZYX (ZYX 8757-8) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
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"I Can't Read" is a song written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels for Tin Machine on their debut album in 1989. The song was subsequently re-recorded by Bowie and Gabrels together in 1997, and performed live during Bowie's concerts in the late 1990s.
Bowie described the song as "full of remorse and agony, I expect, it's when jobs go wrong, and home doesn't really feel warm any more, and you don't need anybody - you don't even pretend you do - and you end up in this kind of state." [1]
Bowie recorded two new versions of the song in 1997, one for the film The Ice Storm [2] and a different version for inclusion on his album Earthling (1997), although this latter version was not released outside of this single until its inclusion on Is It Any Wonder? (2020). [3] The Ice Storm version was released as a single in Germany and Scandinavia by Velvel Records in December 1997. In January 1998 it was also released in Australia by Shock Records under exclusive license from Velvel Records. The single stayed in the UK Top 200 for 3 weeks, peaking at No. 73.
The 1997 single contained both of Bowie's re-recorded versions of the song. The "short version" was included on the soundtrack to "The Ice Storm" and the "long version" wouldn't appear anywhere else until 2020's EP Is It Any Wonder?
A performance from 25 June 1989 was released on the 12" and CD version of the single "Tin Machine" (1989). Another live version recorded during Tin Machine's 1991 It's My Life Tour was released on the live album Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (1992), and a final version recorded in 1999 by Bowie and Gabrels, but without the other members of Tin Machine, was released on VH1 Storytellers (2009).
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC) [4] | 77 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [5] | 73 |
| UK Indie (OCC) [6] | 12 |
Earthling is the 21st studio album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 3 February 1997 through RCA Records in the United Kingdom, Virgin Records in the United States, and Arista Records/BMG in other territories. Mostly self-produced by Bowie, it was primarily recorded from August to October 1996 at New York City's Looking Glass Studios following the conclusion of the Outside Tour. Bowie composed the tracks with Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, who are credited as co-producers, with Mike Garson, Gail Ann Dorsey and Zack Alford providing overdubs later. Outtakes from the sessions were later issued on the Is It Any Wonder? EP in 2020.
Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, notable for being fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, sax, and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on bass and vocals; and Hunt Sales on drums and vocals. The Sales brothers had previously performed with Bowie and Iggy Pop during the 1977 tour for The Idiot. Kevin Armstrong played additional guitar and keyboards on the band's first and second studio albums and first tour, and American guitarist Eric Schermerhorn played on the second tour and live album Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (1992).
Tin Machine is the debut studio album by Anglo-American hard rock band Tin Machine, released on 22 May 1989 through EMI America Records. The band consisted of English singer-songwriter David Bowie, American guitarist Reeves Gabrels and brothers Tony Fox and Hunt Sales on bass and drums, respectively, while Englishman Kevin Armstrong acted as an additional guitarist. The project was spearheaded by Bowie, who felt disconnected in his career by 1987 and looked to reinvent himself. After meeting Gabrels through his Glass Spider Tour, the two agreed to work together and would collaborate frequently for the next decade. Bowie hired the Sales brothers, neither of whom he had worked with since the 1970s, after a meeting in Los Angeles, while English producer Tim Palmer was hired to co-produce.
Tin Machine II is the second and final studio album by Anglo-American rock group Tin Machine, released on 2 September 1991 through Victory Music in association with London Records. The band, composed of English singer-songwriter David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels on guitar and brothers Tony Fox and Hunt Sales on bass and drums, respectively, recorded it in Sydney, Australia in late 1989 at the conclusion of the Tin Machine Tour. After Bowie completed his solo Sound+Vision Tour in late 1990, recording resumed in Los Angeles, California until March 1991. The production was handled by Tin Machine and Tim Palmer, who produced their eponymous debut studio album (1989), with additional production by Hugh Padgham on "One Shot". While the album musically retains a hard rock sound, the songs are more melodic compared to its predecessor, with lyrics focusing on love.
Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby is a live album by Anglo-American rock band Tin Machine, originally released through London Records on 2 July 1992. The album includes songs, all from the band's two albums, recorded between 20 November 1991 and 11 February 1992 from five different venues on the North American and Asian legs of Tin Machine's It's My Life Tour. The maligned album title was intended as a pun on U2's 1991 album Achtung Baby. Oy Vey, Baby has received negative reviews, with many criticising the performances. It failed to chart in both the UK and the US. It was accompanied by a concert video of the same title, which was filmed at The Docks, Hamburg on October 24, 1991. Following its release, Tin Machine disbanded and Bowie quickly resumed his solo career with Black Tie White Noise (1993).
"Under the God" is the first official single released by Tin Machine, taken from their eponymous debut album in June 1989.
"Tin Machine" is the song from which the band Tin Machine took their name, a track from their debut album, also of the same name. It was released as a single in September 1989, as a double A-side with a live cover of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie's Farm”.
"Prisoner of Love" is a song by Tin Machine taken from their eponymous debut album. It was issued as their third single in October 1989.
"You Belong in Rock n' Roll" is a song by Tin Machine, released ahead of their second album in August 1991. The song was the band’s first release on Victory Records, which was distributed by London Records in the UK.
"Baby Universal" is a song by Tin Machine, released as the second single from their Tin Machine II album in October 1991.
"Hallo Spaceboy" is a song by David Bowie from his 1995 album Outside, and the third and final single from the album. The track was re-recorded in 1996 and issued as a remix featuring Pet Shop Boys as guest artists. Bowie and Brian Eno co-wrote the original album version of the song.
"Little Wonder" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released as the second single from his 21st album, Earthling (1997). It was the album's biggest hit, reaching number 14 in the UK. At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Video.
"Seven Years in Tibet" is a song and single by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels from the 1997 album, Earthling. In some territories, a version of the song sung by Bowie in Mandarin Chinese was released as "A Fleeting Moment".
"Dead Man Walking" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released as the third single from his 21st album, Earthling (1997). Written by Bowie and Reeves Gabrels, it was a number 32 hit in the UK.
"Thursday's Child" is a song recorded by David Bowie for his twenty-second studio album Hours (1999). Written by Bowie and Reeves Gabrels, the song was released as the album's lead single on 20 September 1999, by Virgin Records.
The Tin Machine Tour was a concert tour headlined by Anglo-American hard rock band Tin Machine. The tour commenced on 14 June 1989, following a performance of "Heaven's in Here" at the International Music Awards in New York City on 31 May 1989. It comprised 12 performances in six countries in venues with a capacity of 2,000 or less. Joined onstage by Kevin Armstrong, Tin Machine performed the entirety of their eponymous debut album with the exception of "Video Crime," augmented with cover version of songs from Bob Dylan and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates.
The Earthling Tour was a concert tour by British musician David Bowie, in promotion of his album Earthling, released in 1997, The tour started on 7 June 1997 at Flughafen Blankensee in Lübeck, Germany, continuing through Europe, North America before reaching a conclusion in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 7 November 1997.
"Heaven's in Here" is the lead track from the eponymous debut album by the Anglo-American hard rock band Tin Machine. Written by David Bowie, it was released as a promotional lead single from the album in 1989.
Is it Any Wonder? is a six-track EP by David Bowie that was released in early 2020. It is composed mostly of older Bowie songs that Bowie re-recorded during his Earthling (1997) recording sessions and Earthling Tour rehearsals in early 1997.
Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 26 November 2021. A follow-up to the compilations Five Years (1969–1973), Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976), A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) and Loving the Alien (1983–1988), the set covers the period of Bowie's career from 1992 to 2001, commonly regarded by analysts as an artistic renaissance following his commercially successful but critically maligned work in the 1980s. However, Bowie's 1988–1992 tenure with the hard rock supergroup Tin Machine is excluded. The set comprises eleven compact discs or 18 LPs.
