Notes
The recording of "A Girl I Used to Know" on the CD version is very different to the vinyl version. According to Gary Clark, the reason for the re-recording was that the band members weren't very happy with the original performance. This dissatisfaction, coupled with the record company looking for big singles from the album, meant the band felt compelled to try and capture the song again. The CD version was produced by Glen Skinner, while the vinyl version was produced by Dave Bascombe, who also produced the song "Mary's Prayer" from the same album.
"Broken China" appears in 2 reprise versions in "Spencer-Tracey" and in the end of "Five Friendly Aliens".
The song "Mary's Prayer" is featured in the 1998 film There's Something About Mary and is listed on the movie soundtrack.
"Nothing Ever Goes to Plan" is bossa nova.
The album also boasts an appearance by American jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy.
In 2010, Australian actor/singer Jason Donovan recorded a cover version of "Mary's Prayer" for his '80s covers album Soundtrack of the 80s. The album went top 20 in the UK in October 2010.
Patrick Bruce Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.
Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Danny Wilson were a Scottish pop band formed in Dundee in 1984. The band was best known for its 1988 UK number 3 hit single "Mary's Prayer".
Tonight is the 16th studio album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 24 September 1984 through EMI America Records. The follow-up to his most commercially successful album Let's Dance, it was written and recorded in mid-1984 at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Canada, following the conclusion of the Serious Moonlight Tour. Bowie, Derek Bramble and Hugh Padgham co-produced the album. Many of the same personnel from Let's Dance and the accompanying tour returned for Tonight, with a few additions. Much of Bowie's creative process was the same as he used on Let's Dance, similarly playing no instruments and offering little creative input to the musicians.
Never Let Me Down is the 17th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 21 April 1987 through EMI America Records. Co-produced by Bowie and David Richards and featuring guitarist Peter Frampton, the album was recorded in Switzerland and New York City from September to November 1986. Bowie's goal for the project was to record it differently following his disappointment with 1984's Tonight. Musically, Never Let Me Down has been characterised as pop rock, art rock and hard rock; Bowie himself considered the record a return to rock and roll music. The cover artwork features Bowie surrounded by numerous elements from the songs.
"Absolute Beginners" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. Released on 3 March 1986, it was the theme song to the 1986 film of the same name. Although the film was not a commercial success, the song was a big hit, reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 10 on the main singles charts in ten other countries. In the US, it peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fantasy drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and adapted by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought, but finds himself at the mercy of human vices and corruption. It stars David Bowie, Candy Clark, Buck Henry, and Rip Torn. It was produced by Michael Deeley and Barry Spikings. The same novel was later adapted as a television film in 1987. A 2022 television series with the same name serves as a continuation of the film 45 years later, including featuring Newton as a character and showing archival footage from the film.
Labyrinth is a soundtrack album by David Bowie and composer Trevor Jones, released in 1986 for the film Labyrinth. It was the second of three soundtrack releases in which Bowie had a major role, following Christiane F. (1981) and preceding The Buddha of Suburbia (1993). The soundtrack album features Jones' score, which is split into six tracks for the soundtrack: "Into the Labyrinth", "Sarah", "Hallucination", "The Goblin Battle", "Thirteen O'Clock", and "Home at Last".
Malachi Richard Thompson, was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet player. In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Thompson was known for his work in the brass ensemble led by fellow trumpeter Lester Bowie.
Danny Davis was an American country music band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer, best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass.
Gary Clark is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. As a performer he was the frontman of 1980s pop band Danny Wilson, mid-1990s rock band King L and member of Transister. Since the mid-1990s he has concentrated on songwriting and production.
Live at the 6th Tokyo Music Joy is a live album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy recorded in February 1990 for the Japanese DIW label. It is the only recording to showcase both of the groups that Lester Bowie established and features performances by the Art Ensemble, the Brass Fantasy and both bands.
Twilight Dreams is an album by Lester Bowie recorded for the UK based Venture label and the third album by his "Brass Fantasy" group. It was released in 1987 and features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Frank Lacy, Steve Turre, Malachi Thompson, Rasul Siddik, Stanton Davis, Bob Stewart, and Phillip Wilson.
Les Stances a Sophie is a 1970 soundtrack album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in Paris for a French film of the same name directed by Moshé Mizrahi. It was released on the Pathé Marconi label in France and on Nessa Records in the U.S. It features performances by Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Malachi Favors Maghostut, Fontella Bass and Don Moye. Moshé Mizrahi commissioned the original music for the film when the band had only two weeks left on their French visas. It was reissued on CD in 2000 by Universal Sound records, mastered from a vinyl source.
The Fire This Time is a live album by Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy recorded in Aarburg, Switzerland for the In & Out label. It is the seventh album by Bowie's Brass Fantasy group and features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Frank Lacy, Louis Bonilla, E. J. Allen, Gerald Brezel, Tony Barrero, Bob Stewart, Vinnie Johnson and Famoudou Don Moye.
The Odyssey Of Funk & Popular Music is an album by Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy recorded for the Atlantic label in 1997. It is the eighth album by Bowie's Brass Fantasy group, and the final album by Bowie issued in his lifetime. It features performances by Bowie, Vincent Chancey, Gary Valente, Joshua Roseman, Louis Bonilla, Ravi Best, Gerald Brezel, Joseph Gollehon, Bob Stewart, Victor See Yuen and Vinnie Johnson.
Spirit Moves is the 29th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2009 and features Douglas band Brass Ecstasy.
"Mary's Prayer" is the debut single by Scottish pop/rock group Danny Wilson. Included on the group's 1987 debut album Meet Danny Wilson, "Mary's Prayer" became a top ten hit in Britain and Ireland, and was a top 40 hit in the US.
Derek Roy Watkins was an English jazz, pop, and classical trumpeter. Best known for his lead trumpet work on the soundtracks of James Bond films, Watkins recorded with British jazz bandleaders as well as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and The Beatles. Dizzy Gillespie called him "Mr. Lead".
Bruce Purse is an American musician, composer, producer, vocalist, bandleader, arranger, performer, music educator, and guest lecturer. Proficient at various wind instruments, including the trumpet, pocket trumpet, bass trumpet, and flugelhorn, Purse has performed with many well known artists, such as Lester Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Faith Evans, Nas, Leona Lewis, and Johnny Kemp. He has also assembled large ensembles from a 11-piece bands to 30 piece orchestras, including his premiere ensemble called Bruce Purse and the Pocketbooks. The band performs originals in various genres such as; jazz, reggae, R&B, and heavy blues.
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