Quicksand (David Bowie song)
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| “Quicksand” | |||||
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| Song by David Bowie | |||||
| Album | Hunky Dory | ||||
| Released | December 17, 1971 Rykodisc Reissue January 30, 1990 |
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| Recorded | Trident Studios, London April 1971 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 5:03 | ||||
| Label | RCA | ||||
| Writer | David Bowie | ||||
| Producer | Ken Scott, David Bowie | ||||
| Hunky Dory track listing | |||||
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"Quicksand" is a song written by David Bowie in 1971 for the album Hunky Dory. NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have described it as "Bowie in his darkest and most metaphysical mood",[1] while a contemporary review in Rolling Stone remarked on its "superb singing" and "beautiful guitar motif".[2]
This ballad features multi-tracked acoustic guitars and a string arrangement by Mick Ronson. Producer Ken Scott, having recently engineered George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, attempted to create a similarly powerful acoustic sound with this track.[3]
Lyrically the song, like much of Bowie's work at this time, was influenced by Buddhism, occultism, and Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Overman.[1] It refers to the magical society Golden Dawn and name-checks one of its most famous members, Aleister Crowley, as well as Heinrich Himmler, Winston Churchill and Greta Garbo.[4]
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[edit] Other releases
- It was released as the B-side of the single "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" in April 1974.
- RCA included the song in the picture disc set Life Time.
- A demo version of the song was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc release of Hunky Dory in 1990.
[edit] Cover versions
- Dinosaur Jr. – single (1991) (Dinosaur Jr.'s version makes several changes to the lyrics)
- Seu Jorge - a Portuguese version for the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
- Seal - live recording (MTV)[citation needed]
- Robert Smith - live recording (with David Bowie) (1997)
- End of Fashion - part of Australian radio station Triple J's Like a Version series (2005)
- Abbeyvein - .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.41
- ^ John Mendelsohn (January 6, 1972). "Hunky Dory". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone.
- ^ David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.115
- ^ David Sheppard (2007). "Wishful Beginnings", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: p.24
[edit] References
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
