Sound and Vision

"Sound and Vision"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Low
B-side	”A New Career in a New Town”
Released	11 February 1977
Format	7" single
Recorded	Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, France, September 1976
Genre	Rock/Electronic
Length	3:00
Label	RCA PB 0905
Writer(s)	David Bowie
Producer	David Bowie, Tony Visconti
David Bowie singles chronology
"Stay" (1976) "Sound and Vision" (1977) "Be My Wife" (1977)
Low track listing "What in the World" (3) "Sound and Vision" (4) "Always Crashing in the Same Car" (5)

"Sound and Vision" is a song and single by David Bowie which appeared on the album Low in 1977.

The song is notable for juxtaposing an uplifting guitar and synthesizer-led instrumental track with Bowie’s withdrawn lyrics. These were drawn from the cocaine-fueled paranoia the singer had lived in while residing in Los Angeles^{[citation needed]}.

In keeping with the minimalist approach of Low, Visconti and Bowie originally recorded the track as an instrumental, bar the backing vocal (performed by Visconti’s wife, Mary Hopkin). Bowie then recorded his vocal after the rest of the band had left the studio, before trimming verses off the lyric, and leaving a relatively lengthy instrumental intro on the finished song.

Selected as a first single from the album, “Sound and Vision” was used by the BBC on trailers at the time. This provided considerable exposure, much needed as Bowie opted to do nothing to promote the single himself, and helped the song to #3. In the US, “Sound and Vision” was less of a hit. At the time in America, the general record-buying public saw Bowie as a disco artist, with the song too much of a departure from his recent singles, and “Sound and Vision” stalled at #69.

The track was initially performed live only once, at Bowie’s concert at Earl’s Court on July 1, 1978. However, in 1990, for Bowie’s Sound + Vision Tour, it was a regular number – as well as obviously giving name to Bowie’s greatest hits tour. The name had also been used for Rykodisc boxed set anthology in 1989.

In 1991 808 State released an EP of remixes of “Sound and Vision” in America, credited to David Bowie vs. 808 State.

In 2008 the Sea and Cake's cover of this song from their 2003 album One Bedroom was used by Rhapsody in one of their ads.

Track listing

1. "Sound and Vision" (Bowie) – 3:00
2. "A New Career in a New Town" (Bowie) – 2:50

Production credits

• Producers:
  • David Bowie and Tony Visconti

• Musicians:
  • David Bowie: Vocals, Saxophone, Synthesizer
  • Carlos Alomar: Guitar
  • Ricky Gardiner: Guitar
  • George Murray: Bass
  • Dennis Davis: Percussion
  • Brian Eno: Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
  • Mary Visconti: Backing vocals
  • Roy Young: Piano

808 State remix release

1. "Sound + Vision (808 Gift mix)" - 3:58
2. "Sound + Vision (808 'lectric Blue remix instrumental)" - 4:08
3. "Sound + Vision (David Richards remix 1991)" - 4:40
4. "Sound + Vision (Original version)" - 3:03

Live versions

• A live version, recorded at Earl’s Court, London on July 1, 1978, was released on RarestOneBowie.

Other releases

• It appeared on the following compilations:
  • Best of Bowie (1980)
  • ChangesTwoBowie (1981)
  • Sound and Vision box set (1989)
  • Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
  • The Singles Collection (1993)
  • The Best of 1974/1979 (1998)
  • Best of Bowie (2002)
• It was released as a picture discs in the RCA Life Time picture disc set and the Fashions Picture Disc Set.
• A remixed version was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc rerelease of Low in 1991. This is the same remix as "David Richards remix 1991" on the David Bowie vs. 808 State single release.

Cover versions

• Bad Soup - Ashes to Ashes: A Tribute to David Bowie
• Book of Love - Lovebubble (1993)
• The Good, the Bad and the Bassline - Single
• Quasi - Crash Course for the Ravers - A Tribute to the Songs of David Bowie (1996)
• The Sea and Cake - One Bedroom (2003)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Numerous Live Concerts (including Live At Madison Square Garden)
• Press - .2 Contamination: A Tribute to David Bowie (2006)
• Franz Ferdinand with Girls Aloud - Radio 1. Established 1967 (2007)
• Matthew Dear on Life Beyond Mars: Bowie Covered.

References

Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5