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David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (1978)

Where the lyrics of David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf take you, and where it was really made.

A rock star's narration on a children's classical record was made as a gift for his seven-year-old son.

Key places

Where the orchestra was recorded (1975)

Recording site Scottish Rite Temple — The Philadelphia Orchestra was recorded at the Scottish Rite Temple in Philadelphia in October 1975. The same orchestra performed the music side of the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Where Bowie recorded the narration (1977)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — David Bowie recorded his narration at RCA Studio B in New York City in December 1977. This took place after his promotional appearances for the album Heroes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Classical music album originally released by RCA Red Seal on 2 May 1978
• Side one: Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, narrated by David Bowie
• Side two: music-only recording of Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
• Both recordings performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy
• Produced by Jay David Saks

Background

• Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf to introduce younger children to orchestral music
• Each animal in the story is represented by a different instrument
• The work premiered in Moscow in 1936 to a lukewarm reception
• Walt Disney's 1946 animated short adaptation made it better known in the western world
• RCA first wanted Alec Guinness or Peter Ustinov as narrator; both declined, so the label hired Bowie
• Bowie contributed to the project as a gift for his then seven-year-old son Duncan
• Bowie's then-collaborator Brian Eno had appeared on a 1975 recording narrated by Vivian Stanshall

Recording

• The orchestra was recorded at the Scottish Rite Temple in Philadelphia on 8 October 1975
• Bowie recorded his narration at RCA Studio B in New York City in December 1977
• Bowie's narration was recorded after his promotional appearances for the album Heroes
• Ormandy did not know who Bowie was and was skeptical when he learned Bowie was a rock star
• Bowie and Ormandy never met, but Ormandy enjoyed Bowie's performance after hearing the final product

Cover

• Cover photo credited to Tom Kelley
• The 1992 US CD release used artwork showing a wolf wearing a mask of Bowie's face

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London.
• Studied art, music and design; took up saxophone in 1961.
• Adopted the stage name David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.

Career

• Breakthrough with "Space Oddity" in 1969, reaching the UK top five.
• Glam rock success in 1972 with the Ziggy Stardust persona and album.
• Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", Lodger) with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti in the late 1970s.
• Greatest commercial success with Let's Dance in 1983.
• Fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine from 1988 to 1992 before resuming a solo career.
• Final studio album Blackstar was released two days before his death in 2016.

Legacy

• Sold over 100 million records worldwide.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Peter and the Wolf received positive reviews from music critics
• Reviewers described Bowie's narration as charming, splendid and engaging
• Rolling Stone's Stephen Demorest felt Bowie had found his most charming guise since Hunky Dory
• Jon Savage of Sounds magazine called the LP a perfect introductory album to classical music for young children
• A review in the Reno Gazette-Journal called the project surprisingly refreshing
• The Philadelphia Orchestra's music was also positively received

Reappraisal

• Thomas Jerome Seabrook highlighted Bowie's wide-eyed and enthusiastic delivery
• Peter Dobrin of The Philadelphia Inquirer praised Bowie's use of different voices for the characters
• Joe Viglione of AllMusic called the LP a remarkable and well-crafted project
• Paul Howlett of The Guardian felt the project sits quite neatly in Bowie's discography
• Nicholas Pegg wrote that Bowie's narration has genuine charm and is an accomplished piece of work
• Chris O'Leary found Bowie's voice to be too low in the mix

Records

• The album peaked at number 136 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart on 9 June 1978 and stayed on the chart for eight weeks
• Nominated for Best Recording for Children at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards in 1979
• Lost the Grammy to The Muppet Show soundtrack

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Bowie's narration was made as a gift for his seven-year-old son Duncan.
• The original 1978 US LP was pressed on green vinyl and included liner notes by Mary Campbell.
• The 1992 US CD added a further recording of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, and the 1994 reissue replaced it with Saint-Saëns's The Carnival of the Animals.
• Ormandy was skeptical of Bowie's involvement until he heard the finished narration, and then enjoyed the performance.
• The album was also issued on 8-track and was later reissued on compact disc and MP3.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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