More posthumous releases and discoveries in the wake of David Bowie‘s death, with the unearthing of a rare, until now unreleased pre-Ziggy Stardust demo titled To Be Love. A rather wildly psychedelic number, it comes from a recording session with sound engineer Ron de Strulle at Roxbury Road Studio in Los Angeles in 1970.
Flown out by American record label executives as “new talent from across the pond who was beginning to make a big stir”, Bowie was to record a number of demos to gauge interest.
“My first impression of David was that he was warm, open, friendly, and not looking for star treatment like most of the other artists who came to RR Studios,” de Strulle told The Huffington Post. “He was interested in the production process and excited about anything creative”, he added.
Going on, de Strulle said the young future superstar “was blown away by the studio and very interested in how to get each sound. He loved John Lennon’s vocal effects and George Martin’s way of working with bands of sounds with different frequencies.
“David could pick up an instrument and play anything. He would say ‘I never played this instrument before,’ and then he would cut loose and play. Pure genius.”
Speaking of To Be Love de Strulle recalled, “David loved that song and wanted to do harmony. He said its simple chords and simple melodies were ‘like bringing Billie Holiday into the 1970s.’”
Have a listen for yourself below or grab a free download here.
