The Half-Speed Mastered LP will drop this fall
October 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie’s classic collection of cover songs, Pin Ups, originally released on October 19, 1973 – a mere six months after the legendary Aladdin Sane and three months after the infamous final Ziggy Stardust show at Hammersmith Odeon, where he put the Ziggy persona to rest along with The Spiders From Mars.
On October 20th, one day after its Golden Jubilee, Pin Ups will be issued as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP. This new pressing was cut on a customized late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. John Webber cut the half-speed at AIR Studios.
Recorded at Château d’Hérouville in France, where Bowie would later return to record the masterpiece Low, Pin Ups was a collection of cover songs paying tribute to bands and artists that had inspired him and that he had seen at clubs such as The Marquee in London in the mid to late 60s. Artists he covered for the album included The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, The Who, Pretty Things, The Easybeats and more.
Just one single was taken from the album in the UK, a version of The Mersey’s “Sorrow” which peaked at No. 4 in the UK, and the album reached No. 1. The striking sleeve image featuring David and British model Twiggy, taken by Justin de Villeneuve, was originally slated to appear on the cover of Vogue, when the magazine passed on the idea, Bowie chose it for Pin Ups.
Even though Bowie did not tour the album, it is beloved by fans to this day who have often wished for a long-rumored follow-up Pin Ups Too, but as was his style, by February 1974, he had released “Rebel Rebel” as a single and a whole new adventure had begun.
