Pin Ups

Pinups is the seventh album by David Bowie. It is a covers album, featuring songs by the Pretty Things, the Who, the Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, Them, the Mojos, Easybeats, the Merseys and the Kinks.

In a booklet in the album, Bowie wrote “These songs are among my favourites from the '64–67' period of London. / Most of the groups were playing the Ricky-Tick (was it a 'y' or an 'i'?) -Scene club circuit (Marquee, eel pie island la-la). / Some are still with us. / Pretty Things, Them, Yardbirds, Syd's Pink Floyd, Mojos, Who, Easybeats, Merseys, The Kinks. / Love-on ya!” to describe the album.

Pinups reached number 1 in the UK albums charts, although since then has received often poor reviews, with music critics stating that most of the covers are generally worse than their originals.

The idea with Pinups was to make it an album of covers of songs that were popular in England, but not so well known in America although this, along with the plan to make it an album unlike any Bowie had done previously, was dropped. It was also planned to be the first of two 60s nostalgia albums, the second being called ‘Bowie-ing Out’ in which Bowie would cover his favourite American artists, however this plan once again never went ahead. Yet another plan that never happened was a Pinups sequel, although despite this, a few of the planned cover songs do appear on his later albums Heathen and Reality.

It was recorded with Ken Scott (the producer of Bowie’s previous two albums The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Aladdin Sane) along with a two of the once members of the Spiders from Mars; Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder. They recorded it at the Château d’Hérouville in a small town of the same name in northern France.

The cover image was taken in Paris for Vogue magazine, but at David’s request it was used for the album cover instead. It features the 1960s supermodel Twiggy, and the photograph was taken by her manager at the time Justin de Villeneuve.

Tracklist

 * 1) Rosalyn (Pretty Things cover)
 * 2) Here Comes the Night (Them cover)
 * 3) I Wish You Would (Yardbirds cover)
 * 4) See Emily Play (Pink Floyd cover)
 * 5) Everything's Alright (Mojos cover)
 * 6) I Can't Explain (Who cover)
 * 7) Friday on My Mind (Easybeats cover)
 * 8) Sorrow (Merseys cover)
 * 9) Don't Bring Me Down (Pretty Things cover)
 * 10) Shape of Things (Yardbirds cover)
 * 11) Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Who cover)
 * 12) Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Kinks cover)

Personnel

 * David Bowie: vocals