Another piece of evidence to support the hypothesis that the entire Rock Industry distills down to white people playing Chuck Berry covers in hockey arenas, this is the only song (without research) that Bowie and the Dead both covered, although apparently Garcia and Bowie shared a drummer.
(At this point, I think most of the modern world–including non-musicians and the Irish–shared a drummer with Garcia.)
The first episode of my podcast was about the various covers of this song. My favorite might be Maureen Tucker’s (Velvet Underground). I give some time to the Dead and Bowie versions…http://www.wheresthatsoundcomingfrom.com/2013/06/podcast-episode-1-around-and-around.html
Another tune they both covered: “Dancing in the Street(s)”–though Bowie’s is a duet w/ Jagger.
RIGHT. Dammit.
my favorite take on the Mick/Bowie version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_li_d_YviZ4
Did a podcast on that too! http://www.wheresthatsoundcomingfrom.com/2014/01/repost-podcast-episode-3-dancing-in.html
As we honor and remember the great David Bowie, I offer a small doff of the cap to Trevor Bolder, also RIP, who kept the Spiders’ bottom end in order, and rocked the best sideburns in rock and roll history.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/72922be4b513e4cd5ac604682fa7e337/tumblr_mn64bmY8E21qdde2go1_500.gif
I looked into this. I can’t say I’m thorough, but it appears that both Bowie and Jerry did “Let’s Spend The Night Together.” At least in passing, Bowie did “I’m A King Bee” (I think it was the name of his teenage band) and “I’m A Hog For You Baby” (as a joke at some Bridge concert in like 1996).
Bowie’s real musical affinity would have been with Pigpen, all that early 60s R&B stuff that makes no sense. If Bowie had ever met the early Dead–say at Glastonbury in 72, had the Dead played–the guy he would have had the most in common with musically was Pigpen. Bowie didn’t care about bluegrass, and only nominally about Coltrane and Luciano Berio, but James Brown and Muddy Waters? Yeah, baby.
Maybe if Pigpen had lived, Bowie could have gone on tour with him and played keyboards. I don’t know how the Time Sheath thang works, but its an intriguing thought.
Jesus, I just listened to Bowie’s version of Lets Spend the Night this morning, too.
Losing a step.
https://youtu.be/lvGQsdk1L68
https://youtu.be/1L17dHjKNno
That’s right! In fact, Bowie and Garcia both covered it about the same year–1973/74. They both rock in verrrry different ways.
There’s an outtake of the Garcia version which takes it at a similar tempo to Bowie’s, but it doesn’t really make it.