| David Bowie | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 June 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 14 November 1966 – 1 March 1967 | |||
| Studio | Decca (London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:19 | |||
| Label | Deram | |||
| Producer | Mike Vernon | |||
| David Bowie chronology | ||||
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| Singles from David Bowie | ||||
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David Bowie is the debut studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released in the United Kingdom on 1 June 1967 through Decca subsidiary Deram Records. Produced by Mike Vernon and recorded from November 1966 to March 1967 in London, the album followed a string of singles Bowie released for Pye Records that failed to chart. Vernon hired numerous studio musicians for the album's sessions; Bowie and his former Buzz bandmate Derek Fearnley composed music charts themselves using a musical guidebook.
The album displays a baroque pop and music hall sound influenced by Anthony Newley and the Edwardian styles of contemporary British rock bands. The songs are primarily led by orchestral brass and woodwind instruments rather than traditional instruments in pop music at the time, although some tracks feature guitar. The lyrical content varies from lighthearted childhood innocence to drug use and totalitarianism, themes that Bowie would return to in later works. The cover artwork is a headshot of Bowie with a mod haircut wearing a high-collared jacket.
Released in both mono and stereo mixes, David Bowie received positive reviews from music journalists but was a commercial failure due to a lack of promotion from Deram. Two tracks were omitted for its release in the United States in August 1967. Following its release, Bowie provided more tracks for Deram, all of which were rejected and led to his departure from the label. Retrospective reviews unfavourably compare David Bowie to Bowie's later works, but some recognise it positively on its own terms. The album was reissued in a two-disc deluxe edition in 2010, featuring both mixes and other tracks from the period.