Graham Gouldman - "The Graham Gouldman Thing (Vinyl, Album, Stereo, 1968 (RCA)

My interest in figures who somehow made pop music culture, yet remain in its shadows is an obsession of mine. For instance, songwriters who wrote numerous hit songs for various artists, and yet, they made their album. Does one wonder if they had hopes of being successful without fronting other music artists? Graham Gouldman wrote hit songs for The Yardbirds and Herman's Hermits, among others. He eventually formed and became a member of 10cc. Eric Stewart, his co-band member, was also from the British Invasion era. He was a member and songwriter for The Mindbenders (with and without "Wayne").

I'm an admirer of these 'pop' songwriter albums such as "The Graham Gouldman Thing" as well as Tony Hazzard (wrote songs for The Yardbirds as well as Manfred Mann) and Boyce and Hart (they wrote classic hits for The Monkees). All albums are of great importance, mostly due that they have their 'hit songs' on them, and it's interesting to compare the recordings between their recorded version and others by the bands who did their songs.

Gouldman's album was co-produced by Peter Noone (Herman of Herman's Hermits) and himself, as well as John Paul Jones handling the arrangements. It is released in 1968, a tad later than The Yardbirds's "For Your Love" this is very much a showcase of Gouldman's songs and his ability to carry these tunes under his name. The hits (made famous by others) are "For Your Love" (The Yardbirds), "Bus Stop" (The Hollies), "No Milk Today and "Upstairs and Downstairs" both by Herman's Hermits. If there is a Gouldman aesthetic, it seems his songs relay sort of mid-20th-century British culture, that is a snapshot of life as it happens, with a touch of the Harold Pinter/John Osbourne observation of British everyday life. When he started working with 10cc, his songs, as well as the others in the band, became still, observational, but with a savage sense of humor. Here in his early works, it's more of a reflection that has traces of sadness and romantic disappointment. Gouldman wrote the hits, but I feel he left an enormous amount of DNA of his personality and thoughts in these commercial works.

V.A. - "A New Sound From The Japanese Bach Scene" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (RCA)

Exotica? As one approaches this album, one would think that's the destination.  But alas, it's more in the tradition of the jazz Bach hybrid recordings by The Swingle Singers and French Jazz pianist Jacques Loussier.  It's Bach most excellent melodies but arranged for two Kotos and a Shakuhachi, plus a stand-up bass, drums and jazz guitar. Norio Maeda arranges the album, and it's very much in the mood of the classic Jazz/Classical overtures of the 1950s. But there is nothing kitsch about the arrangements or the music on this album.

I have this fascination with arrangments of music, that I know, but presented in a new light. When you hear this one doesn't think 'ah, the Japanese take on Western music.'  More of a playful approach that is very organic and presented in a very straight forward manner. There are even some bosa-nova beats here and there — a cool album.

Elvis Presley - "The King In The Ring" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2018 (RCA)

Released in many formats, this is a very recent re-release of Elvis Presley's incredible performance on his NBC-TV special from 1968.  At this point, Elvis was a figure from the past, who made too many mediocre films, and this was an approach to bring him back to contemporary culture.  Either by Elvis or the producers, they had the brilliant idea to do a set of songs unplugged and little to no sets, but surrounded by an audience.   

Covering his Sun-era recordings as well as his early 1950s RCA sides, plus a few Christmas songs (including one of my fave Elvis cuts "Blue Christmas"), he's not only back, but also to my ears has the energy of a young proto-punk band.  The Cramps came to mind when I hear this album, and it's not that weird of a comparison or aesthetic.  The sad thing is that Elvis regained his 'moment' but then lost it in the 1970s, at least image-wise.   Often bloated, but I would argue his magnificent voice never failed him.   Now, I wonder if Elvis actually had made a bad record?  Weak ones, yes, but a terrible record?  Still, clad in an all-leather outfit, and an f**K you to 1960s haircut and stance, he's magnificent. 

For one, to see him with his band is like being in a foreign country to me.  It's William Faulkner coming to life, and the happy relationship between him and the group, is very much like a small club where the membership is secret, and although he and they are human, it is still very much of a foreign culture.  But that's me, the ultimate Southern California fellow!  If The Cramps are exotic then so is "The King In The Ring."  It's a double album, of two live sets recorded for the TV special.  The idea was to film both shows and then edit the songs together for the final program.  So, as a listener, we are hearing repeated but different performances such as Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" (five times) "One Night (three times) and so forth.  Each version has its charms, and all are phenomenal.  

The band is basically the original Elvis group of Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana (playing on a guitar case used as drums), Charlie Hodge guitar and backup vocals, and two Memphis Mafia guys on percussion.  It's a superb band, with Elvis on guitar, and that remarkable voice that cuts down all sense of fakeness, yet theatrical in its presence.  Elvis was a unique artist, where his landscape turned against him, yet, among the rubble, he came out like a pauper King.  These recordings are my favorite Elvis.  It's up there with the Sun Records, but also I like them even better than the RCA early 50s recordings.   They're loose, and he's on fire.

Fresh - "Fresh Out of Borstal" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1970 (RCA)

In my vinyl collection, I have many oddities, and without a doubt, Fresh's "Fresh Out of Borstal" is a weird album.   Fresh was a trio consisting of Kevin Francis, Robert Gorman, and Roger Chantler, and in appearance seem to come out of a harsh British prison 'Borstal.'  In actuality, Fresh is a concept put together by the great Simon Napier-Bell, who was the manager for Marc Bolan, The Yardbirds, Japan (the band), and Wham!  This is not really a rock n' roll album, but more of a musical that never got produced.  Not sure if this was meant to go beyond this album as a concept, but nevertheless, it is probably the first queer orientated pop/rock album released to the mass market.  

The songs were written by Ray Singer, who produced early Japan, Clive Sarstedt and the mastero himself, Napier-Bell.  Although the band is listed as a guitar/bass/drums trio, the fact there are a lot of instruments on the tracks, and at times, there is a Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed-era sound, mixed with the vibes of a musical such as "Hair."   The whole album is enjoyable, but the one classic cut is "And The Boys Lazed On The Verandah."  I remember hearing this song as a teenager and thinking only one word "Wow."   For whatever odd reason, KMET in Los Angeles would play this song time-to-time.   Still, there are great string arrangements that run through these songs, such as "You Made Me What I Am."  It's a Skinhead look, but the music is not in that vain whatsoever, or even close to the early aesthetics of Slade.  Quirky London West End theater (in theory) and something that would never be a great mass success.  But for those who love the British eccentricity in the pop music world, this album goes well with the great Lionel Bart (aesthetically speaking of course). 

Jefferson Airplane - "Surrealistic Pillow" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1967 (RCA)

It's strange to me, but I have this compelling need to look back at the music that I ignored due to either hating the band or just didn't like the landscape where that band came from. In this case, I have a hard time getting into the San Francisco sound of the 1960s.   In my mind (and ears) it's Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow, and that's ground zero for everything I disliked about that city in that era.   It wasn't until the recent passing of Marty Balin that I decided to pick up a battered-up Mono version of this album.  In my head, I decided to question my tastes, and go onto an adventure, and this is one of the first of what I think many voyages I'll be making in the next few years. 

I always liked "White Rabbit," but never cared about the image of the Jefferson Airplane.  They seemed too self-important with respect to their hippie/folk/community thing they had going.  There appeared to be a 'one-for-me-one-for-all aspect of that scene that's a turn-off to me.  After Balin's passing I decided to leave my prejudices outside my listening room, and just get into the Mono edition of this album.

Without a doubt, and not putting down the talents of Grace Slick, I think Marty Balin was a remarkable vocalist.  The two songs, side-by-side on the first side, "Today" and "Comin Back To Me" is a phenomenal work of mood and angst.  Both sung by Balin and written or co-written by the singer as well.  Not only heartfelt but in a funny manner, it reminds me of a classic Johnnie Ray approach to the song.  A beautiful vocal and almost a spiritual aspect of romance that doesn't seem human, in the sense that is anchored on the ground.   These two cuts I keep going back again because I feel it's the heart of the album.  Then again, you have the upbeat "She Has Funny Cars" and "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds."  All, of course, are wonderful.  "Fantastic Plastic Lover" and other songs remind me a bit of the Rolling Stones' "Aftermath," which were both engineered by the great Dave Hassinger, and recorded at the RCA studios on Sunset Boulevard (not far from Amoeba Music). 

So, yes, I have entered to the other side.   Where I go from here, is anyone's guess.  Nevertheless, "Surrealistic Pillow, beyond "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" is a terrific trip. 

Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires - "It's Now or Never" b/w "A Mess of Blues" 45 rpm Single, 1960 (RCA)

"It's Now or Never" is one of my favorite records.  It's not just the song, but the arrangement and the tension between Elvis and rest of the instrumentation and voices by The Jordanaires.  Operatic, and I believe the song is based on an Italian pop song, it's interesting to hear a European melody attached to a solid American aesthetic such as Elvis.  The songwriters Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold also wrote Elvis' "Good Luck Charm."   To me, this is a sound that is separate from his work in the 1950s. It has a dramatic flair, that is cinematic, and the cha-cha rhythm slowed down and then speeded up is a remarkable work of tension.  "A Mess of Blues" the b-side is written by Doc Pomus and the always fascinating Mort Schuman, who later had recordings in France, and became associated with the songs of Jacques Brel.  It's a strange world, and Elvis has always struck me as a man from another world - like his fellow label mate, David Bowie.  

Lewis Furey - "The Sky is Falling" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1979 (RCA)

Lewis Furey is one artist that is hard to follow due to the obscurity of his recordings and most of his work is in France.  This French Canadian somehow missed his mark in the United States, even though he was signed to A&M Records during the mid-1970s.  The fact is I purchased most of his albums as cut-outs at the time, and when I went to Japan in 1989, I re-purchased them as CDs, due that some Japanese music company purchased the rights to distribute and re-release the entire A&M catalog for the market there.  One of the reasons why I'm devoted to Japan is due that they released Lewis Furey albums in that country. 

"The Sky is Falling" is the third album by Furey, and it is similar to the first solo album in that John Lissauer produced and did some of the arrangements for both records.  Furey is a combination of many talents that reminds one such as Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen for example,  yet not like them at all.  Their resemblance is based on their observation lyrical skills, with some musical overtures.  The one connection between Cohen and Furey is Lissauer, who also produced/arranged the Cohen recordings of the late 1960s and early 70s.  Furey is very much had his feet in the musical theater, as well as writing French Chanson songs in English, that tells a narrative that is usually sexual and there is a strong off-Broadway aspect to his work.  "The Sky is Falling" was only released in Japan and France, and it's a fascinating collection of songs.  Some were meant for a theater piece, but the other songs match perfectly with respect to mood and location.  "Thieves" is a show-topper of a chorus, and the beautiful song that ends side two "Ordinary Guy" is a French composition that's translated and adopted by Furey.  He's an artist that should be better known, and especially for those who are fans of Leonard Cohen.  I feel that they are missing a creative link here. 

Lou Reed - "Berlin" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2008/1973 (RCA)

Lou Reed's "Berlin" has some of his greatest songs, but as a narrative concept album, it's weak.  Side one is perfect, but the other side's pace is slow, almost an after-thought than anything else.   The beauty of Lou Reed is that he was very much of an artist who wanted to do something new on the next record.  The previous album "Transformer" is a masterpiece, and I think the last of his work that had traces of his years in The Velvet Underground.  "Berlin" is very much 1973 Lou, and what's interesting is that at the time of this recording of the album, he never been to Berlin.  So it's an artist's projection of a city and culture that he only got through second-hand channels. 

Berlin has always been a mythological metropolis to me. I went there in the 1980s when the wall was still up.  I liked the city, but I was disappointed that Sally Bowles wasn't around nor Bertolt Brecht. In other words, I totally had a "Berlin" in my head that no longer exists.   And on top of that, Berlin reminded me in parts, of Los Angeles, my hometown.   So when "Berlin" came out, I totally saw this project as a documentary or something Lou had experienced first-hand.  Then again, the role of the artist is always to do illusionary magic, and the album is very much an illusion as well in parts, a magnificent pop album.  

Besides the iconic Lou Reed vocals and lyrics, the album features the aggressive bass playing of Jack Bruce.  "Berlin" is one of my favorite 'bass' albums.   It's always thrilling to hear Bruce's work, and I think on this album he did a magnificent job.   Like Jah Wobble or Mick Karn, Bruce was a very strong bassist, who was equally unique in his playing or sound.   The other great thing about the album is the overall production by Bob Ezrin.   Overproduced and making the music sound like a huge production with full orchestra, powerful drumming (Procol Harum's B.J. Wilson and Aynsley Dunbar), plus the twin guitars of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, this was a group of musicians who played huge on the aural soundtrack.   In a certain style, "Berlin" has an operatic quality of being bigger than life, and that's a plus for this album. 

In theory, it would have been great if the album was just an EP of the first six songs.   Side two is just over emotional and almost a bad taste Christmas card.  Still, it's an important Lou Reed album, in the context with the rest of his recordings. 

Elvis Presley - "The Other Sides: Worldwide Gold Award Hits - Vol 2" 4 x Vinyl, Compilation, Mono, 1971 (RCA)

Since I own and play Elvis Worldwide Gold Award Hits Volume 1, I clearly need to have the four disk box set of Elvis' B-sides as well.  My theory is that the A-side is the conscious side of the music, but the B-sides express the inner workings of an artist.  Both sets are in Mono, which is a must for me regarding songs in the 1950s and 1960s.  There are famous Elvis cuts here, such as "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" (wasn't this an A-side) and (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" but it's the songs I don't know that's the fun treasure hunt here. Oddly enough I don't think there is such a thing as a bad Elvis record.   Of course, there are the masterpieces, and then there are the 'others,' but in truth, he never gave a bad performance in a recording.   As mentioned playing the entire 4 album set is a trip to the artist's subconscious. There is always that feeling of regret that Elvis should have worked with David Bowie, or other producers and arrangers.  Alas, that obviously didn't happen.  Still, this is a very impressive collection of music.  Another highlight of the packaging is the inner sleeves show all the Elvis releases on RCA at the time of 1971, the release of this box set. 

Nilsson - "Aerial Pandemonium Ballet" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1971 (RCA)

I have a "best of" on CD and this one vinyl album by Harry Nilsson.  My understanding that "Aerial Pandemonium Ballet" is an odd one by Harry.   With the success of "The Point" RCA wanted to re-release Nilsson's first two out-of-print albums: "Pandemonium Shadow Show" and "Aerial Ballet."  Nilsson thought else wise and decided to make a new album from songs from the early albums, but remixed and re-recorded in some cases.  So depends on how one looks at the original recordings and this updated collection.  I, on the other hand, can't make the comparison due that I only have this album, and never heard the first two albums by Harry.  

"Aerial Pandemonium Ballet" is an album full of promise but touches on heartache.  Nilsson knows how to walk the balance between observational narratives ("Good Old Desk") and painful past ("1941").   An incredible vocalist, while obviously a student/fan of The Beatles as well as an understanding of the Brill Building aesthetic; he's the bridge between those two worlds.  For me, I never followed his career after this album.   I think he evolved or moved on, and I pretty much stayed with this one album. 

Bowie - "Diamond Dogs" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1974 (RCA)

When I bought this album, I knew something new was about to happen.  For the past two years I have followed David Bowie and Ziggy, and when he left his band, I figured that there was going to be a change in the air.   What is Bowie without Mick Ronson?  "Diamond Dogs" is another step into the artist's future, but it was also the bridge between his glam world and the planet of New York City soul.  The song "1984" with its Barry White instrumentation was the clue that there will be another world after this album. 

At the time (in 1974) I felt that this wasn't a complete collection.  Ziggy and "Aladdin Sane" sounded like a full album, as well as "Pin-Ups."  "Diamond Dogs" struck me as a work in progress. I could tell by the album's scope that there will be a theatrical show to go with it, but didn't think by any means it would be a depression era Bowie look with longer hair.  "Rebel Rebel" was an instant Bowie classic, and that was another puzzling piece of the puzzle.  The credit goes to "Bowie" as he didn't need the "David" anymore?  

From day one, I have always loved the "Sweet Thing" melody as well as "We Are The Dead."  That hasn't changed with me for the past 43 years.  I played the album in its entirety yesterday afternoon, and those music pieces still hold up for me.  The only song I'm not fond of is "Rock n' Roll With Me."  I never liked the song.  It's a perfect composition of its kind, but I loved the theater aspect of "We Are The Dead" as it builds up in its intensity.  "Sweet Thing" works the same way as it goes into its "Candidate" part.  Those songs are the walls which contain the album's mood and set piece.  "1984" is interesting in this context, because the sound is so different from the rest of this album.  Side one with the "Future Legend" to "Sweet Thing" and then "Rebel Rebel" strikes me as a classic programming on a record side.  I don't want to pick up the needle whatsoever!  It's like a short film.  A beginning, a middle, and an end.  "Rock n' Roll With Me" and "1984" sticks out musically if not in theme on the side 2.   Still, it's a fantastic album.  And the original vinyl sounds amazing when you play this record loud. 

Iggy Pop - "The Idiot" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2009/1977 (4 Men with Beards)

At the time of its release, in 1977, this album was a mystery to me.  The cover was minimal and no musician credits, except the name "David Bowie" had appeared on its back cover.  Beyond that, I really didn't have a clue what the music would be like.  I knew of the Stooges, but I couldn't really imagine Bowie in the mix for some odd reason.  And I knew he mixed the great "Raw Power" album, but still, what would new Bowie/Iggy music be like?

Once I heard the album I came to the conclusion that this is very much an original piece of work.  Not sure if it was more Bowie than Iggy or the other way around, but the combination of the two made something new to my ears.  I got the feeling that the music was made in a small room without windows.  Very thick and dense sounding.  The lyrics, on the other hand, were total Iggy to me.  Pop has that great quality of skill to make every lyric sound like a throw-away piece of work.  Which is part of his genius and charm.   First thought is the best thought.  Or does Iggy spend a great deal of time working on the lyrics?  I don't know.  What I do know is that he's naturally brilliant.  "Nightclubbing" and "Funtime" are brilliant pieces of work.  "China Girl" is funny but also disturbing under the Iggy version, and the way he drops Marlon Brando's name in the mix was shocking to me at that time. 

My favorite song on the album is "Tiny Girl."  I love the long introduction with what I presume is Bowie's sax playing, and then Iggy drops in with this incredible lyric and resigned style of singing.  I find it brutally romantic.   Listening to it now I still think back when I first heard the album.  It still sounds fresh and demented at the same time.  "Lust for Life" is a great Iggy/Bowie album as well, but "The Idiot" is something special.  Once in a lifetime recording. It can't be done again.  As they say, it is capturing lightning in a jar.  How many times can one do that?

With respect to this reissue, it seems the sound came from Virgin Records mastering of the CD.  To me it sounds fine, but of course one would want a reissue to come from the original analog tapes.  Why that didn't happen could be economic reasons or maybe the tape doesn't exist?  Nevertheless, this album works on very medium. 

The Kinks - "Preservation Act 1 & 2" Two albums Vinyl (RCA) 1973/1974

The last great Kinks project.  Ever since "Village Green Preservation Society" Ray Davies has thought out conceptually for that and future albums.  He started out as being an excellent observational songwriter, who knew how to do musical profiles on individual figures of the London or UK world. "Dandy," "Lola," and others, and prop them up as figures in a specific class or social order.  Davies used each album as a particular subject matter - and not as in a mood piece, but more in a narrative story or novel.  

"Preservation Act 1" and "Preservation Act 2" are separate albums, but in actuality, one project. I'm sure there was a business issue of putting out a three-disc set at the time and a very ambitious project on top of that.    For me, and I think others, I see this as one big work.  So I'm going to treat this as one album here.  "Preservation" is very much a major Ray Davies work.

It' reminds me of Kurt Weill/Bertolt Brecht's "Three-Penny Opera, which takes place in London, and actuality is based on John Gays "Beggar's Opera" which was written in 1728.   What Ray did was bring the political satire back to British roots.  The music at times have a Weill touch, but with Ray, there is an additional British Music Hall presence as well.   The musical (and "Preservation" is a musical) takes place perhaps in the future, but the foundation is clearly post-war London or another industrial town.   Flash is the main villian here.  Corporate gangster.  Street thug.  He's all that and more.   Flash even has his own theme song that runs through both albums.  Not far from Weill/Brecht's Mack the Knife character.  The narrative structure hangs on the balance of the rise and fall of Flash.

The beauty of a classic Kinks song is that it's like a small movie in your presence.  There is nothing abstract in Davies' songs.  Most if not all are clearly films or theater pieces that is set in music.  "Preservation" is his first leap into the musical world, or at the very least imagining his songs set in a much bigger landscape.  

I remember seeing the Kinks doing a live version of this album at the Santa Monica Civic.   Ray at his theaterifal mode of entertainment.  It's interesting to read interviews with him now, where he comes off as being stand-offish, distant, and not comfortable in his own skin.   On stage he's the ultimate performer.  Music Hall tradition fits Ray Davies to a perfect 't.'   From 1963 to 1974, Ray Davies couldn't do anything wrong.   A brilliant songwriter and an incredible performer.  He fits in both the British band invasion and the glam era without any trouble.   "Preservation" has beautiful ballads and humorous songs.  Someone should present this as a new musical.  It's a shame that Davies is not more known as a writer for musicals. 

Mick Ronson - "Slaugher On 10th Avenue" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1974 (RCA)

I think it's impossible not to love Mick Ronson.  He was the main Spider in Bowie's Ziggy.  His arrangements and of course, guitar playing,  is perfect.  What he did was not original, nor visionary, but I think he's the type of artist who can look at a diagram or music score and know how to make it work or becoming a brilliant piece of music.   I think of Bowie as using the Duke Ellington method in making sure he surrounds himself with the cream of the best.   Ronson as the second lead or music leader is exceptional.  And it is always interesting when such artists do a solo album.

"Slaughter on 10th Avenue is by no means a perfect album, but it's highly enjoyable, but lacks the visionary scent to make it really an essential piece of music.  Saying that "After Dark" is one of the great glam songs of that era.  A brilliant piece of arrangement and delivery.  "Love Me Tender" is an Elvis song that for me, didn't work for Elvis (besides being an iconic hit!) nor does it for Ronson, on this opening cut.   A very weak way of starting a really good album.

Still, when playing this album from beginning to end, it seems almost like a resume at work.  The arrangements of standards such as the title cut, and his take on Annette Peacock's "I'm the One," (which I think Ronson is on the original recording?) shows off his sensitivity in dealing with covers.  "Love Me Tender" doesn't work,  because he didn't do a radical remake of it, just sort of kept it as it is.  Which is fine, but again, and lots of people would disagree with me, but it's not that great of a song.   

Ronson was stretching out his boundaries, by including a variety of music on this debut album.  He was a man of great taste (most cases) and a great loss when he passed away in the 1990s.   His work on the first Ian Hunter album is perfect.   As a solo artist, I think overall he is weak.  But when he backs someone up like Hunter or Bowie, of course, it's a magnificent sound.  And that goes for the same on his work with Morrissey.  

David Bowie - "Alabama Song"/"Space Oddity" 45 rpm Vinyl, 1980 (RCA)

There is no better song than "Alabama Song."   I only know four versions:  Lotte Lenya, The Doors, David Johansen (N.Y. Dolls) and of course, David Bowie.  All versions of this song are great.  Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil wrote it.  And thinking about it now, this song I knew since I was a baby.  My family household played the "Lotte Lenya Singing Weil" album, and my German grandmother had the album as well.  So no escaping from "Alabama Song."  Nor do I want to flee from this song.   Bowie does a great version, which was recorded during his "Lodger" period, and I presume with the same band that is on the album.    A commentary on his times in Berlin, when he lived there with Iggy Pop during the making of "The Idiot" and "Lust for Life."   There is a sense that he's singing this song as if it was something from his past. Even though it was a few years in the past, it had the bite of discovery.  I think for him, and for me as a listener.   It's a beautiful melody, and all versions are sung if the melody is crashing into a wall.   What comes afterward is a new beginning.  A new something. 

"Space Oddity, " this version recorded in 1980 is the best.  Sparse, and very much reminds me of John Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band" recording.  The minimal approach is piano, loud drums, and maybe a touch of an electric guitar, with the acoustic.  It has always been a beautiful song, and by far, this version is the best.    Not sure if it is easy to track down - or if it is in a best of Bowie album somewhere in the world.  But do get it.