Tenement Funster - Bowie connection

Just gave Aladdin Sane (from 1973) a spin, to much delight as always. But something stood out to me this time - the last minute of Lady Grinning Soul is almost certainly a place where Queen found inspiration for the instrumental section of Tenement Funster on their next album.

Bowie's influence is all over the rock music of the era, and here's a pretty clear spot where Queen liked what he was doing and made it theirs.

You guys can (thin white) duke it out, but I'm pretty sure I'm right on this one.

Just had a listen, there certainly is a similarity and it's very possible that Roger wanted something like that on the track

Roger's 'Modern Times Rock and Roll' is also very much in the same mold as Bowie's 'Hang Onto Yourself'.

I find no resemblance...

You're right!

D'accord certainment! I always thought Roger had Zepplin's Rock 'n' Roll in the background, just faster. While I'm here, just consider how fast Roger pushed Stone Cold Crazy in the 1976-77 years. Coming off the swirly tape loop at the end of Prophet's song seemed to propel him into hyperdrive. Try Boston, Nagoya and Hyde Park from '76 and then of course Houston in '77. Sheer manic energy!

Mike's piano on that track is just magnificent. And yeah, I agree about the guitar.

interesting

Oh wait! I missread what you've wrote! I was hearing Aladdin Sane (the song)! Yes, Lady Grinning Soul's ending resembles Tenemunt Funster a little!

Well whaddya know, had the very album on my iPod dock at work this affa, (I've been playing Bowie exclusively since the news on Monday), and love LGS, perhaps it could have been in Roger's subconscious , who knows?

[QUOTE] [b]CruellaDeVille wrote:[/b]

just consider how fast Roger pushed Stone Cold Crazy in the 1976-77 years. Coming off the swirly tape loop at the end of Prophet's song seemed to propel him into hyperdrive.[/QUOTE]

Indeed, the cocaine had nothing to do with it ;)

Roger took coke back then? A lot?

Yeah I mentioned MTRNR / HOTY a few weeks ago.

If you listen to the Spiders rerecording of Holy Holy or The Supermen (from The Man Who Sold The World) you will hear Queen's sound being invented.

[QUOTE] [b]dysan wrote:[/b]

Yeah I mentioned MTRNR / HOTY a few weeks ago.

If you listen to the Spiders rerecording of Holy Holy or The Supermen (from The Man Who Sold The World) you will hear Queen's sound being invented.[/QUOTE]

Whoa, I'd never heard the later version of Holy Holy ! Wow. Indeed, you're right. The original version actually sounds more like The Kinks.

But let's not discount Brian and Roger - much of the Queen sound was already there on the Smile songs in 1969.

And I don't think Queen members have ever cited Bowie as an influence, have they?

In the 'pop mags' and the like, back in the seventies, Roger definitely cited Bowie, the Who and Hendrix , several times.