The Early Genius of David Bowie
- "Musical Storyland" capsulizes some of the brilliant music that David Bowie produced even before he gained international notice with songs like "Space Oddity," "Changes," and "Suffragette City." These very early efforts took on a style often compared to British vocalist Anthony Newley, featuring spry and playful lyrics and music. Bowie, often characterized as a "chameleon" of modern music, would come to embrace many musical styles in his career, from the glitter rock of "Ziggy Stardust" to the plastic soul of "Young Americans" to the revolutionary forms that he created with his final "Blackstar" album. But his creative period of composing fresh and original music began in the mid-to-late 1960s with the clever music and lyrics such as the 10 songs of "Musical Storyland."
- Most fans became acquainted with David Bowie through "Ziggy Stardust" or his later albums like "Diamond Dogs," "Station to Station," "Let's Dance," or "Earthling." Jamilla Naji is an exception: Her first exposure to Bowie came through an 8-track tape of the album "Images," a collection of his early works. These upbeat songs formed the backdrop for her childhood, creating for her a private world where she could escape the stresses and concerns of her life and enter a place of peace and warmth.
- As an adult and a mother, Naji wished to share her childhood joy with her daughter, and with children and young people everywhere. She was an artist, too, and so the idea for a book to celebrate David Bowie's early music through his lyrics and her illustrations came into being.
- "Musical Storyland" is the fruit of Naji's labor of love. By 2004, she had secured the U.S. rights to distribute Bowie's music and lyrics in this beautiful book and CD set. Thousands of copies were sold and distributed in a few short years before Naji returned her full attention to producing new art. The remaining several hundred copies of "Musical Storyland" remained tucked away in storage for years -- until last year, when Newhaven Booksellers bought out the remaining stock so as to make the books available once again to David Bowie fans worldwide, particularly as they mourn his January 2016 death due to cancer.
- Naji's colorful, whimsical art provides the perfect complement to Bowie's lyrics. Single, full-page panels illustrate each of the ten songs featured in this book and on the CD. These songs include:
- --"Uncle Arthur," a ballad of a mama's boy who decides to elope;
- -- "Rubber Band," about a musician who returned from war to find that his girlfriend had married his bandleader;
- -- "There Is a Happy Land," describing a place free of the troubles of the adult world;
- -- "Did You Ever Have a Dream," which explores the simple joys of the imagination;
- -- "Sell Me a Coat," a metaphorical tune about a lost summer love;
- -- "Come and Buy My Toys," an invitation to enjoy the carefree days of childhood while they last;
- -- "Maid of Bond Street," about a girl of fame and fortune who is nevertheless lonely for the common boy she loves;
- -- "Love You Till Tuesday," a playful ditty about a persistent lover who promises no long-term commitments;
- -- "When I Live My Dream," a fantasaical profession of unrequited and heroic love; and
- -- "Ching-a-Ling," a cheery, nonsensical song celebrating the joys of life, love, and music itself.
- Do Yourself a favor and explore this lesser-known side of David Bowie!
