đź“° Bowie Returns To America - Article : Jan. 1974
- David Bowie
- Jan 13, 1974
- 3 min read
A detailed Melody Maker report on David Bowie’s plans to return to the United States in the spring for the second leg of his tour with an expanded Spiders From Mars line-up, while finishing a new studio album at Trident Studios in London.
Bowie expands the Spiders and prepares for a major American return.
Melody Maker
Date: January 13, 1974
Length: 4 min read
đź“° Key Highlights
• Bowie heading back to America in spring for the second leg of his tour
• Expanded Spiders From Mars line-up, now an 11-piece group
• Addition of a second guitarist to free Bowie from playing guitar on stage
• Inclusion of horn section, male backing vocals, Moog synthesiser, and possibly mellotron
• Mike Garson already confirmed on piano; American jazz pianist addition possible
• Bowie currently finishing a new studio album at Trident Studios
đź“° Overview
Published on January 13, 1974, this Melody Maker feature outlines David Bowie’s immediate plans as he wraps up recording in London and prepares to take an enlarged band back to the United States for further *Diamond Dogs*-era dates.
đź“° Source Details
Publication / Venue: Melody Maker
Date: January 13, 1974
Format: Tour / Studio update
Provenance Notes: Original 1974 Melody Maker page.
đź“° The Story
Bowie confirms he will return to America in the spring with an expanded 11-piece version of the Spiders From Mars. The new line-up includes a second guitarist (freeing Bowie from guitar duties), a horn section, male backing vocals, and possibly a Moog synthesiser and mellotron. The article notes Bowie is currently completing a new studio album at Trident Studios in London, with the US tour including a high-profile performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
đź“° Visual Archive
Large black-and-white photo of a smiling David Bowie holding a guitar, with the bold headline “Bowie Returns To America” and supporting text columns.
đź“° Related
For more similar posts, check out the tags at the bottom of the page.
đź“° Closing Notes
This January 1974 Melody Maker report captures Bowie in a phase of rapid evolution — expanding his band and sound while transitioning from the Ziggy era into the more theatrical and musically ambitious *Diamond Dogs* period.
đź“ť Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
The Spiders are now an eleven piece group including a second guitar- ist to free Bowie from having to play guitar on stage, and the line up including original Spiders Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansy, has been expanded to include a horn section, male backing vocals, a Moog synthesiser and possibly a mellotron. Already American jazz pianist Mike Carson has been added to the Spiders.
Said Bowie this week: "I'd like to add a second guitarist so that I don't have to play guitar on stage any more. The guitar has rooted me down to the same spot for too long."
Planned for the Ameri- can tour is a performance at New York's Radio City Hall. The Radio City, pre- served as a living monument of vaudeville, rarely features rock artists, but Bowie is being allowed to perform there because of the music hall qualities of his act.
The Radio City performance will incorporate some of the mime pieces that London audiences saw performed at the Rainbow Theatre last year.
At present Bowie is finishing off a studio album at Trident in London.
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