📰 Bowie Fuels Ronson! – Cover: Jan. 1974

A front‑page Melody Maker feature announcing Mick Ronson’s solo breakthrough, Bowie’s continued involvement, and the imminent arrival of Slaughter on 10th Avenue.

📰 Excerpt

Published January 26, 1974, this Melody Maker cover story reveals Mick Ronson’s first major solo concerts at London’s Rainbow Theatre, the rush‑release of his debut album, and David Bowie’s direct role in shaping Ronson’s early solo career.

📰 Key Highlights

• Published in Melody Maker (UK), January 26, 1974

• Front‑page headline: “BOWIE FUELS RONSON!”

• Announces Ronson’s Rainbow Theatre shows (Feb 22 & 23)

• Confirms Bowie’s likely on‑stage appearance

• Details Ronson’s debut album Slaughter on 10th Avenue

• Notes Bowie wrote three of the album’s lyrics

• Reports MainMan’s major campaign to launch Ronson as a solo star

• Includes full early track listing

📰 Overview

This cover story captures a pivotal moment in the post‑Ziggy landscape. Mick Ronson — Bowie’s guitarist, arranger, and on‑stage foil — steps into the spotlight with his first solo concerts and a debut album being rushed from the U.S. to meet demand. Melody Maker frames Ronson’s ascent as both a natural evolution and a Bowie‑powered launch, with MainMan orchestrating a major campaign to establish him as a solo force.

📰 Source Details

Publication / Venue: Melody Maker

Date: January 26, 1974

Format: Cover article

Provenance Notes: Early UK press coverage of Ronson’s solo debut and Bowie’s involvement.

📰 The Story

Ronson Steps Forward – Rainbow Theatre, Feb 22–23

The article announces Ronson’s first major solo concerts:

• February 22 & 23, 1974

• Rainbow Theatre, London

It notes that Bowie — Ronson’s collaborator for the past two years — is expected to appear onstage, reinforcing the sense of continuity between the Ziggy era and Ronson’s new chapter.

MainMan, managing both artists, positions Ronson as the centre of a large‑scale promotional campaign.

📰 The Album – Slaughter on 10th Avenue

Ronson’s debut album is described as being rushed from the United States so that its release can coincide with the Rainbow shows.

The working title at press time:

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

The article emphasises:

• Ronson produced, arranged, and conducted the album

• He performs on all tracks

• Bowie contributed three lyrics

• MainMan and RCA are heavily invested in the launch

📰 The Track Listing (as printed in Melody Maker)

The article provides an early track list:

• Growing Up and I’m So Fine (Bowie)

• Pleasure Man (Ronson, S. Richardson)

• I’m the One (Annette Peacock)

• Music Is Lethal (music by Lucio Battisti, English lyrics by Bowie)

• Hey Ma, Get Papa (Ronson, Bowie)

• Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (instrumental)

• Only After Dark (Ronson, S. Richardson)

“Only After Dark” is also noted as the B‑side of Ronson’s new single.

📰 The Single – “Love Me Tender”

Ronson’s debut solo single — a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” — is released January 25, 1974, just one day before the article’s publication.

The single serves as the opening salvo in MainMan’s campaign to establish Ronson as a solo star.

📰 Bowie’s Influence and Involvement

The article underscores Bowie’s ongoing role in Ronson’s career:

• He wrote three lyrics for the album

• He is expected to appear at the Rainbow shows

• His presence is framed as both mentorship and endorsement

The headline “BOWIE FUELS RONSON!” captures the dynamic: Ronson stepping forward, Bowie providing momentum.

📰 Visual Archive

“Bowie Fuels Ronson!” Melody Maker, January 26, 1974.

📰 Related Material

Explore the tags below for connected posts and themes.

📰 Closing Notes

This cover story captures Ronson at the threshold of his solo career — a moment of anticipation, momentum, and Bowie‑powered visibility. A defining press document of the post‑Ziggy transition.

#MickRonson #SlaughterOn10thAvenue #DavidBowie #RainbowTheatre #MelodyMaker1974 #GlamSlamChronicles

📰 Sources

• Melody Maker, January 26, 1974

📝 Copyright Notice

All scans 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.

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MICK RONSON is following in the footsteps of David Bowie and is set to do two dates at London's Rain-bow next month.

He will play the theatre on February 22 and 23, and it's expected that Bowie, for whom he's been back-up man and guitarist in the past two years, will be on stage with him.

Thus Ronson, who's managed by Mainman, the same company as Bowie, becomes the centre of a large campaign designed to establish him as a solo artist in his own right.

His first solo single, the Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender", is released this Friday (January 25), and it's to be followed in February by an album whose working title so far is "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue ".

Rushed

Mainman and RCA are so anxious to make him a star that copies of the album are being rushed from the States so that the release date coincides. And it's highly likely that a tour of the provinces will follow the London dates.

This tour was apparently arranged before Christmas, but it had to be pulled out be-cause of insufficient organisation.

Bowie has had a large hand in Ronson's career-building. He has written three of the six lyrics on the album.

The track listings are: Growing Up Anc I'm So Fine", a Bowie song; Pleasure Man (Ronson and S. Richardson); "I'm The One" (Annette Peacock); "Music Is Letha (music by L. Battisti, English lyrics by Bowie);;" Hey Ma, Get Papa" (Ronson, Bowie); "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" four-minute instrumental); and "Only After Dark" (Ronson and S. Richardson).

The last track is also on the flip of his new single See singles reviews, page 14. е)