soul love
Both Bolan & Bowie embraced this with gusto and differing levels of success (musical), that is, rather than commercial. In hindsight there could have been rich pickings.
Bowie's Young Americans came out half-baked in the end - there's only so much you can commit to vinyl by constraint.
Little of Bolan's work ever was released but in recent years a pile of information (and some tracks) has been unearthed. At least Bowie's 'The Gouster' was officially recognised, but it it should have commanded a box-set in itself. (Many tracks remain under lock and key). Such a shame - his voice was awesome on these sessions.
Here's Bolan's band around 75 & 76 for the soul sessions recorded with Richard Jones (Gloria's brother) in LA. Bolan just played occasional lead guitar in the mix.
It's a 'who's-who' of superstar session men:
Sylvester Rivers - Piano
Ray Parker Jnr. - Guitar [formed 'Raydio' in the 70s]
Scott Edwards - Bass [did one tune on 'Dandy' too]
Ed Green - Drums
Ollie E. Brown - Drums
Check these musicians out. You'll find them on all kinds of "deteriorating & catastrophic music," from Stevie Wonder through to Deniece Williams. Bowie is rumoured to be involved with some of the recordings - it sounds like him on 'Walking Through That Door.'
Here are the unreleased tracks recorded:
Love is there to stay (75)
Doctor Doctor (75)
Shadows of the Night (75)
Straight it up (76?)
Oblivion (76?)
Love was here (76?)
The Cosmic Choir
The quality of the musicianship on the Richard Jones sessions is exceptional. It's completely distinct from the Pat Hall sessions where the original UK-based musicians just created a different sound from T. Rex. 'Get 'em up' from Pat Hall also remains unreleased.
It seems unlikely now that the rest of Bowie's soul-period material will surface. The business people just want the cash.
Note: "deteriorating and catastrophic music" are not my words, but those of the Bowie biographers who, hegemonically, make appalling assumptions about Marc's musicians and music generally, especially after 1973. Bolan & Bowie worked with some of the finest musicians of their age. I would do nothing to denigrate the work of those named above.