Earl Slick Keeps David Bowie’s Memory Alive with New Remixed Track

Storied guitarist Earl Slick partnered with the late glam-rock legend David Bowie to release a revolutionary remixed track, “Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary).” Initially featured on 2004’s Zig Zag, the track was newly presented by YPK8 Music on Thursday (July 25) in celebration of Slick’s latest autobiography, Guitar.

To understand the sheer mastery behind this remixed track, it’s essential to journey back to 1974. Bowie had tapped Slick to replace Mick Ronson as lead guitarist for the Diamond Dogs tour, according to The Cavern Club. Slick was also featured on Bowie’s Young Americans and Station to Station albums, released in 1975 and 1976.

Now, half a century later, Slick is keeping Bowie’s memory alive by sharing this co-written “musical treasure.” A serendipitous turn of events, 20 years in the making, caused everything to fall into place, according to a press release. It wasn’t initially planned for Bowie to be featured on Zig Zag amid its creation two decades ago.

“I would never have thought to ask David to sing on my record. It’s not that we weren’t close—we’d known each other forever—but it just wasn’t something that would have occurred to me. But when I called Mark Plati at the studio one day to talk about some sessions I wanted to do, it turned out David was there.”

Slick continued:

“He got wind of what we were planning and asked to talk to me. ‘I guess you’re not interested in me maybe doing a little something on the record?’ It was a silly question, of course. And what I figured would be some percussion or 12-string guitar turned into lyrics and an amazing vocal. I’m really excited to finally be able to share it with the world!”

And thus, “Isn’t It Evening” was born! Producer Mark Plati also expressed his excitement about how the single came together, noting that it was the “highlight of his career” to help bring the project to life in the early 2000s.

Mixer Bob Clearmountain, who recorded and mixed Bowie’s Let’s Dance album in 1983, also helped breathe life into the newly remixed track. He connected the project to Bowie’s tragic passing in 2016.

“His passing was a real shock for me as we had become long-distance friends. Mixing his voice somehow made me feel close to him again.”

Listen to Slick’s latest masterpiece, “Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary)” with Bowie on vocals, on iHeartRadio. Also, check out his autobiography, Guitar, which recently achieved #1 on Amazon.

Source: iHeartRadio, The Cavern Club