People from Bad Homes

Infobox Album |
Name = People from Bad Homes
Type = Album
Artist = The Astronettes


Released = 1995
Recorded = Olympic Studios, London, October-December 1973
Genre = Rhythm and Blues
Length = 40:55
Label = Golden Years
Producer = David Bowie

"People from Bad Homes" is an album released by The Astronettes. It was belatedly released in 1995, 22 years after it was recorded.

The Astronettes were a trio of backing singers recruited by singer David Bowie, debuting at "The 1980 Floor Show" fan club concert recorded on 18-20 October 1973 at the Marquee Club, London. They consisted of his then-girlfriend Ava Cherry, his old schoolfriend Geoffrey MacCormack, under the alias Warren Peace, and Jason Guess, a friend of Cherry's.

Bowie attempted to propel the group to fame, shortly afterwards taking them to London's Olympic Studios to record an album with himself as producer. The sessions were eventually abandoned as Bowie's own album, "Diamond Dogs", took up more of his time. The masters remained in the possession of Tony DeFries, then manager of both Bowie and the Astronettes, while the group became backing singers on Bowie's subsequent American tour, and the album "Young Americans".

In 1995, Golden Years, the record imprint of DeFries' company MainMan Management (already responsible for the Bowie releases "Santa Monica '72" and "Rarestonebowie") released eleven tracks from the sessions as "People from Bad Homes". The album was credited to "Ava and the Astronettes" in Europe, and "Ava Cherry and the Astronettes" in America, where it features a different cover and was issued by Griffin Music. Both versions also featured a hidden track on the CD, only accessible by skipping back from the first song - "I am Divine", an early version of Bowie's song "Somebody Up There Likes Me". The sleeve credits Bowie with vocals on this track, but there is some debate as to whether this is the case (such as at http://www.illustrated-db-discography.nl/Contrib2.htm#ava%20cherry).

The collection has several other links with Bowie's later work - "I am a Laser" would later be reworked as "Scream Like a Baby" for Bowie's 1980 album "Scary Monsters", while the cover of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" has a similar arrangement to the one recorded by Bowie in 1984 for his album "Tonight". The album's title itself is also a line in Bowie's song "Fashion", also from "Scary Monsters".

The album featured four further Bowie compositions, as well as covers of Annette Peacock's "Seven Days", Roy Harper's "Highway Blues", Frank Zappa's "How Could I Be Such a Fool?", the Jazz standard "I'm in the Mood for Love" (subsequently sung by Cherry during The Mike Garson Band's support slot in the latter half of Bowie's 1974 US tour), and Bruce Springsteen's "Spirit in the Night".

Track listing

All tracks composed by David Bowie; except where indicated

# "I am a Laser"
# "Seven Days" (Annette Peacock)
# "God Only Knows" (Brian Wilson, Tony Asher)
# "Having a Good Time"
# "People from Bad Homes"
# "Highway Blues" (Roy Harper)
# "Only Me"
# "Things to Do"
# "How Could I Be Such a Fool?" (Frank Zappa)
# "I'm in the Mood for Love" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields)
# "Spirit in the Night" (Bruce Springsteen)

Personnel

*Ava Cherry - vocals
*Warren Peace - vocals
*Jason Guess - vocalswith
*Mark Carr Pritchard - guitar
*Mike Garson - piano, keyboards
*Herbie Flowers - bass guitar
*Aynsley Dunbar - drums

Produced by David Bowie