As I'm sure you are all aware, today David Bowie has announced his first album in ten years (on his 66th birthday) which has left many in a state of shock mixed with excitement, myself included. I'm really enjoying the new single but what I'm posting on this specific blog about is the fact that the album - which is called The Next Day and is being released in March - has a cover that is incredibly similar to that of Pet Shop Boys own Elysium.Not only that, but the image that's been doctored is the same one that served as the cover to Heroes which was released in 1977. It'll be interesting to see if career reflection is going to be a theme for The Next Day, it certainly was a strong one for Elysium. A further albeit more tenuous link is also that Where Are We Now? has a music video that uses black and white footage of Berlin, which was also a dominating feature in the music video for the Elysium second single, Leaving. I can't help but wonder if the artwork deliberately took influences from Elysium, but given that there seems to be a lot of mutual respect between Bowie and Pet Shop Boys given their past work together. Also, influencing David Bowie of all people is quite a compliment indeed I would say, so I hope that the influence was deliberate!
It's only a sample cover. The proper artwork hasn't been issued yet. The cover shown is from his 'Heroes' album, except with the centre blanked out.
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