Recording: The Prettiest Star, London Bye Ta-Ta

13 January 1970 was the second of three recording sessions for David Bowie’s single ‘The Prettiest Star’.

The sessions took place on 8, 13, and 15 January.

Also recorded was ‘London Bye Ta-Ta’, although it remained unreleased until 1989. At this time, however, it was intended to be lead song of Bowie’s next single, with ‘The Prettiest Star’ on the b-side.

A week later Mercury released another single, ‘The Prettiest Star’; it had been recorded in January, having been started during the day of the evening that we played the Speakeasy. It was finished a few days later, along with an old chestnut, ‘London Bye Ta-Ta’. This is the third time I recorded the [latter] song, once for Deram, once for the BBC and now, possibly the quintessential version, with myself on bass, Marc Bolan on lead guitar and Godfrey McLean on drums, who was in a London soul band called The Gass.