Jerome Soligny's "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980" offers an intimate and extensive exploration into the enigmatic brilliance of David Bowie, focusing on his musical evolution during this chapter of his career. This landmark volume stands out as a definitive guide to Bowie's early career, weaving together the stories of those intimately involved in the creation of his music.

Covering Bowie’s career from 1967 to 1980—a period often considered his most creatively fertile—this comprehensive work was originally published in French in 2019 and translated into English in 2023. Soligny, an erudite writer and meticulous researcher, is a renowned French musician, writer, and journalist. Over two decades, he interviewed Bowie and his closest collaborators, providing detailed descriptions of Bowie's life, work, connections, inspirations, hits, and misses.

What makes this book truly exceptional is its structure. Each chapter begins with an essay by Soligny on one of Bowie’s albums from this era, followed by oral histories from those who were directly involved in its creation. This format offers a multi-faceted exploration of Bowie’s music, presenting readers with a rich tapestry of perspectives and anecdotes. Divided by album, the book combines detailed accounts of the recording process with extensive interviews, ensuring an authentic and comprehensive perspective on Bowie's creative journey.


Soligny's dedication to accuracy is evident throughout the book. He leaves no room for speculation, gossip, or unconfirmed details. For readers seeking sensationalist rock exploits and salacious rumors, "Rainbowman" is not the place. While rumors are an integral part of the popular music lore, many other books about Bowie's life already contain unchecked rumors and false information. Most of this information has always spread among the general population by word of mouth and has become distorted. Instead, it provides an in-depth exploration of Bowie's artistic endeavors and professional journey, emphasizing his craft and career over tabloid fodder. Soligny's commitment to fact-driven, evidence-based storytelling ensures a reliable and illuminating account of Bowie's musical artistry.

The inclusion of extensive interviews adds a layer of authenticity rarely found in biographies. Soligny skillfully integrates his own writing with the voices of others, providing a well-rounded and nuanced perspective on Bowie. The book features voices from key figures such as Ken Scott, Trevor Bolder, Robert Fripp, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Hermione Farthingale, and Mike Garson, among many others. Lengthy quotes from Bowie himself preface each chapter, offering unique insights into the artist's perspective.


Extensive footnotes at the end of each chapter correct errors in previous accounts and document Soligny's meticulous fact-checking process. By steering clear of Bowie's private life and financial affairs, the book maintains a focused narrative on his artistic contributions. Soligny's attention to detail enhances the book's reliability, making it a valuable resource for future historians and biographers.

The book's appeal is further enhanced by a foreword from Tony Visconti, an introduction by Mike Garson, and a cover photo by Mick Rock. The striking cover design by Barnbrook and the inclusion of iconic photographs make "Rainbowman" a must-have for Bowie enthusiasts. More than just a biography, it is a true musical odyssey and a thorough examination of Bowie's early years.

As the first volume in a three-part series, "David Bowie Rainbowman: 1967-1980" sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of Bowie's entire career. For those seeking a genuine understanding of David Bowie's musical genius, this book is an essential and authoritative work that will undoubtedly stand the test of time. Soligny's dedication to accuracy and immersive storytelling makes this book a valuable addition to any Bowie fan's collection, offering an unparalleled glimpse into the mind and music of one of the most influential artists of our time.

I have love David Bowie for quite some time. I love how unique he is and how much he has brought to the music industry. I also really love him in Labyrinth. I was so excited to dive into this books to learn more about him. The book was divided into sections with different periods throughout his life. There was a lot of information about him directly as well as from interviews from people who knew him. This book made me appreciate Bowie even more than I already did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Octopus Publishing for providing a free advance copy for my honest review.

An excellent read on the brilliant Bowie and the significant music he created mostly in the 1970s, music that I still play and love. Detailed and informative, a great book for fans.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

As a Bowie fan, it was fun to learn about a gentleman I did not educate myself with. He had such an interesting story and a uniqueness about everything he does, it's pretty amazing.

For sure road for any Bowie fan.

I was very excited to read this but found it (for some reason) next to impossible to read in the app. I am excited by the book and think it is a great service to all of David's many fans (like myself) but the issues with trying to read the book here made it a bit of a difficult slog.

I did not know much about this David Bowie person so I picked up the book to get to know more about him. This read really gets into a peek of who he was, his life. I believe his fans would enjoy this book.

Truly the perfect book for any and all Bowie maniacs in your life.
No excuse not to check it out! Containing fantastic interviews from such luminaries as Lou Reed, this is a unique insight into the life and art of a true space alien.

When I was in college, a friend drew Bowie and his name in Japanese on my jacket. I was obsessed and so lucky I got to see him in concert.
His albums were so different -- it was almost like they took place in different universes. This book is divided into sections with those periods, with information about Bowie during that time, and with interviews from people who knew him.
He was so focused on making music to his vision, which was unique. He wasn't always recognized for his contributions, because people didn't necessarily know what they had in him. But he was BRILLIANT.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Just wonderful.............David Bowie Rainbowman by Jérôme Soligny was.....Growing up with this brilliant icon in music and acting was just magical, I loved listening to his music, listening to my parents singing out of tune to his songs - giggle! watching his films he starred in over and over again and I still love them today.

David Bowie Rainbowman is the most authoritative work on the creation of Bowie's music ever published and a wonderful read.
Plus, a must read for his fans new and old...........I loved this book especially as its packed with so much information about David Bowie with beautiful illustrations of his albums etc.

A book that keeps on giving!!!!

Big NetGalley and Octopus Publishing US, Monoray for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Glorious! David Bowie was so underrated as an artist and a cultural icon and I am so glad that this book has been translated! I grew up with Bowie, all GenX did and we were lucky to see him subtly shape how wee see our world and gave u an alternative type of music, pushing all boundaries

I feel as i fI have really learned more about Bowie by reading this book and I am very glad of it. First and formost, it focuses on the music, with intimate knowledg of each note, lyric, song and album. Secondly the persn behind it, the modest unassuming genius

Beautifully written and a must for anyone who enjoys music and music history especially

Thank you to NetGalley for this incredible eARC. The opinions are all my own and the review left voluntarily

The layout and structure of this book was all over the place. There's insightful information about Bowie's music in here, but it's hard to struggle with the formatting and the way the PDF is put together.

DNF
I love the late, great David Bowie an awful lot, but the formatting of this particular book was distracting. I may try it again if I can find it in a print format.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Growing up, I've often heard David Bowie's music on the radio. I loved singing along to them every time. After reading this book, I have a much deeper respect for his music. His writing style was like no other. The interviews describe him as a very generous down-to-earth person. Definitely recommended!

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Does the world really need another book on John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Elvis and in this case, David Bowie ? Really, what more is there to say about the man, his music, his life ? That was my first impression and I’m a big fan of his music from way back.

I was wrong. There is actually quite a lot to say. Much of it is new, or at least new opinions, anecdotes and insights. This is a great book, I loved it. The book covers, in my opinion, his best work up until 1980, and is sure to be enjoyed by those who have loved his music and would like to know a little bit more, or a lot more, about how that music came about.

The book provides comprehensive coverage of his life, music, recording and tours over the period 1967 to 1980. I think this book differs from others on Bowie in that the emphasis is on the music and the musicians, producers, engineers, and others directly involved with albums and tours. Bowie’s private life, relationships and management is also touched on, but to a lesser extent, mostly providing background information and context to the music.

The book, which is generous in length, some 700 pages, is divided into chapters related to each studio album until 1980. Each chapter is divided into two parts, firstly, the narrative, describing the music. Secondly, is a series of interviews with those involved in making the music, as well as those involved in touring, promotion, artwork, management, side-projects and other activities. Very little seems to be missing from Bowie’s most creative and productive years.

The early chapters are less interesting, as Bowie’s music from the 1960s is less memorable, but by the 1970s, once The Spiders come onboard, things get much more interesting. The music of course, but also the touring, record sales, success, fame and everything that comes with it. Post Spiders, the American touring, recording and new musicians are covered in detail. The book ends with a return to Europe and the so-called Berlin-trilogy albums. Live albums are covered at appropriate times between the studio chapters, as are side projects, of which there are many. Low Reed, Mott the Hoople, Lulu and Iggy Pop to name a few.

Occasionally some of the details and anecdotes are hazy, being so far in the past. Occasionally there is too much technical detail from musicians and technicians involved in the recording process. Occasionally those interviewed have a tenuous relationship to Bowie and his music. But these are minor issues. This book is ideal to pick up and read a chapter while listening to a favourite album.

For some, perhaps those new to Bowie and his music, the book may be overwhelming. For some, perhaps the book will be just another Bowie Book. But for many, the dedicated fan or Bowie historian, it will be a very satisfying read, an excellent addition to any music library, adding new information, insights, opinions, recollections and events.

In addition to the Chapters, the book has a comprehensive Index, abundant footnotes and plenty of new images; photographs and other material from the studios, the tours, the events that made the life of David Bowie, something we fondly remember today.

I wish the author and publishers all the very best with this book.

Let me just say that I am a big David Bowie fan and that when I was given the opportunity to read this book I was more then thrilled to get my hand on it. The book didn't disappoint me at all and I learn so many things about an entertainer that I admire.
I like that the books premise is to interview the people who work on the albums with David Bowie and it was amazing to learn who played on the albums, who helped design the album cover, costumes but what was more amazing is how involve Bowie was on writing the lyrics and creating the whole atmosphere around an album. I learn about the true stories behind Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Mick Jagger which were pretty interesting but less flamboyant then what you hear. I love that the book starts from before David Bowie was born to the creation of Scary Monsters Album and it was very detailed and exactly what a fan would want to read about.
The book also delves into the politics of the entertainment world which is pretty egotistical. It talks a little about the films David Bowie played in "The Man who fell to Earth," and a little about the "The Hunger." I learn about all of the musicians that played on the albums and most of them admired Bowie's talent and friendliness. They thought that Bowie was unique and always try the test the boundaries.
The book is easy to read but there is so much materials that it took me awhile to finish the book . It was worth it and you have to make sure you read the footnotes because there is as much information on David Bowie there as in the main part of the book.

I want to Thank Octopus Publishing US, Monoray and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and advance copy of this amazing book about my favorite entertainer, David Bowie.

This is a thorough examination of David Bowie's musical beginnings, with his very first works leading into a review of his albums from "David Bowie" (1967) to "Scary Monsters" (1980). Each album is discussed with separate looks at the tracks, with a view of how and when the song came into being, its recording, and who participated. The text is so detailed that it includes discussions of chord progressions in the songs and models of synthesizers. This is a work for the Bowie Superfan or a member of the music or music recording industry. Clocking in at over 700 pages, it is merely the first volume of a three-part series. Volume two has been published in France as I write this.

There is an introductory part to the text that gets us rolling on Bowie's musical beginnings, then each chapter is about an album and the time frame surrounding it. This is a book that focuses on the music; there is some background and contemporary anecdotal information for each time period, but ONLY as the author feels it affected Bowie's work. There is some disussion of his film work and painting, as well as his lust for literature, but all of that is impactful upon his music writing and performance. And, included in each chapter, is a long series of interviews with musicians and others involved in recording the albums, and sometimes people who were just around David in that time frame. The interviews range in interest level, but they definitely add a dimension to the story that you normally don't get in books.

I cannot even fathom the amount of work this took to do the interviews, attending concerts, listening to each album track, etc. and THEN pulling it all to gether in a cohesive and coherent book form! This is amazing. It is definitely a magnum opus of work for author Jérôme Soligny. Over many years he interviewed David Bowie on numerous occasions and the authenticity of the knowledge of the artist shines through. Soligny has been described by Bryan Ferry as "one of the great French authorities on contemporary music." Soligny is a musician, journalist, and writer based in Le Havre, France.

I read a pre-publication galley of this work. I normally check all links on ebooks to make sure they are working (ie to and from footnotes) and include that in my rating, but this copy was a little bit rough and the footnotes were not yet linked in the text. I have no doubt that any electronic version of this book will have them up and running.

My husband and I were discussing this book and Bowie's early music. We both agree that "Space Oddity" (1969) was the first Bowie song we heard on the radio in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (I also listened to WLS Chicago (AM 890) at night on what used to be colloquially called "skipwave"). After that, there was a long pause until "Young Americans" (1975) was being played, and that opened the door for a few other Bowie hits. I do think I heard "1984" (1974) played on the Twin Cities' station U-100 (WYOO FM, Richfield, MN) before that, but it could've been on WLS. At any rate, until "Young Americans" acted as a dambuster, we didn't hear a lot of Bowie in the northern Midwest. Then we heard a lot of the same tracks! That notwithstanding, we both have liked his music for a long time. And it was a bonus that Rick Wakeman played the Mellotron on "Space Oddity" as we are also both fans of YES.

I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Octopus Publishing-Monoray, Jérôme Soligny, and NetGalley for providing me with a pre-publication galley of this work. My opinions are my own; I received no compensation for reviewing this book.

Very interesting, very good inside look. Very plausible quotes from Bowie.
That's all good and well but I found the organization of the book trying. It begins with a cheeky mound of talk about stuff only a struggling musician would care about. If that had lasted a page and a half I would have tolerated it. But it comprises a quarter inch thickness of music biz junk. Not here for that.
But yes, it belongs in the book. Would have been a nice break after a fairly thorough bio in the beginning.
The bio needs to be up front and center.

David Bowie is an artist I have loved for many years. I can still remember the movie “Labyrinth” as my first introduction to his vast talents as an artist and had “Just Dance” on repeat for many years.

“David Bowie Rainbow Man” was a very extensive and overly detailed, which true David Bowie super fans will surely love. While I was very interested in reading this book and learning about his past, I found the text was very dense, often read as a text book, and often felt it dragged on in some areas.

Thank you to both NetGalley, Octopus Publishing US, and Monoray for providing me the opportunity to review "David Bowie Rainbow Man” prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my review voluntarily.

This book has loads of original research, lots of original interviews and many pages without pictures, which is not surprising, given this book is more than 700 pages long.

Oddly this book is written in the present tense (in 1969 Bowie is living in...) which I found peculiar. It's full of interviews "with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best" almost all of whom are men. I don't know if this is a reflection on Bowie and his life or on Soligny. This biography is very, very detailed and gets very technical at times. This is not a volume for the casual fan, but for those who want to take a deep dive into the music of David Bowie.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The author's devotion and attention to detail is evident from the first page. I believe this is volume one, with good reason. Not only does the author bring together facts and untold stories, but also this book shares anecdotes from many other voices. All adding up to an elaborate picture of the music of an Era.

Of course, I've been a Bowie fan for years, but I think my first Bowie was Labyrinth (1986). Not surprisingly, that imagery sticks with me while I listen to Bowie's music. And it definitely plays a part in my reading of this book. It was interesting to see the Bowie I never knew!

I look forward to volume two.