Marc Almond & Mike Garson: My Death, Limited Edition 7″ Single
Marc Almond & Mike Garson

The first release in his Marc Almond Singles Club, with front cover collage artwork exclusively created by Marc himself, is the Jacques Brel standard ‘My Death’, but, with a twist…
It has long been an ambition of Marc Almond to instigate a series of collectible 7” vinyl only limited-edition releases to highlight and celebrate some of the more artistic and creative off-shoots of his acclaimed and diverse career as both a creator and a curator of song.
Marc has always been one of the foremost English language interpreters of French chanson, but these particular recordings were created in partnership with legendary David Bowie pianist and arranger Mike Garson, in an arrangement that had been created for Bowie himself. Presented in both studio and live versions, these recordings are issued exclusively on limited edition 7”
vinyl as the first in a continuing series of Marc Almond Singles Club releases.
Marc says, “I was honoured to take part in a series of shows with Mike Garson back in 2019 singing David Bowie songs that highlight Mike’s fabulous inimitable piano arrangements. Knowing I’d performed Brel’s songs many times, Mike suggested performing Jacques Brel’s ‘My Death’, a song that Bowie had performed on numerous occasions. It was Bowie’s performance of ‘My Death’ at his famous Ziggy retirement show back in 1973 that had brought the song to my attention. Anything Bowie did or talked about back then was something I had to investigate! David Bowie enriched my knowledge of life. I had heard and loved Brel covered by Scott Walker and Alex Harvey, but I attribute Bowie to my real discovery of Jacques Brel with his cover of ‘Amsterdam’. Mike kindly sent me a recording of an emotionally heart stopping arrangement of ‘My Death’ that he did for Bowie for a one-off performance in later years. I went into the studio and recorded a vocal to get my feel of the arrangement. It was spine tingling to be singing to this arrangement, knowing it had only been performed the one time previously by Bowie himself. Mike generously has allowed me to release this version as my first Singles Club release. It’s backed by the live version that I eventually sang with Mike accompanying. It’s more than just an accompaniment, it’s a vocal and piano duet. You can find film of this performance on Youtube.”

TRACK LISTING

Side A
My Death 6’18”
Side B
My Death (Live, 2019) 5’26”