Fans of the legendary rock group The Rolling Stones were full of praise for David Bowie‘s “bizarre” cover of their Let’s Spend the Night Together.
The Mick Jagger-fronted group released the song on January 13, 1967, as a double A-side with Ruby Tuesday. Let’s Spend the Night Together would later feature on Between the Buttons, and was covered by Bowie five years after its release. But some were stunned to hear the bizarre-sounding cover from the Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie. The veteran musician recorded the cover of The Stones’ song for his Aladdin Sane studio album. Fans are thrilled by the cover decades later, and many say they still have a soft spot for the song.
A post to the r/RollingStones subreddit saw users praise Bowie for the cover, which was dubbed “funny” by one fan. The post saw one user ask: “Thoughts on David Bowie’s cover of Let’s Spend the Night Together? It’s a divisive cover and I can understand why people wouldn’t like it, for lack of better words, it’s incredibly ‘camp’ and cheesy, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it and how bonkers it is compared to the original.”
It seems Mick Ronson is the difference maker on the cover version. One user wrote: “It’s funny and has some great Mick Ronson guitar (of course), it also has a brilliant added breakdown part.” Some have suggested Ronson should have replaced Mick Taylor, who left The Rolling Stones in December 1974.
One fan suggested: “I’ve heard a lot of people who’ve said he should’ve replaced Mick Taylor in 1975, but I’m happy with how things shook out. Ronson was a very formal player who had trouble letting loose and improvising in the studio, Wood just suited where the band was going better. Still, a guest spot would’ve been awesome.”
Other fans of the Bowie cover have praised the “driving beat” heard in the song. Another wrote: “This cover rips. Definitely one of the better Stones covers. Guitar and driving beat are a force to be reckoned with in this glam version.”
A third wrote: “This is a great cover. Bowie turned the ultimate heterosexual song into a gender bending bi-anthem. Campy? I guess, but it’s what a cover should be: a reinvention of the song, not a copy.”
Not everyone thought the song was brilliant though, and while some called it “better than the majority of Stones covers,” some were left feeling it was “over the top”. One user wrote: “It’s not like Bowie was trying to create some career-defining piece of art with it. It’s over the top, funny, and bizarre.”
Another added: “I just think it lacks the tension of the original. Bowie just sort of plays it against the wall. Also, it’s just kinda out of place on the album.” A third wrote: “Corny cover.”
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