The Pussy Cats - That's the Way It Is! (1976)
David Bowie had left the Beatles so he could find himself and, hopefully, quit his crippling drug habit that had been a part of him for the best part of 3 years. But this all didn't happen immediately. He was quite lazy, and took up temporary residence in Los Angeles, alongside the other former Beatle John Lennon. Kicked from his own band, Lennon was also starting to recover from his own drug and alcohol problems, although he was quite lazy as well. In the middle of it all was Harry Nilsson, a close friend of both Lennon and Bowie, a chart-topper in his own right. He never had a crippling drug addiction and his heavy drinking had subsided due to a ruptured vocal cord in 1974. During these times, the three hanged out often, usually ending the night at one of their favorite bars or restaurants. One night, Nilsson mentioned that the three of them should record an album together, although it was not a serious offer. The next morning, Bowie called the other two saying he had booked studio time for them, and right then, recording sessions began for their first album together.
For three junkies plunking away on any instrument they could get their hands on, recording sessions went surprisingly smooth, with them finding each other's vibes pretty quickly. In stark contrast to Station to Station, both Lennon and Bowie's most recently released material, the album had a soft rock/reggae feel to it, no doubt due to them not caring enough to attempt anything musically new. The album included four covers, including "That Is All", an unused song written by George Harrison that was given to Nilsson to sing. The band and album names were the last things given to the record. They called themselves the Pussy Cats, named after Nilsson's 1974 album of the same name (which Lennon produced). The album's name, That's the Way It Is!, came from Walter Cronkite's famous catchphrase, with Cronkite being a familiar face to all three of them.
The album released on July 9, 1976 to generally positive reviews. Critics appreciated the laid-back sound, and they hoped for another record from the three. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and this would be the only Pussy Cats album.
Soon after the album's release, Lennon finally reunited with Yoko Ono. She announced her pregnancy two months later, and Lennon decided to take an indefinite hiatus from music to focus on his family.
This left David Bowie alone. He still wasn't ready to rejoin his old band, and LA was already starting to look old to him. He started to retreat back into his worst habits until one night, he got a call. It was from his old friend Iggy Pop, and he said he wanted Bowie to meet up with him and Brian Eno. He agreed. Bowie was going to Berlin.
Bowie's songs are from Station to Station, with the exception of "I'm Only Dancing (Again!)" from Who Can I Be Now (1974-1976). Lennon's songs are from Walls and Bridges, with the exception of "Do You Want to Dance" from Rock 'n' Roll and "Since My Baby Left Me" from Menlove Ave.. Nilsson's songs are from ...That's the Way It Is. "So Long Ago" is "#9 Dream" from Walls and Bridges.
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