David explains his name change - 'My mother had cooked us up some funky tasting mushrooms she found in the back garden. After the meal, as I was sitting on the floor listening to my records, this strange looking bird thing comes flying in the window on a burnt pie and tells me 'From now on you are Bowie, with an O', I tried to listen to what else it had to say, but my bookcase was trying to eat me'

He called Pitt who replied, 'Well, it will have to do. It's better than Davy Jones anyway'

By this time Horton, still his luckless manager, had managed to arrange a contract with David's 138th record company, Pye. On January 14, 1966 they released the aptly titled 'Can't Help Thinking About Me'. By this time David had become very involved in himself.

It took three months to negotiate a management contract with Pitt, who had become wary of Horton's begging and pleading. To make matters worse, The Lower Third, who were sick to death of finding sick and injured people who had been loaded into their ambulance/home/tour bus, broke up. 'They just broke up, man...I hate seeing people cry like that'. They also disbanded.

David Bowie was now going solo. As he had no steady girlfriend at the time. Bowie's producer at the time was Tony Hatch : 'After the release and dismal failure of Can't Help Thinking About Me, I asked David to think up something cheery and happy, you know, like The Smurf Song or Yellow Polka Dot Bikini'

David brought him a new composition called 'Now You've Met the London Boys', a song about drugs, alcohol and hopeless oblivion. A song belittling the London night life scene. Hatch started keeping an eye out for a new producer.

Bowie released another two singles, Do Anything You Say (B-side, Good Morning Girl) and I Dig Anything (B-side, I'm Not Losing Sleep). 'Do Anything You Say' pleased Hatch, especially the title, but nevertheless after the failure of these latest offerings he escaped to Argentina. Some quotes from musical publications of the day shed light on the state of Bowie's career.

Jiggly Wiggly Groovy Music News - 'Bowie who?'

English Lawn and Gardening - 'If only he would release some rose bush related songs, two thumbs down'

David appeared dancing in an ice-cream advertisement for Lyons Ice Cream's new product called Luv.

Ice Cream Enthusiast Weekly - What happened to the little Danish girl with rosy cheeks? This guy isn't cute, he's frightening

Against all expectations however, Denny Cordell's new label "Deram" signed David up for an album. On the priviso that he include at lease one song about gnomes, and one song singing in a funny sqeaky high pitched voice.

His debut with Deram, produced by a nervous Mike Vernon, was titled 'Rubber Band' and had nothing whatsoever to do with condoms. On the b-side was 'London Boys', just to depress everyone.

David spent the last two months of the year working on his first album. The recording was rushed, because they wanted Bowie to release more material while he was still 'luke-warm' or 'tepid'.

'If this album fails', he is quoted as saying, 'then I blame Cordell and Vernon'