Song · Tin Machine
“Baby Universal” by Tin Machine
From the album Tin Machine II (1991)
“Baby Universal” by Tin Machine appears on 9 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1991 and 2005. It was first released in 1991 on the album Tin Machine II. Its best result is #89 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1991. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #239 alternative song of 1991 and #3,056 alternative song of all time.
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"Baby Universal" is the second single from Tin Machine II, released in 1991, and it's the sound of David Bowie's hard rock band letting a real hook through the door. Bowie and Reeves Gabrels first demoed it back in 1988, before Tin Machine even existed, but producer Tim Palmer reckoned it too catchy for the first album, so it waited its turn.
The second time round, Palmer and the band produced it together. Bowie sings lead and plays guitar next to Gabrels, while the Sales brothers, Hunt on drums and Tony on bass, pound away and pile on backing vocals. Its sci-fi apocalypse imagery outlived the band: Bowie recycled pieces of it for "Hallo Spaceboy", and a 1996 re-recording meant for Earthling finally surfaced in 2020 on the Is It Any Wonder? EP.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 91 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1991 | 91 |
| 1991 | 89 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1991 | 105 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1393 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1393 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1393 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1392 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 1378 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1378 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1379 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
Also listed as: Baby Universe.
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