Diamond Dogs is the eighth album by David Bowie, originally released in 1974 on RCA Records. Thematically, it was a marriage of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Bowie's own glam-tinged vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Bowie had wanted to make a theatrical production of Orwell's book and began writing material after completing sessions for his 1973 album Pin Ups, but the author’s estate denied the rights. The songs ended up on the second half of Diamond Dogs instead where, as the titles indicated, the Nineteen Eighty-Four theme was prominent. Though the album was recorded and released after the 'retirement' of Ziggy Stardust in mid-1973, and featured its own lead character in Halloween Jack ("a real cool cat" who lives in the decaying "Hunger City"), Ziggy was seen to be still very much alive in Diamond Dogs, as evident from Bowie's haircut on the cover and the glam-trash style of the first single "Rebel Rebel". David Bowie - vocals, guitars, saxes, Moog synthesizer, Mellotron, producer, mixing engineer Earl Slick - guitar on "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" Mike Garson - keyboards Herbie Flowers - bass guitar Tony Newman - drums Aynsley Dunbar - drums Alan Parker - guitar on "1984"