Nobody has ever heard of Milky Edwards & The Chamberlings – most likely because the group may have never actually existed.

Apparently, the soul group was active sometime in the 1970s, having had released an 11-track LP called Starman that features Motown renditions of every song from David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

The cover of the album seems to borrow from Diana Ross and the Supremes’ 1968 album, Reflections, but the record itself cannot be found anywhere. It is either lost in time or in fable. All that remains are three songs from the alleged album, released over a year ago on YouTube. These are covers of Starman, Moonage Daydream, and Soul Love.

Bowie’s superbly administered Facebook page, however, asserts that: “Sadly, the evidence points to this actually being a modern day hoax and that Milky Edwards & The Chamberlings never really existed.”

But, hoax or not, it doesn’t really matter. The songs are absolutely terrific, and if this album – old or new – ever sees the light of day, it will be very much worth listening to.

Listen to the three songs below.

Starman:

Moonage Daydream:

Soul Love:

Bowie himself dabbled in soul music in the mid-1970s, shortly before embarking on the most poignant period of his career. The music on Young Americans was famously dubbed by Bowie himself as “plastic soul,” and it is a lovely homage to the artists that helped engender the magic of soul music.

http://youtu.be/eeJDyIkzqKE