Bowie's 60th

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:50 pm

Can it really be 10 years since he hit 50? Yes!

Hoping there'll be some good stuff on TV, but first up is BBC Radio 2 on Tuesday night with what should be a great programme:

BERLINâ€¦SOUNDZ DECADENT
Tuesday 2 January 2030 - 2130
On the 8 January, David Bowie turns 60 years old. In recognition we celebrate with a new programme focusing on Bowieâ€™s remarkable Berlin period in the 70s and the cityâ€™s influence, past and present, on him and his music and his influence on the music in Berlin at the time and in the future. From Kabaret to Krautrock and beyond, Berlin...Soundz Decadent is presented by Mark Radcliffe.

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 2:35 am

David Bowie turns 60 in 2030? I didn't know he was so young!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:01 am

He always was a futurist.

Mechanical Grace · Post by **Mechanical Grace** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 9:03 am

No kidding. How many science articles have I seen titled "Life on Mars?"

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 7:43 pm

Haven't listened to the Berlin doc yet, but will before Tues (when its week on Listen Again will end). This was good tonight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/musicclub/bowie.shtml

Sorry all you non-UK folks can't hear (though maybe in Ireland you can?).

I was really touched by the likes of Jarvis taliking about how much Bowie had meant to them, when they first heard songs, etc, and the general sense of what an incredibly important part of so many people's lives he's been.

Very disappointed at the total lack of anything about Bowie on the telly this week. He's keeping a very low profile right now, so it's unlike the 50th when he did the big NY bash and lots of interviews and a Yentob programme etc, but where are the 'Bowie night' things on music channels. Could be theyr'e there and I don't know or don'thave the channels! Nothing on terrestrial. To me it's a big event.

I'll be playing loads of Bowie in the next few days, starting tonight with a revisit to the Cracked Actor doc, which never ceases to amaze me (how come he didn't end up in hospital for a long period then?). Also listening to Stage, which, like the vinyl back in '78, I seem to have played very little. Some awful typos/errors in the Visconti text, especially the fact that he starts off with an account of being at Madison Square Garden with an elephant backstage, and then says he was there making notes for the recording of Stage in forthcoming shows, with MSG being impossible due to exorbitant fees and a demand for a royalty, but then the tour dates show that MSG came after the three venues it was recorded at, Boston, Philly and Providence. Pretty annoying. Don't these people believe in checking their text before printing?

Good news is that the Young Americans reissue that was due out to mark its 30th in '75 is finally out March 19. Can't paste the text, but go down to Jan 2 posting here:

http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/bowienews/news.htm

Bad news is that there's little that's new here. I'm sure the new audio formats will sound great on the right gear, but I can't see too much to get excited about. Still, will be an essential purchase anyway.

Let's hope STS, Low (30 this month itself) and "Heroes" also come out. Great that Visconti's behind YA.

stormwarning · Post by **stormwarning** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:07 pm

Looked up at Mr. B's place this morning while collecting my copy of the NY Times but didn't see any signs of festivities. I guess he's out of town.

Agree that the YA re-issue is disappointing in terms of new tracks, there's nothing even close to new. We could have had a couple of live tracks, videos from Cher or Soul Train, maybe even some of the alternate versions. Oh well, Happy Birthday to the man.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:54 pm

I wonder will there be people outside on Monday leaving gifts and dedications?

I've been preparing for tomorrow by enjoying Stage and then playing Ziggy. I rarely play it. It's so incredibly familiar, and if you do it rarely, you will always assess it in new ways when the right moment came. Today it gave me some kind of life epiphany that made me connect hugely with my 10-12 year old self when I would pore over the meaning and sounds of every single moment and made me feel blessed that I discovered it not long after it was created and it's been there ever since.

I may go for spells without playing him, as I do with EC, but DB will always be the musician who has meant most to me throughout my life. Happy birthday to the great man, and may his remarkable legacy be remembered for several millennia yet (it's a nice thought, isn't it?).

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:00 am

http://artdecade.blogspot.com/2007/01/d ... -4_10.html

Go here for very interesting live Bowie rehearsals from 83 with Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar and a funky live John Im Only Dancing fro 74.
End of transmission...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:27 pm

The Station To Station link don't work. I clicked it with trepidation, as I have difficulty dealing with anything to do with Bowie from that period as I still can't reconcile the man in the poncy suit with the peroxide hair with the geniuss who made all those brilliant records leading up to that, and also I passed up on the opportunity to see him that year for the first time ever for this very reason. Now I half admire my principled approach ('let my idiot co-students who know fuck all about Bowie go and enjoy it!'), and half despair of not having seen him 3 times in my life rather than a pathetic 2.

Listening to Station To Station live on Stage, and watching it from the same tour, the last date of it, in fact, Tokyo on 12/12/78 it brings home to me what a totally fantastic song it is, and how right you were to express surprise at the general non-inclusion of it in the Bowie top 10 lists. My all-time Bowie 10 would really have to have it in there, there's so much to it. It sounded great in '78, so was interested in comparing it to '83. Surely it must have been only half as good!

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:28 pm

hmmm the link works fine for me. It goes straight to the MP3. Its a very interesting version with lots of adlib vocals - the version of TVC 15 is great.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:11 pm

Still no joy. Too bad.

ReadyToHearTheWorst · Post by **ReadyToHearTheWorst** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:03 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Still no joy. Too bad.

Instead of left click to 'play' the link, try right click and 'save as' (or whatever your browser offers). You might just get the mp3 on your hard drive, to keep foreva and eva.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:15 pm

Good on you! Now playing in itunes. Right click and open with iTunes and I am away. Thanks!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:19 pm

'The single went in at no. 3, the album at no. 18'!!!!! Makes a bizarre change from 'The Return of the Thin White Duke'. Is that Tony Thompson on drums? I guess so.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:31 pm

Yeah, its weird to hear the ad libs and interesting to hear Stevie Ray Vaughn on the guitar.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:38 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5heOs8Ej ... ed&search=

"aint there one damn song that can make me .... break down and cryyyy"

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:16 pm

Available on the Best of Bowie double DVD, which, needless to say, is well worth owning. The Ziggy in Dunstable footage (no sound, other songs playing to fill in) is good. Dunstable is the absolute arse end of England, it's the perfect place for Ziggy to have descended upon, like a leper messiah.

sweetest punch · Post by **sweetest punch** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:25 am

On dime, there are two FANTASTIC Bowie DVD's available for sharing. They are from German TV broadcasts and are now captured in digital quality.

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=129455

David Bowie

Musikladen
Musikladen Extra
Radio Bremen
Recorded May 30, 1978, (another source says May 21) broadcast on August 4, 1978
Pro shot, PAL, 4/3, Stereo
DVB-S broadcast by 3sat (08.01.2007)
Digitally recorded with Topfield 5400
Authored with DVD Studio Pro
Artwork included

43 minutes
Data Bit: 7.95 Mbps

Video: MPEG-2, 720 X 576, 4:3, 25 fps, 7.Mbps upper field first
Audio: AC3 2/0, 48 kHz, 384 kbps

Sense of Doubt
Beauty and The Beast
Heroes
Stay
The Jean Genie
TVC 15
Moon Of Alabama
Rebel Rebel

With a data bit stream of near 8 Mbps and a high AC3 audio stream this offers an awesome quality. Enjoy it.

-----------------------------------
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-deta ... ?id=129010

David Bowie

Loreley Festival (St. Goarshausen)
June 22, 1996
Rockpalast
Pro shot, PAL, 4/3, Stereo
DVB-S broadcast by Einsfestival (07.01.2007)
Digitally recorded with Topfield 5400
Authored with DVD Studio Pro
2 Artwork included. I have found these 2 covers for this shows and updated them with the new info.

98 minutes
Data Bit: 5.01 Mbps

Video: MPEG-2, 720 X 576, 4:3, 25 fps, 7.Mbps upper field first
Audio: MP2 Stereo, 48 kHz, 192 kbps

01. Look Back In Anger
02. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
03. Diamond Dogs
04. The Heart's Filthy Lesson
05. Outside
06. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
07. Andy Warhol
08. The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
09. The Man Who Sold The World
10. Telling Lies
11. Baby Universal
12. Hallo Spaceboy
13. Breaking Glass
14. We Prick You
15. Jump They Say
16. Lust For Life
17. Under Pressure
18. Heroes
19. White Light/White Heat
20. Moonage Daydream
21. All The Young Dudes

This is the complete show. There is another torrent of this show but without Hallo Spaceboy.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 6:27 pm

I have Musikladen and it is excellent (with David's green trousers matching the palm trees nicely!), but not Loreley, which looks well worth getting.

I'm in the process of downloading this:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=97870

I had an audio download of it already, and it's dead good, but am particularly excited about seeing it. I don't think I've ever seen '76 footage before. This is the rehearsal for the STS tour recorded in Vancouver.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:04 am

stormwarning wrote:Agree that the YA re-issue is disappointing in terms of new tracks, there's nothing even close to new. We could have had a couple of live tracks, videos from Cher or Soul Train, maybe even some of the alternate versions. Oh well, Happy Birthday to the man.

YA reissue in the shops here tomorrow. Will be there. My plan was not to buy anything on CD until the reissue with bonus CD was out, but it's an awfully slow process.

Re new or otherwise, two questions:

1. It's Gonna Be Me is 'with strings'. I don't have the 1991 CD version with it on, but do have this track in my rarities vaults, and it's stringless. So is this a new recording, or the same track with strings added?

2. 1984 on the Dick Cavett show: this is new, isn't it? I have YA from the same show on the Best of and a bootleg too, but I don't think 1984 was there. Or is memory fading?

Could do with a complete Bowie song guide. This:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-David- ... 427&sr=1-5

or this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide- ... 603&sr=1-1

The latter by same author as the 'definitive' biog, Strange Fascination, so maybe the former is the one to check out. Looked at the latter briefly in town yesterday and thought it looked great.

The Mojo 60th special has been a great read. Never (to my own astonishment) having read a biog, it had loads of details I didn't know about, and some killer photos. Someone gave me Christopher Sandford's Loving the Alien, but it's so badly written, with crass sensationalist slants on everything and clumsy sentences galore, I'm not sure I can face the whole thing.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:55 pm

I held the reissue in my hands (annoyingly not even out on the shelves in Fopp, one copy only buried in the racks). It was Â£15. I can get it for Â£11 delivered from CD-WOW. I can put (a cheap) dinner on the table for my family for the difference. Internet 1-Shop 0. I still can't believe my heroic restraint.

Bad Ambassador · Post by **Bad Ambassador** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:36 pm

The book by Nicholas Pegg is excellent for detail, but it's not for a prolonged read. Have to recommend 'Strange Fascination' by David Buckley. It's very readable, very informative and with plenty of genuinely interesting interviewees. Often pops up cheap in paperback in the Fopps of this world.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:18 am

Finally, finally ordered Buckley (2005 update) for all of 99p off Amazon Marketplace. Â£3.74 with postage! Crease on spine and slight dent on cover, but basically a very good deal! I dived straight in on 1974 and am already drooling. It looks detailed enough to keep me going. All I need now is Pegg for detail and I'm away.