Customer Reviews

Bowie at Beeb: Best Of Of BBC Radio 68-72

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Like so much about Bowie, this compilation is intriguing but defies easy classification. This three disk set includes recordings made as early as 1968, and as recently as June 2000. The first two disks feature songs from his very earliest faltering steps into songwriting through his early successes; the third disk is a concert recorded immediately after the well received show at the Glastonbury festival in summer 2000.

Each era has its own appeal. True fans (at least, true British fans who've listened to the BBC in the past three decades) will be familiar with the folksy acoustic sound and lyrics, replete with Cockney accent, of recordings of songs such as "Karma Man" and "Janine" on the early disks. They reflect a plethora of influences - Dylan, the Beatles, Jacques Brel, who knows what else. Some of the material is only of historical interest; and some of it is really strong - notably "Let me sleep beside you", which would fit comfortably on the recent album "Hours...". The recordings sound as you'd expect them to - polished jam sessions - interspersed with annoying dialog from various BBC hosts ("... my mum thinks this one's dirty"). And "Kooks", dedicated to the then newborn Bowie junior, is charming.

Still more appealing, though, is the third disk - a vibrant mix of songs spanning 30 years. It opens with a brilliant rendition of "Wild is the Wind" , on which Bowie's vocals come closer to the 1976 studio recording than they ever have done before. Onwards through crowd pleasers such as the Lennon joint venture "Fame" and Nirvana-influencing "Man Who Sold the World" (of which Bowie justifiably admits to being very proud), and - best of all - great rarities such as the Pat Metheny collaboration "This is not America". The eighties weren't a complete waste of time, then!

One or two of the very recent tracks do inevitably stand out as less than inspired songwriting. Still, the band, which includes long-time collaborators Mike

Garson and Earl Slick, treats every song like a long-lost family member: with respect and love, getting the sound astonishingly close to the studio originals.

Only a performer of Bowie's stature and confidence could release this eclectic a compilation. It's not the ideal introduction for the new fan (I'd rather recommend one of the singles compilations). But anyone who wants proof of how a performer can mature, grow in stature, and not become dull, should make this the centerpiece of his year 2000 collection.

`Beeb' is a British affectation for the BBC, the state-run media which plans (or planned) all television and radio for Great Britain. Bowie was around when the BBC was implementing its 4-station radio broadcasting, and he became one of the first guests in early 1968. BBC rules were strange and archaic by American standards, insisting that pre-recorded music represent only a fraction of airtime, the point being that this would provide employment for professional musicians. So it was that David Bowie appeared with a crew of musicians to perform his songs live a number of times over a four-year period.
I'm a very big fan of Bowie's early work (reference my review of Images 1966-1967 if you're interested), but the earliest sessions on this collection are the least fulfilling. Disk one holds interest to Bowie-philes for historic reasons, but it is disk two that presents the artist in full flight. Working with Mick Ronson, his Ziggy Stardust-era songs shine brilliantly here, in some cases rivaling the album versions. "Hang On to Yourself," "Suffragette City," and "Ziggy Stardust" all rock with authority and grace. "Queen Bitch" has more energy than the version on Hunky Dory, while the songwriting brilliance of songs like "Changes" and "Oh You Pretty Things" come through loud and clear. Most telling are the two Velvet Underground songs performed here. Both "White Light/White Heat" and "Waiting For My Man" are definitive, surpassing all Bowie versions that were previously available and perhaps even surpassing Lou Reed's original versions.
For those of you who are lucky enough to find it, a limited edition of this package comes with an extra disk of Bowie performing live at the BBC radio theatre in June of 2000. Search it out! The extra disk is extraordinary, featuring some of the best live Bowie ever recorded. The band is phenomenal, playing each song to perfection without sacrificing any energy. This version of "Stay" blew me away, forcing me to recognize the sheer funky power of this band. Just as mind-boggling are the versions of "Fame" (a new, `improved' version!), "Absolute Beginners" and "Man Who Sold the World". Every track on this extra disk is exceptional, making it an absolute must for even casual fans of David Bowie. A- Tom Ryan

The '68 - '72 sessions (discs 1 and 2):

The first disc kicks off with a set canvassing the silly portfolio D. Jones Esq. dished up before he went down to the crossroads - or what ever it was he did - and transformed himself from silly Anthony Newley rip-off to Global Phenomenon and Curious Living Work of Art that we all know, love and are periodically bamboozled by. Fundamentally, the "Jones" material is lousy - don't let revisionists convince you otherwise - but oddly is produced and delivered here with a lot more flourish (look mum! a string section!) than the famous material which follows it.

Of the famous stuff, there is a disappointing inverse relationship between the quality of raw material and its presentation on this particular record. The Ziggy Stardust cuts sound horrible - shrill, poorly executed and mixed badly, paling in comparison with the album versions. By and large, there are better versions of all songs to be found elsewhere: Amsterdam, for example, can't hold a match, let alone a candle to the stunning B-side to Sorrow which appeared a couple of years later (available as a bonus track on the (now deleted) Rykodisc presing of Pin Ups), and while the acoustic take of the Supermen beats the album version, there is a better demo of this arrangement available (also on Rykodisc). There are a couple of pretty tough VU covers here, though.

To cut a long story short - this double is great for completists, and Bowieheads like me will find much of fascination, but if you're a beginner, go buy The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust (preferably on Rykodisc if you can find them) and come back to this in six months when it's in the bargain bins if you still aren't satisfied.

At the Radio Theatre, 27 June 2000 (disc 3)

If this July 2000 live album were released by itself, it would be worth ten stars. It is staggering, and will please young and old alike. To my immense excitement it undermines a truism about David Bowie: viz., he is disappointing live. He has always tended to shout, and has frequently made dreadful mistakes in personnel - Peter Frampton, Thomas Dolby, for very good example - and has emphasised visual over aural impact. Er, remember Glass Spider? No? Good.

But the news is all good here - he's in fantastic voice throughout and by no means pulls his punches - kicking off the set with Wild is the Wind, for example, is not for the faint of larynx, but it sounds magnificent, and it sets the tone for the remainder of the set. The band is first rate: Station to Station (and, er, Serious Moonlight)-era guitarist Earl Slick, the pianist who MADE Aladdin Sane what it was, Mike Garson, together with a band which has everything but cold fire (ahem).

And the choice and arrangement of songs will delight all. Yes, he does Fame, Ashes to Ashes and Let's Dance for the top 40 punters, but check this out - Always Crashing In The Same Car? Hallo Spaceboy? Stay? Cracked Actor? WOW! Wheeling out such hidden gems sure warm the cockles of this old Bowie-nut's heart, especially when they sound so choice. So, A good new album (...Hours) and a great live band? What ever next? The critics will be saying David Bowie's got good again... No, don't even GO there.

An incredible set! Get it! All the tracks on the first two discs are a fascinating glimps into the evolution of that spaced out glam man that Bowie became. The early folk influences really shine on God Knows I'm Good, and Janine. They are wonderfully sung...and his voice! Damn good...who in rock can rival his high end vibrato? It is beautiful. The versions from Hunky Dory and Ziggy are incredible...enough of a difference from the studio discs to make this very worth while. And the bonus live CD is wonderful. I have read a few reviews that pan it as a come down when compared to his earlier material...boy did they miss the boat! Did they even listen to the disc! IT IS AMAZING to hear Bowie in his 50's still belting relevant rock that has an edge to it. And it is great hearing some very rare gems done live, especially Always Crashing in the Same Car, which is totally revamped and very spacy. I wondered though, where was Gabreil Reeves, his usual guitart sidekick, but don't get me wrong, Earl Slick is great...and a Bowie veteran and very attuned to the Thin White Duke's stage work. All in all an extremely rewarding ear orgy.

The bonus live disc alone is worth the price of the set! Bowie is in wonderful form, giving it his all, and his band is as good as I've ever heard him play with. The arrengements, usually rearrangements, are brilliant.

But while the sexiness and polish of the contemporary arrangements and recording easily show up the material on the earlier two discs (even with Bowie's ever more haggard vocals), the vintage recordings and performances of discs 1 and 2 should not be underrated.

What was clear to me only after listening to this three-disc set is the strength of Bowie's creative vision as a singer and songwriter. I'd always looked at him as a performer who pushes boundaries, who knows who to work with to get good arrangements and performances, and as one who brings passion and originality to his vocal performances. These alone are impressive!

But the candid glimpses offered here of the young and very passionate man on the other side of the BBC microphones have shown me a sharper and more total artist, one who turns even (what sound today like) mundane material and arrangements into unassuming emotional epics. His sense of musical and lyrical narrative is really impressive (as is his guitar playing!), and I'm eager to listen more carefully to just about everything else Bowie has recorded. Highly recommended.

Bowie at the BEEB, a two-disc set of historical sessions called from BBC Sessions between 1968-1972 (with a limited edition third disc of a June 2000 show), is the document of a minor artist blooming into a major one. Disc One, mostly early material circa Space Oddity, is badly recorded, with Bowie in tentative voice (or, worse, his proto-Newley mode). Disc Two, the Hunky Dory / Ziggy Stardust years, is a gem - the material strong, Bowie confident, rakish. Best in show, though, is the Limited Edition June 27, 2000 disc. His latest band is probably the best he's ever worked with, the new material is strong live, and the catalogue material is reworked into wonderful new arrangements. Even a warhorse as tired as "Let's Dance" sounds fresh in this company. In fact, for the first two minutes, I couldn't even figure out what song it was!

I recently discovered (to my pleasant surprise) that Bowie had a "new release" on the way less than a week ago, and this set should indeed be a welcome addition to anyone's Bowie collection (for those who have been following him throughout the years it is somewhat essential). For me the high point is the 3rd "bonus" cd which highlights his performance earlier this year in Glastonbury (15 out of the 22 songs he performed on that occasion are included, with no repeats of any of the tracks which appear on either of the former two cds in earlier versions).

Up until this point I had been somewhat secretly lamenting the passing of his Outside/Earthling phase (I tend to favor his more experimental periods, including the Berlin trilogy he did w/Eno in the late 70's) and, admittedly, had even worried that he might be close to losing his "commercial integrity" as he had once before in the 80's (the idea of performing such crowd-pleasing hits as "Let's Dance" on the previous two tours was not an idea which he would have entertained, for instance, although the inclusion of it here really does not seem too out-of-place luckily).

Having said that, this set is, for lack of a better word, "brilliant". The band is tight, Earl Slick's guitar work feels so good and is a breath of fresh air from Reeves' more abrasive style (the Station to Station tracks on here really groove!), and Bowie's voice, despite the bouts of laryngitis which he had been fighting at the time, sounds fantastic. So nice that we are treated to such less-commonly performed gems as "Always Crashing in the Same Car" and "This is not America" in addition to the more predictable (but still good) material like "Fame" and "Man Who Sold the World" (the latter of which has been transformed back into a version similar to the original, as opposed to the overly-played quasi-Indian/electro versions of '95-'97).

Discs 1 & 2 are the "from the vaults" discs and give us a glimpse into some of Bowie's earliest recordings for the BBC. Highlights are "Let me sleep beside you", "(Port of) Amsterdam" (I wish he had also done "My Death" for the BBC, but alas!), "God knows I'm good", as well as a number of the alternate versions of songs from the HD/ZS period on disc 2 which should thrill any fan of Bowie's "glam" period (as well as fans of the film "Velvet Goldmine", although keep in mind that THIS is the "real deal" kids!).

All-in-all a solid set and well-worth the price, especially with the inclusion of the additional live cd. Buy it while you can (the 3cd package is limited), lest the Glastonbury set disappear forever as Mr. Bowie again takes us to "the edge of time" in the coming months and (hopefully) for many years into the future...

Ever since David Bowie's two live albums (1975's David Live and 1978's Stage) ceased to be manufactured due to low sales and inadequate sound quality, his more dedicated fans have been forced to hunt down expensive imports and bootlegs for documentation of Mr. Bowie onstage. In 2000, however, the performer attempted to compensate for the lack of official live recordings with Bowie at the Beeb, a two-CD collection of performances from the BBC radio shows on which he guested during his formative years, augmented by a third, bonus disc, recorded at a small fan club gig in June of 2000.

The first two discs feature material from 1968 to 1972, during which a young Mr. Bowie shifted from gleeful mod to heady folk-wizard to glamrock superstar. No matter what form he takes, the singer and his band hit every note of his excellent compositions almost perfectly. A little too perfectly, in fact. On these particular performances, the ensemble sound almost robotic, expunging every moment of the arrangement right on key with the album version, sacrificing the looseness, energy and adventurism listeners expect from live recordings. During an interview segment on the first disc, a host asks Mr. Bowie why he would not be performing his hit, "Space Oddity," that day. "We'd need about five orchestras to get the right sound," he replied. A bolder performer would have coped. This attitude is much different from his approach to amphitheater performances during the time, as the aforementioned bootlegs (many of them featuring a heart stopping twenty-two minute version of Mr. Bowie's mystical-sexual epic, "Width of a Circle") can attest. Perhaps Mr. Bowie felt it best to keep the songs concise, cleanly cut and professional for the somewhat stuffy BBC programs. Regardless, Bowie at the Beeb sounds less like a live album than a series of alternative takes from regular recording sessions. If not for the generous offering of noteworthy rare songs (including such early gems as "Silly Boy Blue" and "Let Me Sleep Beside You" and a stunning cover of Jacque Brel's "Amsterdam"), the first two CDs would be almost useless to any fan who already owns Mr. Bowie's studio albums from this era.

The third disc, featuring Mr. Bowie and his backing band on an actual stage exchanging energy with an actual crowd of fans, fares significantly better. The musicians and back-up vocalists muster a spirit of enthusiasm and playfulness that streams through a set of grade A songs spanning Mr. Bowie's entire career. They perform a soaring "Survive," an enthralling "I'm Afraid of Americans," a triumphant "Absolute Beginners" and a lushly gorgeous "Always Crashing the Same Car." The disc's best track, however, is the performance of Mr. Bowie's 1983 mega-hit, "Let's Dance." The song begins as a slow, dreamy twinkling before fervently bursting into an onslaught of the anticipated clunking drumbeats and swinging guitar riffs. If the young Mr. Bowie had shown this vigor, charisma and confidence in the BBC studios thirty years ago, Bowie at the Beeb would be an absolute stunner. Unfortunately such is not so. This package may prove that Mr. Bowie can still arouse an audience, but for recordings that display his utmost power as a live performer in his younger days, fans are going to have to continue chasing bootlegs.

Bowie at the Beeb.

It has been a long time in coming, but worth the wait. These vintage tracks are taken from the B.B.C. studios, recorded at sessions in 1969 to 1972. This was Bowie's chance to shine. He was given the chance to go and record two or three of his songs and a few days later the songs would be broadcast to the young people of Britain on Radio One. He must have done well as he was asked back again and again on varios radio shows.

It was through this medium that DJs Such as John Peel got to know and promote the artists and bands of the day. Some bands that have gone through the B.B.C. studios and have come out on album in recent years are Led Zeppelin, Siouxie and the Banshees, Queen and Marc Bolan / T. Rex.

Bowie's tracks may not be for the newly discovered fan as the tracks are live cuts done in the studios. They are as raw as a stage version and not cut, trimmed and tailored for the public. But maybe that is what makes these tracks so good. Their honesty.

Over the decades these tracks have been found on illegal discs from different countries, sound quality varying from really bad to really good. But thankfully at last, here is studio quality sound of the young Bowie. Why has it taken so long. A sampler disc that came out in 1996 proclaiming tracks that were to be on a treble album shortly to be released....and then it didn't show up! Now in the year 2000 here we have it, or part of the B.B.C. archive material, Bowie before he took off as Ziggy and other guises, a Bowie stuck on artists such as Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. These B.B.C. recordingS stopped after the Ziggy Stardust album hit the charts. The B.B.C. had done its bit by promoting Bowie, he was no longer considered 'pop' or 'underground'.Bowie had made the big time, it was time for him to move on. The rest they say is musical history.

Fine set of "historical" Bowie, with the added bonus of the live CD from 6/2000. Some people complain about this latter disc because it sounds "polished", but I was simply stunned by the quality of the mix and the flow of the music. Two of the songs here (Survive and Seven) sound better to me live than they do on Hours... - more fluid and rich. And a nice broad range of old and new in this live mix. (Odd guitar line on "Americans", though...)

As for the two BBC discs - yes, they're primarily for fans (of which there are a lot out there). But they are terrific renditions of familiar songs that are fun to turn to, especially if you've heard the originals countless times already. There's a rawness to them that breathes new life into them. I'm not as much of a fan of the earliest Bowie work, but it's still interesting to hear.

If you're a Bowie fan, I recommend this highly, and furthermore suggest you grab it while you can still get the "bonus" third disc. This is what grabbed me first in the set, so it hardly has the feel of an offhand bonus and is worthwhile in itself. At least in my humble opinion.