Customer Reviews

David Bowie: David Live

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album being an old favorite, I was not prepared for the revelation of hearing it on DVD audio in Surround Sound (perfect format for live). The sound is round, detailed and full, perfectly approximating live, despite being recorded in 74. Especially noteworthy is "Sweet Thing," which is give a spooky echo, and the two bonus tracks not previously available until recent remasterings. Despite the Surround miracle of the remastering, explained in the liner notes, you have to hear it at DVD bit rate. It's thunderingly intense and incredibly clear.

In 1974, David Bowie did a six-night concert series in Philadelphia and this 5.1 surround mix by Tony Visconti is nothing short of amazing. Bowie starts with a rousing rendition of, "Rebel, Rebel" before jumping into an incredible version of, "Moonage Daydream". All of Bowie's previous albums are represented here including the classic, "Suffragette City", "Aladdin Sane" and the rarely sung, "All The Young Dudes", a song given to Mott The Hoople. "Space Oddity" is a nice ethereal break in the concert halfway through and in this show version, Bowie sits in a chair on a crane that hangs over the audience. It was magic. The big live hit, "Diamond Dogs" is perfectly represented here, as is, the drum-beat ridden classic, "Panic In Detroit". "Jean Genie"is the second to last song and Bowie rides the bass line to a wholloping end. Of course, this was one of the few concerts that Bowie's end with his lamentable "Rock `N Roll Suicide' and he gives it so much emotion, you feel like you are there.

Visconti's mix is clear and powerful and the heavily protected jewel case contains liner notes from the concert as well as song credits and photos. This is a classic keeper.

I know a lot of people have canned this album over the years and have a preference for Stage but this is great live album and it would certainly be in my top ten live albums, I've bought both Ryco and EMI versions on cd and they sound great and if you are fan of this album you need to buy this beacuase it sounds great. The surroound sound gives the album a whole new dimension it has been lovingly mixed.

First off let me say I LOVE 5.1 Surround Sound (DTS, DVD-A or SACD)and lament the relative lack of CDs available in these formats. This was the first vinyl album I bought WITHOUT LISTENING TO IT FIRST on the headphones at the record store, and my faith in Bowie was justified. Now I can listen to the Surround Sound version and be immersed in the experience. The mix is fantastic. Some of the more obscure tracks: Bowie tries to reclaim "All The Young Dudes" (written for Mott the Hoople)as a soul ballad with mixed results, "Knock On Wood" I've never liked, plays around with "Cracked Actor" and basically re-imagines his back-catalogue. Recommended.

The poor fidelity takes this good performance down once the digital glare and thinness starts to get to you. I can't listen to CD's for long at all these days, but this is not much better. why are there so many DVD-A's with horrible sound? Very counterintuitive to me.