David Live [Limited Edition]

David Bowie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 15, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00070DK5K
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,197 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #42 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Proto Punk
  • #53 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  • #83 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Playing Rock's Greatest Chameleon was a great gig while it lasted, but by the mid-80's, David Bowie found his "Changes" led to an ironic dead-end. Yet this 1974 live album managed to distill his quicksilver nature as few others. Ostensibly mounted in support of Diamond Dogs, but sans Guy Peellaert's Ziggy-as-Great Dane imagery (a trick even the notorious pop changeling couldn't turn onstage), Bowie's image and music quickly evolved on the tour, taking on an American r&b-fueled edge that would seep into very corner its career-retrospective set. Indeed, the musician would pause mid-tour to record Young Americans with the core of the live band here, setting up his Thin White Duke incarnation in the bargain. Culled from shows at Philadelphia's Tower Theatre, this edition has been both remastered and expanded by the inclusion of "Panic in Detroit" and "Space Oddity," marking the first time the complete show has been available. Also includes insightful notes by producer/longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

DAVID BOWIE David Live (2005 UK Limited Edition digitally remastered 2-CD album set comprising 21 tracks recorded live in July 1974 during the Diamond Dogs tour with an exclusive mix by Tony Visconti and featured in the running order from theoriginal performance plus the previously unreleased Space Oddity & Panic In Detroit [on CD for the first time] complete with comprehensive sleevenotes written by Tony with chronology by Kevin Cann - presented in fold-out digipak picture sleeve still factory SEALED from new in its original hype-stickered shrinkwrap therefore MINT and unplayed!)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, March 17, 2005

By 

tvc215 (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: David Live (Audio CD)

David Live, Bowie's legendary recording from Philadelphia's Tower Theater was one of the very first albums that I owned. I have been listening to the various versions of it for 30+ years and know every nuance, musical cue, lyric and sound emitted from the audience - well, at least I thought I did - until today. Though the performance itself, along with the arrangements in a `Philly Soul' style, was outstanding, the muddy production values on previous versions were accepted as a necessary downfall of the live recordings of the day. Yes, this new version is still a recording from 1974, and will never be technologically what it could be were it recorded in 2005, but what a vast improvement it is over the original. It's almost hard to believe this recording was taken from the same analog tapes as the others.

I've given the new remastered release of David Live two listenings since purchasing it today, one on my average car stereo and one on my above-average home system (in stereo) and can report that the new version of David Live is nothing short of brilliant. I should say that I am very leery of the `remixed / remastered' marketing ploy in music industry, but difference between the previous versions and this release is remarkable.

Gone is the flat, one-dimensional sound. Perhaps the most noticeable improvement is the aural depth of the concert recording. This is particularly true of DB's voice, as it reverberates with warmth and places him in front of the band. The stereo separation is also more pronounced, and the musician's individual instruments and backing vocals are clearly recognizable. The production can be described as clean and true, but not polished. On several tracks, the hum of the theater's sound system is actually audible, lending to the authenticity of the concert recording. The audience applause and cheers remain understated, but also seem to be more dynamic. And all of this on the stereo CD. I can't wait for the DVD audio version to be released in the US (it's available in the UK). Now if we could only see a re-release on vinyl - that may be asking a bit much.

Tony Visconti oversaw the remastering of this version, returning the recording to the show's original running order and including previously unreleased material in order to do so. No filler here though. It's particularly interesting that Space Oddity was finally able to be included due to technology that simply didn't exist in 1974. (The song was sung into a telephone in the concert and the quality was so bad it could not be included on the original.) Another worthwhile feature are the new liner notes by Visconti and a complete list of DB's 1974 concerts - including cancellations. This is a quality release.

Don't hesitate.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David. Live. What more could you want?, December 22, 2005

By 

Gregory Sheppard (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: David Live (Audio CD)

I've always been a hardcore Bowie fan, but I've never gotten around to buying this album. I was put off by the negative reviews of the earlier reissue and decided to wait a while. Well, it paid off! I was walking through a music store the other day when I spotted the newly remixed and remastered CD. I bought it. Why did I wait so long?

I have (I know, I know...) always been a fan of "Diamond Dogs". I think the songs are great glam rock with an apocalyptic and soul twist. This tour primarily features songs from "Diamond Dogs". However, at this stage in his career, Bowie was starting to morph out of the whole Ziggy Stardust/glam rock thing, which was starting to get a little tired by 1974. He had developed a liking for soul music, and would incorporate this into his next album, "Young Americans". However, when he went on his Diamond Dogs tour, he was stuck with glam songs but with soul on his mind. The result? David Live. In this album, we are given 6 songs from Diamond Dogs along with 15 other songs from his earlier albums. I have never had the privilege of seeing Bowie perform live, and hearing this album makes me regret that so much more. Forget about today's artists who put out an album made by a computer and fail miserably in any live show they do. Bowie's voice is clean, powerful and strong; everything it was on the studio albums. He infuses his classic songs with a fresh sound, not to say it improves on these masterpieces, it simply sheds new light on Bowie amazing artistic prowess and lets you view these songs through philly soul glasses. Bowie comes through strong on great songs like 'Rock N Roll Suicide', 'Diamond Dogs', 'Sweet Thing', '1984', and many others. One song that I found a little weak was 'Changes', his vocals seemed a little strained; but the rest of this great album more than makes up for it. One standout was 'Space Oddity', which was missing from the original release on CD. This track showcases Tony Visconti's brilliant remastering and remixing. The song was song into a telephone at the concert while Bowie was lifted above the audience. Listening to his new release, I would have never guessed. The remastering places Bowie's vocals front and center, and assigns a separate place for each instrument a place on the soundstage. Stereo seperation is flawless. This comes so close for passing as a studio album, it is truly stupefying. I have to do a reality check every few minutes that I'm listening to a concert recording from 1974! This album is truly a wonderful experience. I believe that no one can call themselves a true Bowie fan without owning this essential snapshot of a revolutionary era in this rock star's amazing ensemble. A must-buy.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David IS Live - Great Remastering!, March 21, 2005

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: David Live (Audio CD)

This was the "Diamond Dogs" tour despite the 'thin white duke' cover. I admit that the quality of the sound used to be not perfect, but this has all been remastered to a clean and crisp sound! Bowie sings his classics and what you hear is NOT what you see. Fortunate enough to have been there, I cannot tell anyone how fantastic the sound, light, the crowd and the showmanship was in that tiny theatre. Although "Stage" is a great companion piece for this "Live" set, I prefer this concert song list. The additons of "Space Oddity" and "Panic In Detroit" are wonderful! (Bowie did the former while sitting in a chair-crane above the audience - seeming to float).