Customer Reviews

David Live

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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).

The short review for those already familiar with either the original vinyl or the Ryko CD re-issue: Is this version worth buying? Yes.

Having the full concert, restored to its original running order makes a great difference; the weaker songs (like "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow") work much better in their original concert context. This version of "Space Oddity" (not available on any previous versions) is surprisingly mature and sophisticated, well worth a few listens. And the new mix breaths fresh vitality into the performance (there are, in fact, a few subtle "production" changes in this mix that make me wonder if this version is truer to the concert, or the result of reducing the surround sound mix to stereo for the CD - the most obvious incident being the change in the way Bowie's voice echoes away in "Moonage Daydream").

For those not familiar with this album, and perhaps not as familiar with Bowie's live performances, Bowie takes the opportunity in concert to re-interpret his works, often using radically new arrangements that show off a different facet of the song than the studio version. So David Live is no "greatest hits live" marketing ploy.

The band, built around Mike Garson's awesome keyboard work and three saxophones, create a unique rock sound heard only on this CD. Earl Slick had to claw his way through this rich, sophisticated mix to have the guitar solos stand out.

With the exception of "Sweet Thing" and "Rebel Rebel" all of the Diamond Dogs material on this CD is superior to the studio versions. "Rock & Roll With Me" has a warmth lacking in the studio version. And though the studio version of "Sweet Thing" is hard to top, this version stands as an equal re-working of the piece. (Reviewers at the time this was first released often suggested skipping Diamond Dogs altogether, and opting for these versions of the songs.)

Likewise, many of the Aladdin Sane tracks greatly benefit from these live re-workings. "Cracked Actor" is much more accessible than the studio version. Though Garson's piano solo was superior on the studio version, Bowie's vocal and the live arrangement of "Aladdin Sane" make for a warmer more passionate version of the song.

This album was initially haled as a live masterpiece, then vilified as rock excess during the new wave backlash, and largely forgotten until the 90's re-issue. Now, more than 30 years after the tour, it stands as a unique and fascinating re-invention of Bowie's early 70s work.

I cannot believe that anyone who claims to be a fan of rock-n-roll, let alone a Bowie fan, could listen to this album and say anything other than, "It kicks ass". I came of age listening to Bowie and can remember sneaking into my brothers room to listen to "Ziggy Stardust" to which I played air-guitar, et al. This album, "Live" is Bowie's talents fused with many great individual talents, ie. Slick, Sanborn, Flowers and Mike Garson to create a supergroup which, as I previously exclaimed, "Kicked ass". Sanborn going on to create that signature intro to "Saturday Night Live", Slick continued with David working with him and Carlos Alomar, resulting in one of David's finest recordings, STATIONTOSTATION, not to mention John Lennon's "Double Fantasy", later forming Phantom, Rocker & Slick. And Herbie Flowers who moved on to Frank Zappa. Anyone recall "Overnight Sensation"? Please, DO NOT tell me this in not a Tour de Force in the Bowie catalogue.
Just to listen to Herbie on "Width of a Circle". Tony Visconti would have been proud and hard pressed to say Herbie does not recreate the excitement of "The Man Who Sold the World". "Who's Tony Visconti?" Then, listen to Slick and Sanborn duel on "Sweet Thing" or Michael Garson on "Aladdin Sane", who also covered the original on the album of the same name.
That said, I challenge the musical credentials of ANYONE who listens to this recording and does not see how fortunate we are to have this available to us to listen to "...until the grooves grow old."

This was always one of my favourite concert albums. The orginal cd version wasn't bad but always seemed lacking a little something, as if it were an afterthought. It has been repackaged, cleaned up, and has a couple of extra tracks. The album is a lot more complete now and has even more spark than the original vinyl version. David's voice is crystal clear and true. Space oddity will sound a little weird. In concert Bowie sat on the equivelant of a cherry picker and sang into a telephone. Without this bit of information the track sounds very strange. All the performers on the cd are on fire, especially Earl Slick during Width of a circle & Jean Jeanie
I have enjoyed Bowie's work since the early 70's, one of my favourite albums is Hunky Dory. He has changed some of the songs a bit for these performances but in a way that illustrates his talent. This is not one of those live albums where the artist "mails it in". Listen to the version of Changes and you will be captivated. Especially when he tells the Rock and Roll establishment "Look out you Rock'n'rollers!!!". If you are looking for classic Bowie during an exciting phase of his life then you can not do better than this. Spend the money on this CD rather than another Best of collection.

1974. Bowie had just finished his brillant "Diamond Dogs" album. He was coked out of his mind almost daily. Then, decides to do a world tour. Somehow it worked.

This album, recorded from live shows at Philly's Tower Theater, is completely underrated. Brillant musicians (Mike Garson, Herbie Flowers, Earl Slick, David Sanborn), soon-to-be famous backup singers (Luther Vandross) and of course, Bowie.

The songs are great versions of the then new "Diamond Dogs" material, some R&B covers, Bowie singing "On Broadway" at the end of "Aladdin Sane" plus jazzy recreations of Bowie's classics. This album has plenty of sax but don't let that scare you. The band still plays hard which works great as a comparison to the jazz pianos and saxes.

Bowie, as I said, was lost in a white powdered daze at the time. As Bowie himself said about the album, "it should be called David is Live but only in theory." He was about 100 pounds at the time and pale as anything but somehow his voice still sounds great. Not as good as it could be but still very powerful. His voice, at his worst, he's still one of the best singers out there.

To put it best, if you're a hardcore Bowie fan you'll love it. If you're just a casual fan, you still want to check this out.

P.S. I resent the review on CDNOW saying that "By the mid-80's Bowie's "Changes" came to an ironic dead end." Alright, I'll admit his mid-80's stuff wasn't the best but his career DOES NOT end there. And his "Changes" (a very old and tired cliche pun when talking about Bowie) don't end there. Check out Tin Machine, his 90's experiments or his back to basics rock stuff from this decade.

Ok, so it's great to have "David Live" remastered with today's modern technology and re-released on CD. Certainly the sound quality is an improvement on the previous Ryko version- Bowie's vocals are clearer and seem "punchier" and it sounds like a gig which could have been recorded yesterday in terms of production values. Historically however, this is not Bowie at his live best and particularly not a highlight from the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour. This recording is always touted as Bowie's precursor to Young Americans and held up as an example of Bowie experimenting with "plastic soul" (as he called it). The inclusion of Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (an out-take from the Young Americans album) is a nice touch as is the inclusion of Space Oddity (why was it ever dropped?) however overall this is a fairly lacklustre performance. This gig was recorded half way through the tour and Bowie already sounds tired from performing the same old routine (1984, Rebel Rebel, Knock on Wood being particular standout fizzers). One thing that puzzles me though, is why did Bowie & Visconti go to the effort of remastering this fairly average performance when there are other superior recordings from the same tour? The recording of the gig from the Universal Ampitheatre in Los Angeles three months later is by far a much more energetic performance with Bowie and the band in full funky swing. Practically all the tracks are given the Young Americans funky workover (as opposed to just one or two tracks on David Live). Unofficially circulating under the title "Strange Fascination" the LA gig is infinitely superior to David Live, contains the lengthy "Diamond Dogs intro (dropped from David Live) and all the bizarre somewhat drug influenced chit-chat from Bowie inbetween tracks. So it's a pity they didn't go to the effort of remastering the previously unreleased LA gig, rather than just re-hash the old Tower Philadelphia recording. "David Live" remastered and re-released is a nice to have, but if you want a truly superior example of the funky sound of the Philly Dogs leg of the 74 tour try to get your fingers on Strange Fascination. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Sure. The original release of this record wasn't the best it could have been but that was primarily because of technical reasons. Even the original liner notes acknowledge that there were overdubs.

If you were around when this record came out and by that I mean old enough to have been a fan , then you know that lots of Bowie supporters felt betrayed that the Spiders had been jettisoned in favor of a new band and approach. So they were opposed, in principle, to this record before it even hit the streets. But I didn't see it that way then. Sure. It didn't sound that great ,again from a technical point of view, and there were times when the juxtaposition of Earl Slick's guitars and Sanborn's sax didn't so great but the arrangements of these songs were superb.

For example the version of Rock N' Roll suicide kicks total as$$ and blows the studio version away and I defy anyone to claim otherwise. The opener , 1984, is great the way it kicks in ,and the horns make this tune as well as Herbie Flowers' bass lines (which are a total pleasure to listen to throughout the entire album). Width Of a Circle takes on a whole new air and completely exceeds the studio verison by far. And lets talk about Sweet Thing/Candidate. Fantastic dynamics and we are hearing Bowie's recently acquired baritone voice at work. For those of you too young to remember, just a short time before this record, Bowie had that Anthony Newly sound going on which was kind of screechy and irritatingly high. I'm glad he copped the Scott Walker vibe. I realize that Scott Walker is a complete unknown to anyone under the age of 45 but do a google search kids and you'll be surprised to know that Bowie was mad for this guy's vocal tone to the extent that he emulated it.

What amazes me most of all are the people who pan this record who do so only because they have done internet searches which indicated a disdain based on the reasons I've desribed above. Don't try to be hip and act like you are in the know just to try to fit in or sound older than you are - just put aside your pride and preconveived notions and listen to the record and enjoy the awesome musicianship that is on offer here. It blows my mind that bands today can't even begin to reproduce this kind of sound on an organic basis. They have racks of samplers and even then it still sounds thin and heavily quantized.

I agree that this record isn't perfect and maybe songs like "Knock On Wood" were a little bit odd to include but so what. It didn't "suck" an it only preasaged Bowie's flirtation with R&B and Soul that just a few months later resulted in Young Americans album. I must also admit that "Rebel Rebel" had that phasey,tinny
guitar but it wasn't the end of the world. Frankly all tour versions of Rebel Rebel have been quite weak up until his most recent tour when it was finally restored to its original strength so don't blame "David Live" for it. Blame Bowie ! I guess he forgot that it was the driving, droning simplicity of the studio version that made it so appealing. Too bad he tried to "dress it up" in the live versions which only weakened it.

Anyway the new version of this record has been remixed and you can hear the layers and textures that were so flat in the original version. Too bad that Pro Tools technology wasn't available back in 74 else we wouldn't have had to wait so long to get this quality sound.

When I first bought this collection on 8-track in '74 I was shocked: gone were the glam trappings and slick production of his studio efforts. Kudos to Bowie then and now for pushing the envelope with regard to his image and musical direction. Sure there are a few missteps, but what you gain in return is a sweaty, live, r & b fueled gig with jazz overtones. Worth the price of admission just to hear David Sanborn's sax riffing and session legend Herbie Flower's amazing bass-lines which evoke aural visions of Jamerson and Jemmott.