Customer Reviews

A Reality Tour

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most Bowie fans, in some form, have seen or heard parts of this show. Be it catching a You Tube clip or buying the DVD for it's fantastic music, this concert is a snapshot of the incredible Reality Tour that all true David Bowie fans must hear. Like most of Bowie's concerts, the track list plays like a greatest hits of his entire career (minus much sampled from the Station to Station era) and he is able to belt out the classics with the necessary bravado and emotion we have come to expect from his smoother, aged voice. He is able to juggle his nearly half a century of music easily and while, obviously, tracks from his most recent album Reality play heavily, songs like Sunday (perhaps one of the most criminally overlooked songs he has released in the past decade)Changes or All The Young Dudes all receive the proper luxurious orchestration and attention to detail. If you do not own the DVD and are a David Bowie fan this album is an ABSOLUTE must, I can say without reserve that this will rank with Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars as a perfect picture of the majesty and wonder that is David Bowie.

There is, strangely, an emotional aspect to this concert that I hadn't picked up on before. It's no surprise to anyone that Life on Mars? is, in it's own way, an emotional song, a lament of sorts (though not specifically from Bowie's perspective) but the rendition of the track in this show nearly moved me to tears. Fans of groups like Queen will tell you that during a concert it's an absolute given that there are times when the entire audience of a Live Show will belt out "Love of My Life" or "Bohemian Rhapsody" along with the band, singing at times alone, while the group continues the instrumental adding a layer of intimacy that truly defines the Queen experience. David Bowie fans on the other hand, can tell you that while the audience will sing, dance and clap along, more times then not, it isn't picked up on albums or is specifically turned down during post processing. This isn't the case for Life on Mars? on this album. Not only do we have Bowie's majestic voice, but we also hear a flood of voices, merged into a single sound, singing the words up until the first chorus, giving a beautiful seemingly PLANNED echo. Listen to Life on Mars? on Hunky Dory and then come back and listen to it here. There is no better way to experience the sound that is David Bowie. This is made all the more powerful by the fact that this may be the last "release" David Bowie gives us as whether or not he ever plans to release another album is unknown and in all honesty unlikely.

Ziggy Played Guitar indeed.

I have had the privilege of seeing Bowie many times, and I caught the Reality Tour in Austin. It was so beautiful. I memorized as much of it as I possibly could. It looked to me like he knew this could be the last tour. He gave it all. I hope this isn't the last we'll hear from such a singular talent. But if it is, boy, he sure could write a song and put on some kinda show. One of a kind. I'm one of the millions whose life he changed. This album is well worth the investment for the version of "Loving the Alien" alone.

First of all, the album is a bargain: 33 songs on the double CD, none of which are really filler, and the selection bridges Bowie's career from around 1970 until the 2003 "Reality" album. Indeed, if I were suggesting a Bowie primer to a new listener, I think I'd start here. This is a nice, tight, varied selection, and the sound quality is excellent.

Second of all, it's not REALLY a live greatest hits--there's some stuff on here that wasn't that popular when released as a studio version, but the versions here make you wonder why they weren't. The selections from the "Reality" album, especially, sound incredible, and "Bring Me the Disco King" is one of those songs I thought I'd never hear again in a different form, but it works--it's actually quite nice. The "Ashes to Ashes" version here almost sounds like a run-through for the song to be included on "Aladdin Sane", and "Hallo Spaceboy" is rescued from oblivion by a version that sounds almost like Sonic Youth. These are not complaints.

Third, the band, Bowie's delivery, and even his between-song banter make this one of the better live albums I've listened to in years. You can hear individual audience members reacting (and singing) in certain sections, but there's really no ambient audience roar to drown out anything. In fact, the versions of "Rebel Rebel", "The Man Who Sold the World", and "All the Young Dudes" are almost anthemic here, and the audience is as much a part of the recording as the people on stage. In several places, Bowie solicits audience participation to help him out: he didn't really need the help, but I think the result is quite nice. Maybe the album represents what the audience experienced, and maybe not: there's a credit for "Pro Tools and 5.1" in the booklet. Then again, I wasn't there, so I'm happy with what I can get.

One thing I think is underappreciated on many of Bowie's later albums (especially the live ones) is the fantastic band behind him. The sound and musicianship here is very good--no prima donna leads, no deviation from the program, but everyone hits the song just right. Band members credited are Gerry Leonard ("band leader", guitar, vocals), Sterling Campbell (drums, vocals), Earl Slick (guitar, and quite nice as usual), Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, and Catherine Russell and Mike Garson on keyboards and other. Excellent ensemble, but I have to say, I'd buy a record of "Chopsticks" recorded by Slick and Dorsey.

I dock it one star for the versions of "Heroes" and "Ziggy". They aren't bad, by any means, but some things just shouldn't be done again when they're perfect the first time.

Ever since the video for the Reality Tour was first released, I have marveled at the sheer generosity the package represents. It was clearly a gift to dedicated fans, musical connoisseurs, critics and anyone else in the world who might not yet have had the opportunity to encounter and negotiate some of the marvelous recent musical challenges Bowie has issued himself and his collaborators. Now, the best music from the tour has been repackaged as a two-CD set and we have the opportunity to recontextualize it solely in musical terms, minus the cinematography and Bowie's fine performance values. And, of course, it works! If there is any doubt that Bowie is not on par with great musical artists and entertainers such as (dare I say it?) Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland, one has only to listen to his mesmerizing delivery of "Bring Me the Disco King" to hear how completely he recast one of his own compositions for the ages--a surreal show tune to be performed in only the darkest clubs of the outer planets. This is an essential record of an important artist at yet another peak.

I don't even own this cd, but I've owned the dvd for several years. It's truly sad how little our youth knows about rock history. Much of what our young people listen to today is inspired by Bowie, and yet, they haven't a clue. I guess this is just the way of the world. I'm not sure young folks realize how influential the Beatles were or who even influenced the Beatles. Nevertheless, Bowie is one of the pioneers of modern rock. Seven reviews? This is truly sad. I must say that Bowie has never sounded better. I truly can't believe it's been seven years since his last studio album was released. I heard rumors that Bowie had retired from the music industry, but I didn't believe it was true. Well, after seven years, I guess it is true. Thankfully he left us with a true gem in the form of the album Reality and the Reality Tour DVD. This CD/DVD is absolutely amazing. It contains songs from Bowie's entire career. You will hear all the old Bowie standards, but you will also hear great Bowie tracks from the last two decades, which will one day be considred masterpieces in their own right. I hope the young rock and roll fans will discover this brilliant cd/dvd and realize that their current heroes exist because of the brilliant music that Mr. Bowie created.

I had the pleasure of seeing David Bowie on the Reality Tour here in Seattle. At that time i was struck by the strength of his voice, the power of the assembled band, and the qualit of the sound. Having seen Bowie with Tin Machine and on the Glass Spider / Sound + Vision tours, you become accustomed to top flight productions. But, did this all translate to a CD? The simple answer is 'yes.' A couple of songs were dropped for the European tour, such as Let's Dance and Modern Love, but otherwise its exactly as I remember. At the moment, it could be argued that this CD captures Bowie's swan song as his retirment and seclusion appear complete. After all, it was a heart attack that cut the tour short never to be finished. So, crank it up and enjoy the memories.

David Bowie is an icon, and part of the reason for his lasting influence is his penchant for reinventing himself completely every few years. Many of these reinventions worked, and a few didn't; but that willingness to take chances has served Bowie well over the years. Whether you first met David Robert Jones as the man making a psychedelic call to Major Tom, the man who sold the world hard rock in a dress and invented a new genre in the process, the androgynous alien rock star Ziggy Stardust, the cold, emaciated Thin White Duke, the minimalist artist of the Berlin period, the dance-pop titan behind Let's Dance, the ridiculously coiffed goblin king Jareth, the frontman of the skeletal, back-to-basics rock unit Tin Machine, the industrial-tinged rock experimenter of Earthling, or the somewhat less flamboyant but no less charismatic modern Bowie, chances are he left an impression. Those impressions, in many cases, extended to the landscape of music.

This live album is stunning in scope: 33 tracks covering almost every inch of his long career, and there's not a miss in the lineup. At the time of recording, Bowie was 56, and in stunningly good form. His voice has never sounded better, and he's an undeniable master showman. Whether you watch the DVD or listen to the album, it's impossible not to get into the spirit of the show. A few major hits are missing (fans may be bothered at the absence of Suffragette City and Space Oddity), but it's shocking how little they're missed in context, and perhaps even more shocking how neatly Bowie's more recent material slots in with the classics. The songwriting is strong enough that those unfamiliar with his catalog likely couldn't distinguish songs written in 1977 from those written in 1997 or 2002. But the setlist isn't important if the band doesn't have the chops to give it all it deserves, and Bowie and his backing band absolutely play the hell out of every song here. From the very beginning of the reworked Rebel Rebel, this is an album full of surprises and renditions that often surpass their studio counterparts to become the definitive live statement of a very long and often brilliant career.

I can't recommend this album highly enough. In my opinion, it's one of the best live documents to come out of the 2000s.

I'm late to the party... I've just got caught up to getting this release. I wish I'd gotten this sooner, it's outstanding live Bowie. Every track, every song, top notch.

There are plenty of other reviews to give you lots of details. I just wanted to chime in on this. If you're a Bowie fan, don't sit on the fence. This is a must have release.

David Bowie has released a number of live albums over the years, but not recently (I'm discounting the VH1 Story Tellers album, which was quite nice in itself). In 2003-04, Bowie undertook a major tour in support of his then-new album "A Reality". Due to subsequent health problems, it turns out to be to last major tour from Bowie, and for reasons unknown it has taken 7 years for a release from that tour. Better later than never.

"A Reality Tour" (33 tracks; 156 min.) brings a collection of 2 shows recorded in Dublin on November 22-23, 2003. First of all, what a generous collection this is, at a very fan-friendly price. After that, when you listen to this, you can immediately pick up that Bowie is in great doings, interacting with the crowd and sounding fantastic. You know it's going to be a great evening when a crowd-favorite like "Fame" is just the 4th track on the album. This is by all means a "greatest hits live" and other assortments, augmented by a number of "A Reality" album tracks, which in and of themselves are very nice and fit in quite nicely. In fact, deep into CD2 we get "Bring Me the Disco King", one of those great tracks from "A Reality", and one of the highlights on here for me. In all, this is a fantastic live album, and a must for any Bowie fan.

By happenstance, I had the good fortune of catching Bowie on this tour a couple of weeks before this was recorded, on October 27, 2003, in Munich, Germany, where I was on a business trip at the time. What a fantastic evening of music that was. My first and only time of seeing Bowie live in concert, and a highlight in my many years of concert going. So for me this album was a must-have right then and there. But even if you didn't see Bowie on this tour, I would recommend this album in a heartbeat to any Bowie fan, and this album is the "Live Album of the Year" for me.

A nice collection of Bowie done "live" for those who are fans or for those wanting to discover his work. It is not a definitive collection, but does contain some of Bowie's highlights spanning his entire career. This disc shows the variety and depth of his ever evolving style. This 2 disc set recorded live is from his 2004 Reality Tour. His trend setting work is performed with a new vigor and freshness that only a live stage performance can do. The songs included here cover an astonishing range of work both familiar and extremely rare. Yes, "Changes" is here, but so are other favorites like an extended version of "Heroes", a great rendition of "Ashes to Ashes" and the rarely played "Five Years". Rare cuts like "Hello Spaceboy" and "Bring Me The Disco King" are found here as well. In all there are 30 cuts that you will find to your liking. You won't be disappointed. There is a lot of Bowie for the buck here.