Hello again music lovers, for my ninth installment of Another Look I’m going to take a stab at one of my favorite all-time live albums from the 70’s. It came to my attention the other day that I had not yet covered a David Bowie album and because he is in fact my most beloved recording artist, I became a bit dismayed, there are so many albums that I love, it was difficult to make a decision. Finally I decided on an album that has over the years taken some pretty tough criticism from rock critics and Bowie fans alike. The 1974 live album David Live at the Tower in Philadelphia is in my opinion one of his strongest albums ever, I enjoy this album as much as any other of Bowie’s more traditionally popular records.
I’d like to start by addressing some of the criticisms and debates that have swarmed around this album. Probably the comment I hear the most is that Bowie changed up the songs too radically, and by doing so some how diminished their quality. The UK critics show Critical Review did a special program covering the “Plastic Soul” era of Bowie’s musical timeline, in which they lambasted the album with harsh words about drug-addiction and the death of Ziggy Stardust. They claimed that David Live was a sad and lackluster album with very few redeemable qualities.
The plastic soul era is comprised of Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs and eventually Young Americans. David Live sits neatly in the middle and acts as a bridge between the material created in Britain and the stuff churned out while recording in America. The plastic refers to a sense of decadent emptiness surrounding LA and New York in the mid seventies and the soul refers Bowie’s then obsession with American rhythm and blues. The albums made during this time period are heavily influenced by soul music and soon Bowie would put Ziggy firmly into his casket and would emerge as the Thin White Duke.
Now, whether or not you particularly like these albums, I find it hard to suggest that the material isn’t of very high musical caliber. Another thing is, changing up the sound and arrangements of some of his most loved and popular songs I feel was a stepping out on his part, it’s a way of saying “I’m heading in a new direction” like it or not. The other thing is THE MUSIC IS FREAKING AWESOME. I can’t believe critics don’t love this album. The new arrangements are spectacular and in my opinion better than some of the original studio recordings. I hope all this hype has got you pumped about this album, why don’t we take a look at the songs.
I’m going to breakdown the (sort of) new 2005 reissue of David Live because it’s definitive and contains most likely the final number of tracks for the album. With 22 songs I won’t blow-up every one, but I’ll give you a Jeff’s Notes overview of the best from the bunch. Lets start with track three Sweet Thing. From the Diamond Dogs album but originally broken up into three separate songs, Sweet Thing is given a whopping 8:48 rendition that unifies the 3 songs into one and slows them way down. Bowie turns ST into a cabaret show number, he’s able to slink and step around the stage as he tells of the sexual exploits of New York City boys.
The next number is an oldie but a goodie, the very popular Changes is one of Bowie’s most well known songs and for good reason. Here Changes is given a welcome once over that in my view stands up nicely to the original recording. The saxophone work done on the song is particularly awesome and Bowie just oozes sadness and sex appeal, making the word “Changes” feel like a calling to arms for all of pop culture to follow in the direction The Thin White Duke intends to take them. Some Bowie traditionalists have harped on this song for being without emotion, I say listen for yourself and make up your mind.
Tracks six and seven are excellent, especially Suffragette City. Aladdin Sane, although I must admit does have a very funky and fun side to it, but I prefer Suffragette. I guess I like a slightly harder edged Bowie and SC has always been a sweet guitar jam, and on David Live the band totally lays it down. Aladdin Sane is just a bit too jazzy for my taste; I’ve never been crazy about the song to start with. I really want to discuss song number eight, All The Young Dudes. From the opening moments you can tell that Bowie has something special in mind for this one, you feel like you’re listening to a Broadway show, Bowie comes off as a wonderful New York song and dance man (but without the dancing), just a series of hip shimmies and shoulder shrugs that could melt snow. ATYD is simply outstanding and every Bowie fan that hasn’t heard this album or for that matter this song, hasn’t really heard Bowie.
Song number nine is Cracked Actor and again an extremely kick ass version, not too different but especially powerful. On the original recording I always felt his voice wasn’t quite as loud as the music, and for that I never really loved the song, until David Live. Once I heard this version I really fell in love with the song, I was able to go back to the original and find an all-new appreciation for it. Track ten is Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me and very much in the same tradition as Actor; the studio recording of this song was a bit flat. The live version from this album has all the emotion and sincerity that was left off the original. The guitar has a deep and nagging pull to it that seems to work perfectly with Bowie’s desperation and longing. The end result is a wonderful song that can make even the lamest wall-rider get up and a shake their ass.
I’m going to scoot forward a bit on the album, all the way up to song number fourteen. The reason I feel it’s significant is first of all its Space Oddity, and second is because this song was newly added to the 2005 album. SO never made it onto the original album released in 74, which is kind of crazy considering it’s amazing. At over six minutes in length with some outstanding synthesizer effects and haunting vocals, this song is not to be messed with. I’ve always loved this song and until the re-release there hadn’t been a decent version of Oddity live. This shit more than makes up for it, and in a major way. There is also some amazing sax work done on this number, it has a lovely rising action quality to it that takes you on a bit of a ride, more of a trip really. The next song is Diamond Dogs, nothing different about this one, just some good old Bowie action. I love this song and it’s nice to have a sweet live version around to listen to, you’re not going to go crazy but every once and a while it’ll come on and I’ll look up from whatever I’m doing and I’ll say “this song is the shit”. I guess it’s the guitar, Earl Slick is Bowie’s new axe-man for the Plastic Soul era, and as nasty as Mick Ronson was, Slick doesn’t miss a step. He can thrash just as hard and with just as much personality as Ronson, but it comes from a different place, and I’m cool with that, different is good.
Track sixteen is one of the best songs on David Live and it’s also the other bonus track provided on the 2005 edition. Panic in Detroit is a J.A.M. and I just can’t believe they would have left it off the original release. Whoever made that choice should be rounded up and punched in the knee. Maybe there was something wrong with the recording that couldn’t be fixed until the technology had moved a little bit further on down the road. I’m not sure what it was but the fact remains that it wasn’t there, and that was a very bad thing. Now we get it, so maybe the rest is BS, but it still needed to be said.These are the last three songs I’m reviewing from David Live and it’s because they’re amazing and also because they are the more popular of the remaining tracks. Number eighteen is Time, from the Aladdin Sane album. This happens to be my personal favorite from the original studio album, and on David Live it has been dressed up and taken out on the town. Bowie might as well be in the film Cabaret, and I mean seriously. The song just feels epic, when he sings the words ” We should be on by now” you want to sing a long with him, it’s almost a chant, and collectively we’re all saying FUCK TIME. I guess he’s saying fuck a lot of things and we are too, but most of all it’s Time.
Song number twenty is Jean Genie and it’s probably the most altered from the original song on David Live. It’s very hip and as Bowie snaps his fingers and taps his toes, the audience claps their hands. Then, suddenly, during the chorus, Slick and the boys step into it and begin to tear things apart, musically. The Genie turns into a thrash song with incredible jazz percussion backgrounds and ragtime piano. For me, that makes a very odd soup, but I like the way it tastes. There is even a little laser-synth thing going on in the middle that is hard to put our finger on, but it fits, and some how makes sense.The last song is Rock and Roll Suicide. Which fits so perfectly because to get as popular as Bowie did with the whole Ziggy Stardust thing, and then to completely turn away from that and go the whole other direction, would be for most people rock and roll suicide. Somehow Bowie made it work; he was able to move his fan base where he wanted them to go. It’s a very rare thing to be able to evolve musically right along with your fans, when it happens, usually the artist goes on one of those unprecedented runs that elevates them into a category saved specially for the great ones.
From 1967 to 1974 Bowie had been on one of those runs and in my opinion in culminates with this album. It wouldn’t be until the Berlin era that Bowie would again be on the cutting edge of musical history. This is why you must get this album. If you are into pop music and want to hear one of those signature albums that probably influenced an innumerable amount of artists and performers over the years then check this sucker out. By now you know where to go to get good deals I-Tunes is nice and so is Amazon.com, wherever you go to get music make sure to include this on your list of stuff to buy. See Ya
All images copyrighted by David Bowie and provided by Wikipedia
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