DAVID BOWIE

DAVID BOWIE
BOWIE AT THE BEEB
THE BEST OF THE BBC SESSIONS 68-72 (2000)
320 KBPS

Some collectors might complain that the double-disc Bowie at the Beeb, the first official collection of David Bowie's BBC Radio sessions, isn't complete, yet they likely have bootlegs of this material. All other fans are in for a real treat. Spanning from 1968 to 1972, these recordings find Bowie, if not in his prime, at least at a peak, as he developed from a swinging Carnaby Street pop crooner to swaggering glam rock star. Bowie at the Beeb makes this era come alive. Opening with the lovely, florid "In the Heat of the Morning," the sessions spend time with David the Dandy before he delves into his dramatic heavy rock of the early '70s. That's where guitarist Mick Ronson made his public debut with Bowie at the session that comprises the middle of disc one. This is lean, powerful, terrific music, not as pummeling as The Man Who Sold the World, but it's slightly overshadowed by the session that concludes the first disc. It contains the bulk of rarities here, including the never-released "Looking for a Friend," a rollicking cover of Chuck Berry's "Almost Grown," a version of "It Ain't Easy" where Bowie trades verses with Geoffrey Alexander and George Underwood, and a performance of the exquisite "Bombers." After a pair of songs by just Bowie and Ronson, the second disc finds the Spiders From Mars forming and quickly hitting their stride. Since this disc is largely devoted to recordings from 1972, it's a bit more consistent than the first, and it results in a live Spiders album better than any yet officially released. Bowie at the Beeb may not be revelatory, yet this set is filled with wonderful music that deepens appreciation of Bowie's first great blast of creativity. Any true fan needs it in his collection.

Disc 1
1. In the Heat of the Morning
2. London Bye Ta Ta
3. Karma Man
4. Silly Boy Blue
5. Let Me Sleep Beside You
6. Janine
7. Amsterdam
8. God Knows I'm Good
9. Width of a Circle
10. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed
11. Cygnet Committee
12. Memory of a Free Festival
13. Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud
14. Bombers
15. Looking for a Friend
16. Almost Grown
17. Kooks
18. It Ain't Easy

Disc 2
1. Supermen
2. Eight Line Poem
3. Hang on to Yourself
4. Ziggy Stardust
5. Queen Bitch
6. I'm Waiting for the Man
7. Five Years
8. White Light/White Heat
9. Moonage Daydream
10. Hang on to Yourself
11. Suffragette City
12. Ziggy Stardust
13. Starman
14. Space Oddity
15. Changes
16. Oh! You Pretty Things
17. Andy Warhol
18. Lady Stardust
19. Rock & Roll With Me

BBC RADIO THEATRE
LONDON JUNE 27/2000 (2000)
320 KBPS

This June 2000 concert remains an impressive overview of David Bowie's career - sparked by memorable versions of "Wild Is the Wind," "Ashes to Ashes" and "Seven." The reinvented "Let's Dance" makes for a stunning finish. Available only as a bonus disc on "Bowie at the Beeb," the 69-minute "BBC Radio Theatre" should be released as a separate entity. More satisfying than "David Live" and "Stage."

1. Wild Is the Wind
2. Ashes to Ashes
3. Seven
4. This Is Not America
5. Absolute Beginners
6. Always Crashing in the Same Car
7. Survive
8. Little Wonder
9. Man Who Sold the World
10. Fame
11. Stay
12. Hallo Spaceboy
13. Cracked Actor
14. I'm Afraid of Americans
15. Let's Dance