Whoa. I just ran into what was my first exposure to moving images of David Bowie. I was sixteen and all I knew of Bowie musically was Ziggy Stardust. YouTube and DVDs were still decades away. As far as visuals, all I had to go on was album cover photos and magazines. Those were the days when concerts were about the only way that you would experience a live performance, unless the artist was big enough to gain a slot on one of the late night concert shows, the big two being Don Kirshner's Rock Concert and The Midnight Special (the latter hosted by Wolfman Jack). We knew Bowie was going to be on the Midnight Special so the usual late night teen high-jinks were clipped early in order to be home in time to see it.
I remember being in my parents living room with my brother as we watched the freak show unfold. Despite having seen photos of Bowie and hearing some of his music, I wasn't prepared for an eyebrow-less androgynous skinny as a rail dude with more costumes than Cher. It was engaging. Radical. I realized what all the fuss was about. This guy was different. He made Jagger look like a jock. When he did his singer/guitar flirting with Mick Ronson, I'd no clue that it was to sell records. I had no idea that any of the over-the-top-ness of it was designed to sell records. All I could think of is that we had here one bona fide freak show.
I remember being in my parents living room with my brother as we watched the freak show unfold. Despite having seen photos of Bowie and hearing some of his music, I wasn't prepared for an eyebrow-less androgynous skinny as a rail dude with more costumes than Cher. It was engaging. Radical. I realized what all the fuss was about. This guy was different. He made Jagger look like a jock. When he did his singer/guitar flirting with Mick Ronson, I'd no clue that it was to sell records. I had no idea that any of the over-the-top-ness of it was designed to sell records. All I could think of is that we had here one bona fide freak show.
Seeing it again after all these years was an eye opener. The tightness of the band is pretty amazing considering that it was shot live. The set includes a few covers from the LP that was released a couple weeks earlier, Pinups. It was an LP consisting of all covers aimed at the U.S. market where the originals weren't well known. That LP turned me on to songs I'd never heard the originals of, and in some cases, never heard of the band. Hard to believe I'd yet to hear Barret-era Pink Floyd, the Pretty Things, Them and the Yardbirds. Thinking back, the Who and the Kinks, might have been the only bands that I was even familiar with. Here's a few from the Pinups LP.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:David Bowie - See Emily Play mp3 at Stop Okay Go Pink Floyd cover
David Bowie - I Wish You Would mp3 at STL.ZV (?) Yardbirds cover
David Bowie - Here Comes the Night mp3 at ATumblr (?) Them cover
David Bowie - Sorrow mp3 at Crearefnet (?) Cover of the Merseys cover of the McCoys
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