Finally, an official version of the essential David Bowie Santa Monica '72 concert is coming June 30, 2008.


from davidbowie.com--

04.10.2008: David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72

David Bowie - Live Santa Monica ’72
Limited Edition CD album – catalogue number BOWLIVE 201072
Limited edition double LP - catalogue number BOWLIVELP 201072
Digital format – catalogue number 583 2215
Released June 30th 2008
EMI Catalogue Marketing

EMI Marketing will officially release David Bowie, Live Santa Monica ’72 on June 30.
Recorded at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles on October 20th 1972 during the first leg of the Ziggy Stardust US tour. Over the last 36 years this historic recording has only been occasionally available as a bootleg. For many, ownership of this concert was regarded as a true test of being a ‘proper Bowie fan’. This powerful, galvanizing show allows a more than 70 minute glimpse into the earliest nationwide live radio exposure granted David and the Spiders.

David Bowie says:
"I can tell that I’m totally into being Ziggy by this stage of our touring. It’s no longer an act; I am him. This would be around the tenth American show for us and you can hear that we are all pretty high on ourselves. We train wreck a couple of things, I miss some words and sometimes you wouldn’t know that pianist Mike Garson was onstage with us but overall I really treasure this bootleg. Mick Ronson is at his blistering best."


CD tracklisting:

01 - Introduction
02 - Hang On To Yourself
03 - Ziggy Stardust
04 - Changes
05 - The Supermen
06 - Life On Mars?
07 - Five Years
08 - Space Oddity
09 - Andy Warhol
10 - My Death
11 - The Width Of A Circle
12 - Queen Bitch
13 - Moonage Daydream
14 - John, I'm Only Dancing
15 - Waiting For The Man
16 - The Jean Genie
17 - Suffragette City
18 - Rock 'N' Roll Suicide


LP tracklisting:

Record 1 Side 1
1 - Introduction
2 - Hang On To Yourself
3 - Ziggy Stardust
4 - Changes
5 - The Supermen
6 - Life On Mars?
7 - Five Years

Record 1 Side 2
1 - Space Oddity
2 - Andy Warhol
3 - My Death

Record 2 Side 1
1 - The Width Of A Circle
2 - Queen Bitch
3 - Moonage Daydream
4 - John, I’m Only Dancing

Record 2 Side 2
1 - Waiting For The Man
2 - The Jean Genie
3 - Suffragette City
4 - Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide


In 1972, David Bowie set out on his first US tour. He'd recently introduced the world to his Ziggy Stardust persona with his top 5 album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' and had completed a hugely successful UK tour. The Santa Monica concert, David’s first live US radio broadcast, was aired live on KMET in L.A. and was immediately a fan bootleg favourite. The set list is compiled primarily from the 'Hunky Dory' and 'Ziggy Stardust' albums and features two covers, Jacques Brel's "My Death" and the Velvet Underground's "Waiting For The Man," alongside the awesome power of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ centrepiece "The Width Of A Circle" (this version is a ten and a half minute sonic assault) and an ‘Aladdin Sane’ previewing "The Jean Genie."

The set list is also quite different from the Ziggy terminating ‘Ziggy Stardust – The Motion Picture Soundtrack,’ available on CD via EMI along with its counterpart concert film on DVD.

Accompanying David was The Spiders From Mars: Mick Ronson – guitar, vocals, Trevor Bolder – bass, Mick "Woody" Woodmansey – drums and Mike Garson – piano.

This is David Bowie at the pinnacle of his creative power – in 1981 NME critics called it, "(quite simply) ... the performer’s, and one of rock’s, best ever bootlegs".

The CD will initially be released as a limited edition with special packaging featuring shots taken at the actual gig for the first time.

The double LP set will be a numbered limited edition on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl; a must for collectors.


http://www.davidbowie.com/news/press.php

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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00166QJRU/?tag=imwan-20

Thanks for the heads-up, Steve, this will sit nicely next to the Ziggy Stardust OST.

The same show was issued on CD by Griffin Records in 1995. It wasn't a boot, but it did disappear fast. There was a regular CD, and a special edition that included a bonus vinyl 45. I assume the new reissue will be remastered and maybe remixed.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000001LHJ/?tag=imwan-20

Jimbo, I was just going to mention the same. I have the Griffin release this, and it is excellent - although the background vocals on Space Oddity are a bit rough - but part of its charm (although the neophyte lady I was hanging with at the time did not see how I could love Bowie as much as I did based on it).

If Griffin is a bootleg operation, they are pretty impressive. I've been to their facility back in 94 and it is impressive.

It's nice to get an official confirmation that this is indeed getting released-and by EMI no less. I've had this on my board for the last couple of months and with no release date attached to it. Thanks for the press release report, Steve.

I also really hope it's an upgraded remaster. Other then the Hammersmith show, Santa Monica is likely the most famous Ziggy concert. I have the UK edition on Golden Years, which in my understanding is identical to the Griffin other then the cover art. It also came out a few months before the Griffin.

My Golden Years cd doesn't sound as good as the colored vinyl first gen boot I used to have; in fact a 30+ year old cassette tape I had of the vinyl bootleg sounds slightly better then the Golden Years CD edition! I've always assumed the Griffin/Golden Years & vinyl boots were all taped off air from the original FM broadcast. Hopefully EMI has pre-FM master tapes.

I suspect they're calling this the "first official release" due to the long standing dispute between DB & DeFries over who owns just what from the Ziggy era. I'm 99% certain that DeFries was behind the Griffin/Golden Years releases.

I also hope this is only the beginning of Bowie opening the vaults! How about releasing the rest of the Boston show that comprised the 4 song ep on the first edition of Sound & Vision? I'd also love to see an official 1980 Floor Show. There are multi tracks for 1980 Floor show, Defries included Time on one of his rarities comps & the sound was perfect. I suspect the reason we haven't seen 1980 floor show is because the bass was out of tune.

For those who never heard the original mix of the Hammersmith show, Ronson's guitar was originally MUCH hotter in the mix. He was also horribly out of tune in places, which I've always assumed is why he got buried in the mix of the first official version of the Ziggy Soundtrack which because of the mix was dreadful. Even though he is out of tune, the guitar drives the arrangements, & especially in the first edition Bowie totally buried Ronson in the mix. Visconti partially corrected that in the anniversary edition which is an improvement, but I still prefer the original ABC TV mix.

I really hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad suspicion this may be a UK only release.

1. Notice the spelling of "catalogue"

2. Catalog #'s such as "BOWLIVE 201072" have traditionally tended to be British.

Oh, & by the way, BUY THIS! Just the acoustic version of Space Oddity, Andy Warhol & the best My Death ever are to die for, & the first few Ziggy songs on "side 1" are likely the best live recordings ever of this material. I've never figured out why, but in my opinion, the performance goes way downhill after My Death (which ends the original 1st LP). I've owned the first lp in some form sicne I was 14 or 15, but I brought back LP #2 to the record store at the same age & didn't own the second half until the cd came out. .

I saw the Ziggy Stardust film for the first time a couple weeks ago. A good thrashing show. But it suffered a bit by comparison for me because I had just watched The Last Waltz, with camera-friendly lighting and very clear sound. Bowie's offset orchestra as hard to hear and featured in very few shots. And I had enough of the teenage audience panting in strobe lights after about 5 seconds. I came to see the band!

The previous release(s) was clearly from a stereo master (check out Ronson's off-key, too loud backup vocals marring "Five Years"). Are there multitracks for this show? I had assumed it was just taped for FM broadcast, not for commercial release -- meaning a remix is unlikely.

I would purchase again for a remix, but not for less.

BTW, Musictap has reported that this is being pushed back to July 8th.

No surprise, I believe it was the Alladinsane deluxe edition that came with an insert that Santa Monica was going to be next. I think that was a couple years back & before the expanded Diamond Dogs, David Live, Stage & Young Americans.

Here's the new cover.

I like that. Looks like an old LP cover from the seventies, appropriately enough.

If only concerts still cost $5.50 to get in nowadays. Thanks for passing that along Geff.

And it's out on June 30th, a Monday as is tradition in the UK (as opposed to the USA's Tuesday releases). It is list a UK-only import so far, no listing yet for an American pressing. I've added the import CD's details to the first post.

Bowie net has it up as a "preorder" for a whopping $26.99. Track list appears the same as the previous single cd releases, no mention of any remastering.
http://davidbowie.shop.musictoday.com/D ... =206_13821

One other bit of info, Amazon US shows:
"Audio CD (June 17, 2008)"
AND
"Original Release Date: June 30, 2008"

Amazon UK says June 30.

Bowienet says the release date is July 22.

The Amazon US price of $19.99 is starting to look better (assuming it's import only). I just got a UK wholesale list, my WHOLESALE COST on that title is $19.99 + shipping & duty!

I really wish we could find out if there's been any significant remastering (or if they have an actual multi-track rather then the FM broadcast that all other versions came from).

I've updated the first post with pre-order details for the domestic pressing, which is now showing at Amazon as a July 22nd release in agreement with what Bowie's website stated.

Oops, Amazon must have read my post on Friday. They raised the price from 19.99 to 26.99 over the weekend.

I saw that too. I was going to pre-order it this weekend and now I'm going to wait and do the deed when I put in for the U2 Deluxe Editions at the same time. I usually wait until there's a month left before something is released. I figure that period of time will allow for any price adjustments to take place and stay stable until after street date hits.

Here's a review from Amazon UK that answers my questions about this release:

" 3.0 out of 5 stars Beware, this is an edited release!, 1 Jul 2008
By Stephen Lloyd
First off this is truly a superb gig. The track listing is faultless and the performances, though beautifully flawed at times, are blistering. It is a far superior document of the Ziggy period Bowie to the 73' retirement gig at the Hammersmith Odeon.

I already own the 94' official release of this concert on the mainman `golden years' label. I bought this new EMI edition because I had read somewhere that Bowie had remastered the recording himself. He hasn't! Listening to it I cannot really detect any significant differences in sonic quality from the 94' release.

What is shockingly obvious however is the absence of big chunks and small snippets of Bowie's playingly camp dialogue with his audience throughout. Where's his "painter from New York" impression of Warhol for example or his "give me a pair of pliers.... or a strong hand". I'm absolutely gutted that this historical artefact has been hacked in this way. These edits are unnecessary and unforgivable in my opinion and I'm sure that I like many others will consequently always consider this release inferior to the earlier one because of them.

On the plus side the disc does come in a nice box with handsome RCA period memorabilia. 3 stars worth in fact. Also I'm hoping, because he sanctioned this release, that the Dame may give the nod for more official bootleg releases in the future. A little something from the `station to station' tour perhaps? Just don't rip chunks out of them please!

Buy this only if you can't get hold of the mainman release. "

Thanks Geff, I'll stick with my Ryko disc version.