Bowie Live on DVD-A (1 Viewer)

[AricB]

You came to play live in our town...

It is with much pleasure that I can tell you about the EMI reissues of both the out-of-print Bowie live albums, David Live and Stage. Both are scheduled for a February 21st 2005 release and will be available on two formats; double CD and DVDA.

Each of the albums has brand new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes by Tony Visconti and include extensive sleeve notes by both Tony himself and chronologies by my childhood sweetheart, Kevin Cann.

At the moment it looks like the DVDAs may also include the original mixes of the vinyl versions of the albums, but the most exciting thing about both releases for many fans will be the extra tracks and the return to the original running order of the shows.

Here's the new track listing for both releases:

David Live

01 1984
02 Rebel Rebel
03 Moonage Daydream
04 Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise)
05 Changes
06 Suffragette City
07 Aladdin Sane
08 All The Young Dudes
09 Cracked Actor
10 Rock 'n' Roll With Me
11 Watch That Man
12 Knock On Wood
13 Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
14 Space Oddity (previously unreleased)
15 Diamond Dogs
16 Panic In Detroit (first issue on CD)
17 Big Brother
18 Time
19 The Width Of A Circle
20 Jean Genie
21 Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

Stage

01 Warszawa
02 "Heroes"
03 What In The World
04 Be My Wife (previously unreleased)
05 Blackout
06 Sense Of Doubt
07 Speed Of Life
08 Breaking Glass
09 Beauty And The Beast
10 Fame
11 Five Years
12 Soul Love
13 Star
14 Hang On To Yourself
15 Ziggy Stardust
16 Art Decade
17 Alabama Song
18 Station To Station
19 Stay (previously unreleased)
20 TVC 15

 

[Will_B]

I'm editing my reply to sound more nice, because the fact is I am so grateful that surround releases of Bowie's immense and fantastic catalogue is underway.

I originally made a disparaging comment about how easy it is to make surround mixes of live concerts, and how I wish the more complex task of taking on the remixing of the studio albums into surround would be taken on. (Are there plans to take on his challenge? I've avoided buying the 2-channel SACDs of Scary Monsters and Lets Dance because I want them in surround).

I'm puzzled that you say DVD-A, when Bowie's surround releases and 2-channel high res releases have all been SACD thus far.

If anyone is listening, I hope they someday release the Nassau concert from which the fantastic live version of "Stay" and "Word on a Wing" were sourced from (on the Rykodisc reissue of StationtoStation).Surely there must be some excellent live recordings that we haven't heard before.

 

[AricB]

I took it straight from his website. EMI must be on the DVD-a side, where the recent stuff has been Columbia I think?

I've not heard anything about those 2 being done in 5.1, but I thought I had read that they would be releasing the back catalogue in 3's, probably some old and some newer material. as was done with SM, LD, and Ziggy.

 

[Jesper]

Thanks for info AricB

 

[PaulDA]

I think EMI is associated with Universal (I'm not certain though) and if so, it's likely that this will eventually be available in both formats, as Universal has released a number of titles in both SACD and DVD-A, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Tommy and Sea Change by Beck come to mind.

 

[Danny Tse]

EMI released Bowie's "Let's Dance", "Ziggy Stardust", and "Scary Monsters" on stereo hybrid SACD. I only have "Let's Dance", but from what I can tell, these are European releases. Perhaps the new upcoming hi-rez Bowie releases are from EMI America.

"Reality" and "Heathen" are also on SACD from Columbia/Sony.

 

[AricB]

Ziggy, Reality, and Heathen are all 5.1 surround sound.

sacd hybrid stereo/multichannel.

 

[Will_B]

Yes, made in Switzerland of all places, according to the stickers on them.

Back to the DAVID LIVE and STAGE, I hope that they gave STAGE a really aggressive mix. The album versions were a little flat.. pretty much like the Eno albums with some audience noise added. If I can't have HEROES in surround, at least some of it is in this live STAGE show.

On DAVID LIVE, the inclusion of Space Oddity goes to show how far modern technology has come. That song had always been left off because it had been sung into a defective microphone (a mic buried inside the shape of a telephone). I dont recall reading if it was a wireless mic that kept cutting out, or if it was a wired mic that just didn't do the job, but I seem to recall reading that was the problem with that particular performance.

 

[Doug Otte]

Heathen is not hybrid, it's single-layer SACD only. If they've re-released it as a hybrid, please let me know. I'd love to get it.

Cheers,
Doug

 

[AricB]

you could be right, i apologize. I've never played any of my sacd's as redbook cd's.

it is highly recomended for the surround mix though.

 

[Felix Martinez]

Hi Folks -

Here's the press release (looks exciting!)...

 

[AricB]

thanks for the update, i forgot all about these, and I posted it originally.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I can tell by reading this thread that most of the excitement is regarding a potential surround mix. I'm interested in that, too.

But this in no way prevents Virgin/EMI from also including a very nicely mastered stereo transfer at 24/192 of the original mix. This is a historic recording, and I'm sorta put-off by the fact that including the original mix seemed to be only an afterthought, and now seems to not be included at all.

IMO, this is what separates the good from the great. If the "new" stereo track turns out to be nothing but a mixdown from the new surround remix -- and particularly if it gets 24/48 short-shrift -- then, this release will be quite the letdown. Even if it's not a mixdown, but turns out to be a "modern" sounding remixing and mastering of this recording, then that too will be quite the letdown.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

Has there been any news about the two-channel mix?

 

[Will_B]

If they'd used the old two-channel mix, not only would the sound quality be off, but imagine the confusion of two different track listings. The old two channel mix is available on the out of print 2-CD set, if you want to track that down.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

I'm not after the original mix, necessarily -- I was looking for data on the two channel mix because my system is two-channel only.

 

[JimBarrese]

Are there any plans to release these (the DVD-As) in the US, because right now it appears we are only getting the CD versions.

 

[AricB]

BB, had them listed for 3/15 about 2 weeks ago.... I'll check again at lunch today.

 

[Will_B]

The DVDAs have been pushed off until April but they are still coming, hold tight.

 

[Matt Fisher]

As long as they are coming, I don't mind the wait.