David Bowie/Ma & Wi, USA 1974

Bowie toured with Ziggy in 1972 and 1973, achieving great success. Ziggy has now been established as a nickname for Bowie, and his reputation has become solid. However, Bowie decided not to follow in the footsteps of Ziggy, who had achieved commercial success, and decided to bury it as a thing of the past. On the final day of the tour, Bowie famously said on stage, “This is our last show and we will never play again,” but this meant that Ziggy would not be on stage, rather than Bowie himself. I guess it was. In fact, as history shows, Bowie has continued to perform numerous tours since then. In April 1973, “Aladdin Sane”, which had been recorded in between tours, was released. The melody was heavily influenced by America, where they were touring at the time, and a dry, hard atmosphere dominates the album. Some of the songs were performed on stage even before their release. Although sales were disappointing in the United States, it became a hit album in the United Kingdom. However, it is undeniable that the impression is weak after the intense Ziggy, and the title “Aladdin Sane” is an anagram of “(A Lad Insane)”, and the self-projection that follows Ziggy. Although it was a character, it was impossible to get rid of the impression that it was a second version of Ziggy, and Bowie was going through a period of agony, and the character left a strong impression, just like Nobuyo Oyama’s work other than Doraemon was limited. It would be difficult to take on a new role after playing a role like this, so in order to completely break with the past, Bowie decided to concentrate on recording a cover album that paradoxically returned to his roots. The result was “Pin-Ups”, released in 1973. As the title suggests, it is an album that covers songs by other people that you would love to display as pin-ups, in Bowie’s style. The cover songs sung by Bowie have a reputation for completely destroying the original song and changing it to an arrangement that sounds like the original, but this album is not so destructive, and relatively retains the atmosphere of the original song, and Bowie purely performs. By the way, the woman in the jacket photo is Twiggy, who was recording “Aladdin Sane” while on tour. A cover album to bury Ziggy.These three were Bowie’s moves in 1973.Without rest, Bowie began recording his next album.However, the aftereffects of Ziggy’s growth were significant. It seems that this was not a good time for him, as he had a series of troubles with his staff and backing band.The vicious cycle continued, and as if to distract himself from the troubles, he started taking drugs, and as a result, his diet began to decline. When you look at the photo, Bowie looks very thin, his cheeks are sunken, and he looks very unhealthy.There is a famous novel by George Orwell called “1984”, which was published in 1949. At the time this novel was written, it was the dawn of the Cold War, and the story depicts a near-future world divided and ruled by a totalitarian state reminiscent of the Soviet Union, and the horrors of a surveillance society. , a novel that had become a bible for anti-communist ideas, was inspired by George Orwell’s “1984” for the concept of his next album, a slightly creepy “Diamond Dog” whose lower body turned into a beast. ” Create a character. The album’s title is “Diamond Dogs,” and the album includes songs with titles such as “1984” and “Big Brother,” which are taken directly from George Orwell’s novels. Initially, the idea was to turn the novel “1984” into a musical, but George Orwell’s family refused to give permission, so the album began with loud announcements and applause, as if a stage play was about to begin. , the title song begins with the applause, creating a dramatic opening. Furthermore, there are many parts that seem to be based on musicals, such as the medley of “Sweet Thing” and “Candidate,” which are then brought together again with a reprise of “Sweet Thing.” And Bowie will go on a new tour from June 1974 with this album. Bowie was very enthusiastic about this tour, rehearsing carefully for about two months for the new tour, making the stage set expensive and extensive, and appearing in TV commercials himself in advance. Divided into three major legs, it was a meticulous tour of the United States, with 73 performances in North America alone. This tour was officially recorded and later released as David Live. This live album consists of live recordings from six consecutive shows in Philadelphia during the first leg. Also, from the second leg, a wonderful soundboard sound source called “Strange Fascination definitive edition” has leaked out. Both are must-haves for fans, and the sound quality is among the best, but unfortunately the performances can be said to be lackluster. Although it is an intentional arrangement, the tempo of each song is slow and slow, and Bowie sings in a whisper-like voice throughout. The backing band is not very good, and the arrangement is mediocre. Apart from Bowie’s enthusiasm, he still lacks ambition due to the influence of drug inoculation, and although it is an enthusiastic performance, it is far from enthusiastic, and it is a live performance where you can see Bowie isolated on stage. To make matters worse, backstage at the concert, there were troubles with the band members over pay, and it seems that they were not informed of the recording in advance, and even on the day of the concert, there were reportedly troubles between the band members and Bowie. Bowie, who desperately sings in such a situation, is too lonely. Bowie, who completed the first and second legs in this way, was troubled by a series of troubles. And in between tours, they are already starting work on their next album. It wasn’t until January 1975 that it was later released as Young Americans. “Young Americans” was created as a new attempt by Bowie based on the concept of “white soul,” and with Carlos Alomar, who would go on to support Bowie for a long time, on guitar, the entire album was completely soul-inspired. dyed in color. The songs that became a hot topic were his collaboration with John Lennon, “Fame,” and his cover of the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” The latter’s beautifully broken soul arrangement is particularly popular among Beatles fans, and Bowie set an example for John, saying, “Wow! You don’t sing with so much soul!” It is known as a great performance. Bowie, who was completely exhausted from the conventional tour, tried the adventure of completely changing the concept in the middle of the tour to start the third leg. They incorporated songs from “Young Americans”, which they were currently recording, into the set list, and not only that, but they also changed the arrangements of other songs to give them a soul feel. The tour title is also called “Soul Tour” instead of “Diamond Dogs Tour”, and although they are part of the same tour, the tour titles are different. They approached the third leg with a completely different concept from the first and second legs. During this period, Bowie’s interest shifted to Seoul, and he was recording an album. He may have been reluctant to continue playing “Diamond Dogs” on tour since it was already a thing of the past. Bowie was already ahead of his fans. This work is a title that includes two performances from the third leg, commonly known as the Soul Tour. Disc 1 contains the Boston performance on November 15, 1974, and Disc 2 contains the Madison performance in Wisconsin on October 10, 1974. This is a coupling of representative sound sources from the Soul Tour. The concert begins with “Memories of Free Festival” playing in the venue, and opens with the words of the host, just like the album. Of course, since it is the third leg of the same tour, there are some parts that follow the Diamond Dog tour, but the song selection unique to the soul tour is “John I’m Only Dancing”. The studio version is subtitled (again) and can now be heard as an official bonus track, but fans who saw it performed at the time were surprised to hear it, assuming the same arrangement from the Ziggy era. It would be. Even his own songs are played with such wonderfully chaotic arrangements. “Sadness of Love” is a cover song from “Pin-Ups”. Other rare numbers include “Whisper of Love,” “God of Fortune,” and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” which is also included in the studio version as a bonus track on “Young Americans.” It’s been played for a long time. Please see the track list for details, but this is no longer the “Diamond Dogs Tour” but the unmistakable “Young Americans Tour.” From Bowie’s 1974 Diamond Dog Tour, if the first leg is the official “David Live”, the second leg is “Strange Fascination definitive edition”, and the third leg is the definitive album in terms of sound quality and content. That would be the answer. The Soul Tour can be said to be a tour that occupies a special position in Bowie’s collection. This work is a recording of two performances of it. DISC ONE BOSTON MUSIC HALL BOSTON MA U.S.A. November 15, 1974 01. Memory Of A Free Festival 02. Rebel Rebel 03. John I’m Only Dancin 04. Sorrow 05. Changes 06. Young Americans 07. 1984 08. Foot Stompin’09 . Rock And Roll With Me 10. Love Me Do – The Jean Genie 11. Moonage Daydream 12. Can You Hear Me 13. Somebody Up There Likes Me 14. Suffragette City 15. Rock ‘N Roll Suicide 16. Diamond Dogs DISC TWO UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON WI U.S.A. October 10, 1974 01. Memory Of A Free Festival 02. Rebel Rebel 03. John I’m Only Dancing 04. Sorrow 05. Changes 06. 1984 07. Moonage Daydream 08. Rock And Roll With Me 09. Love Me Do – The Jean Genie 10. Diamond Dogs 11. Young Americans 12. Can You Hear Me 13. It’s Gonna Be Me 14. Somebody Up There Likes Me 15. Suffragette City 16. Rock’n’roll Suicide