David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture (30th Anniversary Special Edition) (DVD)

...encore...briefly we are treated to David in the changing rooms wearing his red underpants.

THE ENCORE includes WhiteLight/WhiteHeat by Lou Reed from the Velvet Undergrounds plastic exploding inevitable; it's more coherent than the original. Bowie's farewell speech (this is the last tour with the spiders) the stage shows ends with Rock N Roll Suicide.

The END CREDITS of the film play out to Pomp & Circumstance.
...
...bought the DVD this medium had novelty value 2 years later they are virtually giving DVD machines away. At 1st 90 minutes might seem a lot but the medium allows you to quickly select tracks, tunes, sections you want. The package would make a nice present although a reduced price would be better I think. The box set has not held its value when compared to its trade price on Ebay today. Some live film of Bowie from this era is a must for any fan. I ... more

***INTRO***

I bought a PC with a DVD player in 2003 and decided to test it with what was then the new digitally remastered Bowie UK tour of 1973 (I was at the Romford Odeon Concert my 1st as a teenager). It was to be Bowies and The Spiders Farewell tour. It's cost £17.99 I ordered over the Internet for the 1st time. The product comes in as a smart black box in a plastic sleeve with embossed information concerning title and content. The box has some interesting graphics of Bowie with data about copyright. The box opens to reveal a single disc, a booklet and a poster. It is the recording of the concert at Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973. The DVD lasts approximately 90 minutes and is a remix re master of the original film.

***THE PRODUCT***

In terms of packaging the DVD is the least attractive element. The booklet front cover outlines the film modules on the DVD 21 mainly song titles. Inside more details of the songs including composers, articulation and some live pictures. The next few pages are an article by the Director Pennebaker concerning the project (more detail to follow). The back page includes credits more of this at the end of the review. The poster celebrates the 30th anniversary special edition of this film released on DVD with a list of tour dates of this period from across the globe UK, US, Japan. On the reverse cuts from newspaper articles including pictures describing the tours. The film has been remastered for DVD with surround sound.

EXTRAS include commentary by the Director Pennebaker and music producer Visconti - the DVD ROM section include a calendar, screen saver, desktop pictures, desktop icons and weblinks.

The section by Pennebaker in the booklet outlines the story of the original production. The idea was to make a 1/2 hour film using a new videodisc invented by RCA as a sample. His team included Jim Desmond who filmed Hendrix at Monterey. Pennebaker had filmed Dylan it is rather long-winded and anecdotal. The space may have better been used for pictures. The filmed concert at the Odeon was the second from last. The piece goes into some detail about problems of production and engineering and attempts to get the film on general release (scuppered by EMI).

THE MODULES

All songs by D. Bowie unless otherwise stated.

1. Opening credits/intro - incorporating Beethoven's Ninth Symphony- arranged and performed by Wendy Carlos, courtesy of CBS Masterworks. Articulation by Rachel Elkind. Tempi music. 2. Hang On To Yourself 3. Ziggy Stardust 4. Watch that Man 5. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud 6. All The Young Dudes 7. Oh ! You Pretty Thing
8. Moonage Daydream 9. Changes 10. Space Oddity 11. My Death (Eric Blau/Wort Shuman/Jacques Breil) 12. Cracked Actor 13. Time 14. The Width of A Circle 15. Band Introduction (spoken) 16. Let's Spend The Night Together (Jagger/Richards). 17. Suffragette City 18. White Light/White Heat (Lou Reed)
19. Farewell Speech (Spoken word) 20. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide 21. End Credit incorporating Pomp & Circumstance.

CREDITS

Executive Producer - Tony Defries, filmed by Jim Desmond, Mike Davies, Nick Doob, Randy Franken, D . A . Pennebaker.

MUSICIANS

Mick Ronson - Guitar and vocals, Trevor Bolder - Bass, Woody Woodmansey - Drums, Kim Fordman - sax, flute, Brian Williams - sax, flute,Geoffrey MacCormack - tracking vocals, percussion, John Hutchinson - Guitar, Mike Garson - piano, melletron, organ.

The concert sound by Ground Control recording by Trident Studios.

The restoration of the film and production on CD and DVD by RZO music. DVD commentary by Pennebaker & Visconti. art work by Redroom.

***THE DVD (MOVIE)***

On placing the DVD into the ROM drive I was quickly offered set up options for downloading into the Ziggy theme folder, I'm still trying to figure this 1 out, you can download icons, screen savers, wallpaper a calendar outlining the tour dates and with space for adding your own "what I did on that day" and weblinks for bowie and Pennebaker.

Once this is loaded the film begins in earnest with Bowie in his changing room having his hair styled and make up whilst smoking and drinking. Followed by pre show stage set-up testing and tuning instruments with shots of the young crowd outside (in daylight in front of Hammersmith Odeon). Angie Bowie pops up now and again throughout this section.

Very quickly we are into the 1st Tune Hang onto Yourself (Ziggy Stardust), Bowies dress is very theatrical almost clown like sound and picture quality sharp for my system. Mick Ronson plays a guitar solo through out this track. The 2nd tune Ziggy Stardust shows Bowie wearing a skimpy white thigh length silk jacket. The sound production is as on the album. The camera shots from many angles front, back and close up. Some, of the audience. The less famous Wide Eyed boy From Free Cloud (Starman) follows a brief Watch That Man (Alladinsane) for this we have mainly Bowie head and shoulders in a red light. This feeds into a few verses of All The Young Dudes (written for Mott the Hoople) and Oh! You Pretty Things (Life on Mars). Moonage Day Dream (Ziggy Stardust) follows a distinct break, Ronsons guitar predominates with short solos throughout, he and bowie duet and dance around the microphones the action then moves back to the changing room. Bowie changes into a stripped suit and the film captures him walking back to the stage for the end of Moonage Daydream. Changes follows for a few verse with Bowie playing acoustic guitar ending with a long saxophone solo flowing gently into A Space Oddity. The camera focuses on a spinning globe attached to the ceiling highlighted by a spotlight the audience highlighted by the reflection. My Death an interesting tune written by Eric Bue is a wonderfully morbid tune about death behind a door "Angel or Devil I don't care". Bowie plays acoustic guitar with the camera capturing his full face in a pale blue light throughout. The music breaks for another dressing room make up & change session with the Beatle Ringo in the background. Swiftly we are back on stage with tunes from what would have been the new Alladinsane album. Cracked Actor sees Bowie wearing a white cloak and playing harmonica and Time. Width of a Circle (Man Who Sold The World) follows, this is a long piece Ronson has a significant role on guitar a solo with wah wah peddle, bowie changes costume during the solo before returning to the tune for a mime session. This is followed by the naming of the band members. Finally we have Suffragette City - the crowd call for an encore...briefly we are treated to David in the changing rooms wearing his red underpants.

THE ENCORE includes WhiteLight/WhiteHeat by Lou Reed from the Velvet Undergrounds plastic exploding inevitable; it's more coherent than the original. Bowie's farewell speech (this is the last tour with the spiders) the stage shows ends with Rock N Roll Suicide.

The END CREDITS of the film play out to Pomp & Circumstance.

***MY OPINION***

When I first bought the DVD this medium had novelty value 2 years later they are virtually giving DVD machines away. At 1st 90 minutes might seem a lot but the medium allows you to quickly select tracks, tunes, sections you want. The package would make a nice present although a reduced price would be better I think. The box set has not held its value when compared to its trade price on Ebay today. Some live film of Bowie from this era is a must for any fan. I remember the music at the concert at Romford Odeon was much louder. This DVD has helped capture some of the memories of the fun.
 

...less