Hey, that’s far out so you heard him too?
I’m sure those of you that frequent the BowieNet MBs have already seen the excellent reviews of Saturday’s David Live and Stage playbacks at Abbey Road posted by Dez and Dukebox. Charly has also supplied a review which can be read in its entirety below as it wasn’t posted on the MBs.
I have to say I am in complete agreement with all of the reviewers about these 5.1 mixes. Both albums have been utterly revitalised and are a completely new listening experience. They now sound so much brighter and energetic…Like the audio equivalent of a net curtain being removed from the window of your favourite view. (Sorry about that, I haven’t taken any drugs…honest!)
I’m happy to say that Stage in particular is a quantum leap from what it was…the evidence of an audience has given the album a super-boost of atmosphere and has turned what was a good album into a great album.
BowieNetters, that haven’t already, can read Dez’s David Live review
Anyway, here follows Charly’s review, but first a few words of gratitude from the man responsible for these improvements,
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Hi Blam,
I confess to reading the reviews you sent to me from Charly, Dez and Dukebox regarding their Abbey Road listening party experience more than once. I am so glad that the improvements in the sound of David Live and Stage have been that noticeable and acknowledged. We worked very hard to make those mixes jump out of the speakers and to recreate the live experience of being there. David’s incredible performances and song writing deserved this, and I’m so glad we now have the technology to make these recordings sound like they are new.
I have to acknowledge Nigel Reeve, Henry Wrenn-Melek, DTS and my able assistant Mario McNulty for their invaluable contributions to these projects. The ultimate reward, though, is reading reviews like the ones I’m seeing on Bowienet. I’d like to remind Bowienetters that we restored the concerts to their original running orders and missing songs because of their requests on Bowienet. Could you please thank the people who were there and wrote about it?
Cheers,
Tony Visconti
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A Modern Age Daydream by Charly
In anticipation of what I was due to witness on Saturday 12th February, I had been playing David Live in the car for a few days. Just to re-familiarise myself with it. Hadn’t played it for a while and it was nice to re-encounter Aladdin Sane and Width Of A Circle played in the ’74 style, along with all the rest obviously. Driving into London, I wasn’t sure what to expect, thinking about the studio, where would we be sitting, what would it sound like? You get the idea. Once inside, we were taken to the studio and were given a quick insight into the ‘doings’ by Nigel and Merrick (big thanks to both). Blam said a few words and then it was time to take our seats. We sat right in front of the mixing desk, almost huddled in a little semi circle so we had the best position in-between all the speakers. Large speakers – just the sort of thing I want in my lounge! Time for the off and straight into the music. And WOW!
The clarity, the quality, you could hear EVERYTHING. Things were going on in those songs I’d never heard before. Bowie’s voice was strong and powerful, absolutely beautiful. This was a listening experience beyond description. I spent most of David Live with my eyes closed, mellowing in the moment, trying to capture images of David on stage in 1974, wishing I was there (I was only 3 unfortunately – Mum wouldn’t let me go to Philly). The addition of Space Oddity was awesome, it had an almost eerie feel to it. Hearing Panic in Detroit as part of the show was incredible and it sounded amazing. I got lost in Aladdin Sane, being my ultimate favourite Bowie song and I love the way he did it live then.
I mouthed the words a lot, I could hear the audience behind me. I felt chilled yet tense at the same time. Part of me wanted to leap up and dance and sing, the other part luckily won over and I just tapped my feet and nodded my head to the music. Sweet Thing has always been a favourite on Diamond Dogs. The deepness and fullness of his voice mesmerises me every time. This hadn’t prepared me however, for hearing it in 5.1, not even close. I can’t listen to it again, well, not until I get the new remastered CD anyway.
The intro to Diamond Dogs itself almost made us jump. Wham Bam Thank You Mam kind of thing. It just hit us and I SO wanted to be there. This was just pure unadulterated excellence. The sound was so ‘real’ I almost felt like I could reach out and touch it. We all felt exhausted afterwards, almost like we’d concentrated so hard on listening, taking it all in, it had shot us to pieces.
A brief interlude for sandwiches and it was back for Stage. I hadn’t played this in ages but I used to play it a lot. I now think I’d been listening to a different album. This was NOTHING like it. The sound was full and crisp. It had depth and volume that the basic CD couldn’t begin to produce. How many instruments? The piano on Warszawa was rich and sensual. Heroes, like Diamond Dogs, almost had us all jumping out of our seats in surprise. It almost leapt out of the speakers at us. What In The World seemed much ‘busier’ than I ever remember it to be. Sense of Doubt, one of my faves from Heroes was mind blowing. I didn’t know which speaker to focus on, although particularly amusing was the back left one which sounded like it had been taken over by alien-like beings. This really makes the original album sound flat. Be My Wife and Stay were fantastic and so belong on this recording.
The ingenuity of Station To Station being ‘stuck’ together defies explanation and the way the sound swirled around our heads, echoing from speaker to speaker completely took you in. The audience were again behind me, swaying and clapping, I was with them. As the last notes of TVC15 faded, I sat there in realisation that I had just heard one of the most incredible sounds I’d ever heard. Walking out, I almost felt stoned – I’ve never been stoned so can only imagine that’s what it was like. I felt knackered yet totally exhilarated. Two stunning concerts back to back and I felt like I had literally been at each one. If only….
HUGE thanks to the guys at Abbey Road, to Blam and to BowieNet for making Saturday 12th February 2005, which would have been an otherwise totally boring, cold wintry day, a day and a half to remember. Soul Love. And hello to my fellow BowieNetters, great seeing you all and sharing that moment with you.
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