David Bowie The Sun Machine Is Coming Down (1970-02-05) (The Complete BBC Sessions Part 2)
Sound Quality Rating
Broadcast on 8th february 1970
Studio : BBC Paris Studio ,London
DAVID BOWIE and THE HYPE 1970-02-05
01. Amsterdam.wav
02. God Knows I’m Good.wav
03. Buzz the Fuzz.wav
04. Karma Man.wav
05. London Bye Ta Ta.wav
06. An Occasional Dream.wav
07. The Width of a Circle.wav
08. Janine.wav
09. The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud.wav
10. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed.wav
11. Fill Your Heart.wav
12. The Prettiest Star.wav
13. Cygnet Committee.wav
Label: “Gato Gordo” Industrias Musicales – 000023
Audio Source: BBC
Format: Vinyl, LP
Total running time: 0:46:43
Note: Good quality audience recording – I’d give it SQ 8,5
Attendance: . . . . . . .
Artwork: YES.
‘Waiting For The Man’ was recorded but not broadcast (and is now lost), while ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ was edited down from 6’40” to 3’12”.
The BBC didn’t include tracks from this show on their “Bowie At The Beeb” broadcast, because the master tape had accidentally been wiped. To everybody’s surprise, a cassette taped from the radio in 1970 surfaced in 1984. Nobody complained that the sound quality was rather poor, John Peel’s introductions had crudely been edited out and ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ was missing altogether.
The first bootleg LP issue in 1984 was No More Sleeping With Ken Pitt (Citizen Kane Records 001), re-released as We Were So Turned On (idem), and London Studios (idem). A year later, Janine (Fancy Records PCS 70, LP) appeared, on which the sound quality was much better and the original running order of the songs was restored. This album was reissued on CD as The Day And The Moon (Manic Depression CD 016); many re-releases have since followed, i.e. A Semi-Acoustic Love Affair (no label), which has been made from a cassette, and is not a straight copy of Janine.
As the master tape had been wiped, Bowie himself came to the rescue and offered his personal copy of the show for the Bowie At The Beeb CD. It is absolutely great to hear Amsterdam/God Knows I’m Good/The Width Of A Circle/Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed/Cygnet Commitee/Memory Of A Free Festival and John Peel’s commentary in (almost) impeccable sound quality. It certainly makes one long for a complete release one day
Musicians
David Bowie – vocals ,guitar ,keyboard
plus The Tony Visconti Trio
Tony Visconti – bass
Mick Ronson – guitar
John cambridge – drums
DAVID BOWIE and THE HYPE
David Bowie “In Concert” 05-02-1970
