David Bowie 1972-07-15 Aylesbury ,Friars Borough Hall – Aylesbury Friars Club –
Sound Quality Rating
01. Ode To Joy.flac
02. Hang On To Yourself.flac
03. Ziggy Stardust.flac
04. The Supermen.flac
05. Queen Bitch.flac
06. Song For Bob Dylan.flac
07. Starman.flac
08. Changes.flac
09. Five Years.flac
10. Space Oddity.flac
11. Andy Warhol.flac
12. Amsterdam.flac
13. I Feel Free.flac
14. Moonage Daydream.flac
15. I Can’t Explain (FIRST TIME LIVE).flac
16. White Light White Heat.flac
17. Suffragette City.flac
18. Waiting For The Man.flac
Label: No label
Audio Source: audience
Total running time: 1:15:40
Sound Quality: Not good ,much Noise ,very dull
Attendance: 2.000
Artwork: yes.
This is an interesting tape for historic purposes and something no Bowie collector can live without.
David walked on stage and said “Alright ,I’m David Bowie and this is some of our rock.” He announced ‘I feel Free’: “This is a song from a long time ago. It’s written by Jack Bruce and Keith Brown. It’s called ‘I Feel Free’;
Friars Club, Aylesbury, England – July 15th, 1972
There are a couple of small cuts on the tape including one after “Queen Bitch,” “I Feel Free” and “Suffragette City.”
Occurring five weeks after the release of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and in the early stages of the Ziggy Stardust tour, Bowie returned to the same venue where ten months before was the scene of one of his biggest triumphs for shows on July 15th and July 18th. July 15 was also a showcase for Bowie. RCA invested $25,000 to court American journalists from top publications including Rolling Stone, Creem, The New York Times, and the New Yorker to witness the show. The following day a press conference was arranged at the Dorchester Hotel (with Lou Reed and Iggy Pop also in attendance). Press interviews afterwards would be refused in order to build a “mystique” around the artist.
These shows are notable for containing the first rethinking of the set list. In the July 15th show a cover of The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” makes its first appearance, and in the July 18th covers of Chuck Berry’s “Round And Round” and The Beatles’ “This Boy” new originals “The Width Of A Circle” and “John, I’m Only Dancing” were played. The club which held 2,000 people was packed for the concert. Bowie had planned to relay this concert to a huge video screen in the market square but this idea was scrapped. The tape picks up with the Walter (now Wendy) Carlos electronic arrangement of Beethoven’s Ode Zu Freunde from Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. “Alright! I’m David Bowie, these are the Spiders From Mars and this is some of our rock” he says as they come on stage.
The first four songs are delivered at a furious pace borne by nervous energy. “Thank you very much. That was called ‘Bob Dylan’” he says after “Song For Bob Dylan” as they light into one of their bigger hits of the time “Starman.” Bowie and the band loosen up considerably playing very strong material like “Changes” and “Space Oddity,” this most famous song. “This is a song we wrote…called ‘Andy Warhol’” he says before playing the Hunky Dory track. There is a long explanation before the next song which Bowie says is “written by a Belgian…who wrote a song called ‘The Port Of Amsterdam’ about twelve years ago.” He gives a very loose rendition. This is followed by the Cream cover “I Feel Free,” one of the barn burners in the set. This would be soon be dropped in favor of “The Width Of A Circle” where Ronson would not only import but also expand the solo to almost triple the length.
The new song “Moonage Daydream” sounds very powerful despite the poor recording. Bowie gives a short explanation about how he would listen to The Who when he was a boy and they follow with a rather faithful cover of “I Can’t Explain.” The show ends with the newer song “Suffragette City” featuring Bowie’s fellating Ronson’s guitar no doubt, a trick they began the previous month to much press notoriety. The only encore of the show is the Velvet Underground cover “Waiting For The Man.” Several years ago silent color 16mm footage filmed by Mick Rock surfaced from this show and although it circulates has never been pressed. A Wardour release of this tape (with correct attribution) along with a DVD of the Rock footage would be an amazing title truly aimed at Bowie collectors.
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An American Journalists had never yet seen such a show,their enthusiasm was great.One of them .Glen O’Brien from ‘interview’ ,wrote extensive report (five 30×40 cm pages’).I quote part of it.”The Aylesbury Town Hall is the size of an average pre-war high school gym… There were perhaps a thousand peers in the hall when we entered. At first if was remarkable that RCA had spent at least $25,000 to bring a select group of writers to the concert at which there were no seats for them.Then I realised there were no seats at all.
David Bowie did no come unannounced.He was in fact preceded on stage by a handsome negro and his attendants who attempted to work the audience to a fever pitch by tossing them balloons,Pinwheels,and hundreds of Bowie posters.The audience needed little prodding though,and anxiously awaited David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars,while the giant amplifiers sounded a recording of old Ludwig Von’s Song of Joy from the Ninth Symphony.
David appeared on stage with what fairly could be called a thunderous ovation.And he deserved avery handclap from it,even it he would not be abel to play a note,for his mere appearance was a work of considerable art.His half hair was a vibrant orange.His body was encased In a skin tight Jumpsuit… On his prancing feet David wore red patent midcalf booth… The total effect was quite breathtaking.And the band played on. And David proved himself to be a unique performer.Not only did he shake his hips and toss his head with the best of them ,he also arched his brow like a silent screen actress and illustrated his songs with gestures”
CA fly in the cream of the American music press (Lisa Robinson – After Dark; Lilian Roxon – New York Daily News; Bob Meusel – UPI; Ellen Willis – The New Yorker; Alan Rich – New York; Lenny Kaye – Changes; Henry Edwards – The New York Times; Glen O’Brien – Andy Warhol’s Interview and others from Rolling Stone, Creem, and Playboy) to this concert at the cost of US $25,000 in order to sell Bowie, who while well known in the UK, is less so in the US. The club which held 2,000 people was packed for the concert. Bowie had planned to relay this concert to a huge video screen in the market square but this did not occur. Bowie enters the concert to flashing strobe lights and the “Clockwork Orange” music. The press spend a weekend at The Inn on The Park and have an opportunity to meet Bowie personally.
“My first concert ever was Ziggy at Friars Aylesbury…The event changed my world and I’ve seen David six times since. I remember Ronson in a silver suit…..the Spiders in high platform shoes…fake fellatio with David between Micks legs playing the guitar with his teeth songs…..Ziggy, My Death, White Light White Heat… Wow wow great great memories” Simon Brackley (2002)
“The gig on 15 July was used as a showcase for record company executives form all over the world. I remember doing a little history of the town and giving this out to these high-flying executives. This was an amazing gig, there was real hysteria. We had a hard time with security too. It was really that intense. It was also quite clear at that point that it was breaking huge. I had put on the gig in Dunstable the previous month and Bowie was extremely good. I remember the fellatio with Ronson at that gig and I remember everyone being pretty shocked. It was breaking literally by the day and by the time 15 July came around there was great excitement in the air. Needless to say, the gig had sold out instantly.” – David Stopps (1999)
“The Aylesbury town hall is the size of an average pre-war high school gym…There were perhaps a thousand peers in the hall when we entered. At first I thought it was remarkable that RCA had spent at least $25,000 to bring a select group of writers to a concert at which there were no seats for them, save the floor…David Bowie did not come on unannounced. He was in fact preceded on stage by a handsome Negro and his attendants who attempted to work the audience to a fever pitch by tossing them balloons, pinwheels, and hundreds of Bowie posters. The audience needed little prodding, though, and anxiously awaited David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars, while the giant amplifiers sounded a recording of old Ludwig Von’s Song of Joy from the Ninth Symphony. David appeared on stage with his band to what could fairly be called a thunderous ovation. And he deserved every handclap…His hair was a vibrant orange..And the band played on…And David proved himself to be a unique performer.” – Glen O’Brien (Andy Warhol Interview 1972)
“Insane. The most ridiculously crass thing to happen. There was too much happening at once. The attitude of more is better, I quickly learned is just the wrong thing to do in music. If you think your work matters, and if you want some kind of understanding between the audience and the work, then you can’t throw it away like that. All those things came to be the friction between Tony [DeFries] and me near the end. I wanted to approach the thing from a much lower profile than all this hyperkill.” – Bowie (1993)
New Musical Express’s first Bowie headliner outlining Bowie’s rapid rise in the music charts and scene. “Starman” enters the singles charts.
David Bowie Tour Band – The Ziggy Stardust Tour
David Bowie – vocals, guitar, harmonica
Mick Ronson – guitar, vocals
Trevor Bolder – bass
Mick “Woody” Woodmansey – drums
Matthew Fisher – piano (20 Apr 1972 – 27 May 1972)
Robin Lumley – piano (2 Jun 1972 – 15 Jul 1972)
Nicky Graham – piano (1 Aug 1972 – 7 Sep 1972)
Mike Garson – piano, mellotron, organ (22 September 1972 – end of tour)
John Hutchinson – rhythm guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar (8 Apr 1973 – 20 Apr 1973 – 3 July 1973)
Aynsley Dunbar – additional drums (8 Apr 1973 – 20 Apr 1973)
Geoffrey A. MacCormack – backing vocals, percussion (19 January 1973 – end of tour)
Ken Fordham – saxophone (19 January 1973 – end of tour)
Brian Wilshaw – saxophone, flute (19 January 1973 – end of tour)
Crew
Robin Mayhew ,Will Palin ,Mick Hince ,Dean Heiser – Sound ,Ground Control ,Front of House Engineer ,Stage hands
Nigel Olliff, Nick Gilbey, Paul Normand and crew – Lights ,1972 Heavy Light ,1973 See Factor Industries NY Bob See ,Steve Hurston ,Mick Fussey
Peter Hunsley – Stage Equipment
Suzi Fussey – Wardrobe, Makeup and Hair
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