Bowie's most glorious vocal performances - join in and be specific

Probably the only reason I ever paid attention to Bowie in the first place:

 

Not a big fan of this album but I agree with you on the My Death performance. It's totally mesmerizing and the phrasing is perfect

 

The Phoenix Festival show from 1996 had Bowie on fantastic form. Many may find his voice bombastic, but from "Heroes" through to Moonage Daydream is a vocal tour de force for me.

 

No need to hide under the chair, I don't think that the show was all that brilliant either. My favourite part is "The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud"/"All The Young Dudes" but apart from that the show sounds a little too contrived. It's as if David is trying too hard and Rono messes up a few solos and generally goes over the top and out of control. Maybe they were nervous about the occasion (the film crew, Jagger in the audience, the final show of the tour,...). The contrived aspect was even worse at The Marquee for the 1980 Floor Show where David took the whole androgeny thing a bit too far and it became ridiculously grotesque. I much prefer the earlier incarnations of Ziggy and it's a pity that not much of him was caught on film and multi-track (thank God for Santa Monica 72!).

 

I don't find it particularly more "contrived" than anything else during the Ziggy era, I just think the Spiders weren't having a very good night. They don't seem in sync or grooving together very well. Ronson isn't playing at his best and his guitar is uncomfortably out of tune for much of the show. Maybe, as you say, they were nervous for any number of possible reasons. And last, but far from least, the recording is flawed in ways that accentuate the band's flaws (I mean, what planet is the bloody piano on??) But despite all that I think David is in excellent voice here.

My favorite part of the show is also the "Wild-Eyed Boy" medley. David sings the heck out of it and the band is right there with him.

I'm pretty certain that Santa Monica 72 isn't multi-tracked. Every version I've ever heard sounds like the same mix I heard broadcast on the radio when it originally aired (I remember that well - it blew my fragile teenage mind away!)

 

This, this, a thousand times this

 

Wild is the Wind

 

I just think the mix/sound is poor whether it's the soundboard original from Robin Mayhew, the 83 mix or later Visconti mix from 2003.
Totally agree regarding 1980 Floor Show.
I'm not a fan of Santa Monica either!

Anyway, something positive, Ziggy from Glastonbury. Again, Bowie may be a bit bombastic for purists of the original version but the band are tight, Bowie sounds magnificent and I think this version is fantastic

 

And how could I forget the Five Years / Soul Love / Star segment from Stage. Bowie's vocal is sublime.

 

I'm not familiar with many shows from the Ziggy tour. Do you have any favourite dates that I can check out? I have access to *cough* that kind of stuff I can find myself.

 

Have really enjoyed listening to this thread.

 

There is an out-take of "Moonage Daydream" that is really drums-heavy and starts off missing the first verses ("I'm an alligator..."). Bowie belts it out like it's a bar-room tune and he's singing along with his friends, it's really great to hear.

 

Bro here is a funny one. Lol! When I was young I saw this and laughed.

 

His cover of "It's hard to be a saint in the city". Case closed.
In this song his voice travels along all registers possible. Check out 2:10 - 3:00 - isn't that one fantastic minute of pure vocal performance?

 

One of the top vocal moments ever.

 

I had Stay in my buds this morning--he sings the whole chorus down low (ahem), but without a breath, he's able to go way up an octave and sing "or do something'. I don't consider Bowie a technically great singer, but he can be a very emotional one, you get the fear in his voice when he sings 'we only smelt the gas as we laid down to sleep'. Yipe!

 

Peace On Earth

 

The album version of Ashes to Ashes for me.

 

I had to google those lyrics I guess I never listen to that album!

 

I know it is generally maligned, and I'm no fan of Brian Wilson, but Bowie's cover of God Only Knows is sublime. My favorite vocal of a career's worth of genius vocals.

 

"A Small Plot of Land" from Outside always sent chills down my spine. Especially the "Swings through the tunnels" part near the end.

 

I like the Ambient stuff he did with Eno on Low and Heroes.
Sometimes few (awesome) vocal pieces are flowing in, 'Subterraneans' for example.
"Shirley, Shirley, Shirley, Ownnnn........"

 

Ziggy did play guitar, but where were the spiders?

 

Me too. The Basquiat OST alternate version is also fantastic. I always find it somewhat amusing Brian Eno has this "ambient music twinkler cum knob twiddler" aura in a lot of the media, when he's actually created and been heavily involved with some of the most sinister, even malevolent sounding music of the past 50 years: The Great Pretender, An Index of Metals, Ambient 4:On Land, Broken Head, Sense of Doubt, and A Small Plot of Land, to name a few fab examples.

 

Erinnerung An Die Marie A. (Remembering Marie A) should be added. It's just so lovely


But what her face was like, I know no longer...