It's really astounding to me how badly Bowie's early live stuff (prior to Station To Station) was recorded, with the exception of the Bowie At The Beeb stuff.
There is the concert footage which was used in the BBC Cracked Actor documentary. But only a few songs survive. Most of the concert was in the can but Alan Yentob said that the BBC lost/destroyed the outtakes.
Poor Erdal. The man seemed to go from hero to zero in David's eyes. What's the beef? Writing credits? Money? I mean Too Dizzy isn't the Man Who Sold The World, but there again it isn't Tin Opener's Pretty Thing either ...
Footage from a Madison Square Garden gig from this tour (so either 19 or 20 July 1974) has been shown in snippets as well. It may just be videotape and I have no idea how much was shot or if they even know where the footage is. I know it was used in some kind of documentary long ago. My dusty brain cells seem to recall it was footage of "Footstompin'" that was shown but I can't swear to that 100% as it has been a very long time since I saw the footage.
I need to try that diet as I have hit the middle aged spread years. And maybe the coke addiction actually helped Bowie ... not in terms of creativity but more just been able to stay awake to create this 24/7
When I worked at the Beeb I actually enquired about it and was told it had been wiped in 1982 as part of a space saving purge.
Sorry to ask but is this a UK only RSD? I’ve never felt the urge to partake but I’d sure like to get this (but in New York)
Such a stupid thing to do. You think they could have at least asked Bowie if he wanted it for his archive.
Indeed. And Bowie and Yentob became friends, so I often wonder if a 'director's copy' didn't find its way to Bowie - or indeed if Yentob still has one? Back then, the BBC archives were kept in a storage facility outside London where they rotted away until they were culled in a purge. The rushes from Cracked Actor would be pretty priceless to any Bowie fan - and David himself.
Strangely enough what looks like an outtake DB no doubt would have loved to get wiped somehow leaked/survived
Nacho Video does a great job cutting together was does exist from the tour. He's kind of devoted himself to creating pretty excellent videos from various stages of Bowie's career.
Woah! Some impressive snorting there. And the dude's fro' at the top of the clip is pretty impressive too ...
He did say that this was the main reason coke was his drug of choice then, so he could stay awake and work, and as Young Americans is my favourite Bowie album I can't really argue with the creativity argument
Just a thought - didn't the 2013 Five Years documentary include some outtakes (albeit quite brief) from Cracked Actor? In particular, I am thinking of the footage when he is rehearsing Right. Maybe there's still hope......
