 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2020) |
| Stage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 29 September 1978 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 28–29 April, 5–6 May 1978 | |||
| Venue | Various
| |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| David Bowie chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Stage | ||||
| ||||
Stage is the second live album by the English musician David Bowie, recorded on the Isolar II Tour, and released through RCA Records in 1978. Stage has been reissued numerous times, each with expanded track listings.
The recording was culled from concerts in Philadelphia, Providence, and Boston, US, in late April and early May 1978. It primarily included material from Bowie's most recent studio albums to that date, Station to Station , Low , and "Heroes" (both 1977), but also contained five songs from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). Aside from Bowie's core team of Carlos Alomar, Dennis Davis, and George Murray, the band included ex-Frank Zappa sideman Adrian Belew on guitar, Simon House from Hawkwind on electric violin, Roger Powell, best known for his work with Todd Rundgren in the group Utopia, on keyboards, and Sean Mayes on piano, string ensemble and backup vocals. All would reunite the following year on Bowie's next studio LP, Lodger (1979).
In the liner notes for the CD reissue (2005), recording engineer Tony Visconti explains that the "ambient" songs were recorded via a direct electronic feed from the instruments rather than through microphones, and that the audience was turned "way down during these performances". Apparently the US audiences (contrary to Australian audiences, for instance) were, in Visconti's words, "a little too impatient for David to get on with the rock songs". [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [5] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| NME | 8/10 [7] |
| MusicHound | 3/5 [8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10 [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [10] |
| Select | 4/5 [11] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10 [12] |
| Uncut | [13] |
Stage was a commercial success. In the UK, it reached No. 5 and was subsequently certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also reached No. 44 on the US charts.
"Breaking Glass", which originally appeared in shorter form on Low , was released as a 3-track EP and reached number 54 on the UK singles chart. In the US, "Star" was released as a 3-track EP, but failed to chart. In Japan "Soul Love" was released, with "Blackout" on the B-side, but also failed to chart.
Generally considered more relaxed than Bowie's previous live album, David Live , Stage was praised on its initial vinyl release for the fidelity with which the band was able to emulate in concert the electronic and effects-filled numbers from Low and "Heroes", as well as for the singer's vocal performance. At the same time, because Bowie had rarely tampered with the arrangements – in contrast to his method on David Live – Stage added little to what was available on the original albums, and was seen by some commentators as simply a marketing exercise that did not do justice to a memorable series of live concerts. The album was criticised for lacking a 'live' atmosphere, thanks to the recording being largely taken from direct instrument and microphone feeds, which increased sound quality but minimised crowd noise. The original concert running order was also changed, with fades between tracks similar to a studio album. Even the cover picture came in for criticism, more so because the rest of the package contained only variations of the same shot.
In a review of the 1991 rerelease, Mat Snow of Q stated that "performances are faster than the studio originals and suffer for it; what they gain in live jauntiness – not exactly a quality they were crying out for – they lose in power and intensity." [14]
A 2005 reissue saw many of the criticisms of the original LP addressed. In his review of the reissue, Chris Roberts of Uncut said that the combination of Low/Heroes-period material and songs from Ziggy Stardust resulted in a live album that was an "eerie clattering between two stools". He said that the improvements in sound carried out by Tony Visconti and the addition of "Stay" and "the brilliant 'Be My Wife'" made the new version of Stage "essential for Dave-freaks, anyway". [13]
The album is included in The Quietus' list of its writers' "40 Favourite Live Albums". [15]
All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hang On to Yourself" | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Ziggy Stardust" | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Five Years" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Soul Love" | 2:55 |
| 5. | "Star" | 2:31 |
| Total length: | 16:22 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Station to Station" | 8:55 |
| 2. | "Fame" (Bowie, Carlos Alomar, John Lennon) | 4:06 |
| 3. | "TVC 15" | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 17:38 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warszawa" (Bowie, Brian Eno) | 6:50 |
| 2. | "Speed of Life" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Art Decade" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Sense of Doubt" | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Breaking Glass" (Bowie, Dennis Davis, George Murray) | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 19:25 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'Heroes'" (Bowie, Eno) | 6:19 |
| 2. | "What in the World" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Blackout" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 5:08 |
| Total length: | 19:52 (73:17) | |
The cassette release places "Speed of Life" between "Fame" and "TVC 15".
Stage has been rereleased on CD four times, the first being in 1984 by RCA Records, then in 1991 by Rykodisc (containing a bonus track), later in 2005 by EMI, and most recently in 2017 by Parlophone (also on vinyl). The running order of the 2005 and 2017 editions reflects the actual performance, removing fades between tracks, and including previously unreleased performances as bonus tracks.
The 1984 rerelease on CD (catalogue number PD89002) contains the same running order as the original LP, and comes on two discs (despite the double-LP release being short enough to fit on a single CD unaltered). Some of the European-distributed CDs were manufactured in Japan, but cover and assembling were made in Europe. Most of the CDs were made in Germany.
In 1991, Stage was rereleased on CD, with the same running order as the original LP, with "Alabama Song" included as a bonus track.
All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hang On to Yourself" | 3:26 | |
| 2. | "Ziggy Stardust" | 3:32 | |
| 3. | "Five Years" | 3:58 | |
| 4. | "Soul Love" | 2:55 | |
| 5. | "Star" | 2:31 | |
| 6. | "Station to Station" | 8:55 | |
| 7. | "Fame" | Bowie, Alomar, Lennon | 4:06 |
| 8. | "TVC 15" | 4:37 | |
| Total length: | 34:00 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warszawa" | Bowie, Eno | 6:50 |
| 2. | "Speed of Life" | 2:44 | |
| 3. | "Art Decade" | 3:10 | |
| 4. | "Sense of Doubt" | 3:13 | |
| 5. | "Breaking Glass" | Bowie, Davis, Murray | 3:28 |
| 6. | "'Heroes'" | Bowie, Eno | 6:19 |
| 7. | "What in the World" | 4:24 | |
| 8. | "Blackout" | 4:01 | |
| 9. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 5:08 | |
| 10. | "Alabama Song" (Bonus Track) | Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 43:17 (77:17) | ||
The 2005 CD reissue features a new running order, reflecting the original setlist of the concerts as performed. Two previously unreleased performances were included on the album as bonus tracks.
All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warszawa" | Bowie, Eno | 6:46 |
| 2. | "'Heroes'" | Bowie, Eno | 6:10 |
| 3. | "What in the World" | 4:16 | |
| 4. | "Be My Wife" (Previously unreleased) | 2:35 | |
| 5. | "Blackout" | 3:52 | |
| 6. | "Sense of Doubt" | 3:07 | |
| 7. | "Speed of Life" | 2:39 | |
| 8. | "Breaking Glass" | Bowie, Davis, Murray | 3:22 |
| 9. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 5:00 | |
| 10. | "Fame" | Bowie, Lennon, Alomar | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 41:50 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Five Years" | 3:58 | |
| 2. | "Soul Love" | 2:55 | |
| 3. | "Star" | 2:25 | |
| 4. | "Hang On to Yourself" | 3:21 | |
| 5. | "Ziggy Stardust" | 3:37 | |
| 6. | "Art Decade" | 3:01 | |
| 7. | "Alabama Song" | Brecht, Weill | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Station to Station" | 8:40 | |
| 9. | "Stay" (Previously unreleased) | 7:17 | |
| 10. | "TVC 15" | 4:32 | |
| Total length: | 43:41 (85:31) | ||
In 2017, the album was included, in two versions, in the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set released by Parlophone. One version contained the original mix and the same list and ordering of tracks that had appeared on the original vinyl album; the other was a new version of the album, based on the 2005 edition but including two previously unreleased songs from the concerts. [16] The latter was also released separately, in 2-CD and 3-LP formats, in 2018. [17]
All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warszawa" | Bowie, Eno | 6:53 |
| 2. | "'Heroes'" | Bowie, Eno | 6:19 |
| 3. | "What in the World" | 4:25 | |
| Total length: | 17:37 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Be My Wife" | 2:49 |
| 5. | "The Jean Genie" (Previously unreleased) | 6:17 |
| 6. | "Blackout" | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Sense of Doubt" | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 16:13 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Speed of Life" | 2:40 | |
| 9. | "Breaking Glass" | Bowie, Davis, Murray | 3:22 |
| 10. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 5:06 | |
| 11. | "Fame" | Bowie, Alomar, Lennon | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 15:21 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Five Years" | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Soul Love" | 2:56 |
| 14. | "Star" | 2:28 |
| 15. | "Hang On to Yourself" | 3:22 |
| 16. | "Ziggy Stardust" | 3:30 |
| 17. | "Suffragette City" (Previously unreleased) | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 17:43 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Art Decade" | 3:01 | |
| 19. | "Alabama Song" | Brecht, Weill | 3:55 |
| 20. | "Station to Station" | 8:43 | |
| Total length: | 15:39 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 21. | "Stay" | 7:21 |
| 22. | "TVC 15" | 4:36 |
| Total length: | 11:57 (94:30) | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warszawa" | Bowie, Eno | 6:53 |
| 2. | "'Heroes'" | Bowie, Eno | 6:19 |
| 3. | "What in the World" | 4:25 | |
| 4. | "Be My Wife" | 2:49 | |
| 5. | "The Jean Genie" (Previously unreleased) | 6:17 | |
| 6. | "Blackout" | 4:00 | |
| 7. | "Sense of Doubt" | 3:07 | |
| 8. | "Speed of Life" | 2:40 | |
| 9. | "Breaking Glass" | Bowie, Davis, Murray | 3:22 |
| 10. | "Beauty and the Beast" | 5:06 | |
| 11. | "Fame" | Bowie, Alomar, Lennon | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 49:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Five Years" | 3:57 | |
| 2. | "Soul Love" | 2:56 | |
| 3. | "Star" | 2:28 | |
| 4. | "Hang On to Yourself" | 3:22 | |
| 5. | "Ziggy Stardust" | 3:30 | |
| 6. | "Suffragette City" (Previously unreleased) | 3:58 | |
| 7. | "Art Decade" | 3:01 | |
| 8. | "Alabama Song" | Brecht, Weill | 3:55 |
| 9. | "Station to Station" | 8:43 | |
| 10. | "Stay" | 7:21 | |
| 11. | "TVC 15" | 4:36 | |
| Total length: | 47:51 (94:30) | ||
According to author Roger Griffin: [1]
| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [18] | 14 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [19] | 2 | |
| Italian Albums ( Musica e dischi ) [20] | 24 | |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [21] | 1 | |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [22] | 18 | |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23] | 29 | |
| UK Albums (OCC) [24] | 5 | |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape [25] | 44 | |
| 2005 | French Albums (SNEP) [26] | 162 |
| 2018 | Greek Album Chart [27] [ failed verification ] | 68 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [28] | 33 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [29] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [30] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Coda is the first compilation album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The album is a collection of rejected tracks from various sessions during Led Zeppelin's twelve-year career. It was released on 19 November 1982, almost two years after the group had officially disbanded following the death of drummer John Bonham. The word coda, meaning a passage that ends a musical piece following the main body, was therefore chosen as the title.
The Song Remains the Same is the live soundtrack album of the concert film of the same name by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The soundtrack was recorded 27–29 July 1973 and released on 22 October 1976 on Swan Song Records.
Reality is the 24th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released in Europe on 15 September 2003, and the following day in America. His second release through his own ISO label, the album was recorded between January and May 2003 at Looking Glass Studios in New York City, with production by Bowie and longtime collaborator Tony Visconti. Most of the musicians consisted of his then-touring band. Bowie envisioned the album as a set of songs that could be played live.
David Bowie is the second studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released in the United Kingdom on 14 November 1969 through Mercury affiliate Philips Records. Financed by Mercury on the strength of "Space Oddity", the album was recorded from June to October 1969 at Trident Studios in London. Gus Dudgeon produced "Space Oddity", while Tony Visconti produced the rest of the album. It featured an array of collaborators, including Herbie Flowers, Rick Wakeman, Terry Cox and the band Junior's Eyes.
Live: Right Here, Right Now. is the first live album by American rock band Van Halen, released in 1993. It is the band's only live album featuring Sammy Hagar and the only live album by Van Halen until the release of Tokyo Dome Live in Concert in 2015.
The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released through Mercury Records in the United States on 4 November 1970 and in the United Kingdom on 10 April 1971. Produced by Tony Visconti and recorded in London from April to May 1970, the album features the first appearances on a Bowie record of future Spiders from Mars members Mick Ronson and Mick Woodmansey.
"Heroes" is the 12th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 14 October 1977 through RCA Records. Recorded in collaboration with musician Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti, it was the second release of his Berlin Trilogy, following Low, released in January the same year, and the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. Sessions took place in mid-1977 after Bowie completed work on Iggy Pop's second solo album Lust for Life. Much of the same personnel from Low returned for "Heroes", augmented by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp.
Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture is a live album by the English musician David Bowie, released in October 1983 in conjunction with the film of the same name. The music was recorded during the Ziggy Stardust Tour at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 3 July 1973, although the album was not issued by RCA Records until 1983. Prior to that it had existed in bootleg form, notably His Masters Voice – Bowie and the Spiders From Mars' Last Stand.
Deep Purple in Concert is a live album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, recorded by the BBC for their "In Concert" live series in 1970 and 1972. First released in 1980 in the UK, with the current US edition being made available in 2001.
Too-Rye-Ay is the second studio album by English pop band Dexys Midnight Runners. It was released in July 1982 by Mercury Records. The album is best known for the hit single "Come On Eileen", which included the refrain that inspired the album's title. It was the band's most successful album, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart.
David Live is the first official live album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released through RCA Records in 1974. The album was recorded in July of that year, on the initial leg of Bowie's Diamond Dogs Tour, at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.
"Amsterdam" is a song by Jacques Brel. It combines a powerful melancholic crescendo with a rich poetic account of the exploits of sailors on shore leave in Amsterdam. Musically, it takes its base melody line from the melody of the English folk song Greensleeves.
Rare is a compilation album by the English musician David Bowie, released by RCA Records in December 1982. The artist's relations with the company were at a low – Bowie had recorded his last music for RCA Records with the Baal EP, and had been annoyed by the release of a five-year-old duet with Bing Crosby as a single without his consultation. Bowie informed RCA he was unhappy with the Rare compilation, and would sign with EMI Records for his next album. All tracks on Rare were being issued for the first time on LP and cassette.
Bowie at the Beeb is a compilation album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three-CD set, the third, bonus CD being a live recording made on 27 June 2000 at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre. Later editions contain only the first two CDs. The bonus disc was also released as a separate single CD entitled BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000.
Sound + Vision is the first box set by English musician David Bowie, released by Rykodisc in 1989. By the end of the 1980s, the rights to Bowie's pre-1983 catalogue reverted to Bowie and his former management company, MainMan. Rykodisc had approached Bowie in 1988 to re-release his albums on CD and Bowie agreed, and in September 1989 the Sound + Vision box set was released. By April 1990, the box set had sold over 200,000 copies, which, for a set costing $50–$60, was considered "phenomenal".
A Reality Tour is a live album by David Bowie that was released on 25 January 2010. The album features 22 and 23 November 2003 performances in Dublin during his concert tour A Reality Tour. This is an audio version of the concert video of the same name, except that it adds three bonus tracks. The digital download on iTunes adds two more bonus tracks.
Toy is a studio album by the English musician David Bowie, posthumously released in November 2021. It was recorded from July to October 2000 in New York City and featured re-recordings of songs Bowie recorded between 1964 and 1971, along with a couple of new tracks. The project was co-produced by Bowie and Mark Plati and featured musicians from Bowie's then-touring band—Plati, Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey, Mike Garson and Sterling Campbell—with overdubs from Lisa Germano, Gerry Leonard and Cuong Vu.
Nothing Has Changed is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. It was released on 18 November 2014 through Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings in the United States. The album was released in four formats: a triple CD version, a double CD version, a double LP version, and a single CD version released exclusive to select countries.
A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 29 September 2017. A follow-up to the compilations Five Years (1969–1973) and Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976), the set covers Bowie's career from 1977 to 1982, including his "Berlin Trilogy", over eleven compact discs or thirteen LPs. Exclusive to the box set are a Heroes EP, which compiles versions of his song "'Heroes'" recorded in different languages, a new version of Lodger (1979), remixed by coproducer Tony Visconti, and Re:Call 3, a compilation of non-album singles, single versions, and B-sides that serves as a sequel to Re:Call 1 from Five Years and Re:Call 2 from Who Can I Be Now? and features the Baal EP (1982) in its entirety on CD for the first time.
Welcome to the Blackout is a live album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie recorded on the Isolar II Tour. It had a limited vinyl release on 21 April 2018 for Record Store Day. A more widely available CD edition followed on 29 June 2018, along with digital releases for download and streaming.
Works cited
