David Bowie BBC Sessions

David Bowie recorded twelve radio sessions for the BBC between 1967 and 1972. Many of the tracks – but not all – were released on the Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000). Some of the tracks missing from the first few sessions not included on Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set appear on later editions of David Bowie (1967) and David Bowie (1969).[1] A few more tracks appear on BBC Sessions 1969–1972 (Sampler) [1996]; Bowie at the Beeb 4-LP Edition [2016]). However, many of the missing tracks from the Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set are only available on bootlegs and online. Finally, three tracks are lost, and one other track only exists in edited form. This is because many of the original mastertapes are long gone, with sometimes only the broadcast tapes existing, meaning songs that were recorded but not originally broadcast, or only broadcast in edited form, are lost; or in at least one case, only a partial recording of a broadcast exists, with the broadcast tape no longer available. This page gives an overview of all the sessions, along with where they have received their official release.

Top Gear: 18 December 1967

Bowie's first session for BBC Radio was recorded on the 18 December 1967, soon after the release of his first album, David Bowie (1969). The session was recorded at Piccadilly Studios and arranged and performed by Arthur Greenslade and his 16 piece orchestra with Bowie on vocals and playing guitar. The session was produced by Bernie Andrews.[2]

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[3] Release
01 "Love You Till Tuesday" Bowie 3:00 24-12-67; rept 28-1-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)
02 "When I Live My Dream" Bowie 3:35 24-12-67; rept 28-1-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)
03 "Little Bombardier" Bowie 3:28 24-12-67; rept 28-1-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)
04 "Silly Boy Blue" Bowie 3:25 24-12-67; rept 28-1-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)
05 "In The Heat Of The Morning" Bowie 2:40 24-12-67; rept 28-1-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)

Top Gear: 13 May 1968

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[4] Release
01 "In The Heat Of The Morning" Bowie 3:03 26-5-1968; rept 20-6-68 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "London Bye Ta-Ta" Bowie 2:36 26-5-1968; rept 20-6-68 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "Karma Man" Bowie 3:00 26-5-1968; rept 20-6-68 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "When I'm Five" Bowie 3:08 26-5-1968; rept 20-6-68 David Bowie (1967): Deluxe Edition (2010)
05 "Silly Boy Blue" Bowie 4:37 20-6-68 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

Dave Lee Travis Show: 20 October 1969

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[5] Release
01 "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" Bowie 4:04 26-10-1970 David Bowie (1969): Special Edition (2009)
02 "Let Me Sleep Beside You" Bowie 4:49 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
David Bowie (1969): Special Edition (2009)
03 "Janine" Bowie 3:05 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
David Bowie (1969): Special Edition (2009)

The Sunday Show [Live]: 5 February 1970

Sound Of The Seventies: 25 March 1970

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[6] Release
01 "Amsterdam" Jacques Brel
trans. Mort Shuman
3:02 8-2-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "God Knows I'm Good" Bowie 3:29 8-2-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "Buzz The Fuzz" Biff Rose 2:21 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
04 "Karma Man" Bowie 3:02 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
05 "London Bye Ta-Ta" Bowie 2:36 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
06 "An Occasional Dream" Bowie 2:51 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
07 "The Width of a Circle" Bowie 5:58 8-2-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
08 "Janine" Bowie 3:30 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
09 "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" Bowie 4:20 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
10 "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" Bowie 5:07 8-2-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
11 ""Fill Your Heart" Biff Rose 2:21 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
12 "I'm Waiting for the Man" Lou Reed ? not broadcast lost
13 "The Prettiest Star" Bowie 2:40 8-2-1970 bootleg / online only
14 "Cygnet Committee" Bowie 8:54 8-2-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
15 "Memory of a Free Festival" Bowie 6:40 8-2-1970 [3:41 edit] full lost / edit on Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[7] Release
01 "I'm Waiting for the Man" Lou Reed 5:49 6-4-1970; rept 11-5-1970 BBC Sessions 1969–1972 (Sampler) (1996) [Limited release]
bootleg / online
02 "The Width Of A Circle" Bowie 5:38 6-4-1970; rept 11-5-1970 bootleg / online only
03 "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud" Bowie 4:44 6-4-1970; rept 11-5-1970 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "The Supermen" Bowie 3:19 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 4-LP Edition (2016)
bootleg / online

In Concert [Live]: 3 June 1971

'The date of this session has been widely misquoted as 5 June,' writes Pegg 'but BBC records and Bowie at the Beeb confirm 3 June is correct'.[8]

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[9] Release
01 "Queen Bitch" Bowie 4:31 20-6-1971 bootleg / online only
02 "Bombers" Bowie 3:14 20-6-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "The Supermen" Bowie 3:08 20-6-1971 bootleg / online only
04 "Oh! You Pretty Things" Bowie ? not broadcast lost
05 "Looking For A Friend"
vocals Mark Carr-Pritchard
Bowie 3:22 20-6-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
06 "Almost Grown"
backing vocals Geoffrey Alexander
Chuck Berry 2:46 20-6-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
07 "Kooks" Bowie 3:46 20-6-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
08 "Song for Bob Dylan"
vocals George Underwood
Bowie 4:46 20-6-1971 bootleg / online only
09 "Andy Warhol"
vocals Dana Gillespie
Bowie 4:08 20-6-1971 bootleg / online only
10 "It Ain't Easy"
vocals Bowie, Alexander, Underwood
Ron Davies 3:00 20-6-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

Sound Of The Seventies: 21 September 1971

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[10] Release
01 "The Supermen" Bowie 2:52 4-10-1971; rept. 1-11-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "Oh! You Pretty Things" Bowie 3:17 4-10-1971; rept. 1-11-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000) Japanese Edition only
Bowie at the Beeb 4-LP Edition (2016)
bootleg / online
03 "Eight Line Poem" Bowie 2:57 4-10-1971; rept. 1-11-1971 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "Kooks" Bowie 3:23 4-10-1971; rept. 1-11-1971 bootleg / online only
05 "Fill Your Heart" Biff Rose 2:49 1-11-1971 bootleg / online only
06 "Amsterdam" Jacques Brel
trans. Mort Shuman
3:08 not broadcast bootleg / online only
07 "Andy Warhol" Bowie 2:52 not broadcast BBC Sessions 1969–1972 (Sampler) (1996) [Limited release]
bootleg / online

Sound Of The Seventies: 11 January 1972

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[11] Release
01 "Hang On to Yourself" Bowie ? 28-1-1972; rept. 31-3-1972 lost
02 "Ziggy Stardust" Bowie 3:19 28-1-1972; rept. 31-3-1972 bootleg / online only
03 "Queen Bitch" Bowie 3:04 28-1-1972; rept. 31-3-1972 bootleg / online only
04 "I'm Waiting for the Man" Lou Reed 5:24 28-1-1972; rept. 31-3-1972 bootleg / online only
05 "Lady Stardust" Bowie 3:19 31-3-1972 bootleg / online only

Sound Of The Seventies: 18 January 1972

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[12] Release
01 "Queen Bitch" Bowie 2:59 7-2-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "Five Years" Bowie 4:24 7-2-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "Hang On to Yourself" Bowie 2:50 7-2-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "Ziggy Stardust" Bowie 3:20 7-2-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
05 "I'm Waiting for the Man" Lou Reed 5:25 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

Sound Of The Seventies: 16 May 1972

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[13] Release
01 "Hang On To Yourself" Bowie 2:50 23-5-1972; rept. 25-7-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "Ziggy Stardust" Bowie 3:24 23-5-1972; rept. 25-7-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "White Light/White Heat" Lou Reed 3:48 23-5-1972; rept. 25-7-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "Suffragette City" Bowie 3:29 23-5-1972; rept. 25-7-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
05 "Moonage Daydream" Bowie 4:59 25-7-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show: 22 June 1972

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[14] Release
01 "Starman" Bowie 4:05 6-6-1972; 7-6-1972; 8-6-1972; 9-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "Space Oddity" Bowie 4:17 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "Changes" Bowie 3:30 not broadcast Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "Oh! You Pretty Things" Bowie 2:58 5-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

Sound Of The Seventies: 23 May 1972

Track Title Written by Length Broadcast[15] Release
01 "Andy Warhol" Bowie 3:15 19-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
02 "Lady Stardust" Bowie 3:21 19-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
03 "White Light/White Heat" Lou Reed 3:56 19-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)
04 "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" Bowie 3:09 19-6-1972 Bowie at the Beeb 2-CD Set (2000)

References

General

  • O'Leary, Chris, Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76, Zero Books, 2015 - ISBN 9781780992440
  • Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie: Expanded and Updated Seventh Edition, Titan Books, 2016 - ISBN 9781785653650

Specific

  1. Pegg, p. 629
  2. Pegg, p. 629
  3. Pegg, p. 629
  4. Pegg, p. 629-630
  5. Pegg, p. 630
  6. Pegg, p. 630
  7. Pegg, p. 631
  8. Pegg, p. 631
  9. Pegg, p. 631
  10. Pegg, p. 632
  11. Pegg, p. 632
  12. Pegg, p. 632-633
  13. Pegg, p. 633
  14. Pegg, p. 633
  15. Pegg, p. 633
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