David Live

Capturing the music on tape was itself problematic; most of the backing vocals, as well as the saxophone and the piano solo for "Aladdin Sane", needed to be overdubbed in the studio later (a fact noted on the original album sleeve) because the performers were often off-mike. According to the original album liner notes: "This Live album was culled from performances on the 14th & 15th July 1974 at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia. It is complete and exact. No studio overdubs or re-recording of voices, instruments or audience have been added with the exception of several backing vocals due to loss of theatre mike contact." Also worth noting, there is – as Nic Pegg puts it – a 'degree of confusion [that] surrounds the dates of the recordings, which are given incorrectly on some reissues: according to Tony Visconti the correct dates are 11 and 12 July 1974'.[2] However, according to collector Jens Döpke, it is the first pressing that has incorrect recording dates on the inside of the fold-out cover: "14th & 15th July 1974". These dates must be incorrect because Bowie played The Tower Theater for six nights, from 8 to 13 July. Döpke goes on to say: "On later pressings, this error has been corrected (although the new dates given, 12 and 13 July 1974, are still not entirely correct)." Döpke notes the corrected pressings begin from October 1974, which given the first pressing was released on 21 October 1974, the mistake must have been realised and corrected during the run-up to release. The correct dates of the recording, according to Döpke, are 10 to 13 July 1974. The Tower Theater concerts also gave rise to a backstage revolt by Bowie's touring band. Having been informed on short notice that the concerts would be professionally recorded for official release and that Bowie's management intended to pay them only the standard union fee required for a live recording (a mere $70), the band confronted Bowie an hour before the first show and refused to take the stage unless they received $5,000 each.[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Blender	[5]
Christgau's Record Guide	C–[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
MusicHound	3/5[8]
Pitchfork Media	7.7/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Select	4/5[11]

The finished album has been criticised for Bowie's 'obsessive' rearrangements of the songs and for the strained quality of his vocals. Opinion of the playing is also divided, despite the presence of such acclaimed guests as Michael Kamen, Earl Slick and David Sanborn, as well as Flowers, Mike Garson and Tony Newman from the Diamond Dogs sessions. However some of the interpretations earned praise, such as the upbeat jazz-Latin version of "Aladdin Sane" and the atmospheric instrumental additions to "The Width of a Circle" from The Man Who Sold the World. The record is also notable for including Bowie's first release of "All the Young Dudes," a song originally given to the band Mott the Hoople for their 1972 album of the same name.

Mick Jagger commented about the album at the time, saying he thought "Knock on Wood" was "awful". Jagger went on to say, "If I got the kind of reviews that he got for that album, I would honestly never record again. Never."[12]

Bowie later commented that "David Live was the final death of Ziggy… And that photo on the cover. My God, it looks like I've just stepped out of the grave. That's actually how I felt. That record should have been called 'David Bowie Is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory'".[13]

David Live made No. 2 on the UK charts (the tour had only visited North America), No. 5 in Canada (where the tour had opened)[14] and No. 8 in the US. "Knock on Wood" was released as a single, reaching No. 10 in the UK. A reissue of the album in 2005 finally included a complete song list from the original concerts plus a new mix by Tony Visconti, said to be an improvement over the fidelity of previous releases.[1]

• David Bowie – vocals
• Earl Slick – guitar
• Herbie Flowers – bass
• Michael Kamen – electric piano, Moog, oboe, arrangements
• Tony Newman – drums
• Pablo Rosario – percussion
• David Sanborn – alto sax, flute
• Richard Grando – baritone sax, flute
• Mike Garson – piano, Mellotron
• Gui Andrisano – backing vocals
• Warren Peace – backing vocals

Album

Single

• Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record
• David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story, ISBN 1613737653
• Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie