During the years 1967-1972, David Bowie recorded 12 sessions or shows for BBC radio, largely for promotional purpose. When in mid-1972 he had achieved stardom, the need to do these radio performances had disappeared and Bowie did not return until 1991 with Tin Machine. The original aim of this section was to clear the total confusion surrounding the sessions from the 70s. More or less starting with the bootleg Ziggy 1 - My Radio Sweetheart (Tune In 001), tracks from arbitrary sessions were compiled on bootlegs. BBC Show May '72 (Avenue Records SRL BN 2378), for instance, features tracks from several 1972 sessions and not from a single show. Up until the mid 90s, several sessions, like the 21-09-71 Bob Harris session, still were a complete mystery.

Some of the confusion was cleared when on 14-02-87 the BBC broadcast "Bowie At The Beeb", featuring tracks from sessions between 1967-1972. In 1996, NMC released BBC Sessions 1969-1972, a sampler of a planned 3CD set with sessions from 1969-1972. This set unfortunately never materialised. Two years after BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler, a 4CDR-set called The Rise And Rise Of Ziggy Stardust (Savage Hippo) appeared, taken from one of the few copies of the NMC 3CD set that had been leaked to fans. The Rise And Rise Of Ziggy Stardust was the first to contain the complete BBC 3CD set, plus all material previously available on bootleg and tape. Needless to say it was reissued plenty of times: The Year Of The Spiders (Switch On! SO 99-03) copies the 1972 sessions, whereas Kiss The Viper's Fang (EDB 002), Nobody's Children (EDB 003) copy the 1969-1972 material from the BBC set, plus the tracks recorded for the lost 11-01-72 session.

In 2000, news broke that finally Bowie's BBC sessions and shows would be compiled on CD. In September of that year, Bowie At The Beeb saw the light of day. The question of course was: did it redeem this BBC Sessions section superfluous, more than 20 years after the release of Ziggy 1? Well... it did and it didn't. Its liner notes finally told the complete 1967-1972 story. The CD featured several songs, like the four tracks from 13-05-68 Top Gear session, that had never appeared on bootleg before. As expected, Bowie At The Beeb was a compilation, featuring only a selection of the songs performed at the BBC. Still, it was rather disappointing that the entire 18-12-67 Top Gear and 11-01-72 Sound Of The Seventies sessions, as well as three quarters of the essential 05-02-70 Sunday Show and very interesting 25-03-70 Sound Of The Seventies session had been left off.

In recent years, complete sessions have appeared on compilations (Conversation Piece, The Width Of A Circle, Divine Symmetry) and reissues of contemporary albums (Deluxe Edition of David Bowie, 40th Anniversary Edition of Space Oddity). At of the time of writing, these do not yet cover 1972, but it's safe to assume ultimately all sessions will be made available... if the BBC masters survived of course. Until then, this section may still come handy for those who want to collect all of Bowie's BBC recordings. I have retained the original commentary about the availability on bootlegs (mostly superfluous now, but maybe historically interesting) and tagged notes about official releases at the end of each session.

Top Gear (18-12-67)

This session was broadcast on 24-12-67 and repeated on 28-01-68. All songs scored and performed by Arthur Greenslade and his 16 piece orchestra; individual musicians unknown. David Bowie: vocals and guitar. Produced by Bernie Andrews.

Recorded were:

  • Love You Till Tuesday
  • When I Live My Dream
  • Little Bombardier
  • Silly Boy Blue
  • In The Heat Of The Morning

Starman In Session (Silver Rarities SIRA 93) features 'Love You Till Tuesday', 'When I Live My Dream', 'Little Bombardier' and 'Silly Boy Blue' from this session, and 'Love You Till Tuesday' and 'In The Heat Of The Morning' were used for the "Bowie At The Beeb" program; see note to the next session. The entire session has been released on the Emerged From Shadows (EDB 001) bootleg. In 2010, it was officially released on the Deluxe Edition of David Bowie.

A track called 'Something I Would Like To Be' was supposed to be recorded during this session as well. The notes of Bowie At The Beeb CD (which does not include a single song from this session) state that "On a final note, David did not record 'Something I Would Like To Be' for Radio 1 in 1967".

Identifiers: 'In The Heat Of The Morning'—the first lines are totally different from the studio version: "My memory keeps me turning 'round/Turning around, looking down the valley of years/Where cunning magpies steal your name/I'm watching your face appear on a cloud drifting by"; 'Silly Boy Blue'—"People are walking the Botella lanes". 'Love You Till Tuesday', 'When I Live My Dream' and 'Little Bombardier' were played only once for the BBC.



Top Gear (13-05-68)

Aired on 26-05-68 and repeated on 20-06-68. Performed by David Bowie and the 14 piece "Tony Visconti Orchestra", including Herbie Flowers: bass; Barry Morgan: drums; John Mclaughlin: guitar; David Bowie: vocals and guitar; David Bowie, Tony Visconti, Steve Peregrine-Took: backing vocals; unknown string players. Produced by Tony Visconti. Recorded were:

  • In The Heat Of The Morning
  • London Bye Ta-Ta
  • Karma Man
  • When I'm Five
  • Silly Boy Blue

but the last song was not broadcast. 'When I'm Five' was released in 1982 as B-side of the 'Love You Till Tuesday' outtake on the DREAM DM 100 bootleg single. As it was used in 1969 for the "Love You Till Tuesday" film, the song in 1984 officially appeared on its soundtrack and ultimately on the Deluxe Edition of David Bowie. The other songs appeared for the first time on Bowie At The Beeb. The complete session ultimately was released on Conversation Piece.

Identifiers: 'In The Heat Of The Morning'—the first lines are similar to the studio version: "The blazing sunset in your eye will tantalize every man who looks your way/I watch them sink before you gazed/Senorita, sway/Dance with me before their frozen eyes"; 'Silly Boy Blue'—"Lamas are walking the Botella lane" and Bowie sings a repeated "Chimi Chimi Chimi". 'Karma Man' and 'London Bye Ta-Ta' were played for a politely clapping audience on the 05-02-70 Sunday Show, and 'When I'm Five' was played only this once.



Dave Lee Travis Show (20-10-69)

Broadcast on 26-10-69. Performed by David Bowie and Junior's Eyes: David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Wayne: guitar; Tim Renwick: guitar; John Lodge: bass; John Cambridge: drums. Produced by Paul Williams. This session featured:

  • Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
  • Let Me Sleep Beside You
  • Janine

'Let Me Sleep Beside You' and an accompanying short interview with Brian Mathew (both featured on the "Bowie At The Beeb" broadcast) have been issued on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler. The complete session, taken from the unreleased NMC BBC 3CD set, has appeared on Kiss The Viper's Fang (EDB 002).

The official Bowie At The Beeb CD has the same interview plus 'Let Me Sleep Beside You' and 'Janine'. The entire session has appeared on both the 40th Anniversary Edition of Space Oddity and the Conversation Piece compilation.

Identifiers: 'Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed' and 'Janine' were repeated on the 05-02-70 show, but the latter versions are easily separated by the applause of the audience.



The Sunday Show (05-02-70)

And aired three days later. Performed by David Bowie and The Tony Visconti Trio (a.k.a. The Hype): John Cambridge: drums; Tony Visconti: bass; Mick Ronson: guitar; David Bowie: vocals and guitar. Produced by Jeff Griffin. This probably is Bowie's most interesting BBC recording, as he played a number of songs of which the only live version is available from this show:

  • Amsterdam
  • God Knows I'm Good
  • Buzz The Fuzz
  • Karma Man
  • London Bye Ta-Ta
  • An Occasional Dream
  • The Width Of A Circle
  • Janine
  • The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
  • Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
  • Fill Your Heart
  • Waiting For The Man
  • The Prettiest Star
  • Cygnet Committee
  • Memory Of A Free Festival

'Waiting For The Man' was recorded but not broadcast (and is now lost), while 'Memory Of A Free Festival' was edited down from 6'40" to 3'12".

The BBC didn't include tracks from this show on their "Bowie At The Beeb" broadcast, as the master tape had accidentally been wiped. To everybody's surprise, a cassette taped from the radio in 1970 surfaced in 1984. Nobody complained that the sound quality was rather poor, John Peel's introductions had crudely been edited out and 'Memory Of A Free Festival' was missing altogether. The first bootleg LP issue in 1984 was No More Sleeping With Ken Pitt (Citizen Kane Records 001), re-released as We Were So Turned On and London Studios. A year later, Janine (Fancy Records PCS 70, LP) appeared, on which the sound quality was much better and the original running order of the songs had been restored. This album was reissued on CD as The Day And The Moon (Manic Depression CD 016). Many re-releases have since followed, i.e. A Semi-Acoustic Love Affair, which has been sourced from a cassette, and is not a straight copy of Janine.

As the master tape had been wiped, Tony Visconti came to the rescue and offered his personal off-air recording of the show for the Bowie At The Beeb CD. It was absolutely great to hear Amsterdam/God Knows I'm Good/The Width Of A Circle/Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed/Cygnet Commitee/Memory Of A Free Festival and John Peel's commentary in much better sound quality. Visconti's tape was finally released in full on 2021's The Width Of A Circle. It's clear why only a selection was used for Bowie At The Beeb: many of the newly released songs unfortunately were plagued by tape damage. An apparently missing section from 'Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud' was even patched with the bootleg recording. Still, it is and will remain the best and most complete recording of this unique concert.

Identifiers: most of the songs from this show are unique; the ones that are repeated in other sessions lack the plaudits of the audience.



Sounds Of The 70s: Andy Ferris (25-03-70)

By Hype: David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar; Tony Visconti: bass; John Cambridge: drums. Produced by Bernie Andrews.

  • Waiting For The Man
  • The Width Of A Circle
  • Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
  • The Supermen

were recorded and all but 'The Supermen' were broadcast on the 06-04-70 Andy Ferris Show and repeated on the 11-05-70 David Symonds Show. 'The Supermen' was considered lost until its master was re-discovered during the research for Bowie At The Beeb. Subsequently, two excerpts of the song were premiered in the BBC World Service's The Music Mix program on 08/09-01-01, as part of its "Bowie At The BBC" special. The rest of this session has always readily been available on bootleg; as it has been copied from the NMC 3CD set, the best sound is found on Kiss The Viper's Fang (EDB 002).

An edited version of 'Waiting For The Man' (4'50" vs 5'43") was officially released on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler. Disappointingly, the Bowie At The Beeb CD only featured 'The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud'. 'The Supermen' was not released until 2016, on the 4LP edition of Bowie At The Beeb. The complete session ultimately appeared on The Width Of A Circle.

Identifiers: these versions are easily recognized by the distinctive heavy Hype sound. Although 'Waiting For The Man' was done twice later for the BBC, this version with its opening power chording cannot be mistaken. Many sources claimed that 'Supermen' from this session was found on The '69 Tapes (Quality Productions QCP 69006) and MissingLinksOneZiggy (Icon One) CDs, but this definitely is not true; this version is a demo. The BBC version can be identified by a slower tempo and the line "And icy-cold in super fear, their endless tragic lives would stretch beyond the lavish gift, infinity, existing perverse serenity", whereas Bowie sings "Gloomy browed with super fear, their tragic, endless lives, could heave nor sigh, the flesh machines, marvel age, wondrous beings chained to live" in the demo.



In Concert: John Peel (05-06-71)

This concert by Bowie and friends was broadcast on 20-06-71. David Bowie: vocals, piano, 12-string guitar; Mark Carr-Pritchard: guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar; Trevor Bolder: bass; Mick Woodmansey: drums; George Underwood, Dana Gillespie and Geoffrey Alexander: vocals and backing vocals. Produced by Jeff Griffin.

  • Queen Bitch
  • Bombers
  • The Supermen
  • Oh! You Pretty Things
  • Looking For A Friend
  • Almost Grown
  • Kooks
  • Song For Bob Dylan
  • Andy Warhol
  • It Ain't Easy

'Oh! You Pretty Things' was not broadcast, and "does not remain on archive" according to the notes of Bowie At The Beeb. This show has a long bootleg history: nearly the entire transmission (only small parts of John Peel's introductions were missing) was released already in 1978 on Ziggy 2 (Dragonfly Tune In 002). Queen Bitch/The Supermen/Looking For A Friend/Kooks/Song For Bob Dylan/Andy Warhol/It Ain't Easy were released in stereo on a BBC transcription disc called Pick Of The Pops For Your DJ—349 (128511-S), while the "Bowie At The Beeb" broadcast re-aired 'Bombers', 'Looking For A Friend', 'Almost Grown' and 'Kooks'. The complete show (minus 'Oh! You Pretty Things'), taken from the NMC set, appeared on Kiss The Viper's Fang (EDB 002).

Bowie At The Beeb features Bombers/Looking For A Friend/Almost Grown/Kooks/Andy Warhol/It Ain't Easy in mono. Divine Symmetry contains both the complete session in mono as well as the seven tracks in stereo from the BBC transcription disc.

Identifiers: although some of the songs were repeated in other BBC sessions (e.g. 'The Supermen', 'Queen Bitch'), this was a live set and all the tracks can be identified by the audience politely clapping after each song, or by the guest singers.



Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris (21-09-71)

Aired at 04-10-71. David Bowie: vocals, piano and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar, backing vocals and bass. Produced by John Muir. The following songs were recorded:

  • The Supermen
  • Oh! You Pretty Things/Eight Line Poem
  • Kooks
  • Fill Your Heart
  • Amsterdam
  • Andy Warhol

The last two tracks were not broadcast. For a long time, 'The Supermen' was the only track available to collectors (a/o on Ziggy 1 - My Radio Sweetheart). 'Supermen' was also part of the "Bowie At The Beeb" transmission; 'Andy Warhol' appeared on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler. Only in 1998, the entire session (including a false start in 'Andy Warhol') became available in very good sound quality on Oh! You Pretty Thing (Savage Hippo SH 111). A year later, Nobody's Children (EDB 003) was copied from the NMC 3CD set.

'Andy Warhol' has appeared on the official BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler. Although labeled "A valuable record of a David Bowie/Mick Ronson solo performance effected mainly around London in the summer and autumn of 1971", the US and European editions of Bowie At The Beeb only featured 'The Supermen' and 'Eight Line Poem' from this session; the Japanese edition additionally had 'Oh! You Pretty Things'. The complete session was ultimately released in 2022 on Divine Symmetry.

Identifiers: again although some of the songs were repeated in other BBC sessions (e.g. 'The Supermen', 'Andy Warhol'), this session is essentially acoustic with only Bowie and Ronson performing and cannot really be mistaken for other sessions.



Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel (11-01-72)

Broadcast on 28-01-72. David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar, piano and backing vocals; Trevor Bolder: bass; Mick Woodmansey: drums. Produced by Jeff Griffin. With this January 1972 session, Bowie and the Spiders unleashed Ziggy Stardust to the world:

  • Hang On To Yourself
  • Ziggy Stardust
  • Queen Bitch
  • Waiting For The Man
  • Lady Stardust

With this session, also the confusion really started. The liner notes of BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler state that of this session only 'Hang On to Yourself' has survived, but in fact the version that is included on that CD was recorded for the 18-01-72 session. Ironically, 'Hang On To Yourself' from the 11-01-72 session is the only BBC track from 1972 that remains completely unavailable. For a long time, 'Queen Bitch' and 'Waiting For The Man' were the only tracks available on bootleg; they could be found on Lost And Forgotten (Halloween Jack A-8296) and later in better quality on Starman Over The Rainbow (Savage Hippo SH118). 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Lady Stardust' circulated only on tape, until four songs from this session were compiled on the essential The Rise And Rise Of Ziggy Stardust (Savage Hippo) 4CDR set. This compilation was later copied on Nobody's Children (EDB 003), but mislabeled 18-01-72.

Among fans there was debate whether this session ever took place, as it seemed incomprehensible that a mere week after his first 1972 session for the BBC, Bowie would return to the studio and perform a virtually identical set of songs. The liner notes of Bowie At The Beeb, however, confirmed its existance: "For the record, the first session, for Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel, was recorded on January 11 and broadcast on the 28th and featured an almost identical set to the January 18 session, minus 'Five Years'". Almost identical indeed, as 'Lady Stardust' was replaced by 'Five Years'. Unfortunately, this session is not featured on Bowie At The Beeb and its notes do neither confirm nor deny the statement of the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler that (most of) this session has been lost. Which would be a real shame, as especially 'Waiting For The Man' rocks hard and trumps next week's recording.

Identifiers: 'Ziggy Stardust'—"Oh, he played it left hand, but [laugh] he made it too far"; 'Queen Bitch'—"Oh well, I'm up on the 11th floor..."; 'Waiting For The Man'—"Dark grey building, up three flights...", "I'm feeling good, working so fine, until..."; "Lady Stardust"—"Boy in the bright blue jeans...", "The band were altogether".



Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris (18-01-72)

Aired on 07-02-72. For musicians and producer information, see the 11-01-72 session.

  • Hang On To Yourself
  • Ziggy Stardust
  • Waiting For The Man
  • Queen Bitch
  • Five Years

'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Five Years' were part of the "Bowie At The Beeb" transmission. Before the NMC set leaked out, 'Queen Bitch' and 'Waiting For The Man' could be found in good quality on Starman Over The Rainbow (Savage Hippo SH 118), 'Hang On To Yourself on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler, and the rest on A Crash Course For The Ravers. The entire session appeared (copied from the BBC masters) on The Year Of The Spiders (Switch On! SO 99-03); on Nobody's Children (EDB 003), it has been mislabeled 11-01-72.

This session is found in its full glory on Bowie At The Beeb. Compared to the NMC set, 'Waiting For The Man' is complete and not faded out. However, initial pressings duplicated 'Ziggy Stardust' from the 16-05-72 session instead of this version.

Identifiers: 'Hang On To Yourself'—"She'll come to the show tonight, praying to the light machines", and Bowie does a little "Whooh!" near the end and exhales with the final chord; 'Ziggy Stardust'—"Played it left hand, but played it too far", "He pulled it all to far, but boy could he..."; 'Waiting For The Man'—"Grey dirty building, up three flights...", "I'm feeling good, feeling so fine, until..."; 'Queen Bitch'—begins with "Oh Yeah!... Hmmnn yeah... I'm up on the 11th floor...", and after the first line Bowie can be heard to say "Louder"; 'Five Years' (which can be confused with the Old Grey Whistle Test TV performance)—"I had to cram so much, everything in there".



Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel (16-05-72)

Aired on 23-05-72. David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar and backing vocals; Trevor Bolder: bass; Mick Woodmansey: drums; Nicky Graham: piano. Produced by Pete Ritzema.

  • White Light/White Heat
  • Moonage Daydream
  • Hang On To Yourself
  • Suffragette City
  • Ziggy Stardust

This session can be found on Starman In Session (Silver Rarities SIRA 93), with the exception of 'Ziggy Stardust', which has officially been released on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler. The Year Of The Spiders (Switch On! SO 99-03), Emerged From Shadows (EDB 001) and Nobody's Children (EDB 003) copied this session from the BBC 3CD set.

All five songs appeared on Bowie At The Beeb.

Identifiers: 'White Light/White Heat'—"Make me sound like Lou Reed"; 'Hang On To Yourself'—"Comes to the show tonight, praying to the light machine", and Bowie sings multiple rising "Ah, ah, ah" at the end; 'Ziggy Stardust'—"Well, he played it left hand, but made it too far". 'Suffragette City' and 'Moonage Daydream' were played only once for the BBC.



Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show (22-05-72)

Broadcast in the week from 05 to 09-06-72. David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar, piano and backing vocals; Trevor Bolder: bass; Mick Woodmansey: drums. Produced by Roger Pusey. Recorded were the well-known:

  • Starman
  • Space Oddity
  • Changes
  • Oh! You Pretty Things

Only 'Oh You Pretty Things' (on the first day) and 'Starman' (the rest of the week) were broadcast. 'Oh! You Pretty Things' first surfaced in excellent quality on Starman Over The Rainbow (Savage Hippo SH 118), 'Space Oddity' has been released on the BBC Sessions 1969-1972 Sampler, and 'Starman' and 'Changes' were first available on Starman In Session (Silver Rarities SIRA 93). 'Starman' was also part of the "Bowie At The Beeb" broadcast. All four songs are available on The Year Of The Spiders (Switch On! SO 99-03) and Nobody's Children (EDB 003).

Again Bowie At The Beeb covers the entire session.

Identifiers: 'Space Oddity' can be identified by a bass guitar liftoff and "I'm just a rocket man"; 'Oh! You Pretty Things' has full band backing, tambourine, hand claps, etc., whereas the 21-09-71 version is acoustic. 'Starman' and 'Changes' were only performed on this session.



Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris (23-05-72)

Broadcast at 19-06-72. David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Mick Ronson: guitar, piano and backing vocals; Trevor Bolder: bass; Mick Woodmansey: drums. Produced by Jeff Griffin.

  • Andy Warhol
  • Lady Stardust
  • White Light/White Heat
  • Rock 'N' Roll Suicide

All but the last song can be found on Starman Over The Rainbow (Savage Hippo SH 118); 'Andy Warhol' is also found in excellent quality on A Crash Course For The Ravers. 'White Light/White Heat' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Suicide' were featured on the Bowie At The Beeb. Again, the complete session appeared on The Year Of The Spiders (Switch On! SO 99-03) and Nobody's Children (EDB 003).

Bowie At The Beeb omits 'White Light/White Heat'.

Identifiers: 'Andy Warhol'—"Oh really, oh that's nice", "I only look at the pictures myself"; 'Lady Stardust'—"The boy in the bright blue jeans, "The band was altogether" and Bowie says "Wrong song" at the end; 'White Light/White Heat'—"Gonna take me outta my brain", and Bowie does some high pitched wailing at the end. 'Rock 'N' Roll Suicide was performed only this once for the BBC.

Note: a tape exists of a BBC DJ talking to Rick Wakeman during which they play three songs: 'John I'm Only Dancing', 'Lady Stardust' and 'Star'. They comment on the fact that these are collectors items and were recorded for the BBC on 21-09-72. However, the tracks sound exactly like the officially released studio versions, except that 'John I'm Only Dancing' is slightly edited (2'29" vs. 2'46"). 'John I'm Only Dancing' and 'Lady Stardust' are found on Starman In Session (Silver Rarities SIRA 93); the complete broadcast (including the interview) is available on the The Rise And Rise Of Ziggy Stardust 4CDR.



Mark Goodier's Evening Session (13-08-91)

David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Reeves Gabrels: guitar and backing vocals; Tony Sales: bass and backing vocals; Hunt Sales: drums and backing vocals. Produced by Jeff Smith.

  • A Big Hurt
  • Baby Universal
  • Stateside
  • If There Is Something
  • Heaven's In Here

are played at this Tin Machine session. 'Stateside', 'If There Is Something' and 'Heaven's In Here' are issued on the 'Baby Universal' CD-single in tin can (London/Victory LOCDT 310); 'A Big Hurt', and 'Baby Universal' can be found on the 12" of the same single (London/Victory LONX 310). 'Baby Universal' was re-released on CD on the Japanese Radio Session (Victory VICP-15014) CD.



ChangesNowBowie (08-01-97)

David Bowie: vocals and guitar; Reeves Gabrels: guitar and backing vocals; Gail-Ann Dorsey: bass and backing vocals.

  • The Man Who Sold The World
  • The Supermen
  • Lady Stardust
  • Quicksand
  • Shopping For Girls
  • Aladdin Sane
  • White Light/White Heat
  • Repetition
  • Andy Warhol

Recorded in New York (during the rehearsals for the Birthday Benefit Concert), but transmitted exclusively for BBC Radio One. The broadcast also features an interview with David by Mary Anne Hobbs, interspersed with birthday messages from many artists. These acoustically performed Bowie classics can be found on Divine Symmetry (DB1) or The Earthling Chronicles (Dancing Horse DH-005). The Man Who Sold The World/Andy Warhol/Aladdin Sane/Lady Stardust/White Light-White Heat have officially appeared on the US Album Network promo David Bowie Earthling Radio Special (ALB-BOWIE).

Officially released (minus the interview segments) as ChangesNowBowie.



The Mark And Lard Show (25-10-99)

David Bowie: vocals and acoustic guitar; Page Hamilton: guitar; Gail Ann Dorsey: bass; Mark Plati: rhythm/acoustic guitar; Mike Garson: keyboards; Sterling Campbell: drums; Holly Palmer: backing vocals; Emm Gryner: backing vocals. Produced by Will Saunders.

  • Survive
  • Drive-In Saturday
  • Something In The Air
  • Can't Help Thinking About Me
  • Repetition

Between the songs, Bowie did a ten minute interview with Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley. 'Can't Help Thinking About Me' from this session was officially released on the streaming Toy single.



The Saturday Music Mix (25-10-99)

Aired on 06-11-99. David Bowie: vocals and acoustic guitar; Page Hamilton: guitar; Gail Ann Dorsey: bass; Mark Plati: rhythm/acoustic guitar; Mike Garson: keyboards; Sterling Campbell: drums; Holly Palmer: backing vocals; Emm Gryner: backing vocals. Produced by Chris Whatmough.

  • Survive
  • China Girl

Two songs and an interview with Billy Bragg, recorded just after the Mark And Lard Show.



BBC Show (27-06-00)

David Bowie: vocals and acoustic guitar; Earl Slick: guitar; Gail Ann Dorsey: bass; Mark Plati: rhythm/acoustic guitar; Mike Garson: keyboards; Sterling Campbell: drums; Holly Palmer: backing vocals; Emm Gryner: backing vocals.

  • Wild Is The Wind
  • Ashes To Ashes
  • Seven
  • This Is Not America
  • Absolute Beginners
  • Always Crashing In The Same Car
  • Survive
  • The London Boys
  • I Dig Everything
  • Little Wonder
  • The Man Who Sold The World
  • Fame
  • Stay
  • Hallo Spaceboy
  • Cracked Actor
  • I'm Afraid Of Americans
  • Ziggy Stardust
  • The Jean Genie (instrumental)
  • All The Young Dudes
  • Starman
  • Heroes
  • Let's Dance

Recorded just after Bowie's glorious Glastonbury gig to an audience of 150 invited guests at London's Broadcast House. The BBC has transmitted an hour of this show on television.

Wild Is The Wind/Ashes To Ashes/Seven/This Is Not America/Absolute Beginners/Always Crashing In The Same Car/Survive/Little Wonder/Man Who Sold The World/Fame/Stay/Hallo Spaceboy/Cracked Actor/I'm Afraid Of Americans/Let's Dance were released on BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000, the bonus disc to Bowie At The Beeb. Toys From The Attic (BOW2001) features the other tracks (including false starts of 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'All The Young Dudes'), taken from an audience recording.



BBC Radio 2 Special (18-09-02)

Broadcast on 05-10-02. David Bowie: vocals and acoustic guitar; Earl Slick: guitar; Gerry Leonard: guitar; Gail Ann Dorsey: bass; Mark Plati: rhythm/acoustic guitar; Mike Garson: keyboards; Sterling Campbell: drums; Catherine Russel: percussion, keyboards.

  • Sunday
  • Look Back In Anger
  • Cactus
  • Survive
  • 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
  • Alabama Song
  • Everyone Says 'Hi'
  • Rebel Rebel
  • The Bewlay Brothers
  • Heathen (The Rays)

The complete show has been released on An Evening With David Bowie (BOWEVEN2002).



Not to confuse with


Old Grey Whistle Test (08-02-72)

'Queen Bitch', 'Oh! You Pretty Things' and 'Five Years' were recorded live for BBC Television. All three songs are included on the MissingLinksOneZiggy (Icon One) CD. Additionally, a false start of 'Queen Bitch' is available on The Axeman Cometh (DB003), whereas the complete session plus alternate take of 'Oh! You Pretty Things' and two false starts of 'Queen Bitch' are found on Toys From The Attic (BOW2001). In 2002, the complete session (including the second take of 'Oh! You Pretty Things') was released on the Best Of Bowie DVD.



Top Of The Pops (14-04-72)

With a classical performance of 'Starman'. Another TV performance, sung live to a backing track. Featured on the Look Back In Anger (Mister Jones 1/2) LP and (incomplete) on the 1980 Floor Show (Chapter One CO 25155) CD. This performance too is available on the Best Of Bowie DVD.



Russell Harty Plus (17-01-73)

'My Death' and 'Drive-In Saturday' were performed. 'Drive-In Saturday' is released on the A Crash Course For The Ravers CD; 'My Death' is available only on Heaven Or Maybe Hell (Artie Fartie CD 001). 'Drive-In Saturday' and the interview with Russell Harty are available on the Best Of Bowie DVD.