Album Review – DAVID BOWIE – Cracked Actor (Live ’74)
Review by Geoff Jenke
In 1974 David Bowie released his first official live album called David Live. It was recorded on his ’74 Diamond Dogs tour and the album has since received savage reviews over the years for its overdubs and muffled mix. Bowie once commented this album should have been called David Bowie is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory.
Cracked Actor is also from the 1974 tour; however this set was from the second half of the tour. Several band members had been replaced and Luther Vandross and Robin Clark added as backing vocalists. Available for years as a bootleg, it now has official release and sounds all the better for it.
Bowie had “killed” off Ziggy Stardust by now and was moving towards a more soulful stage of his career. But first he had to tour the glam tinged post apocalyptic album Diamond Dogs.
Opening with 1984, the first thing that strikes you is the clarity of the sound. It sounds fresh, exciting and vibrant. Bowie soon slides into what is now “classic Bowie tracks” in Rebel Rebel, Changes, Suffragette City and even a stunning performance of the song he gave Mott the Hoople, All The Young Dudes. (However Mott still do it much better!)
Space Oddity sounds like the original studio version, Diamond Dogs is angry, The Jean Genie wild and Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide hauntingly beautiful.
With Earl Slick on guitar the band rev it all the way to 11 for the 7 minute closing number John I’m Only Dancing. Heavy!
So does the world need a new Bowie live album? When it is one as good as this that shows how great Bowie was live, then yes, we do need this album. You need it too.
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