by Robert Wilkinson
We kick off our Sunday with the music of the very avant-garde David Bowie, who would have been 78 on January 8. So to celebrate his life and work, “Let’s Dance!”
David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016) took the stage name David Bowie to avoid any confusion with Davy Jones, the Capricorn singer, dancer, and actor Monkee who also was born in the UK in 1945. Bowie the musical innovator was a singer, songwriter, actor, and painter who reinvented himself on regular intervals, changing his stage appearance with each change of his music. From Wikipedia:
Bowie's impact was enormous; he changed the nature of rock music, and changed his own approach repeatedly. During his career, he sold an estimated 140 million records worldwide. In the UK, he was awarded nine platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, and in the US received five platinum and seven gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Bowie stopped concert touring after 2004, and last performed live at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, he returned from a decade-long recording hiatus, remaining musically active until his death from liver cancer three years later.
For your dancing pleasure, some of his best! (I know there are many not included in the single clips. That’s why I tried to get concerts from various tours!)
We’ll begin with the natural song to kick this off! Here’s the original music video for his smash hit “Let’s Dance”
And we’ll continue with a great live performance by David with Tina Turner cranking out “Let’s Dance” and “Let’s Dance” – 2 different songs!
Here’s how he arrived in 1969! "Space Oddity."
From 1970, his first television appearance! Very live, here’s “Space Oddity”
From TOTP in 1972, a live performance of “Star Man”
From the same year, live on the BBC’s Old Gray Whistle Test, David performing “Oh You Pretty things”
Now we move into the back to back smash hits from 1972, "Changes" and "Suffragette city."
From 1973, a live performance of “Sorrow”
Also from 1973 on the Top of the Pops television show, David live cranking out "The Jean Genie"
Here’s his 36 minute 1973 performance on The Midnight Special! David Bowie’s 1980 Floor Show on the Midnight Special
From 1974, live on television, here’s all 32 minutes of David Bowie on the Dick Cavett Show
We'll move into two from his time hanging with John Lennon in 1975. We'll begin with a live audio-only recording featuring John and David in the Record Plant in NYC cranking out "Young Americans," and finish with a live 1978 performance of a tune he co-wrote with John Lennon in 1975 that went to #1, "Fame."
Here's David live on the Soul Train television show in November 1975, looking loaded and in the groove performing the very funky "Golden Years" and “Fame.” (The first 3 minutes are an interview on stage before he busts into his moves).
From 1978, 42 minutes of David Bowie live at the Musikladen Beat Club
Here's David live in December 1978 in Budokan, Japan, performing the title track for what is considered to be his best album, "Station to Station."
Here's the entire one hour show at Budokan! David Bowie in Tokyo - Last night of Low and Heroes
From the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1980, David live performing “Life on Mars” and “Ashes to Ashes”
From Live Aid in 1985, David live performing “TVC 15,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Modern Love,” and “Heroes”
From Sept 1987 at the Capital Centre, a full 2 hour 14 of David Bowie – The Glass Spider Tour
From London in 1992 at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, David and Annie Lennox performing “Under Pressure” And from the same gig, with Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter, “Heroes”
Live in Germany in 1996, a full 1 hour 38 minute show! David Bowie Live at Rockpalast 1996
Live in New York in 2002, a full 1 hour 34 minutes of David Bowie – Live By Request
From his last album, the title track! “Blackstar”
Here’s 71 videos of David Bowie’s Greatest Hits
We’ll close with the song that brought us here. Live in New York, David Bowie performing “Let’s Dance”
For our encore, David on stage with David Gilmour in 2006 doing the vocals for a great live performance of “Comfortably Numb.”
For our second encore, a tune he wrote and produced in 1972 which Mott the Hoople made into a timeless rock and roll hit! “All The Young Dudes.”
Our last encore is an album he produced and played on with Mick Ronson. This was a HUGE deal at the time. For your amazement, from 1972, a creative work which blew minds, offended millions, enchanted tens of millions, and marked the emergence of Mister Lou Reed as a creative force beyond the VU. Have fun! Transformer
Thanks for breaking down so many musical barriers, David Bowie. You turned the Dylan line inside out, as surely you knew what was happening here, didn’t you, Mister Jones? RIP. Tell John and Lou we all send our best.
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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