RE: (TV) MM reissue / another dream / Question for MM list / Bowi e VHS

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

--- "Casey, Leo J" <CaseyL@VOLPE.DOT.GOV> wrote:
> Of all of Verlaine's released (no bootlegs) recordings, which is 
> the rarest in terms of the fewest copies actually released? 
> [Possibly obfuscating Hint: it is *tangentially* related to the 
> 1992 Television song "Big Ho" (no relation to "Harmonica Joe"!].

My guess for the rarest Verlaine item would be "Scientist Writes a Letter" 45.
A runner-up might be the "Kaleidescopin'" CD single with "Vanity Fair" on it. 

Or, maybe the original Cuban LP release of TOM VERLAINE, with the hidden bonus
track of "It's My Party"? 

Now to get off-topic for a minute...

> PS: Hey, Philip (or any other Bowie fan),
> is there a vhs/DVD of the 1978 "Stage" concert 
> by David Bowie (esp. "What In the World")--also, why 
> is the cd so hard to find and expensive---last but not least: 
> what did Viscounti and Bowie do to the live recording on 
> this vinyl/cd , weren't some instruments or vocal snippets 
> completely re-recorded or 'sweetened' and spliced into 
> the live stuff or is this just a rumor from the 
> AMGuide web site or some other web source? 

There's no official Stage video/dvd out there, but stuff from TV performances
and live concerts from that tour does circulate on VHS.

According to Visconti, the only overdubs done on STAGE were of backup vocals.
Also, Visconti mixed-out the audience during the instrumental pieces,
apparently because booing could be heard on the original recordings! The other
major change on STAGE was that they rearranged the concert(s) for release,
putting the more commercial material ("Ziggy", etc.) first, whereas the actual
Stage concert shows opened with instrumental numbers. 

STAGE was basically an anti-bootlegging device that was supposed to be
rush-released, but as I recall it got held up when Bowie bickered with RCA
about whether (being a double-LP) it should count as a single record or two
towards fulfilling Bowie's contract.

All of David's official 70s live albums are out-of-print right now. Supposedly
they're being reconfigured for re-release. It would be great if they restored
STAGE to its real running order, added more material (even the Rykodisc 2CD
reissue, with "Alabama Song" as a bonus track, could fit on a single CD), etc.
I don't think much could make DAVID LIVE listenable, though (or ZIGGY STARDUST:
THE MOTION PICTURE, another one where Visconti and Bowie liberally added backup
vocals to 'smooth' out the sound - nearly a decade after it was recorded!)

--Philip


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