David Bowie - A Reality Tour Review

Posted by Mac Scarle on 02.04.2010

One of rock's greatest elder statesmen releases a CD version of the 2004 live DVD. Find out if it's worth checking out here!



Tracklist:
Disc one
1."Rebel Rebel" - 3:30
2."New Killer Star" - 4:59
3."Reality" - 5:08
4."Fame" (Bowie, John Lennon, Carlos Alomar) - 4:12
5."Cactus" (Black Francis) - 3:01
6."Sister Midnight" (Bowie, Alomar, Iggy Pop) - 4:37
7."Afraid" - 3:28
8."All the Young Dudes" - 3:48
9."Be My Wife" - 3:15
10."The Loneliest Guy" - 3:58
11."The Man Who Sold the World" - 4:18
12."Fantastic Voyage" (Bowie, Brian Eno) - 3:13
13."Hallo Spaceboy" (Bowie, Eno) - 5:28
14."Sunday" - 7:56
15."Under Pressure" (Bowie, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May, Roger Taylor) - 4:18
16."Life on Mars?" - 4:40
17."Battle for Britain (The Letter)" (Bowie, Reeves Gabrels, Mark Plati) - 4:55
Disc two
1."Ashes to Ashes" - 5:46
2."The Motel" - 5:44
3."Loving the Alien" - 5:17
4."Never Get Old" - 4:18
5."Changes" - 3:51
6."I'm Afraid of Americans" (Bowie, Eno) - 5:17
7.""Heroes"" (Bowie, Eno) - 6:58
8."Bring Me the Disco King" - 7:56
9."Slip Away" - 5:56
10."Heathen (The Rays)" - 6:24
11."Five Years" - 4:19
12."Hang on to Yourself" - 2:50
13."Ziggy Stardust" - 3:44
14."Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" - 4:11
15."Breaking Glass" (Bowie, Dennis Davis, George Murray) - 2:27
16."China Girl" (Bowie, Pop) - 4:18

Tracks 14-16 of disc two are “extras” not included on the concert DVD released in 2004. If you buy this on iTunes, you get another two tracks: “5:15 The Angels Have Gone” and “Days.” I've just got the normal release for this review.

David Bowie is, as they say, one of those artists that really needs no introduction. He's a rock and roll institution, an unquestionable member of the pop/rock pantheon. I was late getting into Bowie myself, but in the last few years have grown to love his back catalog (especially Low and Hunky Dory). I have never been so luck as to see Bowie perform live, so I was definitely looking forward to giving this two-disc set a try.

A Reality Tour is a two-disc live album, an audio companion of sorts to the live concert DVD of the same name released in 2004. Recorded during his Reality tour of 2003-04 during two shows at Dublin's Point Theatre, it clocks in at around an hour and a half, with a decent enough mix of newer material alongside many well-known Bowie classics, with the first disc leaning slightly more towards Bowie's early work.

The first thing that jumps out about this recording is the energy that Bowie still has, even at nearly 60 years old (at the time of recording). “Rebel Rebel” opens the show with Bowie sounding just as good as he did thirty-odd years ago, and the uptempo energy continues well into the show until the pace slows somewhat with the classic “All The Young Dudes.” During some banter following the show's third song, “Reality,” Bowie claims that his voice is a bit shot, but no real vocal weakness or fatigue ever makes itself known over the course of the record.

As previously stated, the first disc of A Reality Tour is weighted more towards Bowie's 70's work, with classics like “Rebel Rebel,” “Fame,” “Under Pressure” and a particularly fantastic version of “Life On Mars?” getting a run-through. One awesome moment during a newer song, "Cactus,” sees Bowie add a line from T. Rex's “Get In On” to the song during a guitar break. Both the newer material – which I will admit to not being as intimately familiar with – and the old classics are played at the expected near-flawless level, and they all sound fresh and solid.

The second disc is at a slightly more laid-back and slowed-down tempo than the first, relying more on material released during the 1980s and later until the second half of the set. Personally, I'm much more familiar with Bowie's 1970s material, so up until the last five or six songs of this disc, beginning with a great version of “Five Years,” I was fighting to maintain my enthusiasm. This isn't to say it's a bad disc – the songs are still good enough, I just wasn't as enthusiastic about them as the ones I'm more acquainted. Both the versions of “Ziggy Stardust” and “Hold On To Yourself” sound as good as ever, as does “Breaking Glass.” The set closes out with “China Girl,” which, though not the greatest final song in Bowie's catalog, is still perfectly acceptable.

This is a great record, and a great look back at Bowie's thirty-some years of performing, but there are still a couple complaints to be made. The crowd is miked and mixed particularly high, especially at the outset of Disc One. I used to love loud crowd noise on live records, but it's something I've grown sort of tired of as I've gotten older. Also, despite being performed at a high level by obviously talented musicians, this record is a bit too polished, a bit too tight, lacking the energy of, say Bowie's 1972 Santa Monica live album. Also, as a solely personal complaint, there is far too little Berlin-era material on this record.

These are all obviously minor issues, and the record barely suffers from them. This is a great record, with one of rock's greatest songwriters showing he's still got it at 60 years old while showcasing an absolutely stellar back catalog. Definitely worth a look.

The 411: Despite my minor complaints, this is a phenomenal live record from one of rock's greatest artists. David Bowie has managed to stay not only famous, but relevant, for over 30 years. This live set is a testament to why that has been possible, a showcase not only of great live musicianship but also an incredible songwriting career stretching over decades. Both the old, well-worn classics and the more recent material sound just as good as they ever have.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]