| Stage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live album by David Bowie | ||||
| Released | 8 September 1978 | |||
| Recorded | The Spectrum, Philadelphia, 28–29 April 1978 Providence Civic Center, Providence, 5 May 1978 Boston Garden, Boston, 6 May 1978 |
|||
| Genre | Art rock | |||
| Length | 71:57 (first edition) / 85:22 (2005 edition) [1] | |||
| Label | RCA Records (1978) (1984) Rykodisc (1992) EMI/Virgin (2005) |
|||
| Producer | David Bowie, Tony Visconti | |||
| David Bowie chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [2] |
| Blender | [3] |
| NME | (8/10) (Reissue) [4] |
| Robert Christgau | (B+) [5] |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated) [6] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.9/10) (Reissue) [7] |
Stage is David Bowie's second live album, released by RCA in 1978. First UK pressings were on translucent yellow vinyl and some European pressings were also available on blue vinyl. Though it was rumoured at the time that this would be his final outing with the label, following dissatisfaction over the promotion of Low and "Heroes", Bowie would in fact remain with RCA until 1982.
The recording was culled from concerts in Philadelphia, Providence and Boston, USA. It primarily included material from Bowie's most recent studio albums to that date, Station to Station, Low and "Heroes" but, in a surprise show of nostalgia, also featured five songs from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Aside from Bowie's core team of Carlos Alomar, Dennis Davis and George Murray, band members included ex-Frank Zappa sideman Adrian Belew on guitar, Simon House from Hawkwind on electric violin, Roger Powell, best known for his work with Todd Rundgren in the group Utopia, on keyboards and Sean Mayes on piano, string ensemble and backup vocals. All would reunite the following year on Bowie's next studio LP, Lodger.
Generally considered more relaxed than Bowie's previous live album, David Live (1974), Stage was praised on its initial vinyl release for the fidelity with which the band was able to emulate in concert the electronic and effects-filled numbers from Low and "Heroes", as well as for the singer's vocal performance. However, it was criticised for lacking a 'live' atmosphere, thanks to the recording being largely taken from direct instrument and microphone feeds which increased sound quality but minimised crowd noise. The original concert running order was also changed, with fades between tracks similar to a studio album.
As Bowie rarely tampered with the arrangements – in contrast to his method on David Live – Stage added little to what was available on the original albums, and hence was seen by some commentators as simply a marketing exercise that did not do justice to a memorable series of live concerts. Even the cover picture came in for criticism, more so because the rest of the package contained only variations of the same shot.
Stage reached #5 in the UK album charts but only #44 in the US. "Breaking Glass", which originally appeared in shorter form on Low, was released as a single.
A 2005 reissue saw most of the criticisms of the original LP addressed, and the new version garnered some favourable reviews.
Contents |
All tracks written by David Bowie except where noted.
Stage has been rereleased on CD three times to date, the first being in 1984 by RCA Records, then in 1991 by Rykodisc (containing a bonus track) and most recently in 2005 by EMI. The running order of the latter edition reflects the actual performance, removed fades between tracks, and included two more bonus tracks: in addition to "Alabama Song," already added in 1991, the double CD also includes "Be My Wife" and "Stay".
The 2005 EMI release of this album has been copy protected with CDS 200 in the EU.
The 1984 rerelease on CD (catalogue number PD89002, Made in Germany - there was no Japanese or North America release of this album) contains the same running order as the original LP, and comes on two discs. (Some of the European-distributed CDs were manufactured in Japan, but cover and assembling were made in Europe. Most of the CDs were made in Germany.)
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | UK Albums Chart | 5 |
| 1978 | Billboard Pop Albums | 44 |
| 1978 | Norway | 18 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Breaking Glass" | UK Singles Chart | 54 |
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | 1978 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||