Of all the characters and alter ego behind which David Bowie will have hidden throughout his career, none has left its mark as much as Ziggy Stardust: a glam alien who came to Earth to announce the end of the world and deliver a message of love, he was the androgynous incarnation of the desires of an entire generation in the early 1970s.
Rock n Roll Suicide in front of dumbfounded fans
After two cult albums (Ziggy Stardust in 1972 and Aladdin Sane in 1973) and fiery tours, David Bowie decided to kill his character on the stage of the Hammersmith Odeon in London, on July 3, 1973, in front of dumbfounded fans, declaring " This is the very last gig we'll do” (some fear the statement is about Bowie himself!) before launching into a fiery version of the aptly named Rock n Roll Suicide.
A cult concert captured by legendary director DA Pennebaker (known for his live-action films about Hendrix, Dylan's Don't Look Back or Depeche Mode's 101), in a film that follows Bowie and his band, the Spiders from Mars, on stage and behind the scenes, which was finally released in cinemas in 1979.
For the first time in full version and restored in 4K
Today, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this concert, this live will be reissued for the first time in its complete version. On this occasion, the film and its soundtrack benefited from a digital and 4K restoration at AIRStudios, overseen by the director's son, Frazer Pennebaker, and Bowie's faithful producer, Tony Visconti. The opportunity to discover more rare titles, including a medley The Jean Genie / Love Me Do or a duet with guitarist Jeff Beck, Round and Round.
This reissue will be available on August 11, 2023 from Warner in several formats: a double CD and Blu-Ray box set, various audio versions (2CD, 2LP, or limited edition vinyl) as well as HD digital versions of the film ( 44.1khz/16bit and 96khz/24bit).
In the meantime, we'll see or see Brett Morgen's very good Moonage Daydream.
