Sunday Cinema | David Bowie In Germany – 1978

The great David Bowie will be honored with David Bowie Day in Chicago this Tuesday as the critically-acclaimed David Bowie Is… exhibition opens in The Windy City. Let’s take the JamBase Time Machine back to 1978 for a look at a phenomenal performance laid down by Bowie and our favorite of his many touring bands that took place in Bremen, Germany on May 30, 1978 and was broadcast on the German TV show Musikladen.

David Bowie’s 1978 World Tour was his most extensive up to that point and included dates in the US, Europe, the UK, Australia and Japan. Bowie’s ridiculously talented backing band for the tour featured Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Zappa, Talking Heads) on guitar, who often stole the show with his fretboard fireworks, along with longtime David Bowie collaborators George Murray on bass, Dennis Davis on drums and percussion and Carlos Alomar on guitar as well as Simon House (Hawkwind) on violin and Sean Mayes on keys.

Bowie’s 45-minute Musikladen set includes eight tracks that mix classics like “Rebel, Rebel” and “The Jean Genie” along with material which was new at the time such as “Beauty And The Beast” and “Heroes.” There’s even a take on The “Alabama Song” that’s very different from The Doors’ beloved version. Check out a capture of a 2003 re-broadcast of David Bowie’s Musikladen performance:

Track01 (from 00’15”) : “Sense Of Doubt” (1977)
Track02 (from 04’03”) : “Beauty And The Beast” (1977)
Track03 (from 08’55”) : “Heroes” (1977)
Track04 (from 16’31”) : “Stay” (1976)
Track05 (from 23’37”) : “The Jean Genie” (1973)
Track06 (from 29’57”) : “TVC 15” (1976)
Track07 (from 33’33”) : “Alabama Song” (1978)
Track08 (from 39’22”) : “Rebel Rebel” (1974)