Classics Again For the First Time

David Bowie: Hang On To Yourself, White Light/White Heat, Moonage Daydream
From: Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions 68-72 [BBC Music, EMI 2000]

Sometimes nothings hits the spot like a big beautiful heavy dose of rock.

I used to be a casual Bowie fan; that was before I heard the full-throttle takes of Ziggy Stardust classics and the amped Velvet Underground covers featured on Bowie at the Beeb disc 2. Upon hearing it, I found myself bowing at the altar of rock to pay my respects to the greatness that is David Bowie and the Rats from Hull (aka: the Spiders from Mars). This release is a fantastic document of a now legendary band fighting to convince the world of its relevance. History tells us that Ziggy Stardust was the break-through success that finally launched Mr. Space Oddity into the annals of rock superstardom. However, back in 1971-2, before the acceptance and the accolades: David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, and Mick Woodmansey were each 5+ years into a frustrating string of professional near-misses and broke and starving. They must have known that this was their moment because they blaze through each song with a hungry intensity unmatched by many bands past or present (except for perhaps Sir Stanley). These performances really show how a band's collective, unwavering commitment to a song can transform its humble ingredients into something transcendent.

Kudos to the engineer and producer for capturing the magic so well; they mix the rhythm section particularly nicely. And, um, the acoustic, folky, non-rocking disc 1 makes a nice coaster.