Glass Spider

Glass Spider
Video by David Bowie
Released	1988
Recorded	7 & 9 November 1987[1]
Genre	Rock
Length	110:00
David Bowie chronology
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars: The Motion Picture (1984) Glass Spider (1988) Bowie – The Video Collection (1993) Alternative cover 2007 Special Edition cover

Glass Spider is a video album by David Bowie, recorded during the 1987 Glass Spider Tour at Sydney Entertainment Centre. The tour was launched in support of his album Never Let Me Down.

Glass Spider Tour

The Glass Spider Tour was a world wide concert tour launched in May 1987 in support of Bowie's 1987 album Never Let Me Down.^[2] The tour was well attended^[2] and profitable,^[3] but was poorly received by contemporary critics.^[2] The video, released in 1988, is a recording of nearly two hours of performances from the tour recorded in Sydney, Australia in November 1987.^[4]

Releases

Initial video release

Originally released in 1988 on VHS, the concert features dance choreography by Toni Basil and features Peter Frampton on guitar.^[4] The running time of the VHS is approximately 110 minutes.^[5]

DVD re-release

The video reissued in 2007 on DVD. A regular edition includes the DVD of the same concert as released on VHS, while a special edition also includes a 2 CD live album from the same tour, recorded at Montreal Olympic Stadium on 30 August 1987. The 2007 re-release was originally planned to include a live recording of the song "Glass Spider" from an altogether different show (recorded in Vienna), but these plans were dropped for unknown reasons.^[5]

The DVD includes Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound and is released in the program's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.^[6][7]

TV special

A 1-hour edit from the original release was aired on US prime-time television in early June 1988 on American Broadcasting Company-affiliated stations.^[8][9] This was the first ABC concert special since 1973's Aloha from Hawaii starring Elvis Presley.^[10]

Critical reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmovie	[11]
Allmusic	[7]
People	B+[12]
Pop Matters (2007 re-release)	[13]
Record Collector magazine	[14]

The home video's original 1988 release received positive reviews from sources such as Variety magazine, the Houston Post and the Toronto Star. Some reviews were more ambivalent, such as The Boston Globe's review stating simply that "there's a lot to digest."^[15]

The Chicago Tribune said the originally 1988 video release "offers all of the excitement, spectacle and music" of one of 1987's "most visually engrossing" shows.^[16] The Allmusic review called the release "brilliant" and credited the performance with "stunning" live performances that are frequently on par with their studio counterparts.^[7]

The Los Angeles Times had a mostly negative review of the 1-hour ABC special, calling the show "surprisingly lame" and the stage "silly."^[17]

One critic found that the video release rendered the show's intended meaning ("rock vs reality") nonsensical for two reasons: First, by the time the show was recorded, Bowie had already dropped some parts of the show that elaborated the point; and six songs (and at least one vignette) that were performed in the show were removed from the video itself.^[6] The 1-hour ABC special also "obliterated" the show's meaning.^[8]

Track listing

All songs were written by David Bowie, except where noted.

VHS (1988 release)

1. "Glass Spider"
2. "Day-In Day-Out"
3. "Bang Bang" (Iggy Pop, Ivan Kral)
4. "Absolute Beginners"
5. "Loving the Alien"
6. "China Girl" (Bowie, Pop)
7. "Rebel Rebel"
8. "Fashion"
9. "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Carlos Alomar)
10. ""Heroes"" (Bowie, Brian Eno)
11. "Sons of the Silent Age"
12. "Young Americans/Band Introduction"
13. "The Jean Genie"
14. "Let's Dance"
15. "Time"
16. "Fame" (Bowie, John Lennon, Alomar)
17. "Blue Jean"
18. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (Dave Alexander, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton, Pop)
19. "White Light/White Heat" (Lou Reed)
20. "Modern Love"

Although they are not mentioned on the sleeve the original VHS edition does contain the same "Intro/Up the Hill Backwards" and band introduction segments that feature on the DVD reissue.

DVD (2007 release)

1. "Intro/Up the Hill Backwards"
2. "Glass Spider"
3. "Day-In Day-Out"
4. "Bang Bang" (Pop, Kraal)
5. "Absolute Beginners"
6. "Loving the Alien"
7. "China Girl" (Bowie, Pop)
8. "Rebel Rebel"
9. "Fashion"
10. "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Alomar)
11. ""Heroes"" (Bowie, Eno)
12. "Sons of the Silent Age"
13. "Band Introduction"
14. "Young Americans"
15. "The Jean Genie"
16. "Let's Dance"
17. "Time"
18. "Fame" (Bowie, Lennon, Alomar)
19. "Blue Jean"
20. "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (Alexander, Asheton, Asheton, Pop)
21. "White Light/White Heat" (Reed)
22. "Modern Love"

Special edition CD 2007

Personnel

Musicians

• Carlos Alomar – guitar, backing vocals
• Alan Childs – drums
• Richard Cottle – keyboards, saxophone, tambourine, backing vocals
• Peter Frampton – guitar, vocals
• Erdal Kizilcay – keyboards, trumpet, congas, violin, backing vocals
• Carmine Rojas – bass
• Charlie Sexton – guitar, backing vocals

Dancers and performers

• Melissa Hurley
• Viktor Manoel
• Constance Marie
• Stephen Nichols
• Craig Allen Rothwell ("Spazz Attack")

Production

• David Mallet – director
• Anthony Eaton – producer
• Toni Basil – choreography
• David Richards – audio mixing

References

External links

• Glass Spider at the Internet Movie Database