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I bought my first copy, a bootleg, in a little record store in Mexico City in the summer of 1974. I was exploring the city, and stumbled into this record store with a box of bootlegs on the counter. As this was the first time I had encountered bootleg records, I had to buy one. I selected the Bowie because I had just seen him two months before.

That was the Diamond Dogs tour. While I walked out of the concert declaring it the best concert I had ever seen, that was mostly because of the elaborate stage show. Musically it had actually been a bit of a disappointment. That tour was in the middle of one of Bowie's musical transformations, the point when the chameleon is a sick brownish-green. Specifically, Bowie was halfway between the hard guitar rock of the Spiders from Mars, and what he called "plastic soul," the disco of Young Americans.

I was a fan of Bowie guitar rock, and was disappointed that I didn't get more of it in the show. In fact, I didn't get much at all. Not only was the music much funkier than my taste, the emphasis was on the show, not on the music—the musicians were hidden behind screens for much of the concert.

But the Santa Monica bootleg gave me a record of the show I wished I had seen, the one where the guitars were fully unleashed. When Bowie released his first live album that fall, from the '74 tour, I didn't even bother to buy it. I already had the live Bowie I wanted.

The Santa Monica show remained available only as a bootleg for the next 20 years. It was given official release in 1994, and then disappeared again. Now it has been rereleased by Virgin/EMI, in both CD and vinyl editions.

It is perhaps not surprising that this album, brilliant as it is, has mostly languished in bootleg obscurity. David Bowie is a perfectionist, and this album is not perfect. But that's part of its charm. Unlike Bowie's other live albums (1974's David Live and 1978's Stage), it actually sounds like it was recorded live.

David Bowie has always been about control. And Santa Monica '72 is out of control. This is the sound of Bowie and his band (The Spiders from Mars: Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodsmansey and Mike Garson) cutting loose and playing rock'n'roll. It has the attendant highlights—wild guitar solos, peak energy and tension throughout—and low points—the band gets downright sloppy at points, and Bowie even forgets some of the lyrics. But the high points far outweigh the low.

The show kicks off with the explosive assault of "Hang On To Yourself," with Mick Ronson showering the audience with guitar shrapnel. The follow-up punch is an equally powerful "Ziggy Stardust." Bowie is not kidding around here.

Then Bowie pulls back—a little—toning down the frenzy, if not the power, on quiet(er) versions of "Changes" and "Supermen," and then a tasteful version of "Life on Mars?" with Ronson's guitar now calmed down, sweet and graceful on the solos. A similarly restrained yet potent version of "Five Years" follows.

Out comes a seat and an acoustic guitar (you can hear Bowie instructing a roadie on how to adjust his microphone). He delivers an acoustic take on "Space Oddity," where he performs all the electronic effects with just his vocals. Sounds chancy, but he pulls it off.

The acoustic guitar stays for an amusing "Andy Warhol," and then a touching cover of Jacques Brel's "My Death." Bowie has always chosen his covers carefully. This one demonstrates a prime influence on him—Brel was a Belgian folksinger popular in Europe, but mostly unknown in the United States.

Then it's back to the electric guitars for "The Width of a Circle." This is actually the low point of the album, as the guitar jam between Bowie and Ronson meanders for quite some time, without ever quite kicking in.

After that it's a race to the finish, with one tight rocker after another. For a guitar freak like me, this is the meat of the album, one highlight after another. "Queen Bitch," "Moonage Daydream" (with an extraordinary solo from Ronson), "John, I'm Only Dancing," and the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man," another well-chosen cover, and another chance for hot guitar work from Ronson.

Now we're into the homestretch, but the strain is starting to show. "The Jean Genie" teeters on chaos, and (as I mentioned) Bowie forgets some of the lyrics to "Suffragette City." But it's okay. The band is rocking all out, and Bowie's not letting some little slips hold him back. He brings it all together with an encore of "Rock'n'Roll Suicide," a song which always made more sense live ("Give me your hands/ You're wonderful").

Much of the credit for this album should—and does—go to The Spiders. Bowie has always had an ear for talented musicians, but this is probably the best band he ever had. The key is that it is a band, a group that functions as a single unit, not just musicians assembled for a tour or album. Bowie recognized this when he allowed them to have their own identity, not just exist as backing musicians. The rhythm section of Trevor Boulder on bass and Woody Woodsmansey on drums stays locked in all the way through. Although much of keyboardist Mike Garson's work is lost in the mix, it is beautiful and tasteful when it comes through, especially on "Life on Mars?" and "Five Years."

Then, of course, there's Mick Ronson (when Bowie introduces the band, he casually throws off, as if it's an afterthought, "Oh, yeah... that's Mick Ronson on lead guitar."), whose lead guitar is extraordinary all the way through. I don't want to get into the old did “Bowie create Mick Ronson or vice versa controversy” (I see it as a completely symbiotic relationship), but Ronson does make this album.

This is not meant, in any way, to denigrate Bowie's strengths as a performer. His vocals and persona are consistently powerful. He is right upfront throughout the show, leading it, directing it, making it happen. This tour was Bowie's introduction to American audiences, and this album shows clearly how he pulled it off, how he made himself the superstar who would dominate much of the decade ahead.

I'm not the only fan he made with this tour.

Artist:
www.davidbowie.com

Album:
David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72 is out July 22nd. Buy it on Amazon.