I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) is a live album by English musician David Bowie. It had a limited release on 29 August 2020 for Record Store Day as a double LP and double CD.[1] It was recorded on the second half of the Diamond Dogs Tour in 1974, which is known as "the Soul Tour" due to the influence of the then-unreleased material Bowie had begun recording for Young Americans (1975). I'm Only Dancing marks the first time performances from this portion of the tour have been officially released.
| I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 29 August 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 20 October & 30 November 1974 | |||
| Venue | Michigan Palace, Detroit, Michigan; Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Rock, soul | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Producer | Aisha Cohen, Nigel Reeve | |||
| David Bowie chronology | ||||
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Background
Bowie supported his eighth studio album Diamond Dogs on the Diamond Dogs Tour, the first leg of which lasted from 14 June to 20 July 1974. Co-designed and constructed by Chris Langhart, the tour featured elaborate set-pieces and cost $250,000. Films that influenced the design included Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) and Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).[2] The second leg of the tour, lasting 2 September to 1 December 1974, has been nicknamed "the Soul Tour", due to the influence of the soul music Bowie had begun recording for Young Americans in August. Because of this, the shows were heavily altered, no longer featuring elaborate set-pieces, partly due to Bowie's exhaustion with the design and wanting to explore the new sound he was creating. The tour's lineup was also revamped to feature musicians who had recorded for Young Americans. Songs from the previous leg were dropped, while new ones (some from Young Americans) were added.[1][3] Performances from the tour were previously released on two live albums, David Live and Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74), which were released in 1974 and 2017, respectively.[4][5] However, I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) marks the first time performances from the "Soul" portion of the tour have been officially released.[1]
Recording
The majority of I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) was recorded on 20 October 1974 at the Michigan Palace in Detroit, Michigan, while three tracks, including "Knock on Wood" and the medlies of "Footstompin'" / "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" / "Footstompin'" and "Diamond Dogs" / "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" / "Diamond Dogs" were recorded on 30 November 1974 at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] According to Rolling Stone, the cover artwork mirrors the original design for the programs on the two recording dates.[6]
Track listing
All songs are written by David Bowie, except where noted.
Vinyl release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction / Memory of a Free Festival" | ||
| 2. | "Rebel Rebel" | ||
| 3. | "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" | ||
| 4. | "Sorrow" | Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer | |
| 5. | "Changes" | ||
| 6. | "1984" |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moonage Daydream" | ||
| 2. | "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" | Bowie, Warren Peace | |
| 3. | "Love Me Do" / "The Jean Genie" | Lennon–McCartney, Bowie | |
| 4. | "Young Americans" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Can You Hear Me?" | |
| 2. | "It's Gonna Be Me" | |
| 3. | "Somebody Up There Likes Me" | |
| 4. | "Suffragette City" |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" | ||
| 2. | "Panic in Detroit" | ||
| 3. | "Knock on Wood" (*) | Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper | |
| 4. | "Footstompin'" / "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" / "Footstompin'" (*) | Aaron Collins, Ande Rand, Armand Piron, Clarence Williams | |
| 5. | "Diamond Dogs" / "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" / "Diamond Dogs" (*) | Bowie, Jagger–Richards |
CD release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction / Memory of a Free Festival" | ||
| 2. | "Rebel Rebel" | ||
| 3. | "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" | ||
| 4. | "Sorrow" | Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer | |
| 5. | "Changes" | ||
| 6. | "1984" | ||
| 7. | "Moonage Daydream" | ||
| 8. | "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" | Bowie, Warren Peace | |
| 9. | "Love Me Do" / "The Jean Genie" | Lennon–McCartney, Bowie | |
| 10. | "Young Americans" |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Can You Hear Me?" | ||
| 2. | "It's Gonna Be Me" | ||
| 3. | "Somebody Up There Likes Me" | ||
| 4. | "Suffragette City" | ||
| 5. | "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" | ||
| 6. | "Panic in Detroit" | ||
| 7. | "Knock on Wood" (*) | Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper | |
| 8. | "Footstompin'" / "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" / "Footstompin'" (*) | Aaron Collins, Ande Rand, Armand Piron, Clarence Williams | |
| 9. | "Diamond Dogs" / "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" / "Diamond Dogs" (*) | Bowie, Jagger–Richards |
Recorded at the Michigan Palace, Detroit on 20 October 1974.
Tracks marked with * recorded at the Municipal Auditorium, Nashville on 30 November 1974.
Personnel
Per davidbowie.com.[1]
- David Bowie – vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Earl Slick – guitar
- Carlos Alomar – guitar
- Mike Garson – piano, Mellotron
- David Sanborn – alto saxophone, flute
- Pablo Rosario – percussion
- Emir Ksasan – bass
- Dennis Davis – drums
- Warren Peace – backing vocals
- Anthony Hinton – backing vocals
- Luther Vandross – backing vocals
- Ava Cherry – backing vocals
- Robin Clark – backing vocals
- Diane Sumler – backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 18 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[8] | 12 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[9] | 16 |
References
- "I'm Only Dancing for Record Store Day 2020". David Bowie Official Website. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- Pegg 2016, p. 567.
- Pegg 2016, p. 562.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "David Live – David Bowie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- Randle, Chris (29 June 2017). "David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- Kreps, Daniel (20 February 2020). "David Bowie Live LP 'I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)' Set for Record Store Day". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- "David Bowie > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- "David Bowie Chart History (Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- "David Bowie Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
Sources
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
