Glass Spider

Glass Spider Tour

The Glass Spider Tour was a worldwide concert tour launched in May 1987 in support of Bowie's album Never Let Me Down (1987). The tour was well attended and profitable, but was poorly received by contemporary critics. The tour and concert film were named after the track "Glass Spider" from the album.

Initial video release

The film was released on VHS in 1988 and is a recording of nearly two hours of performances from the tour recorded in Sydney, Australia in November 1987. The concert features dance choreography by Toni Basil and Peter Frampton on guitar. Charlie Sexton makes a guest appearance on vocals and guitar. In some regions, it was released on two video cassettes of 10 songs each until a 1990 compilation combined them into a single release. The running time of the VHS is approximately 110 minutes. In 1999 a "semi-official" DVD of the show was released in Far East regions only.

1988 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. This was the first ABC concert special since 1973's Aloha from Hawaii starring Elvis Presley.

2007 re-release

The video was 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" recorded in Vienna on 1 July 1987, but these plans were dropped for reasons unknown.

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. Unfortunately, an error in the sound mix on this DVD left much of Peter Frampton's guitar playing scarcely audible. As a result, although the picture quality is superior, the original VHS or 1999 DVD remain a superior choice for audio.

Critical reception

The home video's original 1988 release received positive reviews from sources such as Variety magazine, the Houston Post and the Toronto Star. The Chicago Tribune said the original 1988 video release "offers all of the excitement, spectacle and music" of one of 1987's "most visually engrossing" shows. The "AllMusic" review called the release "brilliant" and credited the performance with "stunning" live performances that are frequently on par with their studio counterparts. Some reviews were more ambivalent, such as The Boston Globe's review stating simply that "there's a lot to digest." The Los Angeles Times had a mostly negative review of the 1-hour ABC special, calling the show "surprisingly lame" and the stage "silly."

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 second, six songs (and at least one vignette) that were performed in the show were removed from the video itself. Another critic found that the 1-hour ABC special, which showed only a small subset of the songs performed, and showed them out of order, also "obliterated" the show's meaning.

Bowie biographer Nicholas Pegg said that the concert film was "hugely enjoyable" despite the show's flaws, and unless the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour or 1990 Sound+Vision Tour videos are released, this release "leads the field for those wishing to see David Bowie delivering a rock-theatre spectactular."

Track listing

All songs were written by David Bowie except where noted.

VHS (1988 release / 1999 DVD 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"

Note

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"

Personnel

Adapted from the Glass Spider liner notes.