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List Price: $24.98 | | Label: Virgin Records Us
Salesrank: 4080
Released: July 14, 2009 |
| Our Price: $13.04 |
| Used Price: $9.50 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
CD/DVD edition of this release which features David Bowie's 1999 appearance on VH1's hugely popular Storytellers series. Storytellers began in 1996 with intimate TV performances by Ray Davies and Elvis Costello. Over the next few years many singer/songwriters appeared on the show, performing in front of a live audience while telling stories of their music and memories. Bill Flanagan, Executive Producer of the show explains, "We were used to dealing with legendary musicians. Still, landing David Bowie was more than a big booking. There's no way to say this without being corny: it was an honor. Bowie has a unique place in Rock 'N' Roll. He is not only one of the most influential musicians of the era, he does nothing unless he is fully committed. He never phones it in."
VH1 Storytellers Reviews:
Ótimo show 
2009-12-17 - David Bowie em ótima forma com uma banda maravilhosa, cantando alguns clássicos e outras canções não muito conhecidas. A maioria das músicas, no entanto, são do disco Hours. O DVD ainda possibilita legendas em português. Recomendo!
Good but not great - there are other, better options for recent live Bowie recordings 
2009-11-16 - If they had released this 10 years ago, this would have been a gem, but there've been so many other quality live releases from Bowie since then that really this is little more than an interesting side-release.
If you're looking for some great live recordings, go find the "Bowie at the Beeb" release from a few years ago (especially the 3-CD version, which has an extra CD's worth of live, modern recordings). Or watch his "A Reality Tour" live DVD.
For me, none of these live versions really jump out as penultimate performances - you can find superior live versions of just about all the songs here on other releases - and the inter-song banter & stories he tells about the songs aren't going to be of interest to anyone except a real fan.
Don't get me wrong - this isn't a bad CD. The audio quality is excellent, and the sest list is respectable. But, of all the live Bowie CDs in my collection (which is basically all of them :), this one is probably the one I play the least.
Great Concert, Lousy Edit 
2009-09-04 - This is a wonderful concert with surprisingly personal, revealing stories. David Bowie is obviously still at the top of his game as a performer. If you are a Bowie fan this is totally essential. I love his band. I love the reimagined songs. I find I don't get tired of the stories, even when I'm listening to the CD.
However, I have some problems with the way the concert is presented. This is a DVD for home use, not a broadcast with the restrictions imposed by commercial breaks and time limitations. I wish they had edited all 12 songs together and created a real concert more like the one that was enjoyed by the people who had the good fortune to see this live.
Instead, there are just eight songs on the main part of the DVD and the CD. Unforgivably, the closing credits roll OVER Bowie's dramatic and moving performance of "Word On A Wing". Why? There's no pressure to get to the next show on VH1! Four songs are left off of the CD entirely (although, maddeningly, they're available on iTunes) and they are only on the DVD as bonus tracks.
Final warning: "Rebel, Rebel" is very, very short and "Life On Mars?" only has the second verse. Again, why was this concert and CD not re-edited into a more complete version for home release? No clue. Sort of a missed opportunity.
If you want to hear a more complete concert from the same era I highly recommend disc three of the special edition of "Bowie At The Beeb", although that doesn't include the priceless stories here. Plus it's out of print and you'll have to get it used so you'll avoid some possible heartbreak by making sure you are being sent the right edition before ordering.
To sum up: great concert, great performances, great stories. Lousy editing and a disappointing presentation of terrific material.Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions
bowie storyteller
2009-08-16 - interesting to hear bowie talk about the origins of some of the tracks,chats between the songs are funny, could have been a few more songs on it, rebel rebel was cut way to early, dvd is good, definately one for any serious bowie fan or collector.
Good show, but could have better storytelling.
2009-08-10 - This was a good show, although short. David is very gracious and really seems to be enjoying himself. My main reason for giving it a 3 is the premise of Storytellers, which is to give insight into the songs. There are annecdotes, and quite amusing ones, but not a lot of insight. An example of one I like is Natalie Merchant's, who really opens up as to the songs. Also, with the great career Bowie has put together, I don't think two songs from the new album are necessary, and Rebel, Rebel shouldn't be cut off. Fun, but not really storytelling about the songs.
