For fans of Bowie and particularly the Ziggy era, this is a classic moment. The Santa Monica gig is often discussed and more often bootlegged. It was a piece of the Bowie legend for over twenty years prior to European commercial release in 1995. Now it's being released in Japan by Mecca Records and this is the result. The song lineup itself appears to be the beginnings of a dream set for fans of the early albums. There are suberb live versions of The Supermen, Life on Mars and Width of a Circle, all given the abrasive screaming treatment of the late Mick Ronson's guitar. My favourite is Moonage Daydream, which Bowie says is "a song that Ziggy wrote." Another outstanding track is this version of Space Oddity. Unfortunately, and the reason I gave this CD only 3 stars, six of the tracks included on the European release are ommitted here. To get those you'd have to buy another CD as well - RarestOneBowie + 6. For those accustomed to hearing Ziggy concerts rounded off with Rock n Roll Suicide, it feels like a bit of a swindle. But if you can't get hold of the admittedly difficult-to-find-now original release, this CD goes a long way towards plugging the gap.

When you listen to the tunes on "Rarest Live" by David Bowie, consider that this is a 1972 recording. From "Five Years" to a very simplified "Space Oddity," you'll hear why Bowie still is in the CD players.

"Changes One" will have most (all?) of these tunes in studio versions, but in a somewhat less candid manner. Buy both.

His poetics and dramatics come through here. "The Supermen" is haunting, and "Width of a Circle" is mesmerizing.

Because it was recorded live, the sound quality sometimes lack, much like a poorly recorded bootleg. His voice sometimes fades, and the bass guitar doesn't always come tyhrough clean. However, collectors and those curious aboyt Bowie's artistic development will dig this.

I fully recommend "Rarest Live" by David Bowie.

Anthony Trendl