David Bowie - Word On A Wing - Vancouver 1976 (remastered)

David Bowie - Word On A Wing - Vancouver 1976

As most Bowie fans know, footage of the 1976 Isolar tour is very scarce. The closest we have to a filmed record of a complete concert is the rehearsal video recorded on February 2nd 1976 in Vancouver. This has never been officially released but over the years it has turned up on bootleg VHS and DVDs and more latterly on sites like YouTube.

This is my attempt to clean up just one track and present it to the best of my ability. There are many technical problems with the bootleg footage including colours which bleed and smear, ghosting, jitter and VHS artefacts which show up as horizontal white dashes appearing randomly on each frame.
I’ve gone through it frame by frame and painted out the white dashes and repaired the damaged parts as much as I could with the cloning tool in After Effects. In total I looked at nearly 10,000 frames!
It took a while to do : )

There are still many, many faults which I couldn’t eradicate but I think the cleaned up end result is an improvement and looks more filmic than what I started with.

Hopefully the rehearsal footage will see an official release one day. There is a short clip from it showing in the 'David Bowie Is' exhibition and it looks pristine.

The audio used here is from the actual rehearsal, just tweaked a little to improve it. I’ve only replaced the piano introduction to the song because on the actual recording, it has some bum notes which are very jarring to listen to (well, it was a rehearsal after all). But once the drums come in, we are back to the original audio until the end.

It’s a great vocal performance by Bowie of one of the best tracks from ‘Station to Station’, especially considering there was no audience here to perform to. By the time he played the song live in Nassau the following month, the tempo was noticeably slower, almost relaxed. But in rehearsal, the song shares the same urgency as the studio version and is all the better for it in my opinion.

As always it's been a labour of love and I hope you'll enjoy it.

A huge thank you to Steve for providing me with the source footage to work with.

[deepankurnayantara]

I'm addicted to the emotion in this. I keep thinking I've found my favorite Bowie song and then I discover a new one and I'm just taken aback.

[gregswail]

I can't stop playing this. The emotion and clarity in his voice is mesmerising.

[dockaiser]

Station to Staion (the LP) is a masterpiece

[IronmanKMSA]

Another great example of genius songwriting... soft and easy start, growing in desperation and anguish and ending in prayer. He said multiple times in interviews, this was borne from existential torment. It's so sincere and vulnerable.
This is why Word on a wing, for me, is easily in the top 5 all-time best Bowie songs.

[ARIZJOE]

This is gold, and very rare. Considering David's condition at the time, he was in excellent voice. David's failure to arrange filming of his tours is puzzling. Not only this but the "Diamond Dogs" extravaganza. That's completely lost for the most part - the greatest entertainment spectacle I have ever seen. David's management was wantonly negligent. It makes you appreciate Mick Jagger's business skills in obtaining first rate directors and documentarians to record the Stones' tours.

[madgemuso]

This really sounds like a cry for help. Bless him 😢

[SherryeLyn]

This is not only why "Word on a Wing" became one of my top favorite Bowie songs when it was released back then, but this video of this performance also shows why Bowie managed to transcend earthly limitations during his shows, and lifted me beyond even the boundaries of my own soul every time. I have no words for the emotions he evoked, as they cannot even be encapsulated within the description of "emotion".

[janaschubert]

57 and still discovering his genius. So much still to learn.

[deetee]

Man he has best voice talking or singing.

[nigelleslie]

Such an underestimated song. Life long Bowie fan. In my Top Ten Bowie songs.

[xaviercatafal]

Thanks. I almost cried. It's one of my favorite Bowie songs.

[fabulousfreddyisready]

I was at the front watching this concert in Vancouver....15 years old....Bowie was amazing!

[RichardCalladine-uo]

Sometimes only BOWIE hits the spot...this is so moving...my faves are can you hear me?...sound and vision....what in the world....ashes to ashes...be my wife...modern love...fame...rip David and thank you❤

[humandroid]

This shows David's singing chops.
I think he was lucky to be blessed with a beautiful voice and pitch perfect hearing (he was famous for his single - or only a few) take studio performances.

[tvacca]

Station to Station was and still is unbelievable. It grooves, funks, is deeply romantic. Wild is the Wind says it all. Was my wedding song. Every single song, deeply moving! His unparalleled exceptional vocals, story telling, expressive music and lyrics always perfectly expressed. I miss you David! You freed a young girl in the early 70's, setting me free to shine! Thank you! God bless you in heaven and may you soar forever in peace and love. God bless your family.
M-L E NYC

[ireneking]

Wonderful. I cant imaging the time it took to clean this up. Brilliant mate.

In fact "Word on a Wing" is a wonderful song to post up on his anniversary...and everytime I hear it it makes me smile as it reminds me of a story Bowie told after performing this song at the Astoria in London in '99.

Bowie said "I recorded that when I was the Thin White Duke"...and then recounted a chat with two fans he read on the internet...one of which said....

"I liked it when he was Neil...the Thin White Duke"  the other said "What do you mean Neil?" to which the first fan replied..."You know that song...Lord I'm Neil...and offer you my Word on a Wing"
LOL

[patriciahargraves]

Wow, great job! This was the first time I saw David, live and I was 14 years old. many years ago but this brings it vividly back at age 55.

[paulhoughton]

For someone who was so coked out of his head he can’t even remember making station to station this is an astonishing performance. It’s an astonishing performance by anyone’s standards but then it’s Bowie and he is a talented genius. I love this period ….he was so far ahead of everything around him

[pleasantvalleypickerca]

It would be wonderful if the Bowie estate would begin releasing some of the rare treasures that must be in their archive vaults somewhere. I first saw him in Vancouver in '83 at BC Place when he was touring the "Serious Moonlight" show. It was an astounding concert. To this day I think it's likely the best show I'll ever see. I would love to see footage from the BC place show, but don't know if any even exists. I remember at one point in that concert Bowie hit a note so perfect and pure that it sent an audible gasp through the audience! I've never experienced another moment that memorable at any other show.

[Daneylandwood]

How great to live for almost 50 years and just recently to discover this incredible artist!!! And why does it make me so sad he’s not of this Earth anymore?