David Bowie | My Death (Original Complete Version) | Live at the Hammersmith Odeon | 3 July 1973

This video is newly enhanced and extended version of David Bowie's performance of Jacques Brel’s 'My Death', from the legendary last Ziggy and the Spiders show, live at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, on the 3rd of July, 1973.

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This bulk of the material that make up this video originate from various versions of the D.A. Pennebaker in concert / rockumentary film, ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’.

Although the performance is from 1973, it was 6 years until the movie only had its theatrical premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on 31 August 1979.

The movie was finally shown in cinemas around the UK in 1983. The accompanying soundtrack album ‘Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ was also officially released that year.

During that decade, and beyond, a huge amount of post-production occurred, and many different versions of the film and it's soundtrack were produced.

The initial version of the film was finished in 1974, and shown in the US, including a 60-minute version on US TV. In the 1975 David Bowie documentary Cracked Actor, there is a scene of Bowie watching the '74 cut of the film, apparently at his home in L.A.

There were many subsequent re-cuts, and overdub sessions, by Bowie and different musicians, editors and producers, including finally in 2003, a remix by Tony Visconti.

However, all the while, a pretty good quality audio of some of the highlights from the show, had been available on widely circulated bootlegs since. The official release, when it did finally surface, surprised many fans because in places, it was quite radically different to those bootlegs of the show. Songs were omitted, and there were many overdubs, in some cases rendering tracks almost unrecognizable from the originals. When Tony Visconti stepped in, in 2003, he ended up removing some of the more intrusive and obvious overdubbing.

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Bowie used My Death as a dramatic way to end the first half of the show. Tho’ in fact, he didn’t actually finish the songs lyrics. In the last line, “Behind the door, there is…”, he doesn't add the “…you”; the fans beat him to it, screaming back, “Me! Me! Me!”

But what is not seen or heard on any of the official releases of the movie, or the soundtrack album, is Bowie’s intro to the song. This video restores that intro in full.

Before the performance of My Death, Bowie asks the screaming fans to quieten down, so that he can perform the solemn and sensitive song. But when the fans fail to do as he asks, Bowie loses patience with them, and finally demands “Be quiet!”.

This video also restores and the outro of Barry Bethal informing the audience that, it’s interval time.

My Death, as it appears on the official CD releases of soundtrack, features a very obviously overdubbed funereal organ throughout the track. So that was not used for this video.

The audio used here is an enhanced version of the DVD soundtrack, remastered exclusively for this video by Neil Wilkes at Opus Productions Ltd.

Also used is Robin Mayhew's monitor mix for the intro and outro.

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I produced a previous version of this video back in 2016. It was one of the very many Bowie videos I created in an obsessed blur of work, in the months that followed Bowie’s passing.

That video achieved almost a quarter of a million views, and then suddenly one day last year, it was blocked for copyright reasons in every major country in the world, except rather oddly, France.

After many requests to make that video available again, I decided to produce a new version instead, since I now have better quality source material, and more sophisticated editing software and techniques at my fingertips.

Hope you dig it!

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Credits

Video Source:
David Bowie • My Death • from the movie Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars • Directed by D.A. Pennebaker • Hammersmith Odeon • London • 3rd of July 1973

Audio Source:
David Bowie • My Death • Hammersmith Odeon • London • 3rd of July 1973 • Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture album • 1983 / 2003

Musicians:
Vocals & 12-string guitar • David Bowie
Piano • Mike Garson

Producers • David Bowie • Mike Moran • Tony Visconti • Robin Mayhew

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Always more videos to follow, so please keep your electric eye on me babe!

I don't own the rights, and I'm not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans.

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I edit, therefore I am

#DavidBowie #MyDeath #ZiggyStardust #HammersmithOdeon #1973

[JeffBehary]

I remember getting a bootleg of this as a kid in the 80s and it introduced me not only to Ziggy Stardust but to Jacques Brel's wonderful lyrics.

[PeppermintPatties]

Stunning. I'm in tears.
Thank you, Nacho, as ever. ❤️

[MarcLowe]

"This is called a quiet song... Shh." Yes. Still one of my favorites, this Brel cover/interpretation. Loved the '95 and '97 versions, too.

[stephencarroll]

Very beautiful! Love Bowie’s version of this Brel song (and I think Bowie did too)! Thanks Nacho!

[ragnhildzeiffertmerino]

This is so beautiful. ❤ Goes right into to you. Don't know how many times I have listened to this performance and this won't be the last one 💖 Thank you ⚘️🕊⚡️⚓️

[hughiepearce]

can you imagine any other glam band at the time doing a song like this?

[gamingscholar]

I've been watching the motion picture for over 20 years (originally on VHS!) and had no idea the organ was overdubbed. Personally, I like the organ, but the raw version is pretty amazing too.

Thank you for uploading this and providing all the extra info. Now I need to watch the uncut version of the whole concert.

[JlemmGoal]

Astonishing material Dude
Love Bowie
Thank you ❤

[ouisouis]

I don’t understand why the cut him shushing the crowd out of the just released “restored” version

[avery]

the shhhh sound effect is still not in the “complete” version

[ragnhildzeiffertmerino]

Listen to this while I try and find the photo 😊

[JeremyIlenin-mbmk]

Couple of freinds
having a few of lagars....
stouts, ales, and pilsners....

[JustJeph]

Is this British double entendre? The death of Ziggy and the death of (thankfully a ways off yet!) David?

[JeremyIlenin-mbmk]

People screaming
Flashbacks blinding
That would drive Aladinsane 😂