David Bowie's 'Earthling'-Era Live Shows Coming to Streaming

A trio of Nineties-era live releases is set to roll out on streaming in the coming weeks, with LiveandWell.com set to drop May 15. Friday, Parlophone Records dropped a live recording of 1997’s “Little Wonder” (off of Earthling) from Radio City Music Hall in New York, October 15, 1997.

The live album boasts 12 tracks recorded in New York, Amsterdam, Rio De Janeiro and U.K.’s Phoenix festival during the 1997 Earthling tour — it was previously only available to BowieNet subscribers. The record also includes bonus tracks “Pallas Athena,” off of 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, and “V-2 Schneider,” off of 1977’s “Heroes.” Fittingly, that song was written for Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider, who died last month at the age of 73. Both live cuts come from a show at Amsterdam’s Paradiso on June 10th, 1997 and were previously released as a 12″ single under the name The Tao Jones Index — Bowie’s code name when he played unannounced shows.

The record was produced by Bowie and features Zachary Alford on drums; Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, vocals and keyboards; Reeves Gabrels on guitars, synthesizers and vocals; and Mike Garson on piano, keyboards and synthesizers.

Liveandwell.com follows a glut of rare releases from the Earthling era that culminated in February’s Is It Any Wonder? EP. Key members of Bowie’s band (including Garson) were also set to head out on an alumni tour in the coming months, only to be waylaid by the spread of the coronavirus.

Liveandwell.com Tracklist

“I’m Afraid of Americans” (Radio City Music Hall New York, October 15, 1997)
“The Hearts Filthy Lesson” (Long Marston, Phoenix Festival, July 18, 1997)
“I’m Deranged”(Amsterdam, Paradiso, June 10, 1997)
“Hallo Spaceboy” (Rio de Janeiro, Metropolitan, November 2, 1997)
“Telling Lies” (Amsterdam, Paradiso, June 10, 1997)
“The Motel” (Amsterdam, Paradiso, June 10, 1997)
“The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)” (Rio de Janeiro, Metropolitan, November 2 , 1997)
“Battle for Britain (The Letter)” (Radio City Music Hall New York, October 15, 1997
“Seven Years in Tibet” (Radio City Music Hall New York, October 15, 1997)
“Little Wonder” (Radio City Music Hall New York, October 15, 1997)
“Pallas Athena” (Amsterdam, Paradiso, June 10, 1997)
“V-2 Schneider” (Amsterdam, Paradiso, June 10, 1997)