Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)
{{short description|2018 live album by David Bowie}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Welcome to the Blackout
(Live London '78)
| type = live
| artist = David Bowie
| cover = Welcome To The Blackout (cover).jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2018|4|21|df=y}}
| recorded = 30 June – 1 July 1978
| venue = Earls Court, London
| studio = RCA Mobile
| genre = Art rock
| length = 108:13
| label = Parlophone
| producer = Tony Visconti
| prev_title = A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title = Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
| next_year = 2018
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = David Bowie live albums
| type = live
| prev_title = Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)
| prev_year = 2017
| title = Welcome to the Blackout
(Live London '78)
| year = 2018
| next_title = Glastonbury 2000
| next_year = 2018
}}
}}{{italic title|all=yes|noerror}}
Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78) is a live album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, recorded on the Isolar II Tour. It had a limited vinyl release on 21 April 2018 for Record Store Day.{{cite web|url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2018/2/28/three-bowie-discs-for-rsd-2018|title=Three Bowie discs for RSD 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/music/david-bowie-albums-record-store-day-2018-2251169|title=Rare and unreleased David Bowie albums set for Record Store Day 2018 – NME|date=1 March 2018}} A more widely available CD edition followed on 29 June 2018, along with digital releases for download and streaming.{{cite web|url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2018/5/16/christiane-f-and-baal-vinyl-plus-blackout-cd-due|title=Christiane F and Baal vinyl plus Blackout CD due}}
Recording
The album was recorded live during the Isolar II Tour at Earls Court, London on 30 June and 1 July 1978 by Tony Visconti with the RCA mobile unit. It was mixed by Bowie and David Richards at Mountain Studios, Montreux, from 17–22 January 1979.
The 1st July performances of "Be My Wife" and "Sound and Vision" were previously released on the semi-official 1995 Mainman compilation album, Rarestonebowie.
The shows were filmed by the director David Hemmings for cinematic release later in 1978. Bowie was dissatisfied with the film and it was never released, saying in 2000, “I simply didn’t like the way it had been shot."Buckley, David (August 2018) "Soundtrack to the film that never was." Mojo (magazine), no. 297.
Track listing
=Vinyl release=
{{tracklist
|all_writing = David Bowie, except where noted
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Warszawa
| title2 = {{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}
| title3 = What in the World
| writer1 = David Bowie, Brian Eno
| writer2 = Bowie, Eno
}}
{{tracklist
|headline = Side two
|title4 = Be My Wife
|title5 = The Jean Genie
|title6 = Blackout
|title7 = Sense of Doubt
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Side three
| title8 = Speed of Life
| title9 = Sound and Vision
| title10 = Breaking Glass
| title11 = Fame
| title12 = Beauty and the Beast
| writer10 = Bowie, Dennis Davis, George Murray
| writer11 = Bowie, Carlos Alomar, John Lennon
}}
{{tracklist
|headline = Side four
|title13 = Five Years
|title14 = Soul Love
|title15 = Star
|title16 = Hang On to Yourself
|title17 = Ziggy Stardust
|title18 = Suffragette City
}}
{{tracklist
| headline = Side five
| title19 = Art Decade
| title20 = Alabama Song
| title21 = Station to Station
| writer20 = Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
}}
{{tracklist
|headline = Side six
|title22 = TVC 15
|title23 = Stay
|title24 = Rebel Rebel
}}
=CD Release=
{{tracklist
|headline = Disc one
|title1 = Warszawa
|length1 = 6:27
|title2 = {{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}
|length2 = 7:34
|title3 = What in the World
|length3 = 4:07
|title4 = Be My Wife
|length4 = 2:53
|title5 = The Jean Genie
|length5 = 6:34
|title6 = Blackout
|length6 = 3:43
|title7 = Sense of Doubt
|length7 = 3:40
|title8 = Speed of Life
|length8 = 2:37
|title9 = Sound and Vision
|length9 = 3:12
|title10 = Breaking Glass
|length10 = 3:31
|title11 = Fame
|length11 = 3:52
|title12 = Beauty and the Beast
|length12 = 4:58
}}
{{tracklist
|headline = Disc two
|title1 = Five Years
|length1 = 6:09
|title2 = Soul Love
|length2 = 2:52
|title3 = Star
|length3 = 2:30
|title4 = Hang On to Yourself
|length4 = 2:40
|title5 = Ziggy Stardust
|length5 = 3:25
|title6 = Suffragette City
|length6 = 4:02
|title7 = Art Decade
|length7 = 3:08
|title8 = Alabama Song
|length8 = 3:59
|title9 = Station to Station
|length9 = 11:10
|title10 = TVC 15
|length10 = 4:18
|title11 = Stay
|length11 = 6:59
|title12 = Rebel Rebel
|length12 = 3:53
}}
Personnel
- David Bowie – vocals, chamberlin
- Adrian Belew – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Carlos Alomar – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, music director{{citation|author=Jones, Dylan|title=David Bowie: A Life|publisher=Crown/Archetype|date=2017
}}
- George Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Dennis Davis – drums, percussion
- Roger Powell – keyboards, Moog Taurus bass pedals, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Sean Mayes – piano, ARP String Ensemble, backing vocals
- Simon House – electric violin
- Producer: Tony Visconti
- Post production mix: David Bowie, David Richards
- Photography: Sukita and Chris Walter
Live performance personnel
- Jan Michael Alejandro – band tech
- Vern "Moose" Constan – band tech
- Leroy Kerr – band tech
- Buford Jones – FOH mixer
- Townsend Wessinger – Showco sound crew
- Billy King – Showco sound crew
- Russell Davis – Showco sound crew
- Randy Marshall – Showco sound crew
- Glenn George – Showco sound crew
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Chart performance for Welcome to the Blackout ! scope="col"| Chart (2018) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Austria|55|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=12 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|39|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=6 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|96|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=6 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|32|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=27 April 2018}} |
| {{album chart|France|127|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=12 May 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|58|id=357971|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=6 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland2|36|artist=David Bowie|rowheader=true|access-date=28 April 2018}} |
| scope="row"| Italian Albums (FIMI){{cite web|url=http://www.fimi.it/classifiche#/category:album/id:2672|title=Album – Classifica settimanale WK 17 (dal 2018-04-20 al 2018-04-26)|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|language=it|access-date=28 April 2018}}
| 83 |
|---|
| scope="row"| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2018-04-27|title=NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=30 April 2018|access-date=27 April 2018}}
| 3 |
| {{album chart|Portugal|30|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=12 May 2020}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|11|date=20180706|rowheader=true|access-date=7 July 2018}} |
| scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE){{cite web|url=http://www.promusicae.es/listas/semana/3769-%C3%81lbumes-semana-27-2018|title=Top 100 Albumes – Semana 27: del 29.6.2018 al 5.7.2018|publisher=Productores de Música de España|language=es|access-date=11 July 2018}}
| 86 |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|75|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=11 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|16|date=20180706|rowheader=true|access-date=7 July 2018}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|23|artist=David Bowie|album=Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)|rowheader=true|access-date=24 July 2020}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{David Bowie}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowie, David}}
Category:David Bowie live albums
Category:Albums produced by Tony Visconti
Category:Live albums published posthumously