Rating: 
Summary: "This is the last show we'll ever do."
Review: This 1973 concert film directed by D.A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop, Jimi Plays Monterey, Depeche Mode 101, etc.) documenting the final show of Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) & the Spiders from Mars (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, & Mick "Woody" Woodmansey)provides a rare glimpse into Bowie's glam rock period. It is a loud & flashy assault on the senses that is experienced through both "sound" & "vision". Film footage mostly consists of the performance, but also included are back stage scenes of Bowie changing from one costume to another.Songs performed:
1) Hang on to yourself
2) Ziggy Stardust
3) Watch that man
4) Medley: Wild eyed boy from Freecloud/All the young dudes/Oh you pretty things
5) Moonage Daydream
6) Changes
7) Space Oddity
8) My death
9) Crack'd Actor
10) Time
11) Width of a circle
12) Let's spend the night together
13) Suffragette City
14) White light/white heat
15) Rock & Roll Suicide Leonard Maltin dismisses this film as "practically unwatchable and unlistenable" which would only be true for people who either dislike Bowie or the style of music. Yes, the music is sometimes loud, the focus is blurry here & there, and the strobe lights go crazy, but this is a David Bowie rock concert from the 1970s, isnt that appropriate? Anyone who is interested in either David Bowie or the glam rock era of the 1970s will find this film essential. For one, it is the only film document of David Bowie's Ziggy/glam phase and for another it is the "last concert" with "the Spiders" including Mick Ronson, who was a part of Bowie's band since the 1969 album "Space Oddity" up until '73's "Pin Ups". Bowie would, by 1974, have a new back up band, as well as a new look. This film deserves preservation on DVD as the historical document that it is. *Look quickly for Ringo Starr talking with Bowie backstage
Rating: 
Summary: Time to bin your VHS copies, Ziggy's back on DVD....
Review: Here it is, the 25th Anniversary Special Edition of D.A Pennbaker's film of Bowie's final '73 concert as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust film July 3, 1972 at the Hammersmith Odeon. Bowie's backing band at this stage includes Trevor Bolder- future bassist for Uriah Heep.
For it's re-release the film has been remixed in Dolby Digital, greatly improving on the muddy sound of the original VHS edition giving it a rawer, more rockin' feel. Though Leonard Maltin only gives this one and a half stars out of four, this is actually a pretty good concert: I'm far from being a Bowie fanatic, so devoted fans will easily give this a 4 or 5 star rating. Even though Maltin's one of the most respected film critics out there, its still just one man's opinion so its not like anything he (or anybody else) writes is gospel.
Songs include the rockin' HANG ON TO YOURSELF (which will blow your mind when you crank up the volume), CHANGES, SPACE ODDITY & SUFFRAGETTE CITY, as well as a cover of Lou Reed's WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT.
The DVD package also features a warning about strobe lighting FX (esp. during the song THE WIDTH OF A CIRCLE), so if you are sensitive to this you should take the necessary precautions before you make the decision to view this.
DVD extras include Director's commentary, DVD ROM features with screensaver, photos, weblinks etc.
I do have ONE complaint: the long, lingering close-ups of teenage girls crying over Bowie. How sappy can you get? Maybe they had premonitions about the TIN MACHINE album? I don't know. This is still a must for your DVD collection. Check it out.
Rating: 
Summary: You must be a Bowie fanatic to recomend this dvd...
Review: As a David Bowie fan of his earlier music, I was extremely disappointed by this "presentation". Poor music selection, terrible arrangements, sound quality befitting old 8mm home movies, and grainy picture. I believe this was shot with 2 hand held cameras focusing exclusively on Bowie, almost completely ignoring his band members. Do NOT waste your money on this dvd!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Rockin' 70's Concert DVD...
Review: ..and I emphasize 70's. I was compelled to write sfter seeing complaints on red lights and guitar solos, which ALMOST convinced me not to get this great documentary on the ONLY time you will see David Bowie as his most famous alter ago, Ziggy Stardust. Folks, as a casual listener..and lover of old school Bowie music, I have to say this concert is definitely something to see and not a diappointment. From the backstage conversations to the insatiable energy Mr. Bowie gave off onsatage. David Bowie gives you your money's worth.. It bothers me though, the mentioning of Mick Ronson's long solo performances [Note:truly a gifted guitar player..and inspired me to want to play guitar]. To explain, the REASON for such solos is to give Bowie a chance to CHANGE costumes in-between, a practice that pop and R&B singers do to THIS day, besides if it DOES bother you, there is a 'Fast Forward' button. Also, the red lighting used gives Bowie's Ziggy Stardust look a TRUE alien feel. It works perfectly, plus you can still see the man's face, besides they have other lighting too...if anyone is curious. Plus you have to remember this IS the seventies, not the 2000's... Finally, as for the focus on the fans, I don't know of anyone who has NOT shown fans in the audience, but it doesn't really take away from the performances, besides this concert DVD is about David Bowie, not the audience. Above all, if you like vintage classics or better yet watched classic concert videos on VH1 classics channel. Then you will have an inkling on what to expect. Believe me, if this is what you want to get then go for it. But like I said this is the seventies and once you keep that in mind, just kick back and ENJOY! (...)
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best 70's concert DVD we've seen....from SP777
Review: ..and I emphasize 70's.
I was compelled to write after seeing complaints on red lights and guitar solos, which ALMOST convinced me not to get this great documentary on the ONLY time you will see David Bowie as his most famous alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.
Folks, as a casual listener..and lover of old school Bowie music, I have to say this concert is definitely something to see and not a disappointment.
From the backstage conversations to the insatiable energy Mr. Bowie gave off onstage. David Bowie gives you your money's worth..
It bothers me though, the mentioning of Mick Ronson's long solo performances [Note:truly a gifted guitar player..and inspired me to want to play guitar]. To explain, the REASON for such solos is to give Bowie a chance to CHANGE costumes in-between, a practice that Pop and R&B singers do to THIS day, besides if it DOES bother you, there is a 'Fast Forward' button.
Also, the red lighting used gives Bowie's Ziggy Stardust look a TRUE alien feel. It works perfectly, plus you can still see the man's face, besides they have other lighting too...if anyone is curious. Plus you have to remember this IS the seventies, not the 2000's... ..and the strobe lighting isn't really noticed at all, if you're focused on the performance and it's only used 3 times[?].
Finally, as for the focus on the fans, I don't know of any video director who has NOT shown fans in the audience, but it doesn't really take away from the performances, besides this concert DVD is about David Bowie, not the audience.
Above all, if you like vintage classics or better yet watched classic concert videos on VH1 classics channel. Then you will have an inkling on what to expect.
Believe me, if this is what you want to get then go for it. But like I said this is the seventies and once you keep that in mind, just kick back and ENJOY!
Rating:
Summary: You must be a Bowie fanatic to recomend this dvd...
Review: As a David Bowie fan of his earlier music, I was extremely disappointed by this "presentation". Poor music selection, terrible arrangements, sound quality befitting old 8mm home movies, and grainy picture. I believe this was shot with 2 hand held cameras focusing exclusively on Bowie, almost completely ignoring his band members. Do NOT waste your money on this dvd!!!
Rating:
Summary: Five stars for the improvement over my laserdisc
Review: First of all, the film source they had to work with wasn't that good, so my expectations were guarded. My old laserdisc showed a great performance with horrible audio and video. The DVD restoration of the video is a considerable improvement over the laserdisc, but the audio improvement is incredible. At least you can listen to it now. When somebody re-releases something and I already have the laserdisc pressing, I have to justify buying the DVD. The uncompressed PCM of the laserdisc is often better than the DVD's audio even though the picture might be better (and that's not always to be assumed). I bought the DVD used for $16 from one of my favorite stores(after running back home first to read the mixed Amazon reviews). I'm pleased with my decision to buy this. My only audio complaint is that Mick Ronson's guitar is a bit to dominant in the mix, competing with Bowie's voice. Having said that, I've always appreciated the performance documented here. As a side note, the best restoration I've ever seen from a 70s concert film is the 2-dvd Ledzeppelin compilation. That is my new gold standard. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Ziggy Stardust
Review: Famously, but incorrectly, touted as Ziggy Stardust's "retirement gig" this legendary concert was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3rd July 1973 (it was actually after the 1980 Floor Show, on 20th October the same year that Ziggy bowed out). In common with the Sex Pistols 100 club gig, if everybody who claims to have been there actually was, then there must have been 100,000 in attendance. By no means well recorded - it's taken 30 years of mixing to get "right", and in my opinion the drum sound is now even worse - it remains the definitive live Bowie recording. The Spiders were a wonderfully tight band and just the right side of messy. For those of us lucky enough to have heard the original recording, with Ronson's guitar overpowering everything, including, occasionally, Bowie's voice, this is a bit of a letdown. However, Bowie's voice is wonderful, with an effortless clarity that's missing from subsequent live recordings such as DAVID LIVE and STAGE. The video is by Pennebaker, famous for his Dylan fly on the wall documentary "Don't Look back". Shaky camera work, and out of focus zooms, more often than not result in Bowie looking like a grainy red blob amid a sea of blackness. However, in my opinion this actually adds to the mysterious aura that Bowie built around Ziggy. It looks like the film had to be pushed quite hard to get anything out of it at all - this could possibly be the first grunge video! The Odeon looks like a huge, heaving cavern. It's a million miles away from the polished Glass Spider and all the better for it. Considering the state of the original print I was dubious as to whether it could be improved for this DVD release. It couldn't. Previously unreleased additions include the complete "Width Of A Circle", some between song banter, and commentary by Pennebaker and Visconti. Unfortunately the additions are not what fans have waited 30 years for. Disgracefully, The Jean Genie/Love Me Do, on which Jeff Beck joined the Spiders onstage to play guitar is STILL missing. Whether this is down to a royalty dispute or Beck's embarrassment of his glam rags, I don't care, but the omission seriously undermines this release. It was, in many an opinion, the highlight of the show. Until the complete show is released, Bowie Fans will continue to feel short changed. Come on Mr Beck - sort it out!
Rating:
Summary: Great concert
Review: I loved this DVD. Bowie's energy on-stage is great and he is a daring, theatrical, artistic performer. Plus, the songs sound great and his costumes are works of art (nevermind a few of them make you want to cringe). Mick Ronson is an annoying presence with neverending guitar solos - thank god for fast-forward. I'd recommend this DVD for serious Bowie fans only. If you don't love him, then well, he kind of looks like a freak, and this video won't change that impression. If you're a fan already, and particularly of the 70s songs in the vein of Cracked Actor, Width of a Circle, etc, then it's worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Musical Trip Back to Mars
Review: Take a tour in the world of Ziggy Stardust and make a trip back to Mars with Ziggy's Spiders. David Bowie is one of the most famous pop stars in the world dated back already in the 1960's. The Motion Picture DVD taped and recorded at Ziggy's tour in 1970's takes us back to the music era of that time. Great songs such as Moonage Daydream, Time, Watch That Man, and many many others will entertain you at your home theater the most easiest way, on a DVD movie. I'd like to recommend David Bowie's music CD's, like Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust, in addition to this motion picture.
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