''Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)'' is a live album by English singer-songwriter

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

recorded on the Isolar II Tour. It had a limited vinyl release on 21 April 2018 for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

. A more widely available CD edition followed on 29 June 2018, along with digital releases for download and streaming.

Recording

The album was recorded live during the Isolar II Tour at

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, London on 30 June and 1 July 1978 by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

with the RCA mobile unit. It was mixed by Bowie and David Richards at

Mountain Studios Mountain Studios was a commercial recording studio founded by American singer and composer Anita Kerr and husband Alex Grob in 1975 within the Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. The studio was under the ownership of Queen and then long ...

, Montreux, from 17–22 January 1979. The 1st July performances of "

Be My Wife "Be My Wife" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was the second single from '' Low'' (1977), released on 17 June 1977. Its presence in ''Low'' tones down the electronic feel of the rest of the album. The song also features a more c ...

" and "

Sound and Vision "Sound and Vision" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was released in January 1977 by RCA Records on side one of his 11th studio album '' Low''. RCA later chose it as the first single from the album. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony ...

" were previously released on the semi-official 1995 Mainman compilation album, ''

Rarestonebowie ''Rarestonebowie'' is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. This release was one in the series of mid-nineties releases by MainMan, Bowie's former management company during the seventies (other ones being ''Santa Monica '72'' and ...

''. The shows were filmed by the director

David Hemmings David Edward Leslie Hemmings (18 November 1941 – 3 December 2003) was an English actor and director. He is best remembered for his roles in British films and television programmes of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the 1966 mystery film ' ...

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."

Track listing

Vinyl release

CD Release

Personnel

*David Bowie – vocals,

chamberlin The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are severa ...

Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals *

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garso ...

– rhythm guitar, backing vocals,

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

* George Murray – bass guitar, backing vocals *

Dennis Davis Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and late ...

– drums, percussion * Roger Powell – keyboards, Moog Taurus bass pedals, synthesizer, backing vocals *

Sean Mayes Charles Thomas Sean Mayes (17 March 1945 – 12 July 1995) was a British pianist and writer. Born in Stone Allerton, Somerset, Mayes was schooled in Bristol. He won a place at Trinity College, Cambridge, Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtai ...

– piano,

ARP String Ensemble The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their ''Solina'' brand). It was distributed in the United States by ...

, backing vocals *

Simon House Simon House (born 29 August 1948 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. Career Before his time with Ha ...

–

electric violin An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument intentionally made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. It can also refer to a violin fi ...

* 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowie, David David Bowie live albums Albums produced by Tony Visconti Parlophone live albums RCA Records albums