David Bowie - Live in Santa Monica '72 (2008) Review

If you like David Bowie but wouldn't consider yourself a fan, then I was once like you. That all changed after I put on Live in Santa Monica '72. Mr. Bowie has a huge discography. That being said, this live bootleg from 1972 blows all his other work away. I'm not exaggerating. A quote from the man himself on the album places this recording as Bowie's own favorite bootleg. The set is amazing, with a great movement from start to finish. Bowie is performing mostly as Ziggy, and he sounds blasted. The show rocks though and the sound is amazing. If you thought you liked Space Oddity and Moonage Daydream, just wait until you hear the blaring versions on this record. Most of the tracks in general sound better on this live version than the original recordings that were published. Mick Ronson's guitars light up the set. And if you're a real diehard Droog, you'll fall in love with Ziggy's sci-fi aesthetic, which mostly draws from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. And if that's your favorite Bowie album, you owe it to yourself to check out the live bootlegs of your favorite songs. And if you're not a huge fan, you might become one after picking up this album.