Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95)

Recorded: 13 October, 13 December 1995
Producer: David Bowie

Released: 3 July 2020

Personnel

David Bowie: vocals, saxophone
Reeves Gabrels: lead guitar, vocals
Carlos Alomar: rhythm guitar
Gail Ann Dorsey: bass guitar, vocals
Mike Garson: piano, keyboards
Peter Schwartz: keyboards, synthesisers
Zachary Alford: drums
George Simms: vocals

Tracklisting

• ‘Look Back In Anger’
• ‘The Hearts Filthy Lesson’
• ‘The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)’
• ‘I Have Not Been To Oxford Town’
• ‘Outside’
• ‘Andy Warhol’
• ‘Breaking Glass’
• ‘The Man Who Sold The World’
• ‘We Prick You’
• ‘I’m Deranged’
• ‘Joe The Lion’
• ‘Nite Flights’
• ‘Under Pressure’
• ‘Teenage Wildlife’
• ‘Moonage Daydream’
• ‘Under Pressure’

Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95) is a collection of live recordings by David Bowie and his band, recording during the Outside Tour in 1995.

The album contains sixteen songs, fourteen of which were recorded at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas, on 13 October 1995, with Nine Inch Nails supporting Bowie.

Two bonus tracks – ‘Moonage Daydream’ and a second version of ‘Under Pressure’ – were taped on 13 December at the NEC in Birmingham, England. They were originally released in 1995 on the ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ CD single.

Six of Ouvrez Le Chien’s songs were from Bowie’s 1995 album 1.Outside. There were one apiece from The Man Who Sold The World (the title track), Hunky Dory (‘Andy Warhol’), Ziggy Stardust (‘Moonage Daydream’), Low (‘Breaking Glass’), “Heroes” (‘Joe The Lion’), Lodger (‘Look Back In Anger’), Scary Monsters… And Super Creeps (‘Teenage Wildlife’), and Black Tie White Noise (‘Nite Flites’).

There were additionally two versions of ‘Under Pressure’, recorded at both venues, with Gail Ann Dorsey taking the parts originally sung by Queen’s Freddie Mercury.

The release

Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95) was initially available only on digital services. It was announced on 26 June 2020, the same day that the live recording of ‘Teenage Wildlife’ was made available on streaming platforms. The full album followed on 3 July 2020.

On 10 October 2020, a limited edition physical release, on compact disc and double vinyl, was announced. The album was the first part of Brilliant Live Adventures (1995-1999), a series of six live albums to be compiled as a box set.

The physical editions of Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95) were released on 30 October 2020.

The title

The mysterious phrase ‘Zane, zane, zane, ouvre le chien’ (‘open the dog’ in French) had originally appeared on Bowie’s 1970 album track ‘All The Madmen’. He used it again in 1993 on the song ‘Buddha Of Suburbia’.

Ouvrez Le Chien added the missing ‘z’ from ‘ouvrez’. The grammatically-correct phrase, and its English counterpart, was used in the stage set of the Outside Tour. It does not, however, appear elsewhere on the album.

Finally the round and round ending comes with various vocal parts coming in as counter melodies plus the immortal words, ‘Zane, Zane, Zane, ouvre le chien’, which means ‘Zane, open the dog’ in English. What does that mean? I’ll leave it to your imagination, although it has been analysed many times. This track [‘All The Madmen’] is sensational in every way, a five minute and 40 second symphonette.

Cover artwork

The monochrome cover photograph for Ouvrez Le Chien was taken by Bowie’s wife Iman Abdulmajid during the Outside Tour.

The cover rendered Bowie’s name in the same XBAND Rough typeface previously used on 1.Outside.

Press announcement

“A real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold”

Parlophone Records is proud to announce that DAVID BOWIE OUVREZ LE CHIEN (LIVE DALLAS 95) (a previously unreleased live album), will be made available on all streaming services from 3rd July. TEENAGE WILDLIFE (LIVE DALLAS 95) from the album, is available to stream from 26th June.

OUVREZ LE CHIEN was recorded live at the Starplex Amphitheater, Dallas, 13th October, 1995, during the US leg of the Outside Tour.

The phrase OUVREZ LE CHIEN (translating from the French to “OPEN THE DOG”), originally appeared in the song All The Madmen from The Man Who Sold The World (which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year), albeit without the z. Bowie also used the phrase for his 1993 song Buddha Of Suburbia, once again spelling “ouvre” without a Z. The Z was added when the phrase and its English translation were prominently featured in the stage set of the 1995 Outside Tour.

OUVREZ LE CHIEN also features two bonus tracks Moonage Daydream and Under Pressure recorded live at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, 13th December, 1995. Previously available on the Hallo Spaceboy CD single, both tracks are making their streaming debut.

OUVREZ LE CHIEN was produced by David Bowie and recorded by Steve Guest. *Mixed by David Richards at Mountain Studios, Switzerland, assisted by Sam Curtis. The musicians are David Bowie – vocals and saxophone, Carlos Alomar – rhythm guitar, Reeves Gabrels – lead guitar and vocals, Gail Ann Dorsey – bass and vocals, Zachary Alford – drums, Peter Schwartz – keyboards and synthesisers, George Simms – vocals, Mike Garson – piano and keyboards

The cover image of OUVREZ LE CHIEN was taken by Iman during the ’95 tour.

DAVID BOWIE – OUVREZ LE CHIEN TRACKLISTING

Look Back In Anger (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

The Hearts Filthy Lesson (David Bowie/Brian Eno/Michael Garson/Sterling Campbell/Erdal Kizilcay/Reeves Gabrels)

The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty) (David Bowie/Brian Eno/Reeves Gabrels)

I Have Not Been To Oxford Town (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Outside (David Bowie/Kevin Armstrong)

Andy Warhol (David Bowie)

Breaking Glass (David Bowie/George Murray/Dennis Davis)

The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)

We Prick You (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

I’m Deranged (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Joe The Lion (David Bowie)

Nite Flights (Scott Engel)

Under Pressure (David Bowie/Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/John Deacon/Brian May)

Teenage Wildlife (David Bowie)

Recorded live at the Starplex Amphitheater, Dallas, 13th October, 1995

Bonus Tracks:

Moonage Daydream * (David Bowie)

Under Pressure * (David Bowie/Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/John Deacon/Brian May)

Both recorded live at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, 13th December, 1995.