Recorded: 12 September 1983
Producers: David Bowie, Aisha Cohen, Nigel Reeve
Released: 12 October 2018
Personnel
David Bowie: vocals, acoustic guitar
Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick: guitar
Carmine Rojas: bass guitar
Tony Thompson: drums
David LeBolt: keyboards
Lenny Pickett, Stan Harrison, Steve Elson: horns
Frank Simms, George Simms: vocals
Tracklisting
‘Look Back In Anger’“Heroes”
‘What In The World’
‘Golden Years’
‘Fashion’
‘Let’s Dance’
‘Breaking Glass’
‘Life On Mars?’
‘Sorrow’
‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’
‘China Girl’
‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)’
‘Rebel Rebel’
‘White Light/White Heat’
‘Station To Station’
‘Cracked Actor’
‘Ashes To Ashes’
‘Space Oddity’
‘Young Americans’
‘Fame’
‘Modern Love’
Recorded in Vancouver during David Bowie’s 1983 world tour, Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) was released as part of the Loving The Alien (1983–1988) box set in 2018.
Bowie’s concert at Vancouver’s 11,000-seater Pacific National Exhibition Coliseum took place on 12 September 1983. The show was recorded and filmed, with David Mallet directing the latter.
The film of the event was released on VHS and laserdisc in 1984. It included the majority of the concert, although ‘Red Sails’, ‘Star’, ‘Stay’, ‘The Jean Genie’, and ‘Modern Love’ were omitted due to time constraints.
A remastered DVD version came out in 2006, with new 5.1 and DTS audio remixes by EMI’s Peter Mew.
A digital EP featuring four audio tracks from the show was released in February 2006, and included ‘Space Oddity’, ‘China Girl’, ‘Breaking Glass’, and ‘Young Americans’.
The full live album was released on 12 October 2018 in the Loving The Alien (1983–1988) box set, and on 15 February 2019 as a standalone release.
The majority of the tracks were mixed by Bob Clearmountain, although Nile Rodgers and Jason Corsaro mixed the closing ‘Modern Love’, which was recorded at the Forum in Montreal on 13 July 1983. The live recording had previously been released as the b-side of the ‘Modern Love’ single.
I am a huge Bowie fan and I always thought it was so cool that this album was recorded at the Pacific Coliseum! The arena is only a few blocks from where I currently live.
This is my Bowie album. I was part of the Perth effort. Seriously, one of the greatest concerts I had ever been involved in. And the afterparty was… well ya had to be there. This is sublime musicianship from some of the best rent-a-sounds ever. Think I’ve still got the t-shirt and tape somewhere signed by the Thin White Duke himself. The Edgley Entertainment Centre came alive… so did a 21 year old.