Listen: David Bowie ‘Live From The Manhattan Center ’99’ EP
Parlophone Records will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the David Bowie album hours… with a series of digital and video releases, beginning today with Live From Manhattan Center ’99, a previously unreleased live set.
Live From Manhattan Center ’99 features three previously unreleased live tracks recorded for the UK TV show Top Of The Pops but not broadcast at the time. The recording was made at the same venue as David’s VH1 Storytellers performance but two days earlier.
Initially released on 21 September 1999, hours… was Bowie’s 22nd studio album. He once more proved himself to be a trailblazer as it was the first by a major artist to be made available as a download.
The decision was incredibly controversial at the time, with some established retailers calling for a boycott and a withdrawal of all his albums from their shelves, which, of course, never happened. Speaking at the time, Bowie said, “I am hopeful that this small step will lead to greater steps by myself and others, ultimately giving consumers greater choices and easier access to the music they enjoy.” As with so much of his work and expression, this quote envisioned the future with uncanny accuracy.
The album itself saw Bowie harken back to his early career with the 12-string acoustic guitar being at the forefront of key songs on the album, including Survive and Seven, two of three singles released in the UK, While David didn’t undertake a tour for the album, he played a handful of intimate shows and several live TV performances.
Further releases planned in the coming weeks to celebrate the anniversary of hours... include the six-track hours… REMIX EP (including two Beck remixes of the track Seven) and a series of remastered BBC performances from the time.