David Bowie – Suffragette City – Live in Tokyo – 1978 – Remastered HQ Sound

David Bowie – Suffragette City – Live in Tokyo – 1978 – Remastered HQ Sound by Nacho, February 10th 2017.

Suffragette City is originally a song from David Bowie’s album, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, recorded in late ’71, and released in June ‘72. Despite its enduring popularity, Suffragette City was never a hit single. When it was finally released as a single in 1976, it failed to chart.

This live version, is from the Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, on the 12th of December, 1978, the last date of the Isolar 1978 world tour.

Bowie played Suffragette City on every tour in the 70’s, one of the few songs to enjoy that privilege. It was dutifully played on the ’78 tour, as part of the mini-Ziggy set. In the latter part of the tour, it concluded the Ziggy set.

Looking at the stats on setlist.com, Bowie played Suffragette City 498 times throughout his career, putting it at the number 5 position of his most frequently played songs. Having said that, this Tokyo performance was not only the last time Suffragette City was played live in the 70’s (the first time was at the Imperial College in London, in February 1972) but it was also the last time Bowie played it live, until 1990.
http://www.setlist.fm/stats/david-bow…

Suffragette City was not included on the Stage album, perhaps because it had been on the previous live album, David Live. Unfortunately even on the 2005 remastered version of Stage we are still missing several tracks that were frequently played on the tour:
Jean Genie
Suffragette City
Rock n’ Roll Suicide
Rebel Rebel
So, as its stands, this Tokyo performance is the only soundboard quality version of Suffragette City available to us. I have gripes with the sound on the Tokyo show, but this version of Suffragette City sounds pretty good despite that.

Let’s hope that when the official box set things catch up to this era, these tracks will be included.

Look out for the lovely moment at around 1:55, of Bowie and drummer Dennis Davis singing the chorus to each other. Davis doesn’t have a vocal mic; he’s just enjoying himself, as he always seems to be when he is playing drums.

Not a vast amount of video editing was done here (for a change, thank God!). The significant difference is that I’ve added a much better sounding audio source, from the same show.

Hope you dig it!

Do me an’ yerself a favor – watch it in the Highest Def available with the sound UP LOUD!

If anyone has any other footage, or ideas for another video project, of material from Bowie’s classic period, do please get in touch: nachomarcho@gmail.com

Putting this video together was another huge labour of love, made with love and with respect for the source.

I don’t own the rights, and I’m not making any money out of this etc. Just a fan making videos for other fans.