Ooh! Can't you post it here to have a listen to?



Haha! That made me laugh.
I'm the same, I'm desperate to see this performance.
Those stills are tantalizing.
Roll on Sunday.

Hey footstomper

heres a you tube link to the audio mate, enjoy, get us all in the mood for it, bliss!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxx5sVNhutI

Oh great, cheers Matt.
Sounds a little ropey but so unique. I'm sure with the visuals it will blow us away.
I want it released so I can watch it whenever I like.
Does make me wonder though if he'd done a great mimed performance on TOTP (like 'Starman') if 'The Jean Genie' would have gone to number 1 afterwards.
I bet it would have!

a pleasure mate

It's been mentioned somewhere (not here) that Bowie's own crew did the sound mix for this performance and that they had to turn Mick down as he was too loud, In actual fact it was a BBC engineer who did the sound* (can't recall the name now, I really should write these things down) for this, and every other live TOTP performance, oh, and there was no recollection of Mick being too loud

*for one thing, the union wouldn't allow it (I've a bit of first experience on that one. )

From the 'Any Day Now' book by Kevin Cann

Wednesday 3 January 1973
David, The Spiders and Mike Garson run through three takes of 'The Jean Genie' for the Top Of The Pops cameras at BBC's Television Centre.
Ronson makes the most of the opportunity to play his guitar at top volume. "He loved it" said road manager Will Palin in 1993. "He cranked it up as far as it would go and blew the television engineer's ears away. Typical Mick."
Dressed in their unusual stage outfits, The Spiders spend time between takes in the BBC bar. "An episode of Doctor Who was also being recorded, so there were actors in futuristic costume drinking there", said Trevor Bolder. "People were approaching us asking what parts we were playing."

Thursday 4 January 1973
The Top Of The Pops recording is broadcast. The band's third take is chosen, even though it contains a mistake when the musicians fail to start the final section simultaneously.
"Everyone thought it was me" said Bolder in 1995. "The whole band missed the cue, it was a real mess."

Yep, well aware of the above, not necessarily correct though. Also, the recording may have taken place on the 4th January - there being an audience present - this is significant, but all will be revealed soon.

I've spoke to Will on a number of occasions over the years, and also to musicians who've played with Mick, yes, he did tend to play at full volume - so much so that Will re-wired the Pig so that it looked like it was at full volume - when in fact it wasn't - Mick never knew.

I've a press cutting from just after the Hype period on my 'Hype MySpace page' where David states that he split the Hype up because they were just too loud.....
(not quite the reason, as we now know)

(for the record - check the time line on the Aladdin Sane anni CD by the same author (who personally I feel is the top man when it comes to writing about Bowie) - it's different again)

The TOTP 2 broadcast has been cancelled and it'll be a few more weeks before we get to see the 1973 recording. The good news is that the complete recording will eventually be broadcast on the BBC's "Red Button", no on-screen graphics, no commentary, broadcast on a loop so you can watch it as many times as you want to. Lot's more info. in John Henshall's post:

Missing Episodes Forum

but sadly we can't record from the red button - oh well - we can't have everything

I'm glad the recording date has now been confirmed - that Kevin Cann knows his stuff for sure.
John's a great guy going to such lengths to explain everything in his post, other folk may have just wallowed in their glory.

Stunning reading of Johns work, superb stuff

I had a great night at the BFI last night and we were treated to TWO screenings of 'The Jean Genie' from Top Of The Pops. It was indeed that iconic performance that we all have in the back of our hazy memories. John Henshall's fisheye lens gave us a great wide view of the stage and every move Bowie was making and Mick Ronson just looked awesome, the best footage I've seen of Mick to date! But this really was a special performance that I'm so glad has been rediscovered after so many years of us all desperate to see it again. A truly great find that looks and sounds fantastic. Of the tv footage in 'The Best Of Bowie' this is that great missing link between 'Starman' and 'Drive In Saturday'.
Let's hope it gets an official release soon as I'd love to watch it over and over again.

I am delighted that the clip has been recovered.

I couldn't attend MBW, because of ill health, but I am so very very pleased it's been found and preserved!

Hi Footstomper (and Ruud)

Could I have your permission to copy the above post onto the Mick Ronson forum (that's if you don't want to do it yourself )
There's a lot of Ronno fans waiting penitently to see this incredible film, and your observations will go down well.

Cheers
Colin

No problem, feel free to post it.

An extract from Andy Barding’s BFI screening review on bowieNet

Much is forever being made about the classic, often-repeated ‘Starman’ performance from the previous year. But, if anything, this newly-rediscovered footage is an even better testimony to the sheer power of Ziggy and the Spiders. A faint smile creeps over the singer’s face between shrieking, bang-on vocals, an occasional maraca shuffle and loads of bluesy harmonica-riffery (including a nod to ‘Love Me Do’), but it’s obvious that he and the band have some serious news to lay down in TV land: and Ronno’s spectacularly dissonant solo towards the end of the footage sends a battery of icy chills down the spine.

See the full report for more comment and stills from the TOTP recording.