On 24/05/1999 Bowie , Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati along with Bowienet competition winner Alex Grant recorded the final parts to "Whats Really happening" at New York's Looking Glass Studios adding the final parts to a backing track previously recorded in Bermuda's Seaview Studio.

My question is I am aware that there is an un-official CDR in circulation of this session (Which I don’t have it!!!) which contains various takes from this session but at the end of the CDR there is "Trying To Get To Heaven" which runs at 4'.49'. I belive the released version from 1998 which appeared on the Virgin CDR Promo for Hours runs at 5'.02'?

If anyone has this session, is the version on the session CD a different re-recorded version in 1999 or am I clutching at straws here?

Just thought id put the question out there in case there was something we may have missed, a possible re-recording maybe? My hunch is that is is probally the version we have just tagged on to the end of the session CDR as it was from around the same period 1998 / 1999??????

That cdr is the 100PCB cd-r I guess? I don't have it either, but I think it was taken from the live webcast of the sessions.

I'm 99% sure that Trying To Get To Heaven was tagged onto the end as a bonus track. It is probably the version from Spanish radio (with a voiceover) that was circulating before the cdr version surfaced.

Thank you as always maarten, My supsision is what you say about it just being tagged on to the end of the CDR and not part of the session recordings from Bowienet.

I will try and source this CDR but having trouble at the moment to confirm exactly what is on it. Whe I do of course will reveal my findings, cheers maarten.

I can also confirm that Trying To Get Into Heaven wasn’t included in the bowieNet webcast.

The radio version was leaked in late 1999 by a Spanish radio station broadcasting on 105.8FM in Girona, Catalunya, a program called “Radio D.O.S. 84”. Details were also posted on the radio station website and it was described as an outtake from the 'hours...' sessions given to them by Virgin record executives.

Nice one Alan, thank you.

Thats that one put to bed then, nevermind!! Was hoping for a different version but I thought this would be the answer.

Thanks both

I have the 4 cdr set of this but at the moment I'm for my work in Belgium.
When I get home this Thursday I will check it.
As far as I remember it is not on it but have to say that I haven't played it for a long time.

just to make sure I'm following this correctly...

So - If I'm reading this right...

there is a four cd-r set that has the complete "Bowienet Broadcast" of the "What's Really Happening Session" - basically, where it's the kid coming into the studio, people hanging out, and Bowie records his vocals, etc etc etc

then at the end of the cd-r set, there is a version of "Trying To Get To Heaven" that runs a bit shorter than how it is on other releases?

I'm just a bit curious b/c ... while I didn't like "What's Really Happening" - I do enjoy the cover of "Trying..." and I've never been able to get a great sounding copy of it...

for the longest time - I could only find the one with the annoying voice-over (which was also sourced from a low-quality internet stream) or a version that ... while it didn't have the voice over, it was clearly a 'transcoded mp3'

(like someone got an mp3 copy, burned it to disc, then copied that again - so there's a bit of noticeable distortion... kinda like what happens if you photocopy a document again and again...)

It’s not clear if the original “What’s Really Happening” set includes “Trying To Get Into Heaven”, but RDO will answer that question for us when he can find the time to check his discs. Somebody may have added “Trying To Get Into Heaven” when making a copy. In the meantime, you may be able to confirm our thoughts on which TTGIH recording is on the 4 CD set that Matt saw. Does the radio (voice over) recording also run for approx. 4:49? Assuming it does, the track on the disc has to be the same low quality recording. Your other version will probably be the 5:02 promo version that Matt mentioned.

ok - so my copy of "Trying to Get to Heaven" with the annoying voice over is 4:50

and the one that doesn't have the voice over is 5:01

...I got my 'copy' without the voice-over from the bootleg "Unauthorized Virgin" - or at least... it's labeled as that release (as I've only found it as a set of 192kbps mp3's... someone could've just compiled them so it matched that release - if you follow me)

but it's clearly not a standard 192 kbps mp3... it absolutely sounds worse than what you'd normally expect (although - it does, in fact - sound better than "the voice over version")

Many thanks for that, the "What's Really Happening" track clearly is the radio recording.

Have you considered posting a request for the original "Virgin Unauthorised" files at mindwarp? They may even be able to offer an alternative and better source for the TTGIH track.

Just checked the 100pcb 4 cdr set and as I suspected TTGTH is not on any of the 4 discs.
The first 3 has the netsession of the song What's really happening only and the last disc contains pictures and video's of the session.
Also checked all other discs I have with TTGTH and the version running 4.45 and which has the strange voiceover can be found on the factory pressed bootlegs Glastonbury Messiah and on Secret Songs.
They sound like recorded from a AM radio or bad internetstream.
The best studio quality sounding version I have without voiceover of TTGTH can be found on the original in-house Virgin cdr.
This version runs at 5.01.
So it is as Maarten says tagged to the end by somebody who copied the original 100pcb discs.
The Spanish radio station that broadcasted the song in 1999 just played the original in-house cdr I suppose and did the voiceover and faded it at the end.

thanks for all this detail.

this is the first i've heard of the 4 disc WRH set. i'll be the first line the song up against the wall but i'd be really interested in hearing that set.

does anyone know if is has appeared online anywhere?

christian

yea - I also haven't heard of a 'what's really happening x4 cd release'

...although - I vaguely remember reading a description of something along those lines aaaaaggggeessss ago

Is it really just the Bowienet broadcast, split across multiple discs? That just sounds... kinda boring. I mean - it's not like it's a 'free-form' session, they're just completing a track that has a finished musical backing and the lyrics were already complete...

and well - "What's Really Happening" isn't exactly going to be on "the Best of Bowie" know what I mean?

You mean that It would be a song from the Best of "Kim Wild" in 80' or Best of Rod Stewart in the 70's or The Supremes Greatest Hits in 60's :

But like he said : The same old thing* in a brand new drag...
thing* = song ?

http://www.bowie-list.magix.net/#/mijn-albums/!/oa/3387934/

For the ones who want to see the cd set on my private collection site.
click on the above link.
It's in the Ninenties section somewhere.