David Bowie’s first tour of Japan in April 1973 consisted of ten dates spread out over a two week period. Five of these concerts were in Tokyo, the other cities visited were Nagoya, Hiroshima, Kobe, and Osaka. Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars was selling well and the record would stay in the Japanese charts for more than two years, his theatrical musical presentation is popular with both music fans and press. Bowie is so popular that a huge 60 foot by 90 foot poster hung from a Tokyo building, at the time it was the largest poster in the world. “Musically he is the most exciting thing to have happened since the fragmentation of the Beatles, and theatrically he is perhaps the most interesting performer ever in the pop music genre.” – Japan Times Review Bowie traveled to Japan on the Ocean liner SS Oronsay with the rest of the touring ensemble arriving by plane a day after his arrival. The band’s tour itinerary allows much time for Bowie to immerse himself in the Japanese culture. Sightseeing, fashion shows, and traditional Japanese Theatre fill his off time. During the tour he meets one of Japan’s most popular Kabuki star, Tamasaburou Bandou who gives David advice on make up. Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto produced several Aladdin Sane stage costumes based on Japanese dramas that were presented to him in Tokyo. Bowie had previously met Kansai in New York and spent time with his family while on tour in Japan. Bowie had this to say about his time spent in Japan during this period: “It was a great experience, I found them absolutely fascinating. There was an awful lot, particularly in the outlying villages and provinces, of very strange ritual dance performances that I hadn’t seen before. A lot of them were from Shintoism.” This new release by the Golden Eggs label features three concert from this tour, all recorded in the Capital city of Tokyo. All three recordings featured here are culled from audience sources and have been released previously, this is the first time all three have been collected in this format.
