Heaven in Here: Rare Live Tracks From Bowie’s Tin Machine Collected on Digital Album
We’re continuing our periodic look at digital-only titles we might otherwise have missed with a peek at a previously unreleased concert from David Bowie and Tin Machine!
Thirty years ago, the ever-mercurial David Bowie embarked on a new phase of his career with his new band Tin Machine. After several commercial-leaning albums in the earlier part of the decade, Bowie joined up with the then-unknown guitarist Reeves Gabrels and former Todd Rundgren associates Tony and Hunt Sales to form Tin Machine. The objective? To create music that was more authentic than Let’s Dance and Never Let Me Down, music that pointed away from the mainstream.
On June 25, 1989, Tin Machine played a gig at the 1,000-person Parisian theatre La Cigale. It was only their eighth show, comprised of material from their debut (then only a month old) and covers of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” and Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm.”
Late in summer, the eight songs that Bowie selected for release were gathered together as a digital release: Live at La Cigale Paris, 25th June, 1989. Released to digital and streaming providers, the set includes the previously released B-sides “Baby Can Dance,” “I Can’t Read,” and “Maggie’s Farm,” alongside five previously unreleased performances. Live at La Cigale was mixed by Tin Machine co-producer Tim Palmer and was specially mastered to tie in with the album’s 30th anniversary.
Could this be part of a grander celebration of the Tin Machine era? Well, time will tell and The Second Disc will be there to report when the moment is right! In the meantime, fans can download the set or stream it on Spotify below!
Tin Machine, Live at La Cigale, Paris, 25th June, 1989 (Parlophone/Warner, 2019) (Apple Music / Amazon U.S. / Spotify)
01 Amazing
02 Heaven’s In Here
03 Sacrifice Yourself
04 Working Class Hero
05 Maggie’s Farm *
06 I Can’t Read *
07 Baby Can Dance *
08 Under The God
