17 Wonderful David Bowie Performances You Should Watch Right Now
David Bowie died on Sunday after a battle with cancer. Here are some of his magical performances.
1. "Starman" – from Top of the Pops in July 1972. Many people's first taste of Bowie – you didn't get many aliens playing androgynous art rock on teatime telly back then.
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2. From the same year came this storming live performance of the apocalyptic "Five Years" on the Old Grey Whistle Test.
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3. "Life on Mars" – featuring Bowie resplendent in turquoise suit and eyeshadow.
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4. You may be familiar with this one.
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5. This clip from Alan Yentob's 1975 documentary Cracked Actor brilliantly captures the height of Bowiemania as the Ziggy tour snaked its way across America.
6. The majesty of Bowie's late-'70s masterpieces, Station to Station, Low, and Heroes, is captured in this (full-length) gig in Japan in December 1978.
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7. "Ashes to Ashes" – eerie, confounding and one of the defining pop videos of the '80s.
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8. "Heroes" one of his best-loved songs, performed against a black background with burning passion.
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9. Children of the '80s may fondly remember his performance as the goblin king, Jareth, in Labyrinth in 1986. Both Michael Jackson and Sting were originally considered for the role.
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10. Plus did you know he did a special introduction to the 1982 VHS version of perennial Christmas weepy The Snowman?
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11. He had a wicked sense of humour and was a great fan of comedy. If any proof was needed, here he is playing himself in Ricky Gervais comedy Extras in 2006.
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12. Let's just consider how truly weird it was that Bowie took time out to sing alongside Bing Crosby in 1977, the same year he released Low.
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13. "Let's Dance" – a huge hit and a mainstay of the Serious Moonlight tour in 1983.
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14. "Wild is the Wind" – from Bowie's conquering set at Glastonbury in 2000.
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15. Bowie surprised everyone by releasing this melancholic single, Where Are We Now?, his love letter to Berlin, in January 2013.
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16. Then followed it with this extraordinary promo/short film for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", featuring Tilda Swinton.
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17. And finally "Lazarus" from Blackstar, his final album, released three days ago on his 69th birthday. Bowie kept a media silence for years and now we're left with this.
