Mikko's Secret Bowie

A few years ago, I was sitting in then new Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen's home and noticed a David Bowie poster leaning against a wall. I asked him about Bowie, and quickly realized I had not run into a casual fan. So a few years later, I finally got around to asking Nissinen for a list of his favorite "special" Bowie recordings.

1. Day and the Moon
Recorded in 1970 in the Paris Cinema in London. This was the first time that Mick Ronson and Bowie played together onstage, and Ronson’s electric guitar added a new edge to Bowie’s sound, and the magical Ziggy Stardust sound was created. I’d always heard about this session, and to then actually hear it was a huge deal.

2. Glamour
Recorded in 1979. It is from the Scary Monsters album outtakes. This is made up of alternate versions and things that did not make it onto the Scary Monsters album, and it is absolutely brilliant. Glamour was a follow up to the 3 Bowie/Brian Eno collaborations; Low, Heroes and Larger, which changed the music industry.

3. All Saints
Recorded in 1993. This is a double album of Bowie instrumentals that he gave to 200 personal friends as Christmas presents. It was officially released later, but I have one of the original copies.

4. Stage 1 Hurling Disdain
Recorded in 1995 in Philadelphia, Wembley Stadium and Earls Court. This is an amazing recording from the Outside Tour, and the sound quality is outstanding. It is a wonderful merge of theatricality and music, and while the album was absolutely fabulous, the shows were even better. This is a totally new Bowie, with totally new
music.

5. L’Dolpa
Recorded in 1997 in Utrecht, as a pre-tour show, right before the Earthling tour. Bowie was shaping the tour material and they played a great long show, with an extended drum and based section.