David Bowie (Aug. 1978) Stage Live Album Advert – News Feature Chronicle

A full-page New Musical Express advertisement announcing David Bowie’s forthcoming live double album Stage, produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. The advert carried the bold “AVAILABLE SOON!” banner and featured a striking black-and-white photograph of Bowie performing on stage, microphone in hand, framed by vertical lighting bars. It marked the beginning of RCA’s promotional campaign for the album, which captured performances from Bowie’s 1978 world tour.

The copy quoted Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage… and one man in his time plays many parts,” reinforcing the theatrical concept behind the release. Positioned on page 37 of the August 26, 1978 issue, the advert presented Bowie as both performer and auteur, bridging his Berlin-period experimentation with the live energy of the Isolar II tour. The design was minimalist yet powerful, typical of RCA’s late-1970s advertising style.

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