David Bowie - "Bombers" appreciation

"Bombers" is a song I've only ever seen as a bonus track on the Ryko edition of "Hunky Dory" and also in a version on "Bowie at the Beeb." I love this song and I can't understand why it wasn't put on the album originally, or at least made more widely available now.

Does anyone know if there's some kind of rights/licensing issue that's keeping this song buried? Because to me it's right up there with his greatest material from this period.

 

It featured as a slightly different mix on this year's RSD release 'Bowpromo'. Personally I can live without it on Hunky Dory.

 

It has the "Hunky-Dory-Bowie-vibe", so if you are in for the sound of it, then enjoy.
Personally, I'm not a fan of it. And I can tolerate a LOT of Bowie! ;-)
He was right to replace it with Fill Your Heart, In my opinion.

Regarding why it hasn't surfaced in many years: There will come a day where all those outtakes will get remixed again.
Just wait and see. The Bowie releases will never stop.

 

I also love that song - especially in the combination with the acoustic Supermen. However, I also think that it would not have fit well on HD. A gread B side it could/would have been.

 

I still can’t get over the fact that the powers that be decided to ignore the hitherto unreleased stuff on the recent box sets...
Grab those early 90’s EMI’s, folks!

 

You can see why this was initially shelved. The vocals are all over the place and it is just annoying.

 

I like it a lot but see what you mean. I don't mind the vocals being all over the place! I prefer Fill Your Heart.

The version of Bombers on the Hunky Dory CD doesn't sound finished to me. It's quite rough sounding and more like a rehearsal or demo. The drumming falls out of time a bit on it too. I can't see that it would have been released like that next to sublime performances and great recordings as Life On Mars?, Oh! You Pretty Things, Changes and Queen Bitch. As somebody mentioned earlier, it would have been a good B-side. It's surprising Life On Mars? wasn't a single in 1971.

 

Some of you folks are harsh. My opinion is that it should have been on RE:Cal 1.

 

I'm surprised it wasn't. Did that compilation stick to material that was officially released at the time?

 

Some years ago I read somewhere that DB and Ken Scott(?) thought the song to be 'too good' and given DB's then low prominence the song as a single might not get the attention/appreciation by the public they thought the song would deserve and wanted it to hold it back for the future (probably knowing by then what impact the Ziggy songs (then in the making) would have)

However, I am not sure of this is true.

 

Love this song...Arguably my favorite Bowie outtake. I'm not sure I could imagine it on HD, which I consider to be a perfect album, but it certainly would be a cool Side B opener!

 

Is the EMI CD the only way to hear it? Is it available in the digital domain in its original mix?

 

That it is not on Recall 1 is criminal

 

And the sky a greenish taaa-aaa-aannn!

Loved it when the Sound + Vision came out and I heard it first. Still do. Like a curious hybrid of Deram era and Ziggy. Fantastic.

 

I liked it quite a bit when I first heard it as a bonus cut on the Ryko CD.

I remember I was riding around with some people in my car in High School, smoking weed (we called it “backroading”), and the song came on the car stereo on a comp tape I had made. After the first opening blast of “All cleeear, wailed the sirens”, the guy in the front passenger seat hit the eject button promptly.

 

In 1980, I managed to procure the bootleg single with "London Bye Ta Ta" on the flipside. The main difference between it and the Rykodisk version is that the upper harmony on the chorus is much louder, particularly on the word "sirens."

 

I love Bombers, but obviously Bowie wasn't a fan.

 

Love it.

 

Fantastic track with one of my favorite Bowie vocals.

Absolutely should have been on Hunky Dory, right in the spot were "Song For Bob Dylan" unfortunately ended up.

 

This does sounds unconvincing as a reason for it being shelved. And I agree with the others above, that Hunky is better off without it.

Better than Rupert The Riley but not as strong as anything on Hunky Dory.

Also to all who think it should have been on recall. Those CDs have never included outtakes or any unreleased material.

 

.. and then he was in for a big surprise, right between the eyes ?

 

who cares if they haven't

THEY SHOULD HAVE

 

Ok, then!

 

Artists shelve all kinds of good work in favor of crap all the time, so I guess it's not that mysterious.

 

The wonderful long fade out of 'The Bewlay Brothers' slowly ebbs away to complete silence and then - "ALL CLEAR WAIL THE SIRENS!" completely destroys the carefully created mood.

Sorry, I just can't bear 'Bombers'. I actually deleted it from my iTunes library!