2018's David Bowie box set 4: Dancing With The Big Boys? - (Speculation Thread)*

Could be any day, box 1 was announced June 22/23 2015, box 2 on July 22 2016 and box 3 July 12 2017.

 

It’s been 35 years since the album came out. The circumstances of its making have been documented in scores of articles. There is no ‘untold story’.

 

Expensive end of the year. Bowie box 4 / Stones box and Beatles box.

 

It's marketing, plain and simple.

 

And we will soon know the name of the box, then. I won't be getting it, mind you, more interested in what comes next.....

 

Still very torn on this one. I enjoy the theory of these box sets and have enjoyed the sound quality of the first two, but after how unappealing the last one was, I'm not sure how ready I am to plunk down for box 4.

Granted, unless something really scandalous is part of the initial announcement, I'll probably take a chance for the right price, but it's going to be a big leap of faith here.

 

If they put something really good in it I might get it, but I can't imagine what it could be to force me to spend my money, perhaps a remix of Never Let Me Down. I don't really care for the other 80s albums. The problem is, Parlophone will keep any exclusives for the boxes and unless you can find someone who is willing to split one up you've got an expensive white elephant.

For once the book won't even be much of a draw, because his styles were pretty awful throughout the decade and the recording of the albums is probably a really dull story. Perhaps they'll have an interview with Hugh Padgham or Derek Bramble on how they managed to make one of the most creative artists of the 1970s sound like Phil Collins on a bad day.

 

The Mojo article (in depth piece on Let's Dance and SM tour) mentions that the boxed set is coming, and that it will include a SM Tour live recording, but from what I have read (not gone through all the sidebars with a fine toothed comb), there is no further detail about the box in the report.

 

Interesting. I had thought we'd get a Glass Spider live show in the box and then a Serious Moonlight one as the RSD exclusive next April, given it's more marketable by itself.

 

Is that a digital copy? Not on sale yet in supermarket.
I'm not really interested in live from this era, so I'll wait for more details to emerge.

 

The electronic version available for lending/purchase through RBDigital in the US is still the Pink Floyd cover.

 

I subscribe to the print edition and I am in the UK. It arrived today.

 

Actually, putting a Serious Moonlight Live album in this box makes perfect sense, as a drawing card to help boost sales, not to mention as a way to keep to their (so far unbroken) rule of 13LPs in each box - assuming this box only covers the 80s.

Also, don't worry IMO there WILL be a Glass Spider Live album in the box - most likely the very same one that came out over a decade ago on CD.

As far as Serious Moonlight goes I'm not sure which/how many shows were recorded/are available to release, so lets just assume for the moment there's just the two (IIRC the one released as a VHS tape back in the day, and the unreleased but bootlegged Montreal radio (?) show). My guess is that we'll get the previously released (on VHS tape) show on the box and the previously unreleased show as a RSD album at some future point (and like the the other RSD exclusive live albums, a later CD release).

There's certainly a precedent for RSD live albums to be the second official release from a tour:

'David Live' - Boxset 2016/'Cracked Actor' RSD 2017
'Stage' Boxset 2017/'Welcome To The Blackout' RSD 2018

....so, extrapolating from that, logic would dictate:

"Serious Moonlight' audio of the old official VHS tape (perhaps remixed & expanded) - Boxset 2018/Unreleased 'SM' show (perhaps Montreal) RSD 2019

Not that these boxes have been totally logically consistent from one to the next, but they definitely have been more consistent than not, so I'd say this is more likely what we'll get than not.

 

About the Serious Moonlight Concert: Its cool that it is there and I might even get the box after the first price drop.

But if I remember correctly, the concert on the VHS runs just about 90 minutes. So it should fit to two LPs.
It is also possible that Parlophone take this as a chance to make this live album big and expand it (similar to David Live and Stage)
I think I might really enjoy this but am also afraid that they are gonna waist two cds/three Lps of precious space with the glass spiders tour.
And who really wants a re-release of this?

 

Oh no, not me. I finally got the dvd last year or year before for € 1.99 and took the cellophane off to check the contents, didn't pop it in the player yet (complimentary blindfold would've been nice )

 

I would assume anyone who wants a copy of it on vinyl, since I assume (though I haven't looked into it) it would be its vinyl debut, and since I strongly believe that (though these boxes do come out on CD as well) these boxes are really all about the vinyl. If there wasn't a current resurgence in the popularity of vinyl, these boxes wouldn't even exist at all (even on CD). Again obviously they're coming out on CD as well, but I'd put that down to:

1 - not wanting to annoy/anger/lock out people who don't care about or want vinyl and prefer CDs

...and more importantly for the record company...

2 - why would they choose to just leave money on the table? Most of the work's already been done in preparing the vinyl set, so why not put in just a tiny bit more investment by also printing up a CD run while they're at it and (more or less) double their profit? They'd be fools not to.

So think about which albums of his have never been on vinyl and you can pretty much guarantee their inclusion in these boxes - like it or not.

 

I get the your point - and this is a nice thing for collectors who really wants everything from Bowie on Vinyl. It also fits the concept of the boxsets that every major tour (so far) gets an live release.

I just was thinking about that these three Lps should rather be filled with Tin Machine 1 and 2 plus Oy Vey Baby.
But unfortunately they are gonna ignore them for the boxsets. Maybe TM 1 IF we are really lucky.
Remember: There are only two boxsets more to come, including the one arriving soon. So the only way to get everything from Bowie in, is ignoring the Tin Machine stuff, which is a bloody shame if you ask me.

And Hand to Heart: The Glass Spiders Tour IS defenitly more a collectors thing and less a fan of Bowies music thing.

 

....based on the terms of the current record company licensing contract. What's to stop the estate from continuing the project under a new contract with the same or a different record company?

Its not like Bowie's estate is likely to close and lock the vault as soon as their current contracts expire.

 

I like this idea. But do you you really think that the funny people at Parlophone would say: Oh, we had the rights to Outside, Earthling and Hours - the most desired Bowie Albums on Vinyl, but rather decided to realease our fifth and final box with Tin Machine Stuff, Black Tie and Buddha - Well nevermind let the next company earn their money?

 

What did I miss?
I have been following this thread for a while, but I did not know the box sets will finish with number five. Is this a recent anouncement?
It seems like there should be six. Or more.

 

Who knows - but I did say the same or a different record company. Would Parlophone want to pass on re-signing with the estate? Maybe. For example, maybe they've soured on putting out these boxes (after having to deal with all the screw ups which may or may not actually be their fault (manufacturing) as opposed to the estate's fault (bad and/or incorrect tapes/bad editing/etc). They first claimed there was no issue with the latest box, then gave in and admitted it and offered replacements, which they just said they'll no longer honor. So could they be happy to wash their hands of this ongoing mess? Maybe...

If they pass will the estate have a hard time finding another label to take over releasing these boxes? Maybe. I would assume the estate will want to continue releasing these boxes, but it ultimately wouldn't be a deal-breaker. If they can get a good deal while insisting on releasing more boxes, great. If they can't - well....

Anyway, I'd imagine that the order in which the boxes are to be released would also likely be stipulated in the contract - either strictly chronological (probably the estate's preference) or possibly instead left to the discretion of the record company (which is probably the record company's preference).

Its hard to guess which of the two is true, because (roughly speaking) the chronological approach coincides with the sales potential of the boxes. Each earlier era box would have higher sales potential than the one that follows chronologically - so far with the first four boxes anyway.

So it may be possible that if the record company agrees with you that the late 90s albums have a greater sales potential than the early 90s albums AND the contract allows them the discretion of which one they'd prefer to release then that's what they'll release.

Also its possible that 'Tin Machine' was never meant for this box set series at all, since the Bowie estate doesn't own that material outright - it co-owns the 'Tin Machine' stuff - apart from perhaps the first album which was recorded under Bowie's solo contract at the time and like the rest of his solo stuff reverted full ownership to Bowie.

 

All I want at this point is Buddha on vinyl, then the whole infuriating, head-scratching affair will have been worth it.

 

As the boxes were launched and announced as a ‘career spanning ‘ project I expect the last box to go as far as Blackstar.
I’m not naive enough not to expect that to necessarily happen as sales and money rules, however, the rights must have been in place at the start that the option was there to go up to 2016.
The Tin Machine stuff is the only question mark.
As already mentioned due consideration should be given to record store day 2019 releases.
I am hoping for some sort of Diamond Dogs 45th anniversary release that offers something more than just coloured vinyl.
An 80’s era live album seems a given.
Tin Machine box set.
Boys Keep Swinging 7” picture disc.
Anyway, I digress...

 

Good to get a Serious Moonlight live record confirmed. It's the only thing I am interested in from this era (presuming the set covers 83-87, as is believed).

 

Photographer Frank W. Ockenfels III video has come online, specifically about his work with Bowie. Timespan is Tin Machine and into this millennium. Maybe he's just helping BowieInc create some buzz, because he states there won't be a book anytime soon, even though he had been in talks with Bowie about it.