2021's David Bowie box set 5 (Speculation Thread)*

Well, next year is the 20th anniversary of the first album – a complete Tin Machine box set probably isn't out of the question.

 

Well, many albums were single lps back in the 90's. Back then one was happy that they even came out on 12" wax.

 

Under The God????

 

Or "F**k you I love Tin Machine!" That green tour shirt is foking amazing. They should reproduce that for RSD 2020!

 

30th...

 

Right, but it wasn't the complete album (no The wedding, no Looking for Lester ! the album started straight away with You've been around)

 

Do Universal own the rights to everything post TM?

 

I like this. These albums all kinda seem to naturally go together in my mind, as they represented Bowie’s explorations into some of the then-current music rhythms of each album’s era:

Black Tie White Noise: elements of new jack swing
Buddha of Suburbia: his trip-hop influenced album
Outside: industrial-rhythms
Earthling: Drum n bass

Since Dance is already taken as a title (or will be once this next box comes out), how about calling it I Am With Name?

 

ok I will try this one

Laughing Gnome 64-68

Early On 1 LP
David Bowie Mono 1 LP
David Bowie Stereo 1LP
the world of david Bowie 1LP
Images 1966-67 1LP
In the beginning Volume 2 1LP
Starting point 1LP
Profile 1LP
Another Face 1LP
Superstar 1LP
A Second Face 1lp
Love you Til Tuesday 1LP
ReCall 0 1LP

sure maybe I just went on Wikipedia and added any compilation released by deram until I hit 13 LPs(with loving the alien I could added more I guess) but clearly they are all essential to illustrating this period...

would be a funny April fools joke if they did announce it though.

 

I can't see the next box including Tin Machine, unless the next box IS (exclusively) Tin Machine. Tin Machine wasn't a backup band to Bowie, as they wrote and sang for the band. Sure the first album was recorded under Bowie's solo contract (with the rights reverting back to him later - unless he cut the others in for a share of that album after the rights reverted to him).

After the first album, Tin Machine signed to a different label where they shared ownership of the masters. So *maybe* Bowie licensed the first TM album to Parlophone (without needing to consult/get the permission of the other band members, but he could not do so with the later material recorded for the subsequent label (the rights to which the band members shared).

For Tin Machine material (at least post-first album) to be included in a "Bowie Box", Bowie's estate as well as all three surviving band members would need to agree. So the way I see it, there will either be a separate Tin Machine box (probably not on Parlophone/not part of this current boxset campaign) or Tin Machine will just be ignored completely by these boxes.

When will the Tin Machine box come out? Depends. Assuming all clearances are already in order (its possible that TM1 is still licensed to Parlophone, and if so they'd need to wait for that license to expire to be able to include it on the box - assuming the TM box is being handled by a different label - a label that the estate, Gabrels and Soupy Sales' kids can all agree on).

But assuming there's no such hurdles left to clear, and assuming the TM box comes out on a different label to the one doing these "Bowie Boxes" I could see the possibility of a TM box as early as May 2019 (the anniversary of the release date of the first album) which
wouldnt interfere with the next Parlophone "Bowie Box" coming in the fall of 2019, and has the added bonus of still keeping to the chronology of the 'Bowie Boxes' as a whole.

Another benefit of another label doing the Tin Machine box could be the "Bowie Box" rules need not apply, so the inclusion of unreleased tracks and video content is possible, unlike with the other boxes.

So I think that the fall 2019 box will cover post Tin Machine (but probably also include a S&V tour live album) and that *maybe* a TM box will come out circa May 2019 due to the anniversary and the coincidence that it would also mean that the timing of the TM box would fit neatly into the timeline of the rest of these boxes. Of course the TM box could also be put on the back burner and be left on the shelf for - well who knows how long.....

 

Jesus.

 

I feel they will skip TM completely. This will be the last box and it will cover everything released up to The Next Day

1LP BTWN
1LP Buddha
2LP 1.Outside
1LP Earthling
1LP ...hours
1LP liveandwell.com
1LP Heathen
1LP Reality
3LP A Reality Tour
3LP Re:Call 5

 

Hoping "I Can't Read" (1997) from The Ice Storm soundtrack gets included somehow; released as a single in some European territories on Velvel Records/ZYX. Prefer it to the Tin Machine version.

 

BTWN gets better the shorter it is.

 

Without including the Tin Machine albums, this seems plausible...

Sound + Vision
Black Tie White Noise
The Buddha of Suburbia
1.Outside
Leon
Earthling
Liveandwell.com
Re:Call 5

Hours...
VH1 Storytellers
Toy
Heathen
Reality
A Reality Tour
The Next Day
Blackstar
Re:Call 6

 

I'd buy those!

 

With the fifth box, we're entering a world where there was only 10 Studio, and 2 live albums outstanding. The way things are going I'd guess they're going to get (at least) three boxes out of that. I think they'll do these albums in the box:

Tin Machine
Tin Machine II
Tin Machine Oh Vey
Black Shirt White Noise
Buddha of Suburbia

Then there's the rarity of another Tin Machine live, probably the Japanese concert that was used for VHS tape:

Tin Machine Live (Japan)

Add in some Sound and Vision Tour:

Sound and Vision Tour

There's a ton of extra material for a two-CD Recall.

Recall

That should give us 11 CD's.

 

No - that's too much for two boxes:

Sound + Vision (yes 2 or 3 LPs)
Black Tie White Noise (2 LPs - 3 sided with a blank/etched side 4)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1LP)
1.Outside (2 LP)
Leon (not gonna happen - replace this with an Outside Live album 2 or 3 LPs AND also the Selections from Outside 1 LP)
Earthling (1 LP)
Liveandwell.com (2 LP)
Re:Call 5

Hours... (1 LP)
VH1 Storytellers
Toy (1 LP)
Heathen (1 LP)
Reality (1 LP)
A Reality Tour (3 LP)
The Next Day(1LP)
Blackstar (1 LP)
Re:Call 6

Plus there's that Limited edition live album that came with the first pressing of the BBC Sessions double disc, and there should be something from the Heathen tour since so far anyway, every major tour has been represented on these boxes..

Not to mention, several of his albums from this era are a bit long to squeeze onto one piece of vinyl, so there may be a few 3 sided records with a blank side 4.

My current feeling on this is this is easily the makings of at least 3 boxes (just going up to Reality - not even including his final two post retirement albums)

Considering how much there is available for padding in this era (dozens of remixes - not that they would use anywhere near the majority of them) I'd say this is more likely going to be 4 full boxes - probably including his post retirement final 2 albums)

 

So the first four boxes contained 6 (5 years), 3 (3 years), 4 (6 years) and 3 (6 years) studio albums respectively....and that somehow leads you to believe the fifth box will contain 7 (12 years) studio albums one of which is clearly a double album on vinyl and a few others that may end up as three sided double vinyl like one of the NLMDs on the forthcoming box is. Not to mention the ridiculous number of non-album tracks they have at their disposal to pad the future ReCall discs with. Heck the newly announced 80s box covering only 3 studio albums is going to have 3 ReCall LPs as well as a (nowhere near complete) double LP collection of 12" remixes.

Plus every box thusfar has contained a live album from every major tour he's done. Your list leaves at least three tours unrepresented - not to mention leaving out 2 previously released live albums (and no I'm not referring to Tin Machine tours/live albums since I believe Tin Machine will get its own separate box).

Nothing about the contents of the first four boxes suggests your "1 box to cover 7 studio albums/12 years" scenario.

This is clearly not going to happen.

 

Tin Machine should be done separately. And I know it's unlikely, but I would release a Sound + Vision set separately as well, since it's kinda removed from what he would go on to do (coming 3 years before BTWN).

Here's my ideal set:

Thru' These Architects Eyes or Hallo Spaceboy (1993-1997)

-Black Tie White Noise (2LP)
-The Buddha of Suburbia (2LP)
-Outside (2LP)
-Outside Tour (3LP)
-Earthling (1LP)
-Earthling in the City (1LP)
-LiveAndWell.com (2LP)
-Recall (2LP)

And a full show from the Earthling tour could be released on RSD.

 

???

 

I love speculation!

Given that Tin Machine I and II tracks have been included in Sound + Vision's latest box iteration,
my bet is:

5. Prisoner of Love 1989-1993

• Tin Machine 0 {1 CD} (Reeves Gabrels has already stated in several interviews that a full lp worth of material was recorded prior to TM I in 88 [which I realize messes with the years, but Low was recorded entirely in '76 and yet that box was ANCIANT '77-82])
• Tin Machine I {1 CD}
• Heaven's In Here Live '89 {1 CD}
• Sound + Vision Tour '90 {2 CD}
• Tin Machine II '91 {1 CD}
• Oy Vey Baby {1 CD}
• Black Tie White Noise {1 CD}
• BTWN Remix Bonus Disc {1 CD}
• Buddha of Suburbia {1 CD}
• Re:Call 5 {2 CD} (this would include TM b-sides, rarities, collaborative tracks, soundtrack songs) Since LTA breaks the 13 LP limit of the first 3 boxes, this could possibly fit in 15 LPs, but apparently there is no more fixity.

For record store day, a complete TM II tour show.

6. The Voyuer of Utter Destruction '94-'97

• 0. Leon {1 CD} (some have said this is an impossibility, but, like The Gouster, it exists and was only blocked by the original label)
• 1. Outside {1 CD}
• Thru These Architect's Eyes live tour with NIN {2 CD} (2 if you include the tracks with NIN and Bowie like Subterraneans, Reptile, Scary Monsters, Hurt, and Hallo Space boy)
• Outside remix disc {1 CD}
• Earthling {1 CD}
• 50 {2 CD} (since live shows have now been collected from prior TV, radio, and film releases, the BBC recording and broadcast should be fair game)
• Earthling remixes {1 CD}
• Liveandwell.com {2 CD extended to full set}
• Acoustic Earthling show {1-2 CD} (No need for a Re:Call on this, since discs compulico b-sides and mixes of both Outside and Earthling were released previously, obviating any other disc; or if they shocked us with the rumored 2. Contamination as a disc, then the aciustac Earthling show could be a RSD release)

 

If a Tin Machine box doesn't happen as part of this complete career reissue campaign, it never will. I can't see any band member or rights holder looking blocking it with that in mind.

 

If they're not above including the audio from the 'Serious Moonlight' videocassette on the 'Loving The Alien' box, I don't think it's unlikely that they would include the audio from the 'Oy Vey, Baby - Live At The Pier' videocassette on this one.

 

And half of us will say there’s too much repetition of certain tracks and the other half will say why did x and y remixes not get included.