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

You think they'd dare go down to two studio albums in a box? That 1995-1997 one looks thin. Interesting, but thin.

 

I hope so.
The alternative would be to join Outside, with BTWN and Buddha if Tin Machine gets its own release, then join Earthling with Hours and Heathen.

 

At the beginning of the tour he played almost the entire album with 8 tracks played. Too Dizzy was never attempted but Shining Star and New York’s in Love were rehearsed before the tour started. When I saw him in Cardiff he played all 8, but no Jean Genie, Rebel rebel, Young Americans. By the time The he came back to the U.K. later in the summer for shows in Manchester he has started to bring in more older songs and slowly the NLMD songs started to disappear, notably beat of your drum and zeroes.

 

Yeah, I was there for the two first shows of the tour. Just found the written setlist I made. Nine NLMD tracks. Lucky ol' me

 

I would release Earthling with Outside/BTWN/Buddah as well. It simply does not fit with what came afterwards, right down to the cover of Hours.

 

I get why you want to group Earthling with the next set, but I don’t want to sacrifice potential new content for the sake of forcing more albums into the collection. If we cram too many of the big albums together (BTWN, Outside, Earthling and their corresponding b-sides, tours, etc.) we risk running out of space for some of those components ...and RSD can only fill so many gaps.

 

Except the box sets have clearly been organized by phases of Bowie's career.

 

The 90s albums are Parlophone, they became part of the deal in 2016, the label re-released Outside, Earthling and Hours on CD, and MOV vinyl re-pressings stopped, I got all three albums last year.

 

No, Universal only has the rights to his first album and related releases. Parlophone/Warner has the rights from Space Oddity up to Hours, and early pre-Bowie band releases. Columbia/Sony has the rights from Heathen up to Blackstar and No Plan.

 

Indeed I just looked on Discogs and there are 2016 Parlophone CDs for BTWN, Buddha, Outside, Earthling and Hours.

 

Outside, Earthling and Hours were re-released by Parlophone on CD in 2016. They just weren't promoted, they appeared suddenly for pre-order.

 

Yeah I just saw that. That’s in keeping with how his back catalogue seems to work. On the next round the albums from Heathen onwards will be brought into the main catalogue too.

 

I really hope so, that way the box set series can continue in hands of Parlophone. Because, what can we expect of Columbia?

 

A risk I would gladly take. Living on the edge

 

I’m happy with what Parlophone have done. Am I alone?

I just can’t picture Sony commissioning a new re-recording of Never Let Me Down or some of the re-mixing of previous albums. Let’s not forget, there would have been a signifacnt cost in Tony Visconti’s (time) and the musicians on Never Let Me Down re-recording.

 

You’re right about Sony likely not commissioning any new recordings or remixes, but then again it depends what instructions Bowie left behind. Still I have to say I’d gladly take high quality and consistent masterings of all his core albums over any remixes, re-recordings or the Re-call releases.

 

No, you're not alone. I enjoy the boxes plenty. In fact recently I've played all but one disc through again (only Ziggy to go). These are decent versions of every album thus far, imo.

That said, there's still room for a definitive reissue program, as long as it goes album by album, rather than boxes like this. As I mentioned elsewhere, I'm thinking something along the lines of what we've gotten with Jethro Tull.

I'd happily buy the catalog again if they did them right.

 

Hmm, I didn't realize this. That changes my prediction for a non-Tin Machine 90s box somewhat:

Strangers When We Meet 1993-1999

1LP Black Tie White Noise (10-track version)
2LP BTWN Extras (box-exclusive, with "The Wedding", "Looking for Lester", "Lucy Can't Dance", TV performances, alternate mixes, etc. curated by Nile Rodgers)
1LP Buddha of Suburbia
2LP 1. Outside
1LP 2. Inside (box-exclusive release with Brian Eno-curated remixes & outtakes)
1LP Earthling
2LP liveandwell.com (box-exclusive)
1LP ...hours
2LP VH1 Storytellers (box-exclusive, with DVD bonus tracks on side 3 and etched side 4)
2LP Re:Call 5 (box-exclusive)

I feel the Sound+Vision tour will be handled separately (RSD-exclusive vinyl, then a wide digital release). They can do a dedicated Tin Machine 1989-1992 box simultaneous with a Columbia years box (including Toy)

 

I got the last box title correct, so while I am on a roll, I will say the new one will be called Hallo Spaceboy.

and it will include
Black Tie White Noise
Buddha Of Suburbia
Leon
1. Outside
Earthling

 

It seems more likely there would be two versions of Black Tie White Noise, a la the repeated versions of David Live and Stage in the previous two boxes: The original, truncated version of Black Tie White Noise, and then a two-LP version with all the tracks. Same may go for 1.Outside, actually – which wouldn't necessarily preclude something like Inside being included – Bowie had talked about doing a "behind the scenes" type album using outtakes and unedited versions of jams, so that kinda sorta seems realistic.

 

feel like excerpts from outside is more likely as a duplicated album because doesn't that have a few exclusive edits? wheras BTWN is just omitting a few songs. I like what they did with never let me down though so hoping we don't get duplicate albums unless their are major differences from here on out too much other good stuff to be filling boxes that way.

 

It’s not like I’m suggesting something radical, like Blackstar with Hunky Dory. The albums are separated by two years and Earthling and Hours have appeared in the same boxed sets before, so it’s not a stretch.

 

I loathe the idea of Excerpts from Outside being included. If it features an exclusive edit, throw it on Re:Call.

 

Hours could go either way.
On one hand it’s his last album with Reeves but it also stylistically looks ahead to what would go into Heathen and Reality.

 

Flipping a coin would get the correct result. It really could be argued either way. I would place it with the 90s personally.