A new 7” vinyl box set due this spring from David Bowie will feature a collection of previously- unreleased tracks, including the earliest known versions of his 1969 classic, “Space Oddity.”
In sync with the 50th anniversary of the iconic song, “Spying Through A Keyhole” presents two demos of the rocker’s second UK Top 10 hit – and first to chart in the US – alongside seven other tunes from the era.
Most of the recordings are solo vocal and acoustic home demo performances, except for a version of “Space Oddity” Bowie did with musical partner John Hutchinson that features alternate lyrics to the official release.
“Due to the nature of some of the solo home demos where Bowie accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, the recording quality isn’t always of a usual studio fidelity,” notes a statement on the singer’s website. “This is partly due to David’s enthusiastic strumming hitting the red on a couple of the tracks, along with the limitations of the original recording equipment and tape degradation.
"However, the historical importance of these songs and the fact that the selections are from an archive of tracks cleared for release by Bowie, overrides this shortcoming.”
While the demo series was briefly available via streaming services last month, “Spying Through A Keyhole” will be limited to a vinyl-only release in the spring (details to follow), and the recordings may appear via other formats in the future.
Bowie – who sold an estimated 140 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996 – passed away from liver cancer on January 10, 2016, just two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 25th album, “Blackstar.”
David Bowie
“Spying Through A Keyhole”
Release date: April 5
1. “Mother Grey” (demo)
2. “In The Heat Of The Morning” (demo)
3. “Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe” (demo)
4. “Love All Around” (demo)
5. “London Bye, Ta-Ta” (demo)
6. “Angel, Angel, Grubby Face” (demo version 1)
7. “Angel, Angel, Grubby Face” (demo version 2)
8. “Space Oddity” (demo excerpt)
9. “Space Oddity” (demo – alternative lyrics, with John Hutchinson)
See also:
VIDEO: Pearl Jam perform David Bowie classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago
David Bowie: Glastonbury 2000 live package due this fall
David Bowie streams Beat Of Your Drum 2018 remix
David Bowie streams Loving The Alien unboxing video
Search David Bowie at hennemusic
