David Bowie’s team are streaming a previously-unreleased 1997 version of the 1989 Tin Machine track, “I Can’t Read”, as the second of six tracks that will be streamed over the next month and make up a new EP entitled “Is It Any Wonder?”
Retitled as “I Can’t Read ‘97”, the tune originally appeared on Tin Machine’s eponymous debut album and was a staple in the band’s live set.
In the autumn of 1996, during the mixing stages for “Earthling,” Bowie re-recorded the track – which, at one stage, appeared on a mastered version of the album.
The rocker’s preferred solo version was the song’s second incarnation, which was ultimately cut from “Earthling” and replaced at the last minute with "The Last Thing You Should Do."
An alternative version, featuring minor chords and a darker sound for the chorus, was recorded for Ang Lee’s film, “The Ice Storm.” The full length version appeared on a single in 1998, while an edit featured on the film’s soundtrack album in 1997, both released by VelVel Records.
Bowie’s team have release an official video for the song, filmed by Tim Pope in January 1997 during rehearsals in Hartford, CT.
The “Is It Any Wonder?” EP was first previewed with a previously-unreleased version of the late singer’s 1970 classic, “The Man Who Sold The World.”
See also:
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