Following a legendary 2000 performance at the Glastonbury Festival, Bowie took his live band into the studio to capture new interpretations of songs he’d first recorded from 1964-1971.
Bowie’s inspiration for the project came after adding a new arrangement of his 1966 track, “Can’t Help Thinking About Me”, to his appearance on VH1’s “Storytellers” series, marking its first performance in three decades; the rocker kept the song in the setlist for the short promotional tour for the “hours…” album, and in early 2000 David and producer Mark Plati compiled a list of some of Bowie’s earliest songs to re-record.
After recording “Toy” live in studio with his band, Bowie’s plan was to deliver an instant, surprise release of the album as soon as it was completed, but the technology to do that was still several years away and he decided the shelve the set, instead moving on to create new music for the “Heathen” record.
"Toy is like a moment in time captured in an amber of joy, fire and energy,” says Plati. “It’s the sound of people happy to be playing music. David revisited and re-examined his work from decades prior through prisms of experience and fresh perspective - a parallel not lost on me as I now revisit it twenty years later. From time to time, he used to say ‘Mark, this is our album’ - I think because he knew I was so deeply in the trenches with him on that journey. I’m happy to finally be able to say it now belongs to all of us.”
Due January 7, “Toy” will be released as “Toy (Toy:Box)”, in 3CD or 6x10” vinyl editions; the package will feature the original album alongside a collection of alternative mixes and versions, and a set of stripped-down, acoustic-based mixes.
“Toy” is being previewed with the radio mix of the reimagined version of Bowie’s 1965 song, “You've Got a Habit of Leaving.”
Ahead of the “Toy (Toy:Box)” arrival, the set will also be included in the November 26 package, “David Bowie 5. Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001).”
The 11CD or 18LP editions include newly remastered versions of 1993’s “Black Tie White Noise” and “The Buddha of Suburbia”, 1995’s “1. Outside”, 1997’s “Earthling” and 1999’s “hours...”, along with the expanded live album, “BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27,2000”, the non-album / alternative version / B-sides and soundtrack music compilation “Re:Call 5”, and the previously unreleased “Toy.”
“David Bowie 5. Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)” is the fifth in a series of box sets highlighting specific eras from the singer’s career; it follows “David Bowie 1: Five Years (1969 – 1973)”, “David Bowie 2: Who Can I Be Now? (1974 – 1976)”, “David Bowie 3: A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)” and “David Bowie 4: Loving The Alien (1983-1988).”
Bowie passed away from liver cancer on January 10, 2016, just two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 25th album, “Blackstar.”
See also:
Queen revisit Davie Bowie collaboration on 1981 classic Under Pressure
1970 David Bowie recordings featured on The Width Of A Circle collection
David Bowie streams Changes from rare 1999 New York club performance
David Bowie wraps up live series with rare 1999 New York club gig
Search David Bowie at hennemusic
