All quiet on the Bowie front? Heavens no. Despite being, you know, bereft of life, he's still maintaining the busiest release schedule in music. This latest is part of the ongoing reissue campaign marking 40th anniversaries of each single, in picture disc format. And now two new sets have been announced for Record Store Day coming up April.18. ChangesNowBowie is a nine-track set that was originally released on BBC Radio back in 1997 to mark his 50th birthday, and consisted of then-newly recorded versions of some of his classics, including "The Man Who Sold The World," "Lady Stardust" and "Aladdin Sane." Some of these have been streaming the past few weeks, and are excellent versions. The other release is called I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour '74), a double disc from 1974. Half-way into the Diamond Dogs tour, Bowie did an about-face, ditched the expensive "1984"-themed sets, changed the band, and started doing some of the new soul music he'd been toying with. This was the vibe he'd soon capture on the Young Americans album, and here the new band featured a large group of backing singers including Luther Vandross, new material from the forthcoming album, and a cover of The Flares' "Footstompin'." Can't wait for this one.
This latest anniversary single includes the usual in this series, a couple of great photos on each side of the disc, and a couple of previously unreleased b-sides. "Alabama Song" was a non-LP track released in 1980 in Europe, but first performed on the 1978 Isolar 2 tour, a song written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. A twisted tale, it became a hot import favourite for Canadian fans, and has risen to beloved status thanks to its inclusion on various hits and reissue packages. The reason to grab this even if you aren't collecting all the picture discs is on the flip side, track 1. It's from a soundcheck on the 1978 tour, Earl's Court in London, Bowie and his band trying out a version of "Joe The Lion" from his latest album, Heroes. It hadn't been part of the setlist, and wouldn't be played in any of the shows. So this is a very rare treat, as it only appeared a handful of times in future tours. The other track is a live version of "Alabama Song" also taken from that London stand, although a different version than the one featured on the Welcome To The Blackout album. Hope you fans who have to have everything feel satisfied.
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