The newest career-spanning David Bowie box set chronicles the icon as he ends the '70s with some of his most experimental work yet, adding rarities to spare.
A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) follows 2015's Five Years (1969-1973) and 2016's Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976), offering material from five major studio and live albums: Low (1977), "Heroes" (1977), Stage (1978), Lodger (1979) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980). Low, "Heroes" and Lodger are, of course, referred to as the "Berlin" trilogy, wildly creative, celebrated and cutting edge albums dabbling in avant garde and electronic sounds with producer Tony Visconti and collaborator Brian Eno. Stage presents Low and "Heroes" material alongside Bowie's classic hits in a live setting, while Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) found Bowie and Visconti balancing sonic innovation with pop sensibilities, with two U.K. Top 5 hits to boot in "Ashes to Ashes" and "Fashion."
The box set closes the book on Bowie's RCA era, including those albums plus:
- A "Heroes" EP in honor of the song's 40th anniversary, featuring original German and French album and single versions of the title track
- A new reconfiguration of Stage modeled after the 2005 reissue (where songs were organized in concert order instead of divided by old and new material) and adding two previously unreleased bonus versions of "The Jean Genie" and "Suffragette City"
- A brand-new mix of Lodger by Tony Visconti, undertaken with Bowie's blessing before his passing last year
- Re:Call 3, the latest compilation of single mixes and B-sides, which includes rarities like the extended version of "Beauty and the Beast," "Alabama Song" and "Crystal Japan," as well as favorite collaborations with Queen ("Under Pressure"), Giorgio Moroder ("Cat People (Putting Out Fire)") and Bing Crosby ("Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," from Crosby's final holiday special). It also includes the EP to Bertolt Brecht's Baal in its entirety.
A New Career in a New Town will be available on 11 CDs or 13 LPs (with the "Heroes" EP, the original version of Stage--pressed on yellow vinyl like the original release--the Lodger remix and Re:Call 3 being exclusive to the box). Like the others, it includes a booklet featuring rare and unseen photos by Anton Corbijn, Helmut Newton, Andrew Kent, Steve Schapiro, Duffy and others plus Visconti's notes and discographical information. It hits stores September 29.
A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) (Parlophone, 2017)
11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
13LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K.
CD/LP 1: Low (released as RCA PL 12030 (U.K.) / CPL1-2030 (U.S.), 1977)
- Speed of Life
- Breaking Glass
- What in the World
- Sound and Vision
- Always Crashing in the Same Car
- Be My Wife
- A New Career in a New Town
- Warszawa
- Art Decade
- Weeping Well
- Subterraneans
CD/LP 2: "Heroes" (released as RCA PL 12522 (U.K.) / AFL1-2522 (U.S.), 1977)
- Beauty and the Beast
- Joe the Lion
- "Heroes"
- Sons of the Silent Age
- Blackout
- V-2 Schneider
- Sense of Doubt
- Moss Garden
- Neuköln
- The Secret Life of Arabia
CD/LP 3: "Heroes" EP
- "Heroes"/"Helden" (German Album Version - from RCA PL 42372 (DE), 1977)
- "Helden" (Single Version - from RCA PB 9168 (DE), 1977)
- "Heroes"/"Héros" (French Album Version - from RCA PL 42373 (FR), 1977)
- "Héros" (Single Version - from RCA PB 9167 (FR), 1977)
CD/LP 4-5: Stage (released as RCA PL 02913 (U.K.) / CPL2-2913 (U.S.), 1978)
- Hang On to Yourself
- Ziggy Stardust
- Five Years
- Soul Love
- Star
- Station to Station
- Fame
- TVC 15
- Warszawa
- Speed of Life
- Art Decade
- Sense of Doubt
- Breaking Glass
- "Heroes"
- What in the World
- Blackout
- Beauty and the Beast
CD 6-7/LP 6-8: Stage (2017) (based on EMI 72438 63436 2 8, 2005)
- Warszawa
- "Heroes"
- What in the World
- Be My Wife (originally released on EMI 72438 63436 2 8, 2005)
- The Jean Genie *
- Blackout
- Sense of Doubt
- Speed of Life
- Breaking Glass
- Beauty and the Beast
- Fame
- Five Years
- Soul Love
- Star
- Hang On to Yourself
- Ziggy Stardust
- Suffragette City *
- Art Decade
- Alabama Song (originally released on Rykodisc RCD 10144/45, 1991)
- Station to Station
- Stay (originally released on EMI 72438 63436 2 8, 2005)
- TVC 15
CD 8/LP 9: Lodger (released as RCA PL 13254 (U.K.) / APL1-3254 (U.S.), 1979)
- Fantastic Voyage
- African Night Flight
- Move On
- Yassassin
- Red Sails
- D.J.
- Look Back in Anger
- Boys Keep Swinging
- Repetition
- Red Money
CD 9/LP 10: Lodger (2017 Tony Visconti Mix)
CD 10/LP 11: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (released as RCA BOWLP 2 (U.K.) / AQL1-3647 (U.S.), 1980)
- It's No Game (Part 1)
- Up the Hill Backwards
- Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
- Ashes to Ashes
- Fashion
- Teenage Wildlife
- Scream Like a Baby
- Kingdom Come
- Because You're Young
- It's No Game (Part 2)
CD 11/LP 12-13: Re:Call 3
- "Heroes" (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA 1121, 1977)
- Beauty and the Beast (Extended Version) (12" promo A-side - RCA JD-11204 (U.S.), 1978)
- Breaking Glass (Australian Single Version) (single A-side - RCA 103295 (AUS), 1978)
- Yassassin (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA PB-9417 (NL), 1979)
- D.J. (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA BOW 3, 1980)
- Alabama Song (single A-side - RCA BOW 5, 1980)
- Space Oddity (1979 Version) (single B-side - RCA BOW 5, 1980)
- Ashes to Ashes (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA BOW 6, 1980)
- Fashion (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA BOW 7 ,1980)
- Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (Single Version) (single A-side - RCA BOW 8, 1981)
- Crystal Japan (single A-side - RCA SS-3270 (JP), 1980)
- Under Pressure (Single Version) - Queen + David Bowie (single A-side - EMI 5250, 1981)
- Baal's Hymn (from David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal - RCA BOW 11, 1982)
- Remembering Maria A (from David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal - RCA BOW 11, 1982)
- Ballad of the Adventurers (from David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal - RCA BOW 11, 1982)
- The Drowned Girl (from David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal - RCA BOW 11, 1982)
- The Dirty Song (from David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal - RCA BOW 11, 1982)
- Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (single A-side - MCA 770, 1982)
- Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy (mono) - David Bowie & Bing Crosby (single A-side - RCA BOW 12, 1982)
Murray says
I'm by no means an expert on this era but this looks more complete than the last set. That one had some maddening omissions that kept me from buying it.
Megatof says
So there won't be no fourth box-set with the eighties material? Let alone a fifth one with Tin Machine and beyond then...
I think Warner owns the EMI recordings now, right? They are not interested in continuing the series?
JG says
What makes you think this is the last box? I mean, it might be I guess, but I haven't seen any indication that this is the case...
Megatof says
That's because of the sentence "The box set closes the book on Bowie’s RCA era", at first read I jumped to the conclusion that it closed the book on the reeditions... I'll be glad to be proven wrong!
wardo says
I'm just happy I predicted the title.