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Modern Love: Bowie's 'Loving The Alien' Box Chronicles His Wild '80s

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For David Bowie, the 1980s were years of tremendous ch-ch-changes, in which the stylistic chameleon went mainstream to great success, experienced some artistic disappointments, and solidified his place in the pantheon as a legend of rock.  Now, this era is being looked back upon in the fourth annual volume of Parlophone's ongoing series of box sets dedicated to the late superstar. Loving the Alien (1983-1988) will arrive on October 12 in 11CD and 15LP vinyl configurations.

This lavish set is filled with more exclusive material than any of its predecessors, as only three studio albums are included, all in newly remastered editions: Let's Dance (1983), Tonight (1984), and Never Let Me Down (1987).  Loving the Alien also premieres a new version of the latter album, for which Bowie's friend and producer Mario McNulty has completely re-recorded the instrumentation with the artist's collaborators Reeves Gabrels (guitar), David Torn (guitar), Sterling Campbell (drums), Tim Lefebvre (bass), and a string quartet with arrangements by Nico Mulhy plus an appearance by Laurie Anderson on "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)."  This new version of Never Let Me Down is rooted in McNulty's 2008 re-production of "Time Will Crawl" which featured new drums and strings.  Its success prompted Bowie to comment, "Oh, to redo the rest of that album." McNulty has now made good on Bowie's wish.  (Note that "Too Dizzy," which Bowie requested be removed from Never Let Me Down following the original LP pressing, remains missing in action.

Additionally, the box includes the remastered live set Glass Spider: Live Montreal '87, the previously unreleased Serious Moonlight live album recorded in Vancouver in 1983, a new collection of period remixes entitled Dance, and the fourth volume of odds-and-ends series RE:CALL.  Dance (titled after an abortive remix album once slated for release in November 1985) collects a dozen original remixes of songs from the era.  The new installment of RE:CALL has a whopping 30 tracks: original single versions, the non-LP side "Julie," songs from films like The Falcon and the Snowman, Absolute Beginners, and Labyrinth, plus duets with Tina Turner ("Tonight" and "Let's Dance") and Mick Jagger (what else, "Dancing in the Street") and more.  The extended edit of B-side "Girls" is on this disc, though not the shorter version or the Japanese re-recording.

The generous book will run to 128 pages in the CD version and 84 in the LP box, with copious illustrations, original press clippings, and historical notes from producers and engineers Nile Rodgers, Hugh Padgham, Mario McNulty, and Justin Shirley-Smith.  The CDs will be packaged in the expected deluxe mini-LP replica sleeves, and in a special touch for this series, they will be pressed in gold rather than standard silver. The vinyl release will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl.

Loving the Alien looks to be a great opportunity to revisit one of David Bowie's most overlooked - yet most mainstream - periods.  Look for this set on CD and vinyl on October 12 from Parlophone; the full track list is below, with pre-order links to follow soon!

Loving The Alien (1983-1988) (Parlophone, 2018)

11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
15LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 

* previously unreleased

CD/LP 1: Let's Dance (EMI America AML 3029/46002, 1983)

  1. Modern Love
  2. China Girl
  3. Let's Dance
  4. Without You
  5. Ricochet
  6. Criminal World
  7. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
  8. Shake It

CD/LP 2-3: Serious Moonlight (Live '83) *

recorded at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 9/12/1983. Previously released on Videoform VHS PA104901, 1984 and EMI DVD 09463 41540 9 3, 2006. Disc 2, Track 9 previously released on "Sorrow" picture disc - Parlophone DBSOZ 4030, 2013. Disc 2, Tracks 7 and 11 and Disc 3, Tracks 5-6 released as EMI digital EP, 2006.

  1. Look Back In Anger
  2. "Heroes"
  3. What In The World
  4. Golden Years
  5. Fashion
  6. Let's Dance
  7. Breaking Glass
  8. Life On Mars?
  9. Sorrow
  10. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
  11. China Girl
  12. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
  13. Rebel Rebel
  1. White Light/White Heat
  2. Station To Station
  3. Cracked Actor
  4. Ashes To Ashes
  5. Space Oddity/Band Introduction
  6. Young Americans
  7. Fame
  8. Modern Love

CD/LP 4: Tonight (EMI America DB1, 1984)

  1. Loving The Alien
  2. Don't Look Down
  3. God Only Knows
  4. Tonight
  5. Neighborhood Threat
  6. Blue Jean
  7. Tumble and Twirl
  8. I Keep Forgettin'
  9. Dancing With The Big Boys

CD/LP 5: Never Let Me Down (EMI America 46677, 1987)

  1. Day-In Day-Out
  2. Time Will Crawl
  3. Beat Of Your Drum
  4. Never Let Me Down
  5. Zeroes
  6. Glass Spider
  7. Shining Star (Makin' My Love)
  8. New York's In Love
  9. '87 and Cry
  10. Bang

CD 6/LP 6-7: Never Let Me Down (2018) *

  1. Day-In Day-Out
  2. Time Will Crawl
  3. Beat Of Your Drum
  4. Never Let Me Down
  5. Zeroes
  6. Glass Spider
  7. Shining Star (Makin' My Love) (feat. Laurie Anderson)
  8. New York's In Love
  9. '87 and Cry
  10. Bang

CD 7-8/LP 8-10: Glass Spider (Live Montreal '87) (released as part of EMI DVD/CD set 09463 91002 2 4, 2007)

 

  1. Up The Hill Backwards
  2. Glass Spider
  3. Day-In Day-Out
  4. Bang Bang
  5. Absolute Beginners
  6. Loving The Alien
  7. China Girl
  8. Rebel Rebel
  9. Fashion
  10. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
  11. All The Madmen
  12. Never Let Me Down

 

 

  1. Big Brother
  2. '87 and Cry
  3. "Heroes"
  4. Sons Of The Silent Age
  5. Time Will Crawl
  6. Young Americans
  7. Beat Of Your Drum
  8. The Jean Genie
  9. Let's Dance
  10. Fame
  11. Time
  12. Blue Jean
  13. Modern Love

CD 9/LP 11-12: Dance

  1. Shake It (Re-mix aka Long Version) (B-side to "China Girl" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 157, 1983)
  2. Blue Jean (Extended Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI America 12EA 181, 1984)
  3. Dancing With The Big Boys (Extended Dance Mix) (B-side to "Blue Jean" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 181, 1984)
  4. Tonight (Vocal Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI America 12EA 187, 1984)
  5. Don't Look Down (Extended Dance Mix) (B-side to "Loving The Alien" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 195, 1985)
  6. Loving The Alien (Extended Dub Mix) (B-side to "Loving The Alien" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 195, 1985)
  7. Tumble and Twirl (Extended Dance Mix) (B-side to "Tonight" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 187, 1984)
  8. Underground (Extended Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI America 12EA 216, 1986)
  9. Day-In Day-Out (Groucho Mix) (12" A-side - EMI America 12EAX 230, 1987)
  10. Time Will Crawl (Dance Crew Mix) (12" A-side - EMI America 12EAX 237, 1987)
  11. Shining Star (Makin' My Love) (12" Mix) (from Never Let Me Down digital EP - EMI, 2007)
  12. Never Let Me Down (Dub/Acapella) (B-side to "Never Let Me Down" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 239, 1987)

CD 10-11/LP 13-16: RE:CALL 4

  1. Let's Dance (Single Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 152, 1983)
  2. China Girl (Single Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 157, 1983)
  3. Modern Love (Single Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 158, 1983)
  4. This Is Not America (The Theme From The Falcon and The Snowman) - David Bowie & The Pat Metheny Group (single A-side - EMI America EA 190, 1985)
  5. Loving The Alien (Re-mixed Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 195, 1985)
  6. Don't Look Down (Re-mixed Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 195, 1985)
  7. Dancing In The Street (Clearmountain Mix) - David Bowie & Mick Jagger (single A-side - EMI America EA 204, 1985)
  8. Absolute Beginners
  9. That's Motivation
  10. Volare
  11. Opening Titles/Underground
  12. Magic Dance
  13. As The World Falls Down
  14. Within You
  15. Underground

Tracks 8-10 from Absolute Beginners: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Virgin VD 2514, 1986)
Tracks 11-15 from Labyrinth: From The Soundtrack Of The Jim Henson Film (EMI America AML 3104, 1986)

  1. When The Wind Blows (Single Version) (single A-side - Virgin VS 906, 1986)
  2. Day-In Day-Out (Single Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 230, 1987)
  3. Julie (B-side to "Day-In Day-Out" - EMI America EA 230, 1987)
  4. Beat Of Your Drum (Vinyl Album Edit)
  5. Glass Spider (Vinyl Album Edit)
  6. Shining Star (Makin' My Love) (Vinyl Album Edit)
  7. New York's In Love (Vinyl Album Edit)
  8. '87 and Cry (Vinyl Album Edit)
  9. Bang Bang (Vinyl Album Edit)
  10. Time Will Crawl (Single Version) (single A-side - EMI America EA 237, 1987)
  11. Girls (Extended Edit) (B-side to "Time Will Crawl" 12" single - EMI America 12EA 237, 1987)
  12. Never Let Me Down (7" Remix Edit) (single A-side - EMI America EA 239, 1987)
  13. Bang Bang (Live - Promotional Mix) (from EMI-Manhattan U.S. promo DPRO-31593, 1987)
  14. Tonight (Live) - Tina Turner with David Bowie
  15. Let's Dance (Live) - Tina Turner with David Bowie

Tracks 4-9 from original vinyl pressings of Never Let Me Down
Tracks 14-15 from Tina Live In Europe - Capitol CDP 7 90126 2, 1988)

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. All the CDs, in this ongoing Bowie reissue series, have been pressed in gold... it's not a "special touch" pertaining this box specifically... Just to clarify.
    The only silver CDs are the counterfeit ones (and admittedly, there are quite a few out there, as per the Beatles).

    Cheers.

    Reply

  3. The Too Dizzy removal is bothersome. I know Bowie himself hated it and wanted it removed, but its not like it isn't already out there. Its omission makes incomplete what otherwise looks like a fabulous and exciting set.

    Reply

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