Almost two weeks ago, Warner Music Group announced the agreement that will unite David Bowie's 2000-2016 recordings with the 1968-1999 catalogue already under the Warner umbrella.  The same announcement confirmed the resumption of the series of career-spanning Era box sets.  Now, it's been revealed that the fifth Era box, Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001), will arrive via Parlophone on November 26.  In addition to five remastered studio albums, a live concert, and three discs of rarities, the 11-CD or 17-LP Brilliant Adventure will also premiere 2001's unreleased Toy.  But there's still more.  On January 7, 2022 - one day before what would have been Bowie's 75th birthday - Parlophone will unveil Toy: Box, a 3-CD or 6-10" LP expansion of the lost album.

The fifth Era box set, Brilliant Adventure, includes:

• Five remastered studio albums (Black Tie White Noise (1993), The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), 'hours...' (1999));
• A remastered and expanded BBC Radio Theatre show from 2000 (originally released in part on that year's Bowie at The Beeb box set);
• The legendary 2001 unreleased album Toy, featuring many reworkings of Bowie's earliest songs; and
• A triple-disc Re:Call 5 set featuring edits, B-sides, one-offs, and soundtrack appearances.

This period found Bowie making some of the most challenging yet powerful music of his career.  Black Tie White Noise reunited him with Let's Dance producer Nile Rodgers.  Following Bowie's stint with the band Tin Machine, Black Tie was his first solo album in six years and also reunited him with Ziggy Stardust-era guitarist Mick Ronson.  In addition to original music including two songs penned by Bowie for his wedding to Iman ("The Wedding Song," "Pallas Athena"), it featured covers of Cream ("I Feel Free"), Morrissey ("I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday"), and Scott Walker ("Nite Flights").  The album's electronic textures would inform his future work.

Before Bowie returned with his next "proper" studio LP, though, he quietly released The Buddha of Suburbia, a soundtrack album inspired by the BBC's television miniseries.  A collaboration with Turkish multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilçay, Buddha is included in this set.  1995's 1. Outside brought another key figure in Bowie's career back into the fold - Brian Eno.  A theatrical concept album chronicling what Bowie described as "a post-apocalyptic situation", 1. Outside was viewed by many as an ambitious return to form.  It featured Tin Machine's Reeves Gabrels, Erdal Kizilçay, and long-serving band members Carlos Alomar and Mike Garson.  The futuristic noir was followed in 1997 by Earthling, an even deeper immersion into electronica co-written and co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati.  The Eno co-write "I'm Afraid of Americans" became Bowie's final U.S. Hot 100 entry of his lifetime.  The albums on Brilliant Adventure conclude with 1999's 'hours...' co-produced and written with Gabrels and largely based on the score composed by the two men for the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul.

Bowie's next album was intended to be Toy.  After so much looking forward, he looked back with this album built around his 1960s songs such as "I Dig Everything," "Let Me Sleep Beside You," "Silly Boy Blue," and "The London Boys."  He commented in 2001 to an online chat audience, "I'm finding EMI/Virgin seem to have a lot of scheduling conflicts this year, which has put an awful lot on the back burner. Toy is finished and ready to go, and I will make an announcement as soon as I get a very real date. Meantime, I'm already started writing and recording for another album (untitled at the moment). So far I have to say it's back to experimental. But knowing me, it doesn't mean that's how it'll turn out. I shall be writing and recording throughout the summer, but daddyfying is really my priority at the moment."  That album turned out to be 2002's Heathen, his debut for the Columbia label.  Brilliant Adventure premieres the 12-track Toy including eleven reconceived self-covers and the original title track.

Three discs of rarities - a total of 39 tracks - and an extended version of 2000's BBC Radio Theatre concert (with five previously unreleased performances) round out the box set.  (Note that many bonus remixes have not been carried over from Columbia/ISO's 2007 ten-CD box expanding 1. Outside, Earthling, and Hours plus the later Heathen and Reality.)  The CD version has an 84-page hardcover book while the LP version has a 128-page hardcover accompanying it.  The book boasts rare photos and memorabilia, tech notes from Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Reeves Gabrels, and Mark Plati, and a new interview with Erdal Kizilçay. The vinyl box will feature faithfully-reproduced artwork and be pressed on 180-gram vinyl.  The CDs will be gold instead of silver.

Chances are Brilliant Adventure will whet one's appetite for more Toy.  Parlophone delivers with the January 7, 2022 release of Toy: Box.  Available on 3 CDs or 6 ten-inch LPs, Toy: Box features the same 12-track Toy album plus bonus discs.  The first includes the proposed B-sides (including the re-recordings of "Liza Jane" and "In the Heat of the Morning"), previously unreleased alternate mixes by Tony Visconti, and a "Tibet version" of "Silly Boy Blue" featuring Phillip Glass and Moby.  The second bonus disc premieres the "Unplugged & Somewhat Slightly Electric" mix of the album plus "In the Heat of the Morning."  A 16-page booklet features previously unseen photos by Frank Ockenfels III.  A radio edit of "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" from Toy is streaming now.

Clearly, Parlophone is making up for lost time with these two releases. Look for Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) on November 26 and Toy: Box on January 7.  You'll find pre-order links and the complete track listings for both titles below.

Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) (ISO/Parlophone, 2021)

11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
17LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1/LP 1-2: Black Tie White Noise (released as Savage 74321 13697-2 (U.K.)/74785 50212-2 (U.S.), 1993)
CD 2/LP 3-4: The Buddha of Suburbia (released as Arista/BMG 74321 17004-2 (U.K.), 1993/Virgin 72438 40988 2 7 (U.S.), 1995)
CD 3/LP 5-6: 1. Outside (released as Arista/BMG 74321 30339-2 (U.K.)/Virgin 72438 40711 2 7 (U.S.), 1995)
CD 4/LP 7-8: Earthling (released as Arista/BMG 74321 43077-2 (U.K.)/Virgin 72438 42627 2 3 (U.S.), 1997)
CD 5/LP 9: 'hours...' (released as Virgin 72438 48157 2 1, 1999)
CD 6-7/LP 10-12: BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 (previously released in part on Bowie at The Beeb - Virgin 72435 28629 2 4, 2000) (* previously unreleased)

1. Wild is the Wind
2. Ashes to Ashes
3. Seven
4. This is Not America
5. Absolute Beginners
6. Always Crashing in the Same Car
7. Survive
8. The London Boys *
9. I Dig Everything *
10. Little Wonder

1. The Man Who Sold the World
2. Fame
3. Stay
4. Hallo Spaceboy
5. Cracked Actor
6. I'm Afraid of Americans
7. All the Young Dudes *
8. Starman *
9. "Heroes" *
10. Let's Dance

CD 8/LP 13: Toy (previously unreleased)

1. I Dig Everything
2. You've Got a Habit of Leaving
3. The London Boys
4. Karma Man
5. Conversation Piece
6. Shadow Man
7. Let Me Sleep Beside You
8. Hole in the Ground
9. Baby Loves That Way
10. Can't Help Thinking About Me
11. Silly Boy Blue
12. Toy (Your Turn to Drive)

CD 9-11/LP 14-17: Re:Call 5

1. Real Cool World (Sounds from the Cool World Soundtrack Version)
2. Jump They Say (7" Version)
3. Lucy Can't Dance
4. Black Tie White Noise (Radio Edit)
5. Don't Let Me Down & Down (Indonesian Vocal Version)
6. Buddha of Suburbia (Single Version)
7. The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Radio Edit)
8. Nothing to Be Desired
9. Strangers When We Meet (Edit)
10. Get Real
11. The Man Who Sold the World (Live Eno Mix)
12. I'm Afraid of Americans (Showgirls Soundtrack Version)
13. Hallo Spaceboy (Remix)
14. I Am with Name (Alternative Version)
15. A Small Plot of Land (Long Basquiat Soundtrack Version)

Track 1 from Songs from the Cool World (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) - Warner Bros. 45009, 1992
Track 2 from Savage single 74321 13696-7, 1993
Track 3 from certain pressings of Black Tie White Noise
Track 4 from Savage single 74321 14868-7, 1993
Track 5 from Indonesian cassette of Black Tie White Noise - Savage/Arista/BMG 74321 14071-4, 1993
Track 6 from Arista CD single 74321 17705-2, 1993
Track 7 and 14 from Arista CD single 74321 30338-2, 1995
Track 8 from "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" U.S. CD single - Virgin 72438 38518 2 9, 1995
Tracks 9-11 from RCA CD single 74321 32940-2, 1995
Track 12 from Showgirls - Interscope/Atlantic 92652, 1995
Track 13 from RCA single 74321 35384-7, 1995
Track 15 from Basquiat (Original Soundtrack) - Island 314 524 260-2, 1996

1. Little Wonder (Edit)
2. A Fleeting Moment (aka Severn Years in Tibet - Mandarin Version)
3. Dead Man Walking (Edit)
4. Seven Years in Tibet (Edit)
5. Planet of Dreams - David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey
6. I'm Afraid of Americans (V1 - Edit)
7. I Can't Read (The Ice Storm Long Version)
8. A Foggy Day in London Town - David Bowie and Angelo Badalamenti
9. Fun (BowieNet Mix)
10. The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell (Stigmata Soundtrack Version)
11. Thursday's Child (Radio Edit)
12. We All Go Through
13. No One Calls

Track 1 from Arista CD single 74321 44778-2, 1997
Track 2 from Arista CD single 74321 51255-2, 1997
Track 3 from RCA CD single 74321 47584-2, 1997
Track 4 from Arista Hong Kong promo CD single - 74321 43077-2, 1997
Track 5 from Long Live Tibet - EMI 72438 33140 2 7, 1997
Track 6 from Virgin U.S. promo CD single DPRO-12749, 1997
Track 7 from The Ice Storm: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack - Velvet/Reel Sounds VEL-79713, 1997
Track 8 from Red Hot + Rhapsody (The Gershwin Groove) - Antilles 314 557 788-2, 1998
Track 9 from LiveAndWell.com - Risky Folio, 2000
Track 10 from Stigmata: Music from the MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack - Virgin 72438 47753 2 2, 1999
Tracks 11-13 from Virgin CD single VSCDT 1753, 1999

1. We Shall Go to Town
2. 1917
3. The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell (Edit)
4. Thursday's Child (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
5. New Angels of Promise (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
6. The Dreamers (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
7. Seven (Demo)
8. Survive (Marius De Vries Mix)
9. Something in the Air (American Psycho Remix)
10. Seven (Marius De Vries Mix)
11. Pictures of Lily

Tracks 1-2 from Virgin CD single VSCDF 1753, 1999
Track 3 from Virgin U.S. promo CD single DPRO-14338, 1999
Tracks 4-6 from 'hours...' bonus disc - ISO/Columbia 511936 9, 2004
Tracks 7 and 10 from Virgin CD single VSCDF 1776, 2000
Track 8 from Virgin CD single VSCDF 1767, 2000
Track 9 from American Psycho (Music from the Controversial Motion Picture) - Koch KOC-CD-8077, 2000
Track 11 from Substitute: The Songs of The Who - Edel ED183022, 2001

Toy:Box (ISO/Parlophone, 2022)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
6 x 10": Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1/10" 1-2: Toy (previously unreleased)

1. I Dig Everything
2. You've Got a Habit of Leaving
3. The London Boys
4. Karma Man
5. Conversation Piece
6. Shadow Man
7. Let Me Sleep Beside You
8. Hole in the Ground
9. Baby Loves That Way
10. Can't Help Thinking About Me
11. Silly Boy Blue
12. Toy (Your Turn to Drive)

CD 2/10" 3-4: Alternatives and Extras (previously unreleased except where noted)

1. Liza Jane
2. You've Got a Habit of Leaving (Alternative Mix)
3. Baby Loves That Way (Alternative Mix)
4. Can't Help Thinking About Me (Alternative Mix)
5. I Dig Everything (Alternative Mix)
6. The London Boys (Alternative Version)
7. Silly Boy Blue (Tibet version)
8. Let Me Sleep Beside You (Alternative Mix)
9. In the Heat of the Morning
10. Conversation Piece (Alternative Mix)
11. Hole In The Ground (Alternative Mix)
12. Shadow Man (alternative mix)
13. Toy (Your Turn to Drive) (Alternative Mix)

Tracks 2 and 12 released on "Slow Burn" CD single - ISO/Columbia 672744 2, 2002
Track 3 released on "Everyone Says 'Hi'" CD single - ISO/Columbia 673076 2, 2002
Tracks 8 and 13 released on Nothing Has Changed - Parlophone 825646205769, 2014
Track 10 released on Heathen bonus disc - ISO/Columbia 508222 9, 2002

CD 3/10" 5-6: Unplugged & Somewhat Slightly Electric Mix

1. In the Heat of the Morning
2. I Dig Everything
3. You've Got a Habit of Leaving
4. The London Boys
5. Karma Man
6. Conversation Piece
7. Shadow Man
8. Let Me Sleep Beside You
9. Hole in the Ground
10. Baby Loves That Way
11. Can't Help Thinking About Me
12. Silly Boy Blue
13. Toy (Your Turn to Drive)