Freak Out in a Moonage Daydream: Early Version of Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ Announced for Record Store Day
On what would have been the 77th birthday of the incomparable David Bowie, his estate has announced a new catalogue title due out for Record Store Day, featuring an early track list for 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars.
Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) takes its title from “Starman,” the U.K. Top 10 hit that helped propel Bowie from art-folk wonder to glam icon for a new decade. But when this line-up for the album was assembled onto a 1/4″ tape at Trident Studios on December 15, 1971, “Starman” had yet to be recorded, along with the final album’s closing tracks “Suffragette City” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide.” Those three tracks are substituted by four others recorded during these sessions: “Starman” is replaced by a take on Chuck Berry’s “Round and Round,” while the first side is rounded out by a cover of Jacques Brel’s “Amsterdam.” Side 2, meanwhile, features two original’s from Bowie’s repertoire: a re-recording of 1971 single “Holy Holy” and the “lost” classic “Velvet Goldmine.” (By 1975, all of these orphaned recordings would be utilized as B-sides.)
The Spiders’ from Mars line-up – guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick “Woody” Woodmansey – first came together on Bowie’s Hunky Dory a year before in 1971. But the album that would become The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars would make them stars, as fronted by Bowie in a new, jaw-dropping alter ego that established him as an enduring trailblazer in pop and rock music. Waiting in the Sky offers a distinct spin on that era, and a special piece of history for Bowie vinyl collectors.
Waiting in the Sky will be released exclusively at participating indie stores on Record Store Day (Saturday, April 20, 2024). It will be a half-speed vinyl release, cut by John Webber at Abbey Road Studios; Webber utilized “a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original Trident Studios master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer.” An early Ziggy-era photo by Brian Ward graces the album’s cover, while the inner sleeve features pictures of the 1971 tape boxes that made this release possible.
The full track list is below.
Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth) (Parlophone, 2024)
Side 1
- Five Years
- Soul Love
- Moonage Daydream
- Round and Round
- Amsterdam
Side 2
- Hang on to Yourself
- Ziggy Stardust
- Velvet Goldmine
- Holy Holy
- Star
- Lady Stardust
Tracks 1-3, 6-7 and 10-11 released on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars – RCA Victor LSP-4702, 1972
Track 4 released as B-side to “Drive-In Saturday” U.K. single – RCA Victor 2352, 1973
Track 5 released as B-side to “Sorrow” U.K. single – RCA Victor 2424, 1973
Track 8 released as B-side to “Diamond Dogs” U.K. single – RCA Victor APB0-0293, 1974
Track 9 released as B-side to “Space Oddity”/”Changes” U.K. single – RCA Victor 2593, 1975
Well this is very welcome. The Bowie folks have been generous since his passing. The only thing we are missing is a Sound + Vision 1990 tour album.
And a Tin Machine box!
Sure I’d be into that too. Not sure if it’s a sell enough item though
Apparently, there’s a royalties disagreement with one of the members of Tin Machine that caused them to skip it during the album set boxes. One more set – covering 2001 to the end – is apparently on the slate for release in the future.
The S+V box would have to have Pretty Pink Rose too…
Definitely and the Jean Genie>Gloria he was doing. That’s only time he did it on tour I believe. He did with Bono in Cleveland.
Are the tracks from the original Ziggy Stardust album early or rough mixes? It would make this RSD release much more desirable. Fingers crossed this will tie in with a Ziggy boxed set simultaneously.
I believe that these are all previously released versions of the songs…no “unreleased” or “early” mixes.
Perhaps this release is an indicator that a Glam Era box will drop at the same time?
A Ziggy-related set maybe, along the lines of the Divine Symmetry and Width Of A Circle sets.
According to someone on the Steve Hoffman forums, there are hints from people who worked on it that a combined Ziggy/Aladdin Sane set with 11 discs is coming in 2024. If so, this would be a good build up; the demos that appeared on Conversation Piece also appeared on vinyl ahead of its release.
Thanks for reminding us of the Golden
Years of Bowie