Episodes
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Thru These Architects Eyes: One Fan’s Idle Speculation
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
Wednesday Jul 08, 2020
For four glorious years, we Bowie fans were treated to big fat box sets containing multiple remastered studio and live albums in super deluxe packaging with non-album tracks, rare mixes, and some frustratingly unnecessary duplication. But it was mostly good!
Then, last year, there was... nothing. But this year, for very good reasons (detailed below), I think a new 1990s-focused set is coming and I wrote a big fat post about what I think will be inside. Hit the jump for my speculations.
So... I've done these speculation posts before. Here's my 2018 one and here's how I did (short answer: not too shabby). Here's my ill-fated 2019 one, though unfortunately, no set ever materialized. Rumors continue that it was due to rights issues with Tin Machine, and frankly, it seems likely. Others have postulated that the box set series is just done, but I don't think so. Why? Let's take a look.
- Nile Rodgers, the producer of 1993's Black Tie, White Noise, tweeted in April that he remastered the album for vinyl release. There has been no word about this since.
- When LiveandWell.com was released on streaming in May, it was specifically identified as being remastered, which feels unlikely if they were just trying to pull a few bucks on a streaming release of existing material. It also features two previously released bonus tracks which put it up to 73 minutes. That's a perfect single CD length and a nice double LP length (the original album would have likely been three sides).
- Bowie's brand new July streaming release, Ouvrez Le Chien, is a previously unreleased live album but was given two previously released bonus tracks, one of which is a different live recording of a song that is already featured on the main album. Why would they do that? I can't come up with any reason other than that it fills out CD/LP lengths nicely and (like LiveandWell.com) frees up a little more space on the box set's Re:Call discs.
- Neither of the above are available for download, only streaming. It feels like they're waiting to give them a big official release together. This is also notably different than the Tin Machine Live at La Cigale mini-album from last year which immediately came out on both download and streaming.
With all that in mind, I think another box set is coming and here's what I think will be on it, along with how likely I think it is.
100% Chance - Re:Call 5
If they do another one of these box sets and if they even pretend to keep it consistent with the ones that came before, there's going to be a couple discs of odds and ends- single edits, b-sides, compilation appearances, etc.
95% Chance - Black Tie, White Noise; Buddha of Suburbia, 1. Outside, Earthling
Bowie's four studio albums from 1993-1997 fit together loosely based on their electronic focus, though there's a world of difference between the approaches. Still, they fit together well enough to expect them to make up the core of the set. A bonus to vinyl collectors is that Buddha of Suburbia has never had an LP release in the US or UK.
90% Chance - LiveandWell.com
Recorded in 1997 and released in 2000, this live album was an exclusive to Bowienet subscribers at the time and is extremely rare now. It made streaming in May while a wide physical release (including its first appearance on vinyl) should prove popular. This is the first of three announced 90s live albums promised to be added to streaming this year (the third is unknown and has yet to be released).
90% Chance - Remix Compilation
In 90s, Bowie released dozens of official remixes by a wide variety of talents. There are far too many to present an exhaustive selection and frankly, virtually no one who would even want that. As in the Loving the Alien set, I'm expecting a compilation of some of the best (and fortunately, the 90s remixes are by and large way better than the ones from the 80s).
80% Chance - Ouvrez Le Chien
The second of three promised 90s live albums, this one is a little unusual because it was completely unreleased until July of this year (streaming only) and typically these box sets stick to previously released recordings. But, it's out in the wild in this of all years, it was recorded in 1995, and it includes two bonus tracks that would have otherwise ended up on a Re:Call collection; we have to expect it's coming. Personally, I'm excited for a physical release.
70% Chance - Another Live Album?
The biggest wild card in all this is the promised third streaming 1990s live album that hasn't been announced yet. The most obvious choice would be a show from the 1990 Sound + Vision tour (which has never seen an official release), but is that too far out of the 93-97 scope? It was smack dab in the middle of the Tin Machine era after all. But if not 1990, then what? A different show from the Outside or Earthling tours? His songs from the '96 Bridge School concerts? A compilation of his '97 acoustic radio shows? The 50th birthday show? I really have no idea. And then there's also the question of whether this show will even end up in the box set at the end of the day. No clue.
70% Chance - Alternate Mix/Version of an Existing Album
This one is another big question mark. The last four sets have all contained at least one alternate version of an existing album (Who Can I Be Now? had three!). No such exact alternate versions exist but it's become such a fixture that for the last two sets, a new mix/version was commissioned (see Lodger and Never Let Me Down). The particular focus on Earthling this year makes it the prime contender, but there's another more exciting option (see below).
50% Chance - Leon/Inside/2. Contamination
One of the last true holy grails of Bowie music is the unreleased album Leon. Made up of fascinating, meandering 20 minute-long songs that are hands down the strangest, most avant-garde music Bowie ever made, Leon was roundly rejected by multiple record labels and Bowie was forced to drastically rework it, the end result being 1. Outside. A 3-track version has leaked and a 5-track version is rumored but an official release would be amazing. While there is a precedent of sorts in the form of The Gouster, this one is feeling less likely at this point. With that said, most hardcore Bowie fans would give a tooth for an official release of this.
Alternately, Bowie talked about several different follow-up projects that never materialized including Inside and 2. Contamination. It's unclear what these would have looked like exactly and how far along any of them came, so they seem like vague possibilities as well.
40% Chance - Sound + Vision Live
As mentioned above, Bowie went on a solo tour in 1990 in the middle of his Tin Machine period. No official live albums have materialized from this tour yet so this feels possible... but it's pretty different than what the rest of the 90s holds. This article by Steve Pafford indicates that a Sound + Vision Live release was at one point planned for Record Store Day this year, but was seemingly supplanted by ChangesNowBowie and I'm Only Dancing. It stills seems possible for this box, but unlikely.
30% Chance - Hours
While Bowie's 1999 album, Hours, is probably more similar to Earthling than you remember (and features a lot of the same people), it still feels like it marks the next era for Bowie and doesn't quite belong here. Plus, there just isn't much space left in the box, especially considering that this album would bring multiple b-sides and remixes along with it.
10% Chance - Excerpts from Outside
When Outside was originally released, the vinyl version was condensed down to fit on one LP. I've read speculation online that this will make the cut but it feels extremely unlikely. Never Let Me Down was also originally released in a shortened version for vinyl but in the Loving the Alien set they made it the same as the CD. In fact, they put all seven edited songs on the Re:Call collection. Excerpts only featured two edited songs (along with six missing songs) so I can't imagine why they wouldn't just throw the edits on the Re:Call discs.
10% Chance - Tin Machine
There's been some speculation that the first self-titled Tin Machine album will be included in this box, the rational being that (unlike Tin Machine's other two albums) it is owned entirely by the Bowie camp and avoids the rumored rights issues. Frankly, I just don't see it. Stylistically, it's incredibly different to what comes after and would it really make sense to release one Tin Machine album but not the other two? Plus, like Hours, it brings in several more b-sides along with that fact that it's a double LP to begin. There's not enough room and I just don't see it.
So, with all that said, here's my guess for the contents of the next set, which I'm hoping will be titled Thru These Architect's Eyes after the 1. Outside track. Keep in mind that past sets have featured 13-15 LPs and 11-12 CDs.
Black Tie, White Noise (2 LP/1 CD)
Buddha of Suburbia (2 LP/1 CD)
Outside (2 LP/1 CD)
Ouvrez Le Chien (2 LP/1 CD)
Earthling (1 LP/1 CD)
Earthling (Alternate Version) (1 LP/1 CD)
LiveandWell.com (2 LP/1 CD)
Remix (2 LP/2 CD)
Re:Call (2 LP/2 CD)
That's a total of 16 LPs and 11 CDs. In the past, these sets have been announced in mid-July, so let's wait a few weeks and see what happens! Let's be honest, though... COVID may have slowed this whole thing down...
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