Bowie At The Beeb

In The Heat Of The Morning ¹/London Bye Ta Ta ¹/Karma Man ¹/Silly Boy Blue ¹/Let Me Sleep Beside You ²/Janine ²/Amsterdam ³/God Knows I'm Good ³/The Width Of A Circle ³/Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed ³/Cygnet Committee ³/Memory Of A Free Festival ³/The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud ⁴/Bombers ⁵/Looking For A Friend ⁵/Almost Grown ⁵/Kooks ⁵/It Ain't Easy ⁵/The Supermen ⁶/Eight Line Poem ⁶/Hang Onto Yourself ⁷/Ziggy Stardust ⁷/Queen Bitch ⁷/Waiting For The Man ⁷/Five Years ⁷/White Light/White Heat ⁸/Moonage Daydream ⁸/Hang Onto Yourself ⁸/Suffragette City ⁸/Ziggy Stardust ⁸/Starman ⁹/Space Oddity ⁹/Changes ⁹/Oh! You Pretty Things ⁹/Andy Warhol ¹⁰/Lady Stardust ¹⁰/Rock 'N' Roll Suicide ¹⁰.

BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000
(EMI/Virgin 7243 5 28958 2 3)

Wild Is The Wind/Ashes To Ashes/Seven/This Is Not America/Absolute Beginners/Always Crashing In The Same Car/Survive/Little Wonder/The Man Who Sold The World/Fame/Stay/Hallo Spaceboy/Cracked Actor/I'm Afraid Of Americans/Let's Dance.

The release on vinyl was postponed until 2016, when it finally appeared as a 4LP box set (Parlophone DBBBCLP6872). The 4LP set includes both 'Oh! You Pretty Things' from the Japanese CD (see below) and, at the time exclusively, 'The Supermen' from Sound Of The Seventies: Andy Ferris (25-03-70), programmed after 'Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud'.

Recorded live for BBC radio between 1969-1972: ¹ Top Gear (13-05-68), ² Dave Lee Travis Show (20-10-69), ³ The Sunday Show (05-02-70), ⁴ Sound Of The Seventies: Andy Ferris (25-03-70), ⁵ In Concert: John Peel (05-06-71), ⁶ Sound Of The Seventies: Bob Harris (21-09-71), ⁷ Sound Of The Seventies: Bob Harris (18-01-72), ⁸ Sound Of The Seventies: John Peel (16-05-72), ⁹ Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show (22-05-72) and ¹⁰ Sound Of The Seventies: Bob Harris (23-05-72). The Japanese edition (EMI TOCP 65631) additionally features 'Oh! You Pretty Things' from Bob Harris (21-09-71).

The separate bonus disc BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 (bottom) contains live tracks from Bowie's performance at the Broadcasting House (27-06-00). Reissued as a complete radio show (adding The London Boys/I Dig Everything/All The Young Dudes/Starman) as part of the Brilliant Adventure box set.

The first batch of CDs had a mispressing of CD2, as it included 'Ziggy Stardust' from the 16-05-72 session twice (rather than from the 18-01-72 and 16-05-72 sessions). EMI corrected the matter by sending out a replacement disc (EMI BEEBREP 2; middle) with just the missing track.

It is interesting to note that BBC Sessions 1969-1972 [Sampler], a sampler from 1996 for the never released NMC 3CD set, includes two tracks that have been left off Bowie At The Beeb. See BBC Sessions for comprehensive notes on all of Bowie's BBC performances, including Top Gear (18-12-67) and Sound Of The Seventies: John Peel (11-01-72), sessions omitted from Bowie At The Beeb.

A New Career In Town/V-2 Schneider/Abdulmajid/Weeping Wall/All Saints/Art Decade/Crystal Japan/Brilliant Adventure/Sense Of Doubt/Moss Garden/Neuköln/The Mysteries/Ian Fish UK Heir/Subterraneans/Warszawa/Some Are.

Instrumentals from Bowie's catalogue, plus 'Some Are' from Philip Glass' Low Symphony. All Saints was already released in 1993 in a very limited edition, distributed to Bowie's friends and relations only. Compared to the promo 2CD, this compilation drops the tracks from Black Tie White Noise but adds 'Brilliant Adventure' from hours...

This compilation was released in 20 different editions, each with a different tracklisting. All editions together cover a total of 63 songs.

The Scumfrog vs Bowie: Loving The Alien/Let's Dance (Trifactor vs Deeper Substance Remix)/David Guetta vs David Bowie: Just For One Day (Heroes) (Extended Version)/The Scumfrog vs David Bowie: This Is Not America/Solaris vs Bowie: Shout (Original Mix)/China Girl (Riff & Vox Club Mix)/Magic Dance (Danny S Magic Party Remix)/Let's Dance (Club Bolly Extended Mix)/Let's Dance (Club Bolly Mix Video).

A collection of hard-to-get and new remixes. There are several promos for this title. Most interesting is an early promo CDR with a different tracklisting and a Metrophonic Remix of 'Starman' that didn't make it to the final release.

Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed/The Width Of A Circle/Andy Warhol/Soul Love/Cracked Actor/Sweet Thing/Somebody Up There Likes Me/Word On A Wing/Always Crashing In The Same Car/Beauty And The Beast/Repetition/Teenage Wildlife.

The intro to 'Andy Warhol' is slightly shorter than on Hunky Dory and 'Sweet Thing' from Diamond Dogs is only the first part of the 'Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)' sequence.

The Jean Genie/Space Oddity/Starman/Ziggy Stardust/John I'm Only Dancing/Rebel Rebel/Let's Spend The Night Together/Suffragette City/Oh! You Pretty Things/Velvet Goldmine/Drive-In Saturday/Diamond Dogs/Changes/Sorrow/The Prettiest Star/Life On Mars/Aladdin Sane/The Man Who Sold The World/Rock 'N' Roll Suicide/All The Young Dudes/Sound And Vision/Golden Years/Fame/Young Americans/John I'm Only Dancing (Again)/Can You Hear Me/Wild Is The Wind/Knock On Wood (live)/TVC 15/1984/It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City/Look Back In Anger/The Secret Life Of Arabia/DJ/Beauty And The Beast/Breaking Glass/Boys Keep Swinging/"Heroes"/Let's Dance/Ashes To Ashes/Under Pressure/Fashion/Modern Love/China Girl/Scary Monsters/Up The Hill Backwards/Alabama Song/The Drowned Girl/Cat People/This Is Not America/Loving The Alien/Absolute Beginners/When The Wind Blows/Blue Jean/Day-In Day-Out/Time Will Crawl/Underground.

3CD set containing The Best Of Bowie 1969/1974, The Best Of Bowie 1974/1979 plus a third CD covering 1980-1987; see The Best Of Bowie 1980/1987 below for more details. Released in Italy with different artwork (EMI 0 94634 46502 1; bottom).

Let's Dance/Ashes To Ashes/Under Pressure/Fashion/Modern Love/China Girl/Scary Monsters/Up The Hill Backwards/Alabama Song/The Drowned Girl/Cat People/This Is Not America/Loving The Alien/Absolute Beginners/When The Wind Blows/Blue Jean/Day-In Day-Out/Time Will Crawl/Underground.

DVD: Ashes To Ashes/Fashion/Under Pressure/The Drowned Girl/Let's Dance/China Girl/Modern Love/Cat People (live)/Blue Jean/Loving The Alien/Absolute Beginners/Underground/When The Wind Blows/Day-In Day-Out/Time Will Crawl.

CD3 of The Platinum Collection released separately. Contains the single edits of Let's Dance/Ashes To Ashes/Fashion/Modern Love/China Girl/Scary Monsters/Cat People/Absolute Beginners/Day-In Day-Out/Underground and features the original version of 'Under Pressure' for the first time on a Bowie compilation. The DVD contains three videos not available on the Best Of Bowie DVD.

The download replaces the single version of 'Cat People' with a live version taken from the Serious Moonlight DVD.

The Jean Genie (live¹)/Strangers When We Meet/Oh! You Pretty Things/Word On A Wing (live²)/Always Crashing In The Same Car/Young Americans (live³).

¹ Santa Monica, Civic Auditorium, 20-10-72; ² Uniondale, Nassau Coliseum, 23-03-76; ³ Sydney, Entertainment Center, 07/09-11-87.

A limited edition compilation to promote Keanan Duffy's Bowie clothing line, exclusively distributed through Target stores. Of particular interest were the credits of this title, which correctly predicted that the Santa Monica and Uniondale concerts would be released as Live—Santa Monica '72 and Live Nassau '76. On the other hand, the announcements of Hunky Dory and Low 'Collector's Special Edition CD's have never materialised.

Life On Mars/Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)/The Bewlay Brothers/Lady Grinning Soul/Win/Some Are/Teenage Wildlife/Repetition/Fantastic Voyage/Loving The Alien/Time Will Crawl (MM Remix)/Hang On To Yourself (live).

Originally a freebie with Mail On Sunday in the UK and Ireland. The official release comes with David's notes to the selected tracks.

In 2014, a limited run of 2.500 LPs was released on red vinyl (Parlophone DB1-SLP1) as an exclusive for the V&A Museum's 'David Bowie Is' exhibition world tour.

Life On Mars/Rebel Rebel/Thursday's Child/Can't Help Thinking About Me/China Girl/Seven/Drive In Saturday/Word On A Wing.

DVD: Life On Mars/Rebel Rebel/Thursday's Child/Can't Help Thinking About Me/China Girl/Seven/Drive In Saturday/Word On A Wing/Survive/I Can't Read/Always Crashing In The Same Car/If I'm Dreaming My Life.

Recorded at Manhattan Center Studios, New York, 23-08-99 as part of the VH1 Storytellers series. A CD+DVD release, the DVD adding four bonus tracks that were not originally broadcast. The German edition came in a slip case. The digital download includes the four bonus tracks, as does the 2019 release on vinyl (Parlophone DBVH1 9919).

Nothing Has Changed
(Parlophone 825646205769), November 2014 (EC).

3CD: Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)/Where Are We Now?/Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix By James Murphy For The DFA Edit)/The Stars (Are Out Tonight)/New Killer Star (Radio Edit)/Everyone Says 'Hi' (Edit)/Slow Burn (Radio Edit)/Let Me Sleep Beside You/Your Turn To Drive/Shadow Man/Seven (Marius De Vries Mix)/Survive (Marius De Vries Mix)/Thursday's Child (Radio Edit)/I'm Afraid Of Americans (V1) (Radio Edit)/Little Wonder (Edit)/Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)/The Hearts' Filthy Lesson (Radio Edit)/Strangers When We Meet (Single Version)/Buddha Of Suburbia/Jump They Say (Radio Edit)/Time Will Crawl (MM Remix)/Absolute Beginners (Single Version)/Dancing In The Street/Loving The Alien (Single Remix)/This Is Not America/Blue Jean/Modern Love (Single Version)/China Girl (Single Version)/Let's Dance (Single Version)/Fashion (Single Version)/Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (Single Version)/Ashes To Ashes (Single Version)/Under Pressure/Boys Keep Swinging/"Heroes" (Single Version)/Sound And Vision/Golden Years (Single Version)/Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin Mix)/Fame/Young Americans (2007 Tony Visconti Mix Single Edit)/Diamond Dogs/Rebel Rebel/Sorrow/Drive-In Saturday/All The Young Dudes/The Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/Moonage Daydream/Ziggy Stardust/Starman (Original Single Mix)/Life On Mars? (2003 Ken Scott Mix)/Oh! You Pretty Things/Changes/The Man Who Sold The World/Space Oddity/In The Heat Of The Morning/Silly Boy Blue/Can't Help Thinking About Me/You've Got A Habit Of Leaving/Liza Jane.

2CD (Parlophone 825646205745; second): Space Oddity/The Man Who Sold The World/Changes/Oh! You Pretty Things/Life On Mars?/Starman (Original Single Mix)/Ziggy Stardust/Moonage Daydream/The Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/All The Young Dudes/Drive-In Saturday/Sorrow/Rebel Rebel/Young Americans (Original Single Edit)/Fame/Golden Years (Single Version)/Sound And Vision/"Heroes" (Single Version)/Boys Keep Swinging/Fashion (Single Version)/Ashes To Ashes (Single Version)/Under Pressure/Let's Dance (Single Version)/China Girl (Single Version)/Modern Love (Single Version)/Blue Jean/This Is Not America/Dancing In The Street/Absolute Beginners (Edit)/Jump They Say (Radio Edit)/Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)/Little Wonder (Edit)/I'm Afraid Of Americans (V1) (Radio Edit)/Thursday's Child (Radio Edit)/Everyone Says 'Hi' (Edit)/New Killer Star (Radio Edit)/Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix By James Murphy For The DFA Edit)/Where Are We Now?/Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime).

1CD (Japan: Warner WPCR-16186; third): Let's Dance (Single Version)/Ashes To Ashes (Single Version)/Under Pressure/"Heroes" (Single Version)/Changes/Space Oddity (UK Single Edit)/Lady Stardust/Life On Mars?/Starman (Original Single Mix)/Ziggy Stardust/Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/Rebel Rebel/Fame/Sound And Vision/Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)/China Girl (Single Version)/Dancing In The Street/Absolute Beginners (Edit)/Where Are We Now?/Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (Radio Edit).

1CD (Argentina: WEA 00620569; Australia: Parlophone 2564620569): Let's Dance (Single Version)/Ashes To Ashes (Single Version)/Under Pressure/"Heroes" (Single Version)/Changes/Space Oddity (UK Single Edit)/Life On Mars?/Starman (Original Single Mix)/Ziggy Stardust/Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/Rebel Rebel/Golden Years (Single Version)/Fame/Sound And Vision/Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)/China Girl (Single Version)/Dancing In The Street/Absolute Beginners (Edit)/Where Are We Now?/Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (Radio Edit).

2LP (Parlophone 825646205639/DBLP6414; bottom): Let's Dance (Single Version)/Ashes To Ashes (Single Version)/"Heroes" (Single Version)/Changes/Life On Mars?/Space Oddity/Starman (Original Single Mix)/Ziggy Stardust/The Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/Rebel Rebel/Golden Years (Single Version)/Fame/Sound And Vision/Under Pressure/Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)/Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)/China Girl (Single Version)/Modern Love (Single Version)/Absolute Beginners (Single Version)/Where Are We Now?

Nothing Has Changed features a lot of alternative edits and mixes and for the first time they are credited in the track listing. Even if they aren't labelled as such, 'Dancing In The Street' and 'Buddha Of Suburbia' too are the single versions; the included album versions of 'Fame' and 'Rebel Rebel' are a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, several edits have been recreated and a few, in particular 'Fashion' and 'Scary Monsters', are really poor efforts.

While not as diverse as Best Of Bowie, each edition contains one or more unique edits/versions of songs. Previously unreleased tracks are a superior stereo mix of 'All The Young Dudes' and the Toy version of 'Let Me Sleep Beside You' (3CD). The UK single edit of 'Space Oddity' (unlike the single in stereo; 1CD), the original ("loud") single mix of 'Starman', the promo edit of 'Absolute Beginners' (1CD/2CD), 'Your Turn To Drive' (3CD) and the 'Love Is Lost' remix (2CD/3CD) all premiere on CD.

Five Years [1969-1973]
(Parlophone DBX 1), September 2015 (EC).

Re:Call 1: Space Oddity (Original UK Mono Single Edit)/Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (Original UK Mono Single Version)/Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola/The Prettiest Star (Original Mono Single Version)/Conversation Piece (Mono Version)/Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 1)/Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 2)/All The Madmen (Mono Single Edit)/Janine (Mono Version)/Holy Holy (Original Mono Single Version)/Moonage Daydream (The Arnold Corns Single Version)/Hang On To Yourself (The Arnold Corns Single Version)/Changes (Mono Single Version)/Andy Warhol (Mono Single Version)/Starman (Original Single Mix)/John, I'm Only Dancing (Original Single Version)/The Jean Genie (Original Single Mix)/Drive-In Saturday (German Single Edit)/Round And Round/John, I'm Only Dancing (Sax Version)/Time (US Single Edit)/Amsterdam/Holy Holy (Spiders Version)/Velvet Goldmine.

Also available on vinyl as a 13LP set (Parlophone DBXL 1).

A 12CD box set with the albums Space Oddity,The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups, supplemented with the live albums Live Santa Monica '72 and Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture. Bonus albums are the 2003 Ken Scott Mix of Ziggy Stardust (second) and a compilation of single material, titled Re:Call 1 (see track listing above; third). For Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the live albums, existing remasters were used (from 2012, 2014, 2008 and 2003 respectively); the rest is newly remastered. All albums were issued in artwork resembling their original UK release, much like the Japanese mini-album reissues from 2009. The studio albums were also released separately in jewel cases (see individual albums for details).

Those who purchased the box in the Bowie Store got the Pin Ups Radio Show (bottom) as a bonus (either on CD or 10" vinyl with the LP box). This was a mock radio show, recorded in 1973, and unearthed and first broadcast by the BBC in 2013. The five songs in the show, Rosalyn/Here Comes The Night/I Wish You Would/Sorrow/I Can't Explain, are interspersed with Bowie's own musings on the London music scene. Although promoted as an exclusive bonus for the Five Years box, the Bowie Store later also sold copies separately.

Who Can I Be Now? [1974-1976]
(Parlophone DBX 2), September 2016 (EC).

The Gouster: John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)/Somebody Up There Likes Me/It's Gonna Be Me/Who Can I Be Now?/Can You Hear Me/Young Americans/Right.

Re:Call 2: Rebel Rebel (Single Mix)/Diamond Dogs (Australian Single Edit)/Rebel Rebel (US Single Version)/Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Live Promo Single Edit)/Panic in Detroit (Live)/Young Americans (Single Version)/Fame (Single Edit)/Golden Years (Single Version)/Station To Station (Single Edit)/TVC 15 (Single Edit)/Stay (Single Edit)/Word On A Wing (Single Edit)/John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) (1975) (Single Version).

Also available on vinyl as a 13LP set (Parlophone DBXL 2).

A 12CD box set with the album Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station To Station, plus the live albums David Live and Live Nassau Coliseum '76 (originally part of the 2010 Special Edition of Station To Station). David Live is included in two versions, the original mix and the 2005 remix (which has the front cover image corrected; second). For collectors, the main attraction of the set is The Gouster (third), an early version of Young Americans, featuring alternate versions of 'Somebody Up There Likes Me', 'Can You Hear Me' and 'Right' previously only available on bootleg. Further bonus albums are the 2010 Harry Maslin remix of Station To Station, plus Re:Call 2, a compilation of single edits (bottom). Unfortunately, the edits on Re:Call 2 are disappointing: the original single mix of 'Rebel Rebel' is a needledrop of inferior quality and many other edits are inauthentic recreations. Except for the Maslin mix of Station To Station and Live Nassau Coliseum '76, all albums are new remasters.

Live Nassau Coliseum '76 was released as a standalone album in 2017.