Only the Rykodisc version and the recent cd+dvd 5.1 mix seem to have the bonus tracks, which I have to have a hard copy of!

Is it worth hunting down the old Ryko cd or is this newly remastered version just as good? I don't like the way the bonus tracks are in different order as I'm used to the Ryko running order on my mp3, plus I don't have a surround sound system and I've heard Tony Visconti messed it all up anyway. I'm more interested in disc 1 but the dvd might be of some use to me in the near future.

So, Bowie fanatics, which version should I go for? Also, is it worth owning all the Rykodiscs for bonus tracks alone?

God, I need help!

kinaldo said:

i'd go with the rykodisc version, because believe it or not you get more bonus tracks with it than you do with the cd/dvd reissue, which in my opinion is at worst a rip-off and at best somewhat poorly planned.

as far as getting ALL the ryko bowie cds, i dunno...some of them had good bonus material and some of them didn't. aladdin sane, for example, had zilch (meanwhile, the 30th anniversary 2-disc reissue really is quite nice). you should google up a bowie discography and see which ones grab you most.

Anxiety said:

Thanks for the reply.

I'm confused when you say Ryko's Young Americans has more bonus tracks. This is what I found on it....

1. Young Americans 5:10
2. Win 4:44
3. Fascination 5:43
4. Right 4:13
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me 6:30
6. Across The Universe 4:30
7. Can You Hear Me 5:04
8. Fame 4:12
Bonus Tracks:
9. Who Can I Be Now? 4:36
10. Its Gonna Be Me 6:27
11. John Im Only Dancing Again 6:57

whereas the new 2-disc version also has 11 tracks.

Disc: 1
1. Young Americans
2. Win
3. Fascination
4. Right
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me
6. Across The Universe
7. Can You Hear Me
8. Fame
9. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) BONUS TRACK
10. Who Can I Be Now? BONUS TRACK
11. It's Gonna Be Me (With Strings) PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE BONUS TRACK
Disc: 2
1. Young Americans - AUDIO ONLY
2. Win - AUDIO ONLY
3. Fascination - AUDIO ONLY
4. Right - AUDIO ONLY
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me - AUDIO ONLY
6. Across The Universe - AUDIO ONLY
7. Can You Hear Me - AUDIO ONLY
8. Fame - AUDIO ONLY
9. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) - AUDIO ONLY - BONUS TRACK
10. Who Can I Be Now? - AUDIO ONLY - BONUS TRACK
11. It's Gonna Be Me (With Strings) - AUDIO ONLY
12. 1984 (Live On The Dick Cavett TV Show)
13. Young Americans - (Live On The Dick Cavett TV Show)
14. Dick Cavett Interviews David Bowie

I'll do a google alright. I hate buying albums twice but since you mention Aladdin Sane I might have to. In the last month it's gone from never listened to, to one of my all time favourites! I guess I have the Joy Division film 'Control' to thank for that

kinaldo said:

huh, for some reason i thought the ryko version had more bonus stuff on it. i think it's because there are even MORE unreleased YA tracks on the 'sound+vision' box set, which should also have ended up on this 30th anniversary set.

i dunno, if you're a big audiophile, i can see how the 30th anniversary edition would be a good option. i guess. but i'm not seeing much on here that i don't already have, and i already have 2 cd reissues of YA as it is.

and if you're going to get into bowie, be prepared to buy a lot of albums twice.

Anxiety said:

still remember when you showed me that bowie footage if bowie doing " I wish i could shimmy like my sister kate"

IAintTheOne said:

i LOOOOOVE that clip...i don't know why, but it was cut out of the dick cavett music icons DVD set

it's some pimped-out funky stuff, though

Anxiety said:

fucking classic ... Omg Bowie inall his Gayness

IAintTheOne said:

and here it is:

Anxiety said:

I love you

Anxiety said:

I'm not a big audiophile but it's easier than tracking down the Ryko discs I guess. What does 'with strings' mean? Is this a different version from the Ryko bonus?

I've been into Bowie for almost a decade but not in the same way as Prince. I've suppressed my liking for his music for some irrational reason. Ziggy Stardust was my first album of his which I found amazing, but I didn't like Aladdin Sane. I got the live Ziggy album which put me off it somewhat. Then I was blown away by Scary Monsters and bought Station to Station, Low and Heros together. I was only disappointed by Heroes but have since reevaluated. I listen to the first cd of the BBC sessions quite a lot but not much else of Bowie's until Aladdin Sane hit me after all these years. Young Americans is an album I've been meaning to get for sometime and now having downloaded it I feel like I've put it off long enough.

One more question - Sound + Vision boxset... is it worth it?

As much time, money and effort as I've spent on Prince, as least him not re-releasing anything has spared me this kind of hassle!

kinaldo said:

i don't know what the whole "with strings" thing is about...i guess it's an alternate demo or that it's been remixed or something? i know gangstafam has the cd/dvd edition, maybe he'll chime in soon...

i've been a bowie fan almost as long as i've been a prince freak, and there are some of his albums that have taken YEARS for me to fully appreciate. that's the great thing about bowie...some of his stuff, you just kinda mature into or it hits you one day why a particular album of his would be considered so great, and all of a sudden, you just HAVE to listen to it. i love that in artists like bowie or prince, who have such extensive catalogs.

as for S+V, i personally love it, but it was my intro to bowie way back when it originally came out on ryko, so my feelings for it are really biased. the latest edition of it also has some tracks from 'baal', which is still pretty much unreleased (i think iTunes was gonna release it in full, but it was delayed?).

Obviously the last reissue has a better sound quality than the 1990 remaster, so...

kinaldo said:

The 30th Anniversary reissue sounds way better than the Ryko version - it has a lusher, richer sound, which actually boosts your appreciation of the album (which I consider a masterpiece.

I prefer this version to the Ryko version - the DVD extras are great. They include bowie's coked out interview with Dick Cavett.

Anx is absolutely right about the 30th Anniversary reissue being poorly planned. It was (it also came out a full year later than announced) - After Today (a YA outtake on S + V) should have been on there, as should the "flute" version of Fame). No wonder EMI are in deep shit.

I agree with Shapeshifter.
The 30th CD/DVD edition sounds incredible. A plus if you have a surround sound system. But still, if you are between Ryko and 30th, get 30th.
Bowie took me forever to get into as well.
What hooked me was Outside and Earthling. The electro/techno side of Bowie pulled me in and I've been a fan ever since.
YA also took me awhile to get into. Always loving the song Fame, I thought the album would be more on those lines. Kinda shocked me when it wasn't and I kinda dismissed it. Now I love it. And it sounds incredible in 5.1 surround sound. I hope someday, Station to Station gets the same CD/DVD deluxe treatment.

I actually like the ryko editions soundquality...

MikeMatronik said:

i do too. people gripe about the sound quality of the ryko remasters, but i've always been very satisfied with them. i'm sure the 30th anniversary YA has a mix that complies to audio technology that wasn't around in 1990, but i'm the wrong person to comment on that because i'm not that much of an audiophile. i just know when i think something sounds clear or crappy or tinny or muddy, and if it sounds clear i'm happy.

Anxiety said:

You know the Ryko version of "Young Americans" had master tape issues - it was running a little too fast - but the EMI/30th Anniversary version not only runs at the correct speed but has had a complete makeover, sound-wise.

When EMI reissued the back catalogue in 1999 WITHOUT bonus tracks, I said no way was I buying the albums again (for what? - a different font and three other pics?). But when I read that about Young Americans, I bought the CD and did a layman's audio comparison.

I guarantee you'll hear the difference. Young Americans sounds much better on the EMI version than it does on Ryko. It's just less value for money.

Shapeshifter said:

I didn't know about that problem.

MikeMatronik said:

I read about it in one of David Buckley's Bowie books, I think.

Shapeshifter said:

What book would that be? Was it a good read?
I love good Bios.
Back to YA debate. The sound on Ryko sounds muddy to me. Whenever I get a remaster, I do side by side comparsions, and I thought there was a major difference. And for the record, I'm somewhat of an audiophile. But hey if you have the ryko version or whatever and your happy with it, that's all that matters. But if you don't have any version, I suggest getting the 30th CD/DVD edition.

Bfunkthe1 said:

It's either Strange Fascination - arguably the best Bowie bio - or the Complete Guide to DB.

Strange Fascination was one of the most enthralling books I've ever read. I just couldn't put it down.

Axchi696 said:

It struck the right balance between biography and musical analysis - neither nerdy nor sensationalistic.

Shapeshifter said:

strange fascination is to bowie as the book DMSR is to prince

and the complete guide to DB is to bowie as THE VAULT is to prince

only i think the bowie books are much, much, much better.

i don't remember reading that about the screwed up YA tapes, but you're making a very strong argument for me to get the 30th ani remaster after all this time of me turning my nose up at it...of course, i recently found one of the japanese gatefold replica reissues of YA used for ten bucks (!) - just what i need, THREE copies of that damn album.

Is the version of "Strange Fascination" on the 30th anniversary the remix that they used for the Ryko version? Or is it the original?

I think I'll go with the 30th Anniversary YA.

On a related note, does anyone know when we can expect 30th Anniversary editions of Station and Station + Low and Heroes? Surely all 3 masterpieces are overdue the deluxe treatment...

kinaldo said:

i wish i knew