With the critical success of David Bowie’s new and, incidentally, very good album Reality, it’s as good a time as ever to rediscover Bowie’s incredible back catalogue. Naturally, with the holidays right around the corner, Bowie’s former record label, Virgin, have decided to facilitate your Bowie exploration by re-releasing Bowie’s classic 1989 box set Sound + Vision.

The original Sound + Vision box, which has long been out of print, contained three jam-packed CDs, whereas this new re-release will hold four discs of Bowie goodness. That’s 70 tracks, which have all been remastered. The Virgin people also promise that the new set will be "more competitively priced" (i.e. way cheaper) than the original release.

Most of the extra songs on the new fourth disc come from Bowie albums that came out after the set’s initial release in 1989. There are a handful of tracks from the 1995 soundtrack to Buddha Of Suburbia, tracks from 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, and a bunch of songs from the first two Tin Machine albums. There are also previously unreleased mixes of "Nite Flights" and "Pallas Athena."

The new version of Sound + Vision will be in stores on December 2. Here’s a full track list:

CD 1:


"Space Oddity" (original demo 1969)
"The Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud" (rare B-side version 1969)
"The Prettiest Star" (single version 1970)
"London Bye Ta-Ta" (stereo mix recorded 1970) previously unreleased stereo mix
"Black Country Rock" (from The Man Who Sold The World)
"The Man Who Sold The World" (from The Man Who Sold The World)
"The Bewlay Brothers" (from Hunky Dory)
"Changes" (from Hunky Dory)
"Round And Round" (alternate vocal take 1971) previously unreleased alternate vocal take
"Moonage Daydream" (from The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars)
"John, I'm Only Dancing" (Aladdin Sane outtake 1973)
"Drive-In Saturday" (from Aladdin Sane)
"Panic In Detroit" (from Aladdin Sane)
"Ziggy Stardust" (live from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture 1973)
"White Light/White Heat" (live from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture 1973)
"Rock 'N’ Roll Suicide" (live from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture 1973)
"Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (from Pinups 1973)
"Sorrow" (from Pinups 1973)
"Don't Bring Me Down" (from Pinups 1973)

CD 2:


"1984/Dodo" (recorded 1973)
"Big Brother" (from Diamond Dogs 1974)
"Rebel Rebel" (rare single version 1974)
"Suffragette City" (from David Live 1974)
"Watch That Man" (from David Live 1974)
"Cracked Actor" (from David Live 1974)
"Young Americans" (from Young Americans 1975)
"Fascination" (from Young Americans 1975)
"After Today" (Young Americans outtake 1975)
"It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" (recorded 1975)
"TVC15" (from Station To Station 1976)
"Wild Is The Wind" (from Station To Station 1976)
"Sound And Vision" (from Low 1977)
"Be My Wife" (from Low 1977)
"Speed Of Life" (from Low 1977)
"Helden" (German version of "Heroes" 1989 remix)
"Joe The Lion" (from Heroes 1977)
"Sons Of The Silent Age" (from Heroes 1977)

CD 3:


"Station To Station" (from Stage 1978)
"Warszawa" (from Stage 1978)
"Breaking Glass" (from Stage 1978)
"Red Sails" (from Lodger 1979)
"Look Back In Anger" (from Lodger 1979)
"Boys Keep Swinging" (from Lodger 1979)
"Up The Hill Backwards" (from Scary Monsters 1980)
"Kingdom Come" (from Scary Monsters 1980)
"Ashes To Ashes" (from Scary Monsters 1980)
"Baal's Hymn" (from Baal E.P.) previously unreleased on CD
"Drowned Girl" (from Baal E.P.) previously unreleased on CD
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (soundtrack album version)
"China Girl" (from Let's Dance)
"Ricochet" (from Let's Dance)
"Modern Love" (Live) (B-side) previously unreleased on CD
"Loving The Alien" (from Tonight)
"Dancing With The Big Boys" (from Tonight)

CD 4:


"Blue Jean" (from Tonight)
"Time Will Crawl" (from Never Let Me Down)
"Baby Can Dance" (from Tin Machine)
"Amazing" (from Tin Machine)
"I Can't Read" (from Tin Machine)
"Shopping For Girls" (from Tin Machine II)
"Goodbye Mr. Ed" (from Tin Machine II)
"Amlapura" (from Tin Machine II)
"You've Been Around" (from Black Tie White Noise)
"Nite Flights" (Moodswings Back To Basics Remix Radio Edit) previously unreleased radio edit
"Pallas Athena" (Gone Midnight Mix) previously unreleased Jack Dangers Remix
"Jump They Say" (from Black Tie White Noise)
"Buddha Of Suburbia" (from Buddha Of Suburbia)
"Dead Against It" (from Buddha Of Suburbia)
"South Horizon" (from Buddha Of Suburbia)
"Pallas Athena" (Live As Tao Jones Index)

seems completely pointless. this set should either be an exapanded "best of" or it should collect all of the rarities and bonus tracks, remastered, from the Ryko re-issues of the early 90's.


without the Ryko tracks, this set is totally out of context being reissued on its own.


i won't be buying it ...

AaronMaximus said:

It's not even all his singles! They go from "Tonight" to one track on "Never Let Me Down" (granted, I guess the title track isn't a must have) and skip a lot of mid eighties stuff (all the soundtracks). I also notice other things that appear to be missing (i suppose it isn't a single collection) plus it isn't even close to being up to the present. It looks really strange Why bother indeed!

VinnyM27 said:

well, it follows along with the general theme of the rest of the compilation. it's not really a singles or hits collection, just kind of an odds & ends thing. at the time of its original release, all of his albums were coming out with bonus tracks on CD, best of and greatest hits compilations, and what not. this was just a box set, not being a "best of" or "greatest hits" or "rarities" or "oddities" but a combo of all of that. it's quite similar to Elton John's "To Be Continued" box set (though I think that one hangs together much better than S+V).


i was really hoping that they'd just scrap the original concept for it when they re-released it, and put on all of the rarities and oddities that were contained on it and contained on the re-issued Ryko versions of his albums. now THAT would be worth having, to have all of that stuff remastered.


this... well, it's about as good as the original release of S+V, but i'm not a real big fan of it in the first place...