“Waiting so long, I’ve been waiting so, waiting so…”
After months of waiting, David Bowie’s latest box set, Loving the Alien has finally arrived. This expansive look at Bowie’s most commercially successful period of output not only boasts remastered versions of his 1980s albums, but also includes the never-before-released audio recording of the iconic Serious MoonlightTour. This 2-disc offering features some of Bowie’s best live recordings from “Look Back in Anger” and “Heroes” to “Modern Love” and “Let’s Dance.”
Continuing where the three previous box sets left off, David Bowie’s Loving the Alien box set encapsulates Bowie’s ‘80s commercial era. The 11 CD and 15 LP sets will be released October 12, 2018 and includes the newly remastered studio albums Let’s Dance, Tonight and Never Let Down, plus the previously unreleased Serious Moonlight double live album (recorded in Montreal in 1983), as well as a remastered two-disc version of Glass Spider 1987 (Live in Montreal).
Among the box set’s exclusive materials is a new production of the 1987 album Never Let Me Down by Mario McNulty. This is not merely a new remaster or remix, but NLMD 2018 features newly recorded instrumentation by Reeves Gabrels, David Torn, Sterling Campbell and Tim Lefebvre. Other exclusives include RE: CALL 4, featuring remastered single versions, non-album singles, album edits and B-sides, as well as soundtrack songs from Labyrinth, Absolute Beginners and When the Wind Blows. DANCE features 12 remixes, some of which are appearing on CD and vinyl for the very first time.
The remastering is not only superb, but also adds new luster to each of the studio and live recordings. Let’s Dance and Tonight have never sounded better. The newly produced 2018 version of Never Let Me Down also sheds new upon this overlooked and underrated classic album. The only oversight here (albeit intentional) is the unfortunate omission of “Too Dizzy” which was originally included on the initial pressings of the Never Let Me Down album and compact disc. Although the track was reportedly despised by Bowie, its inclusion would have allowed diehards the opportunity to revisit this often-maligned album in its entirety. With that said, at least the B-sides “Girls” and “Julie” have been included which help to make up for the aforementioned track’s absence.
The 128-page book is packed with photographs and contains interesting insight into Bowie’s most loved and loathed era, which is heightened by historic photos shot by fashion photographer and music video director Herb Ritts, as well as a treasure of technical notes about the albums from Nile Rodgers and Hugh Padgham.
While Loving the Alien may not capture Bowie’s most creative decade, it is another outstanding presentation of one of music’s most imaginative artists, which contains more than enough rewarding moments to satisfy any true Bowie fan’s expectations.
Continuing where the three previous box sets left off, David Bowie’s Loving the Alien box set encapsulates Bowie’s ‘80s commercial era. The 11 CD and 15 LP sets will be released October 12, 2018 and include the newly remastered studio albums Let’s Dance, Tonight and Never Let Me Down, plus the previously unreleased Serious Moonlight double live album (recorded in Vancouver in 1983), as well as a remastered two-disc version of Glass Spider 1987 (Live in Montreal).
Among the box set’s exclusive materials is a new production of the 1987 album Never Let Me Down, by Mario McNulty, which features new instrumentation by Reeves Gabrels, David Torn, Sterling Campbell and Tim Lefebvre. Other exclusives include RE: CALL 4, featuring remastered single versions, non-album singles, album edits and B-sides, as well as soundtrack songs from Labyrinth, Absolute Beginners and When the Wind Blows. Dance will feature a dozen various remixes, some of which are appearing on CD and vinyl for the very first time.
Unfortunately, the long deleted track “Too Dizzy” from Never Let Me Down will not be included on this set, nor will the box include the 1988 home video audio version of the Glass Spider Tour. The previously available Glass Spider concert from Vancouver recorded in 1987 will be included instead of the audio from the Glass Spider show in Sydney, Australia, which was released on VHS and Laser Disc in the late 1980s before its eventual DVD release in 2007.
The Loving the Alien CD box includes a 128-page book, and the LP box includes an 84-page book, both will feature rare and previously unpublished photos by Herb Ritts, Greg Gorman and Denis O’Regan. The books will also contain technical album specifics by Nile Rodgers, Hugh Padgham, Mario McNulty and Justin Shirley-Smith. Additionally, various historical press reviews will be included as a retrospective time capsule of the era.
Here’s a complete rundown of the tracks contents that will be included in the CD and vinyl box sets:
Never Let Me Down (2018) (previously unreleased) (2LP–side 4 is etched) *
Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87) (previously unreleased on vinyl) (3LP) *
Dance (2LP) *
Re:Call 4 (non-album singles, edits, single versions, B-sides and soundtrack music) (remastered) (3LP) *
* Exclusive to Loving the Alien (1983-1988) LP box
TRACKLISTING:
Let’s Dance: Modern Love/China Girl/Let’s Dance/Without You/Ricochet/Criminal World/Cat People (Putting Out Fire)/Shake It
Serious Moonlight (Live ’83): Look Back in Anger/Heroes/What in The World/Golden Years/Fashion/Let’s Dance/Breaking Glass/Life on Mars?/Sorrow/Cat People (Putting Out Fire)/China Girl/Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)/Rebel Rebel/White Light, White Heat/Station to Station/Cracked Actor/Ashes to Ashes/Space Oddity/Band Introduction/Young Americans/Fame/Modern Love
Tonight: Loving the Alien/Don’t Look Down/God Only Knows/Tonight/Neighborhood Threat/Blue Jean/Tumble and Twirl/I Keep Forgettin’/Dancing with The Big Boys
Never Let Me Down: Day-In Day-Out/Time Will Crawl/Beat of Your Drum/Never Let Me Down/Zeroes/Glass Spider/Shining Star (Makin’ My Love)/New York’s In Love/’87 And Cry/Bang Bang
Never Let Me Down (2018): Day-In Day-Out/Time Will Crawl/Beat of Your Drum/Never Let Me Down/Zeroes/Glass Spider/Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (featuring Laurie Anderson)/New York’s In Love/’87 And Cry/Bang Bang
Glass Spider (Live in Montreal 1987): Intro/Up the Hill Backwards/Glass Spider/Day-In Day-Out/Bang Bang/Absolute Beginners/Loving the Alien/China Girl/Rebel Rebel/Fashion/Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)/All the Madmen/Never Let Me Down/Big Brother/‘87 And Cry/Heroes/Sons of The Silent Age/Time Will Crawl/Band Introduction/Young Americans/Beat of Your Drum/The Jean Genie/Let’s Dance/Fame/Time/Blue Jean/Modern Love
Dance: Shake It (Re-mix aka Long Version)/Blue Jean (Extended Dance Mix)/Dancing with The Big Boys (Extended Dance Mix)/Tonight (Vocal Dance Mix)/Don’t Look Down (Extended Dance Mix)/Loving the Alien (Extended Dub Mix)/Tumble and Twirl (Extended Dance Mix)/Underground (Extended Dance Mix)/Day-In Day-Out (Groucho Mix)/Time Will Crawl (Dance Crew Mix)/Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (12” mix)/Never Let Me Down (Dub/Acapella)
RE:CALL 4: Let’s Dance (single version)/China Girl (single version)/Modern Love (single version)/This Is Not America (The theme from ‘The Falcon and The Snowman’)–[David Bowie with Pat Metheny Group]/Loving the Alien (re-mixed version)/Don’t Look Down (re-mixed version)/Dancing in The Street (Clearmountain mix)–[David Bowie and Mick Jagger]/Absolute Beginners (from Absolute Beginners)/That’s Motivation (from Absolute Beginners)/Volare (from Absolute Beginners)/Labyrinth Opening Titles-Underground (from Labyrinth)/Magic Dance (from Labyrinth)/As the World Falls Down (from Labyrinth)/Within You (from Labyrinth)/Underground (from Labyrinth)/When the Wind Blows (single version) (from When the Wind Blows)/Day-In Day-Out (single version)/Julie (B-side from “Day-In Day-Out”)/Beat of Your Drum (vinyl album edit)/Glass Spider (vinyl album edit)/Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (vinyl album edit)/New York’s In Love (vinyl album edit)/‘87 And Cry (vinyl album edit)/Bang Bang (vinyl album edit)/Time Will Crawl (single version)/Girls (extended edit of B-side from “Time Will Crawl”)/Never Let Me Down (7” remix edit)/Bang Bang (live – promotional mix)/Tonight (live) [David Bowie with Tina Turner]/Let’s Dance (live) [David Bowie with Tina Turner]
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