Parlophone Records has released David Bowie Loving the Alien (1983-1988), the fourth entry in its series of career-spanning Bowie box sets. As the title suggests, this collection packages the Thin White Duke’s most commercially successful albums, in addition to a hearth of unreleased music. Subscribers of Apple Music and Spotify can stream the majority of the box set below.
Spanning a staggering 11 CDs or 15 LPs, the collection features remastered versions of 1983’s Let’s Dance, 1984’s Tonight, 1987’s Never Let Me Down, the live album Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87), the previously unreleased live album Serious Moonlight, a collection of original remixes dubbed Dance, and a compilation of non-album singles, edits, B-sides, and soundtrack inclusions from Labyrinth, Absolute Beginners, and When The Wind Blows called Re: Call 4.
Of course, the crown jewel of the set is the newly reconfigured Never Let Me Down. In an effort to grant the late singer’s wishes of redoing the album, producer/engineer Mario McNulty enlisted past collaborators Reeves Gabrels (guitar), David Torn (guitar), Sterling Campbell (drums), and Tim Lefebvre (bass) to do just that. He even tapped Nico Muhly for string quartet arrangements and nabbed Laurie Anderson to cameo on “Shining Star (Makin’ My Love)”.
To be fair, diehards will want to actually pick up the damn thing as both the CD and vinyl configurations include a hardback book featuring rare and previously unpublished photos by the likes of Denis O’Regan, Greg Gorman, and Herb Ritts. What’s more, the book includes reprintings of historical press reviews and technical notes from producers/engineers McNulty, Nile Rodgers, Hugh Padgham, and Justin Shirely-Smith. Um, hello coffee table.
Loving the Alien comes after David Bowie Five Years (1969-1973), David Bowie Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976), and David Bowie A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982), released respectively in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Orders are currently ongoing via Amazon or at the official David Bowie website.
Loving the Alien Artwork:
Box Set Contents:
84- or 128-Page hardback book
Let’s Dance (remastered) (1LP)
Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) (previously unreleased) (2LP)*
Tonight (remastered) (1LP)
Never Let Me Down (remastered) (1LP)
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
Let’s Dance:
Side 1
01. Modern Love
02. China Girl
03. Let’s Dance
04. Without You
Side 2
01. Ricochet
02. Criminal World
03. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
04. Shake It
Serious Moonlight (Live ’83):
Side 1
01. Look Back In Anger
02. “Heroes”
03. What In The World
04. Golden Years
05. Fashion
06. Let’s Dance
Side 2
01. Breaking Glass
02. Life on Mars?
03. Sorrow
04. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
05. China Girl
06. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
07. Rebel Rebel
Side 3
01. White Light/White Heat
02. Station To Station
03. Cracked Actor
04. Ashes To Ashes
Side 4
01. Space Oddity/Band Introduction
02. Young Americans
03. Fame
04. Modern Love
Tonight:
Side 1
01. Loving The Alien
02. Don’t Look Down
03. God Only Knows
04. Tonight
Side 2
01. Neighborhood Threat
02. Blue Jean
03. Tumble And Twirl
04. I Keep Forgettin’
05. Dancing With The Big Boys
Never Let Me Down:
Side 1
01. Day-In Day-Out
02. Time Will Crawl
03. Beat Of Your Drum
04. Never Let Me Down
05. Zeroes
Side 2
01. Glass Spider
02. Shining Star (Makin’ My Love)
03. New York’s in Love
04. ’87 and Cry
05. Bang
Never Let Me Down (2018):
Side 1
01. Day-In Day-Out
02. Time Will Crawl
03. Beat Of Your Drum
Side 2
01. Never Let Me Down
02. Zeroes
03. Glass Spider
Side 3
01. Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (feat. Laurie Anderson)
02. New York’s in Love
03. 87 & Cry
04. Bang Bang
Side 4
01. David Bowie 1987 logo etching
Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87):
Side 1
01. Up The Hill Backwards
02. Glass Spider
03. Day-In Day-Out
04. Bang Bang
Side 2
01. Absolute Beginners
02. Loving The Alien
03. China Girl
04. Rebel Rebel
Side 3
01. Fashion
02. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
03. All The Mad Men
04. Never Let Me Down
Side 4
01. Big Brother
02. ‘87 And Cry
03. “Heroes”
04. Sons Of The Silent Age
05. Time Will Crawl / Band Introduction
Side 5
01. Young Americans
02. Beat Of Your Drum
03. The Jean Genie
04. Let’s Dance
Side 6
01. Fame
02. Time
03. Blue Jean
04. Modern Love
Dance:
Side 1
01. Shake It (Re-mix aka Long Version) (Originally released on the B-side of the “China Girl” 12” single on EMI America 12EA 157 (U.K.) and V-7809 (U.S.) in May, 1983)
02. Blue Jean (Extended Dance Mix) (Originally released on 12” single on EMI America 12EA 181 (U.K.) and V-7838 (U.S.) in September, 1984)
03. Dancing With The Big Boys (Extended Dance Mix) (Originally released on the B-side of the “Blue Jean” 12” single alongside an Extended Dub Mix of the same, release details as above)
Side 2
01. Tonight (Vocal Dance Mix)
(Originally released on 12” single on EMI America 12EA 187 (U.K.) and V-7846 (U.S.) in November, 1984)
02. Don’t Look Down (Extended Dance Mix)(Originally released on the B-side of the ‘Loving The Alien’ (Extended Dance Mix) 12” single alongside the ‘Loving The Alien’ (Extended Dub Mix) on EMI America 12EA 195 (U.K.) and VG-7858 (U.S.) in May, 1985)
03. Loving The Alien (Extended Dub Mix) (Originally released on the B-side of the ‘Loving The Alien’ (Extended Dance Mix) 12” single, release details as above)
Side 3
01. Tumble And Twirl (Extended Dance Mix) (Originally released on the B-side of the ‘Tonight’ 12” single alongside a ‘Tonight’ (Dub Mix), release details as above)
02. Underground (Extended Dance Mix) (Originally released on 12” single on EMI America 12EA 216 (U.K.) and V-19210 (U.S.) in June, 1986)
03. Day-In Day-Out (Groucho Mix) (Originally released on 12” single on EMI America 12EAX 230 (U.K.) and V-19239 (U.S.) in March, 1987)
Side 4
01. Time Will Crawl (Dance Crew Mix) (Originally released on 12” single on EMI America 12EAX 237 (U.K.) in June, 1987)
02. Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (12” mix) (Originally released on the ‘Never Let Me Down’ digital E.P. on EMI 0094639278954 in May, 2007)
03. Never Let Me Down (Dub/Acapella) (Originally released on the B-side of the ‘Never Let Me Down’ (Extended Dance Mix) 12” single on EMI America 12EA 239 (U.K.) and V-19255 (U.S.) in August, 1987)
Re:Call 4:
Side 1
01. Let’s Dance (single version)
02. China Girl (single version)
03. Modern Love (single version)
04. This Is Not America (The theme from The Falcon And The Snowman) – David Bowie / Pat Metheny Group
05. Loving The Alien (re-mixed version)
Side 2
01. Don’t Look Down (re-mixed version)
02. Dancing In The Street (Clearmountain mix) – David Bowie and Mick Jagger
03. Absolute Beginners (from Absolute Beginners)
04. That’s Motivation (from Absolute Beginners)
05. Volare (from Absolute Beginners)
Side 3
01. Labyrinth Opening Titles/Underground (from Labyrinth)
02. Magic Dance (from Labyrinth)
03. As The World Falls Down (from Labyrinth)
04. Within You (from Labyrinth)
05. Underground (from Labyrinth)
Side 4
01. When The Wind Blows (single version) (from When The Wind Blows)
02. Day-In Day-Out (single version)
03. Julie
04. Beat Of Your Drum (vinyl album edit)
05. Glass Spider (vinyl album edit)
Side 5
01. Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (vinyl album edit)
02. New York’s In Love (vinyl album edit)
03. ‘87 And Cry (vinyl album edit)
04. Bang Bang (vinyl album edit)
05. Time Will Crawl (single version)
Side 6
01. Girls (extended edit)
02. Never Let Me Down (7” remix edit)
03. Bang Bang (live – promotional mix)
04. Tonight (live) Tina Turner with David Bowie
05. Let’s Dance (live) Tina Turner with David Bowie
