David Bowie ‘Who Can I Be Now? 1974-1976’ details revealed

As promised, Parlophone Records has detailed the upcoming David Bowie – Who Can I Be Now? (1974 – 1976)  box set, spanning his career from 1969. The follow up to the awarding winning and critically acclaimed David Bowie – Five Years (1969-1973) — and second in the second in a series of box sets — will be released on September 23rd and will contain the previously unreleased album from 1974 called The Gouster.

The 12 CD box, 13 180-gram LP set and digital download features the material officially released by Bowie during the so-called ‘American’ phase of his career from 1974 to 1976.

The box set, which is named after a track recorded in 1974 but not officially released until the 1990’s, includes Diamond Dogs, David Live (in original and 2005 mixes), Young Americans and Station To Station (in original and 2010 mixes) as well as The Gouster, Live Nassau Coliseum 76 and a new compilation Re:Call 2, a collection of single versions and non-album B-sides.

All of the formats include tracks that have never before appeared on CD/vinyl/digitally as well as new remasters.

Exclusive to each of the box sets is the previously unreleased as a complete album The Gouster that was recorded at Sigma Sound, Philadelphia in 1974 and produced by Tony Visconti. The album was mixed and mastered before David decamped to New York to work with John Lennon and Harry Maslin on what became the Young Americans album. The Gouster contains three previously unreleased mixes of ‘Right’, ‘Can You Hear Me’ and ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me’.

For the 2016 release, Tony Visconti has overseen the mastering from the original tapes and photos taken by Eric Stephen Jacobs have been put together for the sleeve based around one of David’s original concepts for the album.

Also exclusive to the CD, vinyl, standard digital and MFiT box sets will be the remastered David Live (original mix), the 2010 Harry Maslin mix of Station To Station (previously only available on an audio only DVD in 5.1 and stereo as part of the Station To Station deluxe box set in 2010) and Re:Call 2.

This new compilation features the original single mix of ‘Rebel Rebel’, which has only featured on a 40th anniversary picture disc in 2014 since its original release on single in 1974, and a previously unreleased on CD Australian single edit of ‘Diamond Dogs’, the only place in the world that this edit was issued. Also appearing on CD for the first time is the single edit of the live version of ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me’, which was issued to radio stations in the U.S. to help promote the David Live album.

Re:Call 2 features newly originated artwork with 1975 in-studio images from the Station To Station recording sessions by David’s friend and backing vocalist Geoff MacCormack aka Warren Peace.

The alternative cover for the 2010 mix of Station To Station by Harry Maslin, features the originally intended colour sleeve for the album that never got further than a few colour proofs and was replaced by the more familiar black and white image.

The vinyl box set has the same content as the CD set and is pressed on audiophile quality 180-g vinyl.

The box set’s accompanying book, 128 pages in the CD box and 84 in the vinyl set, will feature rarely seen and previously unpublished photos by photographers including Eric Stephen Jacobs, Tom Kelley, Geoff MacCormack, Terry O’Neill, Steve Schapiro, and many others as well as historical press reviews and technical notes about the albums from producers Tony Visconti and Harry Maslin.

The CD box set will include faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions of the original albums and the CDs will be gold colored rather than the usual silver.

LP Box Set:

84 Page hardback book
Diamond Dogs (remastered) (1 LP)
David Live (original mix) (remastered) (2 LP) *
David Live (2005 mix) (remastered) (3 LP)
The Gouster (previously unreleased as an album) (1 LP) *
Young Americans (remastered) (1 LP)
Station To Station (remastered) (1 LP)
Station To Station (Harry Maslin 2010 mix) (1 LP) *
Live Nassau Coliseum ’76 (2 LP)
Re:Call 2 (Single versions and non-album B-sides) (remastered) (1 LP) *

* Exclusive to Who Can I Be Now? (1974 – 1976)

CD Box Set:

128 Page hardback book
Diamond Dogs (remastered) (1 LP)
David Live (original mix) (remastered) (2 LP) *
David Live (2005 mix) (remastered) (3 LP)
The Gouster (previously unreleased as an album) (1 LP) *
Young Americans (remastered) (1 LP)
Station To Station (remastered) (1 LP)
Station To Station (Harry Maslin 2010 mix) (1 LP) *
Live Nassau Coliseum ’76 (2 LP)
Re:Call 2 (Single versions and non-album B-sides) (remastered) (1 LP) *

* Exclusive to Who Can I Be Now? (1974 – 1976)

Diamond Dogs

Released on RCA APLI 0576 (U.K.) / CPLI 0576 (U.S.) on 31st May, 1974.

1. Future Legend
2. Diamond Dogs
3. Sweet Thing
4. Candidate
5. Sweet Thing (Reprise)
6. Rebel Rebel
7. Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me
8. We Are The Dead
9. 1984
10. Big Brother
11. Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family

David Live (Original Mix)/(2005 Mix)

Released on RCA APL2 0771 (U.K.) / CPL2-0771 (U.S.) on 29th October, 1974.

David Live was culled from performances on the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th of July, 1974 at the Tower Theater, Philadelphia.

1. 1984
2. Rebel Rebel
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise)
5. Changes
6. Suffragette City
7. Aladdin Sane
8. All The Young Dudes
9. Cracked Actor
10. Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me
11. Watch That Man
12. Knock On Wood
13. Diamond Dogs
14. Big Brother
15. The Width Of A Circle
16. The Jean Genie
17. Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide

The Gouster

Previously unreleased as a complete album.

1. John, I’m Only Dancing (Again) – not on ‘Young Americans’, first released as a single in 1979 to promote the ChangesTwoBowie compilation.
2. Somebody Up There Likes Me – alternative early previously unreleased mix
3. It’s Gonna Be Me – not on ‘Young Americans’, first released as a bonus track on the EMI/Ryko edition of Young Americans in 1990. An alternative mix with strings was released on the 2007 EMI edition of Young Americans.
4. Who Can I Be Now? – not on Young Americans, first released as a bonus track on the EMI/Ryko edition of Young Americans in 1990.
5. Can You Hear Me – alternative early previously unreleased version.
6. Young Americans – same version that ended up on Young Americans.
7. Right – alternative early previously unreleased version.

Young Americans

Released on RCA RS 1006 (U.K.) / AQL1-0998 (U.S.) on 7th March, 1975.

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

Station To Station

Released on RCA APL1 1327 on 23rd January, 1976.

1. Station To Station
2. Golden Years
3. Word On A Wing
4. TVC 15
5. Stay
6. Wild Is The Wind

Live Nassau Coliseum 76

Recorded live at the Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY, U.S.A., 23rd March, 1976. Released on EMI BOWSTSD 2010 within the Station To Station deluxe set on 20th September, 2010.

1. Station To Station
2. Suffragette City
3. Fame
4. Word On A Wing
5. Stay
6. Waiting For The Man
7. Queen Bitch
8. Life On Mars?
9. Five Years
10. Panic In Detroit
11. Changes
12. TVC 15
13. Diamond Dogs
14. Rebel Rebel
15. The Jean Genie

Re:Call 2

Non Album Singles, Single Versions and B-Sides.

1. Rebel Rebel (original single mix)
2. Diamond Dogs (Australian single edit)
3. Rebel Rebel (U.S. single version)
4. Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me (live – promotional single edit)
5. Panic In Detroit (live)
6. Young Americans (original single edit)
7. Fame (original single edit)
8. Golden Years (original single version)
9. Station To Station (original single edit)
10. TVC 15 (original single edit)
11. Stay (original single edit)
12. Word On A Wing (original single edit)
13. John, I’m Only Dancing (Again) (1975) (single version)

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com