Toy will also get a trimmed back release
David Bowie’s 1990’s catalog output is getting released independently from last year’s David Bowie 5 Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) box set. Black Tie White Noise, The Buddah Of Suburbia, 1. Outside, Earthling, and Hours… will be available on August 5th via Rhino Records. Last year’s Toy will also be stripped from its box set configurations for a slimmed down release the same day.
The six albums will contain 2021 remastered versions with input from the original producers and collaborators.
Black Tie White Noise is Bowie’s first album of the ‘90s and sees a reunion with Nile Rodgers who had previously co-produced the global hit “Let’s Dance” a decade earlier. A No. 1 album in UK, the project came together following Bowie’s marriage to Iman, and features his saxophone playing as well guest appearances from previous collaborators such as Spider; Mick Ronson, long time pianist Mike Garson and Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels. The set will be available on CD and 2 LP for superior sound quality.
Bowie’s second album of 1993, The Buddah Of Suburbia, followed Black Tie White Noise six months later. The project originally came together as a soundtrack to a TV series adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s 1990 novel The Buddah Of Suburbia. Lenny Kravitz makes a guest appearance on the title track. The album, which only had a very limited release on vinyl previously, will now be available for the first time in nearly 30 years, and has been pressed on 2 LPs for superior sound quality and CD.
Originally released in September 1995, 1. Outside was Bowie’s 20th studio album and reunited him with producer Brian Eno, who had been part of the Berlin Trilogy of albums in the ’70s. The album sees Bowie exploring industrial rock and ambient sounds, with its narrative based on “The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle” – a fictional concept that is presented in diary form within the album’s booklet. The album will be available on CD and 180-gram 2 LP vinyl.
Released in February 1997, a month after his 50th birthday, Earthling further develops the new direction Bowie was taking with his previous album 1. Outside. The album was recorded almost immediately after the conclusion of the Outside Tour, with mostly the same band, and explores electronic and drum and bass sounds of the ’90s. Earthling has been pressed on 2LPs for superior sound quality with the fourth side being an etching, and CD.
Released in 1999, Hours… found its beginnings in the soundtrack to the video game, The Nomad Soul, which Bowie was asked to write for. The album was the first by a major artist to be available for digital download over the internet and was available on Bowie’s website, pre-dating iTunes by two years. The project is available on CD and 180-gram LP.
Toy was recorded following Bowie’s triumphant Glastonbury 2000 performance. He entered the studio with his band to record new interpretations of songs he’d first recorded from 1964-1971. The plan was to record the album “old school” with the band playing live, choose the best takes and then release it as soon as humanly possible. Unfortunately, in 2001 the concept of the “surprise drop” album release and the technology to support it were still quite a few years off, making it impossible to release Toy at the time.
It was released for the first time in 2021 as part of the 1992-1999 box set and is now available as a standalone CD and 2 LP vinyl featuring an etching on the fourth side.
