Music News

Coming on October 12th is the fourth in a series of David Bowie box sets, titled, Loving The Alien (1983-1988). The 11-CD box, 15-LP vinyl set, and standard digital download boxed set is named after the opening track from the Tonight album and includes newly remastered versions of 1983’s Let’s Dance, 1984’s Tonight, 1987’s Never Let Me Down (original and 2018 versions), the live album Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87), the previously unreleased Serious Moonlight live album, a collection of original remixes entitled Dance and the non-album / alternate version / B-sides and soundtrack music compilation Re:Call 4.

Of particular interest to ’80s Bowie’s fans is the 2018 remix of the Never Let Me Down album. According to the press release: “The seeds of this new reimagining of the albums were first sown in 2008 when Bowie asked producer / engineer Mario McNulty to remix the track ‘Time Will Crawl’ and record new drums by longtime Bowie drummer Sterling Campbell along with strings. The track was issued on the iSelect compilation to much acclaim and, in the notes for that record, David remarked ‘Oh, to redo the rest of that album.'”

The new version features new instrumentation by Bowie collaborators Reeves Gabrels on guitar, David Torn guitar, Sterling Campbell on drums, Tim Lefebvre on bass as well as string quartet with arrangements by Nico Muhly and a guest cameo by Laurie Anderson on “Shining Star (Makin’ My Love).”

It was typical of David Bowie to change the scenery just as his fans were starting to get used to it. Following the soul-infused Nile Rodgers-produced pop of 1983’s Let’s Dance album and it’s 1984 follow-up, Tonight, Bowie explained that by the mid-‘80s, he was feeling the need to shake things up again: “The ‘Serious Moonlight’ period, that Let’s Dance album was. . . Nile did wonderful things for me on that album, and he created an extraordinary sound. But with the inclusion of the horns and the smoothness of the whole deal, I started to become uncomfortable in carrying on with that direction, because I felt a little lost in that. And it was approaching an area that I really didn’t feel I belonged in. When you get lost, you go back to point one.” SOUND

AUDIO: DAVID BOWIE ON ‘SERIOUS MOONLIGHT’ ERA