Bowie box set-Five Years 1969-1973 & 2 CD rarities compilation!

[Rufus]

As this is my fave Bowie period I will probably get these though I think the material on the Rarities compilation are available elsewhere?

First volume titled Five Years 1969-1973 will be released in September
David Bowie will release a series of career-spanning box sets starting later this year.

The first is titled Five Years 1969-1973 and will be issued on September 25 via Parlophone on 12 CDs, 13 vinyl records and in digital formats.

It contains Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, Live Santa Monica '72 and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack. It's available to pre-order from Bowie’s website.

The Five Years collection will be followed by two-disc compilation Re:Call 1, featuring non-album singles and b-sides, including an unreleased version of All The Madmen and the original version of Holy Holy from 1971. A 2003 stereo remix of Ziggy Stardust, previously only available on DVD from the 40th anniversary edition of the album, will also be included.

The Re:Call 1 package comes with a book containing photos and technical notes about all the records from Scott and Tony Visconti, while the foreword was written by Kinks mainman Ray Davies.

Bowie recently wrote music for US musical Lazarus, based on The Man Who Fell To Earth. Director Ivo van Hove has described the tracks as “like classics.”

Re:Call 1 tracklist
CD1
1.Space Oddity (Original UK mono single edit)
2.Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (Original UK mono single version)
3.Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola
4.The Prettiest Star (Original mono single version)
5.Conversation Piece
6.Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 1)
7.Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 2)
8.All The Madmen (mono single edit)
9.Janine
10.Holy Holy (Original mono single version)
11.Moonage Daydream (The Arnold Corns single version)
12.Hang On To Yourself (The Arnold Corns single version)
CD2
1.Changes (Mono single version)
2.Andy Warhol (Mono single version)
3.Starman (Original single mix)
4.John, I'm Only Dancing (Original single version)
5.The Jean Genie (Original single mix)
6.Drive-In Saturday (German single edit)
7.Round and Round
8.John, I'm Only Dancing (Sax version)
9.Time (US single edit)
10.Amsterdam
11.Holy Holy (Spiders version)
12.Velvet Goldmine

[Lopez]

I may just have to spring for this. Likewise, my favorite Bowie period.

[Mister Triscuits]

Autobuy, if only to get the original version of "Holy Holy" at long last.

[Wah3]

Listed at $149 at Amazon

[polmico]

$150 is not too bad. The set looks nice.

A question: Are these old remasters? New remasters? "Un"-masters (like the Roxy box set a few years ago)?

Oops! Says right there in the Amazon listing, doesn't it:

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

[Paulrus]

Good timing. Ziggy Stardust is the only album I have from this period (the Berlin period is better represented in my collection.)

[polmico]

Packaging is very nice. Haven't dug into the book yet, but it looks extensive with lots of articles and reviews from the 70s.

I have no issue with sound so far, but I am not an audiofile.

Bonus disc has some stuff that might be interesting. Alternative cuts. Nothing you probably haven't heard.

Overall, I'm happy to have it.

[gpeccary]

Love this period also, but Man who sold the world and Alladin sane are my absolute top faves. MWSTW is bloody incredible.

[BarryLI]

Import CD's (at Amazon) has the set for under $100 now.

[Jeremy Bender]

Huge fan of Bowie during this period, but I'd add Diamond Dogs to that time frame, at least before he started doing disco versions of it on the tour to promote it.

I'm quite happy with my Rykodisc versions of these albums, they all have bonus tracks except the Aladdin Sane album, a good chunk are on the Re:Call 1 discs too.

I love the Berlin trilogy albums (Low, "Heroes", The Lodger) and I really like Outside and Earthling a lot too. I wasn't very impressed with either his last two albums before his break (Heathen and Reality) or his "comeback" album The Next Day but might be time to give those another spin.

[Rufus]

I'm quite happy with my Rykodisc versions of these albums, they all have bonus tracks except the Aladdin Sane album, a good chunk are on the Re:Call 1 discs too.

I have an Aladdin Sane with extras on it but forget which label though?

[Mister Triscuits]

I have an Aladdin Sane with extras on it but forget which label though?

The version I have is on EMI and has a whole disc of bonus stuff, including "John I'm Only Dancing" (the "Annie's very sweet" version) and "All the Young Dudes," plus single edits and live tracks.

[JJ88]

^That was the 30th Anniversary release, one I never picked up at the time...I don't think it was in print for more than a few years. There were similar releases for some other albums, up to and including 'Station To Station'. The Ziggy one in particular was badly bungled, however, with reversed channels and other errors.

I was so happy about this when I first heard about it, then it transpired that quite a few of the albums (at least four) have simply recycled old masterings and the price is very high. Another missed opportunity, really. If you bought the 30th/40th anniversary releases, there's very little here you wouldn't have.

[olivetti]

I was so happy about this when I first heard about it, then it transpired that quite a few of the albums (at least four) have simply recycled old masterings and the price is very high. Another missed opportunity, really. If you bought the 30th/40th anniversary releases, there's very little here you wouldn't have.

Well, regarding the studio albums
Space oddity, The man who sold..., Hunky Dory and Pinups are 2015 remasters

[JJ88]

^IMHO, that's not much. In addition the 2-cd BBC set would have fitted this set as it was basically all from this period.