The early years of David Bowies career will be the focus of the upcoming five-disc Conversation Piece. The box set collects the singers 1968 and 1969 works, from home recordings to his work with guitarist John Hutch Hutchinson and the mime group Feathers to Space Oddity.
In addition to recently released Mercury Demos, Conversation Piece, due out November 15th, features 12 previously unreleased Bowie recordings, ranging from a handful of unheard home demos (Animal Farm, Aprils Tooth of Gold) to early mixes of Space Oddity songs. The set also promises higher quality versions of tracks from Bowies pre-Space Oddity Deram Records career.
The sets fifth disc boasts producer Tony Viscontis new 2019 mix of Space Oddity that restores the box sets title track, Conversation Piece, on the track list; the song was initially removed from Space Oddity due to time constraints. The 2019 version of Space Oddity will also be sold separately both digitally and on vinyl.
It was so much fun to find hidden gems of musicianship with more time to mix the second time around, a guitar twiddle here, a trombone blast there, Marc Bolans voice in a group choir and more detail in general that we overlooked all those years ago when the label gave us a week at the most to mix this album, Visconti said of the 2019 mix. And in the details, you will find 22-year-old David Bowie, who would soon take the world by storm.
The box set also features a 120-page hardback book with exclusive memorabilia from the personal collection of Bowies former manager Ken Pitt, as well as from the David Bowie Archive, plus sleeve notes from Visconti, Hutchinson and more.
Conversation Piece Track List
CD 1 Home Demos
Aprils Tooth Of Gold (2.29) *
The Reverend Raymond Brown (Attends the Garden Fte on Thatchwick Green) (2.15) *
When Im Five (3.18) *
Mother Grey (3.00)
In The Heat Of The Morning (2.59)
Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe (3.19)
Love All Around (2.49)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (3.31)
Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 1) (2.31)
Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 2) (2.37)
Animal Farm (2.21) *
Space Oddity (solo demo fragment) (2.39)
Space Oddity (version 1) with John Hutch Hutchinson (4.02)
Space Oddity (version 2) with John Hutch Hutchinson (5.00) *
Space Oddity (version 3) with John Hutch Hutchinson (5.10)
Lover To The Dawn with John Hutch Hutchinson (3.50)
Ching-a-Ling with John Hutch Hutchinson (2.58)
An Occasional Dream with John Hutch Hutchinson (2.49)
Let Me Sleep Beside You with John Hutch Hutchinson (2.54)
Life Is A Circus with John Hutch Hutchinson (4.50)
Conversation Piece (3.47) *
Jerusalem (4.19) *
Hole In The Ground with George Underwood (3.29) *
CD2 The Mercury Demos with John Hutch Hutchinson
Space Oddity (5.28)
Janine (3.53)
An Occasional Dream (3.18)
Conversation Piece (3.31)
Ching-a-Ling (3.35)
Im Not Quite (aka Letter To Hermione) (4.00)
Lover To The Dawn (5.01)
Love Song (4.08)
When Im Five (3.13)
Life Is A Circus (5.33)
CD3 Conversation Pieces (Mono)
In The Heat Of The Morning (Decca mono version) (2.51)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (Decca alternative version) (2.36)
BBC Top Gear radio session with the Tony Visconti Orchestra, recorded 13th May, 1968
In The Heat Of The Morning (3.01)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (2.39)
Karma Man (3.07)
When Im Five (3.14)
Silly Boy Blue (4.32)
Ching-a-Ling (2.51)
Space Oddity (Morgan Studios version alternative take) (4.22)* with John Hutch Hutchinson
Space Oddity (U.K. single edit) (4.42)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side mono mix) (4.54)
Janine (mono mix) (3.23)
Conversation Piece (3.06)
BBC Dave Lee Travis Show radio session, recorded 20th October, 1969
Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.20)
Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed (4.03)
Janine (3.03)
CD 4 1969 stereo mixes
The original David Bowie (aka Space Oddity) album
Space Oddity (5.14)
Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (inc. Dont Sit Down) (6.51)
Letter To Hermione (2.32)
Cygnet Committee (9.31)
Janine (3.21)
An Occasional Dream (2.54)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.46)
God Knows Im Good (3.17)
Memory Of A Free Festival (7.09)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side stereo mix) (4.56)
Letter To Hermione (early mix) (2.32) *
Janine (early mix) (3.23) *
An Occasional Dream (early mix) (2.54) *
Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (full length version) (5.14)
CD 5 2019 mixes (all previously unreleased)
The Space Oddity album
Space Oddity (5.20)
Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (6.18)
Letter To Hermione (2.32)
Cygnet Committee (9.28)
Janine (3.21)
An Occasional Dream (2.57)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.50)
Conversation Piece (3.11)
God Knows Im Good (3.16)
Memory Of A Free Festival (7.14)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single version) (4.59)
Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (5.20)
* previously unreleased