GOLDEN YEARS

Is the next Bowie box coming into view? And what will be on it?

eproducing the celebrated ‘diagonal striped suit’ Los Angeles photoshoot that was revisited on the video for Lazarus, Steve Schapiro’s recent book Bowie is a sumptuous visual record of the singer in 1974. Talking about it to culture site Flavorwire, Schapiro announced, “Warner’s is going to do a box set in September of a period from ’74 to ’76. Apparently Bowie [and a second person] chose the cover picture, which is mine.” This is the successor to last year’s Five Years 1969-1973 box set. Untitled as yet, it will include Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station To Station, but presuming it will be of similar size to its 13-album predecessor, the potential for extras is intriguing. As well as a second volume of Re: Call, with singles and B-sides, the 1974 David Live LP and the Live Nassau Coliseum ’76 which accompanied the 2010 Station To Station reissue seem likely additions: a legitimate release of the Strange Fascination bootleg, taped at the LA Amphitheatre in September 1974, would further please fans. Another possible component might be a version of the unissued LP called The Gouster, the album Bowie considered done and dusted before running into John Lennon in New York in January 1975 and recording Fame and Across The Universe, changing the complexion of what was to be released as Young Americans that March. Notable omissions were existential ballad Who Can I Be Now?, super-intense, busted-love epic It’s Gonna Be Me and the bittersweet After Today, also heard on the Sound + Vision box. Another inclusion superfans will be praying for is notorious Gouster outtake Shilling The Rubes

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