DAVID BOWIE
Five years have passed since we said goodbye. But where next for David Bowie in 2021?
This January 10 he was five years gone. How did the world mark it, and how will his mighty legacy be curated during 2021?
THE WEEK ending of January 8-10, which marked both David Bowie’s birthday and the fifth anniversary of his passing, was marked by a surge of activity. This included the streaming premiere of the Lazarus stage show and Mike Garson’s Just For One Day all-star charity live stream. The BBC’s cross-platform Five Years On tribute, meanwhile, included archive interviews and performances, documentaries and Pete Townshend recalling his old friend. “Time flashes by and I think about him a lot,” Townshend told BBC Radio 6Music’s Chris Hawkins. “There was so much about David
“I was always, you know, a few steps behind.” PETE TOWNSHEND
that I didn’t get in the early days. I didn’t get the makeup. I didn’t get the theatrical stuff. I didn’t get the chameleon changes in direction. I was always, you know, a few steps behind.”
It all confirms that, though Bowie may have left the planet, he remains vividly present. And so, 2021 will see the curation of his catalogue continue with a fifth, presumably penultimate album box set to cover the years 1993-2001. Enhancements of fan favourites Outside (1995) and Earthling (1997) are inevitable, while 1999’s ‘ hours…’ is, arguably, sorely in need of the kind of sonic reboot previously given to
Lodger, The Man Who Sold The World and more. Furthermore, as collaborator Reeves Gabrels once observed to this writer, “There is an earlier version [of ‘hours…’] that had more to do with Diamond Dogs, a different mix and Jason Cooper from The Cure played drums. It’s darker, it’s a little sloppier and less polished, the vocals are for the most part the same but it’s a completely different mix.”
It is also rumoured that iterations of 2001’s unreleased Toy album will be released.
Additionally, live albums from the ’90s will ultimately form the box Brilliant Live Adventures
1995-1999. Of the long-planned Tin Machine archive reload, however, Gabrels says, “the Tin Machine box set is on hold until we sort out details on the corporate end… that would put it into 2022 at the earliest.” Indeed, 2022 could be a busy year for anniversary editions, with 50-year anniversaries for some of Bowie’s most iconic albums drawing close.
As for actual unheard music, Bowiephiles should exercise caution. A September 1979 re-recording of Rebel Rebel is known to exist, for example, as is a song completed during the
Station To Station sessions in 1975. But producer Harry Maslin confirms of the latter song, “I don’t think ‘Fish’ (which was just a working title given to me by David when I asked for a title to put on the tape box) will ever see the light of day.” Maslin is also pessimistic about an unfinished alternative soundtrack for The Man Who Fell To Earth by Bowie and Paul Buckmaster, though he says, “I am aware there is a DAT tape of it.”
Film-wise, some of the most exciting Bowie-related artefacts to emerge in recent years have come from the anonymous archive footage restorer and editor Nacho, whose works have been posted on Bowie’s official site. “The two large projects I want to put out in 2021 are an updated The Man Who Fell To Earth film – for the 45th anniversary,” he says. “The second, in June, is David Bowie Live At Earls Court 1978.” Additionally, Bowie’s producer and friend Tony Visconti says this year will bring his new solo album. Garson, though, admits his touring plans are on hold until 2022. Luckily, there are always books. In September, Bowie Odyssey 71 by Simon Goddard promises to be a novelistic narrative of that crucial year. Several Bowie friends and colleagues have mentioned memoirs, including Geoff MacCormack, partners Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark, Suzi Ronson, Frank Simms and Jeff Rougvie, while Steve Pafford’s Crankin’ Out: David Bowie In The 1990s revisits the stylish fan magazine and will feature forewords, contributions and new material from Bryan Ferry, Neil Tennant, Clem Burke, Tony Zanetta and ex-manager Tony Defries.
Pete Townshend was speaking to Chris Hawkins on BBC Radio 6 Music (5am-7am) as part of the BBC’s Bowie Five Years On series. All programmes are currently available to listen back to on BBC Sounds.