Wednesday (Jan. 8) would have marked late rock icon David Bowie's 73rd birthday, a black celebration marked by Parlophone Records' announcement of two posthumous projects. The first is a nine-track album due out on 2020 Record Store Day (April 18) on vinyl and CD for the first time entitled ChangesNowBowie, culled from a 1996 session with longtime bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, guitarist Reeves Gabrels and producer Mark Plati during rehearsals for a 50th birthday Madison Square Garden show.

As the first taste of that project, Parlophone released a mostly acoustic version of Bowie's beloved 1970 track "The Man Who Sold The World," (listen below) which will also appear on a six-song EP of unreleased and rare tracks, David Bowie Is It Any Wonder?, slated to be released in weekly batches over the next six weeks beginning on Jan. 17. ChangesNowBowie features tracks originally recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on Bowie's 50th birthday on Jan. 8, 1997, with a cover image taken by renowned photographer Albert Watson in 1996.

In more Bowie news, BBC News reports that a 30-minute experimental film of the late rock icon shot by friend/collaborator Prof. Martin Richardson will be played for a select group of 300 Bowie fans on Friday (Jan. 10) at Leicesters's National Space Centre to mark four years since's the singer's passing. The 35mm film of Bowie walking towards a camera and striking various poses had reportedly been stored in a box at Leicester's De Montfort University for several years and was used to produce a moving hologram for the 1999 Hours album.

Richardson said Bowie told him, "'When you've done your bloody hologram it will be up and down the width and breadth of the country. I am going to make you famous.'" Bowie died on Jan. 10, 2016 at age 69 of cancer.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

PARLOPHONE TO ISSUE UNRELEASED BOWIE TRACKS “We spoke of was and when…” It’s likely that some of you have been expecting something on what would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday, after announcements on 8th January for the past couple of years. Indeed, if the calendar has clicked over to that date where you are, then you have possibly already found something. Now it’s 8th January in the country of his birth, here’s that announcement… + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + Parlophone Records is proud to announce DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? a six track EP of unreleased and rare tracks to be released over six weeks. The first of these is a previously unreleased version of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, released today as a streaming-only 1 track digital single in celebration of both David’s birthday and the 50th anniversary of the writing and recording of this classic. Five more songs will be released on a weekly basis from 17th January. ’THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD’ (CHANGESNOWBOWIE VERSION) is taken from the 9-track session ChangesNowBowie, recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on David’s 50th birthday on 8th January, 1997. This mostly acoustic session was a stripped back affair featuring some of David’s favourites of his own compositions and was produced by Bowie himself, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati. CHANGESNOWBOWIE was recorded and mixed at Looking Glass Studios in New York in November 1996 during rehearsals for David’s 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden. Gail Ann Dorsey (bass, vocals), Reeves Gabrels (guitars) and Mark Plati (keyboards and programming) accompanied David on the recording. CHANGESNOWBOWIE will be released in limited quantities on LP and CD for Record Store Day on 18th April, 2020. The cover art for the album will features a portrait of David by renowned photographer Albert Watson, taken in New York in 1996. (See montage for cover) More details will be announced shortly. ~ DAVID BOWIE 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (CHANGESNOWBOWIE) IS AVAILABLE NOW ON PARLOPHONE ~ DAVID BOWIE CHANGESNOWBOWIE RELEASED ON PARLOPHONE ON 18TH APRIL, 2020 FOR RECORD STORE DAY #BowieIIAW #CHANGESNOWBOWIE

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Listen to "The Man Who Sold The World" below.

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