David Bowie - Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) [12CDs Box-Set] (2016)

A sequel to the 2015 box Five Years 1969-1973, 2016's Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) covers just three years but this stretch in the mid-'70s happens to be the peak of David Bowie's superstardom. That much can be gleaned from the number of albums within the set: three studio albums - Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Station to Station, each released in a subsequent year - along with the double live album David Live from 1974. Four albums in three years is plenty but to that core canon Who Can I Be Now? adds five additional alternate albums, each with varying degrees of rarities. There are full latter-day remixes of David Live and Station to Station - the former from 2005, the latter from 2010 - the concert album Live Nassau Coliseum '76, which was added to the super deluxe 2010 reissue of Station to Station, a bonus disc of single edits and stray songs entitled Re:Call, plus an early version of Young Americans called The Gouster. The latter seems to bend the rules of this extensive Bowie catalog reissue project, which is to preserve the officially released canon and keep unreleased tracks - whether they surfaced on the '90s Rykodisc reissues or remain unheard - locked up in the vaults. The Gouster contains "Who Can I Be Now?" and "It's Gonna Be Me," both originally released on the 1990 Ryko edition of Young Americans, along with alternate versions of "Can You Hear Me?" and "Right," plus the disco version of "John, I'm Only Dancing," but otherwise it plays like Young Americans, only not quite as good. Furthermore, its presence calls into question why the unreleased outtake "Shilling the Rubes" is left behind alongside the "Dodo" that showed up on the Ryko CD of Diamond Dogs: if the door is opened for some outtakes, it's hard not to miss those that are absent. Still, this is quibbling. The Who Can I Be Now? box set remains as beautifully produced as Five Years, and a deep dive into its contents produces many rewards. Perhaps the alternate album mixes are only slightly different, but it's hard not to be impressed by the rapid development of Bowie's music during these three years. The distance between Diamond Dogs and Station to Station is vast, and the addition of the live albums accentuates how deeply he cared for strong, deeply etched funk to offset his art. Listening to all this music in a concentrated blast, such progression is a wonder to behold. ~Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine~

Release of this Box-Set: 2016, September, 23 [CDs Parlophone (UK), Cat.# DBX 2 / UPC: 0190295989842]
℗ 2016 The copyright in this compilation is owned by Parlophone Records Ltd.
© 2016 Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Company LLC.
© 2016 Parlophone Records Ltd. A Warner Music Group Company.
Manufactured in the EU

Notes: This box set includes an 84 page book of previously unpublished photos.
"The Gouster" is previously unreleased as a complete album; it was recorded at Sigma Sound, Philadelphia in 1974. It contains three previously unreleased mixes: "Right", "Can You Hear Me", and "Somebody Up There Likes Me".






Tracklist:

01. Future Legend 01:00
02. Diamond Dogs 06:04
03. Sweet Thing 03:39
04. Candidate 02:40
05. Sweet Thing (Reprise) 02:32
06. Rebel Rebel 04:34
07. Rock 'N' Roll With Me 04:02
08. We Are The Dead 05:01
09. 1984 03:27
10. Big Brother 03:23
11. Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family 02:06









Tracklist:

CD1 (00:39:43)

01. 1984 03:21
02. Rebel Rebel 02:40
03. Moonage Daydream 05:07
04. Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing (Reprise) 08:33
05. Changes 03:34
06. Suffragette City 03:41
07. Aladdin Sane 05:00
08. All The Young Dudes 04:18
09. Cracked Actor 03:25

CD2 (00:41:35)

01. Rock 'N' Roll With Me 04:16
02. Watch That Man 05:04
03. Knock On Wood 03:20
04. Diamond Dogs 06:29
05. Big Brother 04:07
06. The Width Of A Circle 08:11
07. The Jean Genie 05:17
08. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide 04:47











Tracklist:

CD1 (00:49:11)

01. 1984 03:22
02. Rebel Rebel 02:41
03. Moonage Daydream 05:08
04. Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing (Reprise) 08:35
05. Changes 03:35
06. Suffragette City 03:42
07. Aladdin Sane 05:02
08. All The Young Dudes 04:14
09. Cracked Actor 03:26
10. Rock 'N' Roll With Me 04:16
11. Watch That Man 05:05

CD2 (00:53:40)

01. Knock On Wood 03:24
02. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 03:48
03. Space Oddity 06:26
04. Diamond Dogs 06:26
05. Panic In Detroit 05:39
06. Big Brother 04:14
07. Time 05:23
08. The Width Of A Circle 08:10
09. The Jean Genie 05:19
10. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide 04:46











Tracklist:

01. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) 07:01
02. Somebody Up There Likes Me (Alternative Early Mix) 06:32
03. It's Gonna Be Me (Without Strings) 06:30
04. Who Can I Be Now? 04:42
05. Can You Hear Me (Alternative Early Version) 05:24
06. Young Americans 05:17
07. Right (Alternative Early Version) 04:40









Tracklist:

01. Young Americans 05:13
02. Win 04:47
03. Fascination 05:48
04. Right 04:22
05. Somebody Up There Likes Me 06:36
06. Across The Universe 04:33
07. Can You Hear Me 05:08
08. Fame 04:21









Tracklist:

01. Station To Station 10:17
02. Golden Years 04:03
03. Word On A Wing 06:04
04. TVC15 05:35
05. Stay 06:16
06. Wild Is The Wind 06:06









Tracklist:

01. Station To Station 10:18
02. Golden Years 04:03
03. Word On A Wing 05:55
04. TVC15 05:33
05. Stay 06:15
06. Wild Is The Wind 06:07









Tracklist:

CD1 (00:42:23)

01. Station To Station 11:52
02. Suffragette City 03:30
03. Fame 03:58
04. Word On A Wing 06:04
05. Stay 07:24
06. Waiting For The Man 06:19
07. Queen Bitch 03:11

CD2 (00:40:38)

01. Life On Mars? 02:13
02. Five Years 05:04
03. Panic In Detroit 06:02
04. Changes 04:10
05. TVC15 04:57
06. Diamond Dogs 06:38
07. Rebel Rebel 04:06
08. The Jean Genie 07:25











Tracklist:

01. Rebel Rebel (Original Single Mix) 04:23
02. Diamond Dogs (Australian Single Edit) 03:00
03. Rebel Rebel (US Single Version) 03:00
04. Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Live / Promotional Single Edit) 03:29
05. Panic In Detroit (Live) 05:49
06. Young Americans (Original Single Edit) 03:17
07. Fame (Single Edit) 03:34
08. Golden Years (Single Edit) 03:29
09. Station To Station (Single Edit) 03:41
10. TVC15 (Single Edit) 03:36
11. Stay (Single Edit) 03:22
12. Word On A Wing (Single Edit) 03:14
13. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) (1975) (Single Version) 03:26





See also:
David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983) [1985, Club Edition]