Released today (May 28th) is the latest David Bowie archival collection, titled The Width Of A Circle The new 34-track double-disc features a string of non-LP singles, alternate versions, and unreleased 1970 John Peel BBC sessions recorded on February 5th, 1970.
Also included on The Width Of A Circle are Bowie — and his then-backing band the Hype — on the BBC in March of ’70 tackling the album’s title track and the Velvet Underground standard, “I’m Waiting For The Man,” among others.
During a 1973 chat with the BBC, David Bowie looked back to his late-’60s period which was based far more in straight on androgyny than his then-Glam-based fashions: [“Long hair quickly got dissipated. I mean, I used to be able to stop traffic quite easily by just walking down the street. . . Just ’cause I had long hair. I’m very much a character when I go onstage, I feel. I believe in my part all the way down the line. But, I do play it for all it’s worth.”] SOUNDCUE (:14 OC: . . . all it’s worth)
The tracklisting to David Bowie’s The Width Of A Circle is:
Disc One:
“Amsterdam” (BBC Live Session)
“God Know’s I’m Good” (BBC Live Session)
“Buzz The Fuzz” (BBC Live Session)
“Karma Man” (BBC Live Session)
“London Bye, Ta-Ta” (BBC Live Session)
“An Occasional Dream” (BBC Live Session)
“The Width Of A Circle” (BBC Live Session)
“Janine” (BBC Live Session)
“The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” (BBC Live Session)
“Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed” (BBC Live Session)
“Fill Your Heart” (BBC Live Session)
“The Prettiest Star” (BBC Live Session)
“Cygnet Committee” (BBC Live Session)
“Memory Of A Free Festival” (BBC Live Session)Disc Two:
“When I Live My Dream”
“Columbine”
“Harlequin” (aka The Mirror)
“Threepenny Pierrot”
“When I Live My Dream” (Reprise)
“The Prettiest Star” (Alternative Mix)
“London Bye, Ta Ta” (2021 Remaster)
“London Bye, Ta Ta” (1970 Stereo Mix; 2021 Remaster)
“Memory Of A Free Festival (Pt. 1)” (2015 Remaster)
“Memory Of A Free Festival (Pt. 2)” (2015 Remaster)
“Holy Holy” (Mono; 2015 Remaster)
“Waiting For The Man” (Sounds Of The ’70s Andy Ferris)
“The Width Of A Circle” (Sounds Of The 7’0s Andy Ferris)
“The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” (Sounds Of The ’70s Andy Ferris)
“The Supermen” (Sounds Of The ’70s Andy Ferris)
“The Prettiest Star” (2020 Mix)
“London Bye, Ta-Ta” (2020 Mix)
“Memory Of A Free Festival” (Single Version; 2020 Mix)
“All The Madmen” (Single Edit; 2020 Mix)
“Holy Holy” (2020 Mix)
SIDE NOTES
- Back in January, in celebration of what would have been David Bowie‘s 74th birthday, two previously unreleased cover versions are set for single release.
- The birthday offering includes a version of John Lennon’s 1970 solo classic, “Mother,” which Bowie tracked in 1997 and 1998 for a Lennon tribute collection that fell through, and Bob Dylan‘s 1997 Time Out Of Mind classic, “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven,” which Bowie recorded in February 1998 during the mixing sessions for the LiveAndWell.com album.
CHECK IT OUT: The 2020 mix of David Bowie’s “Holy, Holy”: