Conversation Piece

• Track Listing

Do you recognize the title "Conversation Piece," Bowie fans? That’s a song that was removed from Bowie’s "Space Oddity" album due to the time constraints of vinyl. Well, not only do the CD and vinyl "Space Oddity’ reissues here boast a new Tony Visconti mix of the "Space Oddity" album, but they include "Conversation Piece," restored to its originally intended spot in the track list. Visconti points out that, originally, Bowie’s label only gave Tony a week to mix the album; now, he got to take his time and let 22-year-old Bowie shine along with Marc Bolan (in the group choir) and previously overlooked winsome musical maneuvers by guitar, trombone and more. If you go for the 5-CD box here, you’ll get the new album mix and a 120-page hardback book packed with notes, photos and memorabilia—and that’s just the start. You’ll also find 4 CDs of alternate mixes and tracks that trace Bowie’s development through ’68 and ’69. Along with the original 1969 "Space Oddity" (the original mix and sequence), you get "Ragazzo Solo, Ragazzo Sola" (full-length version), "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (B-side stereo mix), early mixes of "Letter to Hermione," "Janine," "An Occasional Dream," a 1969 BBC Dave Lee Travis Show radio session, a 1968 BBC Top Gear radio session with the Tony Visconti Orchestra ("Conversation Piece," "Space Oddity," "In the Heat of the Morning," "Silly Boy Blue," "Karma Man"), Mercury demos of "Space Oddity," "Janine," "When I’m Five," "Life Is a Circus," "Love Song," home demos of "Space Oddity," "Mother Grey," "Love All Around," "Ching-A-Ling," "Animal Farm," "Jerusalem" and more. Rare and unreleased tracks abound…this, in itself, is a fascinating conversation piece for all us forever-obsessed Bowie fans! Rhino/Parlophone.