Ground control to Major Tom

I don’t think it would be much of a surprise if I said I’m quite the David Bowie fan. In fact, it’s beyond that – I’m a certified Bowie nut! He’s a rare artist that manages to surprise you even after 40 years of music. Right when you’re ready to write him off or you think he might be in a rut, he comes out with something that blows you away. In fact, I remember one of those times being the late 90s when he seemed to be lost in electronica, still experimenting but for the first time I could recall, failing to get it. Then came Heathen, and he was right back on top again. Bowie’s comebacks are so powerful, you often forget how he stumbled in the first place.

But in the case of this post, I’m not talking about something new, but rather something old. November 17th will mark the release of a new, 40th Anniversary Edition of Bowie’s legendary 1969 album, Space Oddity (aka David Bowie or Man of Worlds/Man of Music). Now I’m sure many of you are thinking ‘What? I’m not buying this yet AGAIN!’. I feel you. There are a lot of extraneous re-releases floating about, and after the remastering fiasco if the late 80s/90s, I was prepared to never pick up another remastered album ever again. But after hearing the recent Beatles remasters, I feel optimistic about the remastering process. It took them 25 years, but I think studio folk have finally figured out that it involves far more than merely turning the dials up to 11.

Following the July release of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity (40th Anniversary)’ digital EP and iPhone application, Virgin/EMI will release an expanded 40th Anniversary Special Edition of Bowie’s classic 1969 Space Oddity album on November 17. To be available in a deluxe 2CD package and for digital download from all major digital service providers, the commemorative edition adds 15 tracks to the digitally remastered original album, including 8 previously unreleased demos, alternate mixes and a BBC Radio performance. On the same date, the original album will also be reissued on limited edition 180-gram vinyl.

I will unquestionably be keeping my eye out for the vinyl, as I now have 5 record players in my house and there’s simply no excuse to not own even more vinyl to somehow justify their existence. Yes, this is ridiculous. But for some reason, when I’m out at flea markets or garage sales, I cannot resist a good deal on an old record player. I think it’s because the music not only changes depending on which one I’m playing it on, but in turn the way I experience it changes. This isn’t true of computers or CD players, where it’s more or less the same no matter what brand of player you might be playing it from. But then that’s the idea with digital technology in the first place – to perfectly recreate the same sound every time without derivation.

That probably sounds very anti-technology, but it’s not. I just happen to think there’s room for analog and digital in my life. Both have their strengths, and there are things each can do that the other just can’t seem to pull off. But then I’ve gone off on a weird tangent here. Hey, I’m a blogger, we’re bound to frequently whine and opine about vinyl.

Point being, Bowie’s still got it, and it doesn’t hurt to go back and remember how long he’s had it! This record was amazing 40 years ago, and is still amazing today. Come on, how can you resist that perm on the cover?

‘The Man Who Sold The World’ from the ‘Reality Tour’ circa 2004

Tags: david bowie