Tuesday, January 8, 2019

David Bowie Archive launches mobile app + releasing 7" box with rare demos


David Bowie would have turned 72 years old today, and in celebration the David Bowie Archive premiered a virtual reality app, David Bowie is...Augmented Reality. The groundbreaking app is based on the critically acclaimed David Bowie is exhibit and features music, costumes, lyrics, and other artifacts along with additional video and images not displayed as part of the touring exhibit. Download the app now for iOs or Android.

Meanwhile the Bowie Archive has also announced the release of Spying Through A Keyhole. The 7" box collects nine rare and previously unreleased physical recordings (these tracks were available to stream for a limited time in December, but this is the first physical release).

The vinyl only release will be out in the spring (date to be announced) however the Archive notes that some of these recordings "may appear in the future on other formats." Additionally, as these are home demos, the recordings aren't studio quality:

"Due to the nature of some of the solo home demos where Bowie accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, the recording quality isn’t always of a usual studio fidelity. This is partly due to David’s enthusiastic strumming hitting the red on a couple of the tracks, along with the limitations of the original recording equipment and tape degradation. However, the historical importance of these songs and the fact that the selections are from an archive of tracks cleared for release by Bowie, overrides this shortcoming."

View a listing of the songs included in Spying Through A Keyhole below and read more about the release here.

UPDATE: The release date has been firmed up for April 3rd. Pre-order Spying Through A Keyhole here.

Mother Grey (demo)
In The Heat Of The Morning (demo)
Goodbye 3d (threepenny) Joe (demo)
Love All Around (demo)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (demo)
Angel, Angel, Grubby Face (demo version 1)
Angel, Angel, Grubby Face (demo version 2)
Space Oddity (demo excerpt)
Space Oddity (demo - alternative lyrics, with John 'Hutch' Hutchinson)

Published January 8th, 2019