David Bowie's latter years get boxed up :: Music News :: Articles

Once a respected artist hits those twilight years, things tend to get a bit rocky. Either it's repeat your old formula for success with diminishing returns, go off on wild experimental tangents, or just croak so that people will start saying nice things about you. David Bowie, of course, never quite followed a traditional career arc. Living up to that old chameleon reputation of his, Bowie's last several albums have continued to function as subtle variations of what came before. He's never quite been stuck in a rut, nor has he gone off in too radical a direction.

Columbia Records will give fans a more complete glimpse of Bowie as art rock elder statesman by reissuing his last five albums on Nov. 27 as the creatively titled David Bowie Box. For those who have lost count, that's Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), Hours (1999), Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003). Bowie, apparently, has developed a taste for one-word album titles with age. All of the albums will receive a double-disc treatment, with the second disc housing remixes, alternate takes, and rare cuts.

Since Bowie's such a cultured man of the world, it should come as no surprise that these double-disc editions were actually put together for international consumers, and are just now coming to North America. Billboard, which broke the story, didn't mention whether the albums would each be made available separately (ala the recent Sly and the Family Stone box set). The Columbia Records website, meanwhile, doesn't yet have any information up about the package. It just might be all or nothing for all you Bowie completists out there.

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