Sound Vision (box set)

Set contents

Sound + Vision was originally conceived in 1989 as a career retrospective that would serve as a "teaser" for the then-upcoming Rykodisc CD reissue campaign covering Bowie's output from 1969 to 1980. It contains few of Bowie's greatest hits in their original form, instead frequently opting for demos, live versions and even a German vocal version of ""Heroes"" ("Helden"). The "rarities" originally included on the 1989 edition of Sound + Vision (the rare single versions of "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" and "Rebel Rebel," and the previously unreleased studio outtakes "London Bye Ta–Ta," "1984/Dodo," "After Today," or "It's Hard To Be A Saint in the City") were exclusive to this box set.

Awards and reception

The set won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Album Package. The quality of the boxset was so high that Rolling Stone said the boxset "stood above the rest [of the 1989 boxset releases]" and called the release a "promising harbinger" for the then-upcoming re-release of Bowie's RCA back catalogue on CD with Rykodisc, for which Bowie launched a worldwide supporting tour.

Release versions

It exists in two primary editions, each of which has been released in an original version and a subsequent repackaged version:

1. The original 1989 Rykodisc edition, in an LP-size box designed by Roger Gorman and featuring photography by Greg Gorman, was either in LP, audiocassette or CD format, as six LPs, three cassettes or three CDs and one CD-Video (a Laserdisc type disc that was retired in 1991), with the latter containing audio tracks and the music video of "Ashes To Ashes". There was also a numbered limited edition of 350 in a solid beach wood case with a certificate personally signed by Bowie. Content from this release included material from Bowie's catalogue through 1980 (including several live performances from the 1970s). A second Rykodisc version of this edition, released in 1995 on CD, replaced the CD-Video with a regular CD-ROM and was packaged in a smaller slipcase. The contents of this release are otherwise identical to the original release.
2. A new edition of the album, issued by Virgin/EMI in 2003, added Bowie studio material released from 1982 - 1993 (plus live tracks from 1983 and 1997), and replaced some of the tracks from the original set with alternate versions. This version contains more tracks on each CD than the original release, and does not include the CD-Video/CD-ROM tracks from the original release. This edition was re-released on CD, in a smaller slipcase, under the Rhino imprint in 2014.

Track listing

All songs written by David Bowie unless otherwise indicated.

2003 reissue (CD: EMI / 5945112)

All songs written by David Bowie unless otherwise indicated. Songs that are different from the original Sound + Vision box set or new to this release of the box set are as indicated with *.

Charts

Album