Virgin Preps Boatload of Bowie Reissues

By Todd Martens, 10/17/2003

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Virgin Records will this winter reissue a number of David Bowie releases, including "Black Tie White Noise," the 1989 box set "Sound + Vision" and remastered versions of "Scary Monsters," "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" and "Let's Dance."

Additionally, the label will re-release last year's "Best of Bowie" with a bonus DVD. A DVD will also be added to the repackaged "Black Tie White Noise."

"Black Tie White Noise," which marked a return to Bowie's solo career after having a go with ill-fated rock combo Tin Machine, was originally released in 1993. Due Jan. 13, the reissue will come with an added CD and DVD. The 12-track CD will contain remixes by Jack Dangers and Leftfield, as well as B-side "Lucy Can't Dance," among other rarities. The DVD will feature all of the album's videos and selected live performances.

The DVD packaged with the "Best of Bowie" reissue, due Dec. 2, will contain videos for "Let's Dance," "Heroes" and "Black Tie White Noise." The rest of the DVD will be filled out with six audio tracks, all of them remixes of Bowie hits.

The "Sound + Vision" four-CD set was released in 1989 and collects Bowie's early singles. Due Dec. 2, the set will feature an additional 23 tracks of singles, B-sides and rarities. The added cuts are taken from the recording sessions for Bowie's two releases with Tin Machine, and his solo albums "Let's Dance," "Tonight," "Black Tie White Noise" and "Buddha of Suburbia."

Finally, Virgin is re-releasing "Scary Monsters," "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" and "Let's Dance" in the super-audio CD (SACD) format. The three will be in stores Tuesday, and will be playable on regular CDs as well as SACD-specific players.

Bowie will launch a North American tour in early December. The outing is in support of his recent ISO/Columbia album "Reality," which is currently at No. 167 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 72,000 units.

Reuters/Billboard