David Bowie - Divine Symmetry (4cd/1bd box set)

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EDIT: ONLY ONE SONG IN SURROUND SOUND.

In another thread I said that I doubted that this would have any surround content. Very happy to be wrong!

DAVID BOWIE A DIVINE SYMMETRY TRACKLISTING
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
CD 1
THE SONGWRITING DEMOS PLUS
1. Tired Of My Life (demo) *
2. How Lucky You Are (aka Miss Peculiar) (demo) *
3. Shadow Man (demo)
4. Looking For A Friend (demo) *
5. Waiting For The Man (San Francisco hotel recording) *
6. Quicksand (San Francisco hotel recording) *
7. King Of The City (demo) *
8. Song For Bob Dylan (demo) *
9. Right On Mother (demo) *
10. Quicksand (demo)
11. Queen Bitch (demo) *
12. Kooks (demo) *
13. Amsterdam (demo) *
14. Life On Mars? (demo) *
Bonus acetate dubs:
15. Changes (demo) *
16. Bombers (demo) *

CD 2
BBC RADIO IN CONCERT: JOHN PEEL
David Bowie and Friends (mono)
1. Queen Bitch *
2. Bombers
3. The Supermen *
4. Looking For A Friend
5. Almost Grown
6. Kooks
7. Song For Bob Dylan *
8. Andy Warhol *
9. It Ain't Easy
David Bowie and Friends (stereo)
10. Queen Bitch *
11. The Supermen *
12. Looking For A Friend *
13. Kooks *
14. Song For Bob Dylan *
15. Andy Warhol *T
16. It Ain't Easy *

CD 3
BBC RADIO SESSION AND LIVE
1. The Supermen
2. Oh! You Pretty Things
3. Eight Line Poem
4. Kooks *
5. Fill Your Heart *
6. Amsterdam *
7. Andy Warhol *
8. Introduction*
9. Fill Your Heart*
10. Buzz The Fuzz*
11. Space Oddity*
12. Amsterdam*
13. The Supermen*
14. Oh! You Pretty Things*
15. Eight Line Poem*
16. Changes*
17. Song For Bob Dylan*
18. Andy Warhol*
19. Looking For A Friend*
20. Round And Round*
21. Waiting For The Man*

CD 4
ALTERNATIVE MIXES, SINGLES AND VERSIONS
BOWPROMO mixes
1. Oh! You Pretty Things
2. Eight Line Poem
3. Kooks
4. Queen Bitch
5. Quicksand
6. Bombers – Andy Warhol intro
7. Lightning Frightening (aka The Man)*
8. Amsterdam (early mix)
9. Changes (mono single)
10. Andy Warhol (full length mono single)
11. Amsterdam (single b-side mix)
12. Life On Mars? (2016 mix)
13. Changes (2021 alternative mix)
14. Life On Mars? (original ending version)*
15. Quicksand (2021 mix – early version)*
16. Fill Your Heart (2021 alternative mix)*
17. Bombers (2021 alternative mix)*
18. Song For Bob Dylan (2021 alternative mix)*
19. The Bewlay Brothers (2021 alternative mix)*

BLU-RAY AUDIO
All PCM Stereo 96kHz/24bit except ‘Life On Mars?’ (2016 mix):
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and PCM Stereo 96kHz/24bit

Parlophone Records proudly announces DAVID BOWIE A DIVINE SYMMETRY, a four-CD, one blu-ray box set and digital equivalent. The collection celebrates the twelve months running up to the release of the album HUNKY DORY in December 1971 via home demos, BBC radio sessions and live and studio recordings.

DAVID BOWIE DIVINE SYMMETRY contains 48 previously unreleased tracks/demos from the period, and new alternative mixes of HUNKY DORY tracks by original co-producer Ken Scott.

Two books accompany DIVINE SYMMETRY, a 100-page hardback book featuring exclusive memorabilia and photos alongside a 60-page replica composite of Bowie's notebooks from the era featuring handwritten lyrics, costume drawings, recording notes and set lists.

The sleeve notes have been written for the release by Bowie expert Tris Penna, along with contributions from HUNKY DORY co-producer Ken Scott, lifelong Bowie friends Geoff MacCormack and George Underwood, singer Dana Gillespie, guitarist Mark Pritchett, Friars Aylesbury promoter David Stopps, publisher Bob Grace and photographer Louanne Richards.

1971 was a pivotal year for Bowie. He signed a record deal with RCA, he met Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop while in New York, became a father and penned the song "KOOKS" as a show of paternal pride, played live for the first time that June with Mick Ronson, Woody Woodmansey and Trevor Bolder, the band that would later be christened the Spiders From Mars and recorded the classic album HUNKY DORY.



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Edit: Release date is November 22nd. Bowie store selling the box for $69.98 so I imagine Bull Moose, Import CDs, etc will be less.
 
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Oops! Yeah, I guess if I had read the product description more carefully I would have realized it was just that one track. If the whole album ends up appearing in atmos on the streaming services, that will be a bit of a kick in the teeth!

What's worse is that there is a completed surround mix of "Quicksand (2021 mix – early version)". It was in the new Moonage Daydream documentary. So why isn't it on the blu-ray?
 
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Apple Music and Tidal are pushing multichannel and Bowie’s people manage ONE multichannel track?!? I’ll bet money they spent more money on packaging then they did mastering the audio.

EDIT: Interestingly enough, it looks like Ken Scott did mix 7 tracks in Oct/Nov 2021, for this blu ray, but the Life On Mars 5.1 track is from 2016. Wonder if all he did is his upsample the tracks to 96/24 for the blu ray?
 
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This is no big Chuffy for me.

If they can go way back for this early stuff, where's 'Let's Dance' in surround via Visconti or Clearmountain?

Actually I'm relieved with this one; I won't need to stress over whether to spring for this as another over priced box set. It's getting ridiculous!
 
You get fancy packaging, a pretty book you’ll look at 2 or 3 times, a few live shows that have been available, a few unreleased tracks that may be fun and 96/24 mix of a previous remaster. To each their own, but I’m very disappointed.
Yeah - I hear ya…woulda loved the entire album in multichannel - but this is a beloved classic to me, so I’ll plunk down for hi-res stereo…considering I’d pay $30 for a stand-alone Blu-Ray, it’s only $40 more for the rest 🤑
 
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