David Bowie may have more songs from the Blackstar recording sessions on the way
'So look forward to next Christmas'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.David Bowie kept creating until the very end, releasing Blackstar just two days before his death at the age of 69.
However, it looks like that won’t be his last release, as apparently Bowie had recorded numerous other songs for his 25th album which didn’t make the final cut.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, publishes on the 8 January, reporter Sasha Frere-Jones writes: “There are five more songs from these sessions that have yet to be released. So look forward to next Christmas and hope for a deluxe edition.”
With The Next Day, Bowie did something very similar, releasing an extended cut a few months after the initial release that included the tracks ‘Atomica’ and James Murphy’s remix of ‘Love is Lost’.
However, if the release is more along the lines of Michael Jackson posthumous album Michael, which had no input from the pop-king himself, this could do more damage than good.
In the same interview, producer Tony Visconti sheds light onto the recording sessions that birthed Blackstar. Apparently they were only in the studio a handful of times between January and March 2015, spending limited time together as Bowie’s demos were so great.
“We would work from 11 to about 4 at the Magic Shop in SoHo, every day,” saxophonist Donny McCaslin added. “He was totally engaged. He came into the main room with us and sang while we played. We’d take a break, come back a few days later, and it would be clear that he and Tony had been listening really closely to the recordings.
“We’d do another version of a song sometimes, but not that many. A lot of what you hear on the album is a first or second take. We rehearsed it and then tried to capture it live. In that way, it’s a traditional record, even if the songs aren’t. This isn’t constructed from pieces. It’s live.”
After the news of David Bowie’s death was made public, Visconti wrote a tribute to the Starman, saying that Blackstar was his ‘parting gift’, read the full statement here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments