Bowie – Rare (UK)

Track 1: Italian version of 'Space Oddity', released in October 1970.

In some respects, this early-'80s compilation of then-hard-to-find David Bowie tracks was a tatty affair. There were only ten songs, and the annotation said nothing about original dates of recording and release dates — important details, considering that some of these are alternate versions of common Bowie songs (and sometimes, even a famous hit). As it turns out, in fact, one of the supposedly rare cuts, “Holy Holy,” is not the original 1971 single, but the less scarce remake later used as a B-side. Too, many of the cuts were eventually issued as bonus tracks on various CDs. Casting all that aside, there are some good if peripheral items here, like the 1973 B-side cover of Jacques Brel's “Amsterdam”; the cover of Chuck Berry's “Round and Round” (also a 1973 B-side); “Helden,” aka “Heroes” with German lyrics; the 1975 B-side “Velvet Goldmine” (actually recorded in late 1971), which supplied the title for Todd Haynes' film about the glam era; and the spooky early-'80s instrumental B-side “Crystal Japan.” Less sparkly is the 1975 disco remake of “John, I'm Only Dancing,” as “John, I'm Only Dancing (Again).” Still, quite a while after its release, this was the only place you could find the Italian version of “Space Oddity” (“Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola”) and the less entertaining live 1974 B-side version of “Panic in Detroit.”