David Bowie’s debut self-titled album is coming to vinyl this summer, and with it, a rare version of his breakthrough hit “Space Oddity.” The 1966 record, originally released just as the London artist began gaining real traction with critics and fans, will be reissued in both CD and vinyl versions on July 26th. Single B-sides from the album—including the special edition of “Space Oddity”—will be available on vinyl for the very first time. The vinyl editions come in cream and green swirl, double green, and green swirl variants, each featuring a different exclusive track from the depths of Bowie’s catalog.
On top of reprinting the original Mike Vernon-produced album in full, the new rollout features fourteen additional tracks, a few of which make vinyl debuts. The bonus tracks spotlight early gems from Bowie’s extensive relationship with producer Tony Visconti, who worked with the musician through his final LP Blackstar, released in 2016 just two days before Bowie died of liver cancer. Those special cuts include “Let Me Sleep Beside You,” “Karma Man,” “In The Heat Of The Morning,” and “London Bye Ta-Ta.”
When reflecting on his debut album decades later in a 1999 interview with Uncut, Bowie had the following to say: “Lyrically I guess it was striving to be something – the short story teller. Musically it’s quite bizarre. I don’t know where I was at. It seemed to have its roots all over the place, in rock and vaudeville and music hall and I don’t know what. I didn’t know if I was Max Miller or Elvis Presley.”
Order David Bowie’s self-titled album on vinyl now.