David Bowie - Conversation Piece

Before I start on this post I would like to acknowledge that the majority of the content has been taken from the excellent blog/advisory/shop website superdeluxeedition which is curated by Paul Sinclair. Paul always seems to have his finger on the pulse with new and forthcoming releases and provides "deal alerts", there is also a store but in my opinion Paul does not "force" this and the content is far from an advert.

For Bowies Conversation Piece I was resisting purchasing this, although a Bowie completist I was smarting a bit at the 7" singles box sets which I do not think I am the only one thinking were not properly thought through. The main boxes thus far have been in the main really good, wonderfully presented and with some interesting additional material, not wonderful but interesting.

Following a link from superdeluxe edition I have ordered Conversation Piece and it looks a completely different animal with masses of unreleased material all wonderfully presented.

I would encourage you to check out the full reviews here:


https://www.superdeluxeedition.com/reviews/david-bowie-conversation-piece-review/

The track listing is as follows:

Conversation Piece 5CD box set

Titles marked * are unreleased and the two Decca tracks presented here are released in superior quality to that released on the Deluxe Edition of David’s self-titled debut album on Deram. There is also a rare appearance for the full length mono version of Feathers’ ‘Ching-a-Ling’.

CD 1 – Home Demos

April’s Tooth Of Gold (2.29) *
The Reverend Raymond Brown (Attends the Garden Fête on Thatchwick Green) (2.15) *
When I’m Five (3.18) *
Mother Grey (3.00)
In The Heat Of The Morning (2.59)
Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe (3.19)
Love All Around (2.49)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (3.31)
Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 1) (2.31)
Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 2) (2.37)
Animal Farm (2.21) *
Space Oddity (solo demo fragment) (2.39)
Space Oddity (version 1) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (4.02)
Space Oddity (version 2) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (5.00) *
Space Oddity (version 3) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (5.10)
Lover To The Dawn with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (3.50)
Ching-a-Ling with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.58)
An Occasional Dream with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.49)
Let Me Sleep Beside You with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.54)
Life Is A Circus with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (4.50)
Conversation Piece (3.47) *
Jerusalem (4.19) *
Hole In The Ground with George Underwood (3.29) *

CD2 – The ‘Mercury’ Demos (with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson)

Space Oddity (5.28)
Janine (3.53)
An Occasional Dream (3.18)
Conversation Piece (3.31)
Ching-a-Ling (3.35)
I’m Not Quite (aka Letter To Hermione) (4.00)
Lover To The Dawn (5.01)
Love Song (4.08)
When I’m Five (3.13)
Life Is A Circus (5.33)

CD3 – Conversation Pieces 

In The Heat Of The Morning (Decca mono version) (2.51)
London Bye, Ta-Ta (Decca alternative version) (2.36)
BBC Top Gear radio session with the Tony Visconti Orchestra, recorded 13th May, 1968
– In The Heat Of The Morning (3.01)
– London Bye, Ta-Ta (2.39)
– Karma Man (3.07)
– When I’m Five (3.14)
– Silly Boy Blue (4.32)
Ching-a-Ling (2.51)
Space Oddity (Morgan Studios version – alternative take) (4.22)* with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson
Space Oddity (U.K. single edit) (4.42)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side – mono mix) (4.54)
Janine (mono mix) (3.23)
Conversation Piece (3.06)
BBC Dave Lee Travis Show radio session, recorded 20th October, 1969
– Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.20)
– Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed (4.03)
– Janine (3.03)

CD 4 – 1969 stereo mixes

The original David Bowie (aka Space Oddity) album (2009 remaster)

Space Oddity (5.14)
Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (inc. Don’t Sit Down) (6.51)
Letter To Hermione (2.32)
Cygnet Committee (9.31)
Janine (3.21)
An Occasional Dream (2.54)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.46)
God Knows I’m Good (3.17)
Memory Of A Free Festival (7.09)

The Extras

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side stereo mix) (4.56)
Letter To Hermione (early mix) (2.32) *
Janine (early mix) (3.23) *
An Occasional Dream (early mix) (2.54) *
Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (full length version) (5.14)

CD 5 – 2019 mixes (all previously unreleased)

The Space Oddity album

Space Oddity (5.20)
Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (6.18)
Letter To Hermione (2.32)
Cygnet Committee (9.28)
Janine (3.21)
An Occasional Dream (2.57)
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.50)
Conversation Piece (3.11)
God Knows I’m Good (3.16)
Memory Of A Free Festival (7.14)

The Extras

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single version) (4.59)
Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (5.20)

This is Paul's summary of the content:

The reason Conversation Piece works so well is that it benefits from a thorough, methodical approach and it has a clear narrative. It helps that at the beginning of David’s career there were lots of demos recorded, which clearly make putting together such a reissue that much easier. David is no longer with us and despite assurances that he had communicated various plans in terms of his catalogue before he died, one wonders whether this set would exist – to this degree – if he was still around.

The book is truly wonderful, with letters from David and Ken Pitt reproduced, detailing all sorts of engagements and opportunities that presented themselves at the time, along with superb photos and images of tape boxes and acetates etc.

Conversation Piece does a fantastic job of illuminating the path that lead Bowie away from the failure of the Newlyesque David Bowie in 1967 to the success of ‘Space Oddity’ as a single and the release of the album in 1969. Even though Parlophone have shied away from calling this a David Bowie/Space Oddity super deluxe edition, that’s effectively what it is. This is the best album-centric exploration of Bowie’s work probably since the Black Tie White Noise reissue of 2003 and albums like The Man Who Sold The World and Hunky Dory need this kind of attention.