On Jan. 8, Parlophone announced the spring release of a 7" vinyl box set of nine David Bowie demos and rarities titled Spying Through A Keyhole. The title is taken from the lyric to "Love All Around," in which Bowie said, "I see a pop tune spying through a keyhole from the other room."
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The collection includes what is believed to be the first demo of "Space Oddity" — which turns 50 this year — as well as an accompanied version with alternate lyrics. "Angel, Angel, Grubby Face" also appears in two versions alongside "Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe," "In The Heat Of The Morning," "Love All Around," "London Bye, Ta-Ta," and "Mother Grey" — all from the "Space Oddity" period. The announcement was made on what would have been the legendary singer/songwriter's 72nd birthday.
None of the tracks have been previously released except for a brief period of availability on streaming services last month. The audio quality is casual at best and becomes saturated at times by Bowie's enthusiastic strumming, providing a very real look through the keyhole of time back to his rough sketches of these songs.
As recounted by Pitchfork, this represents the fifth annual Bowie box set from Parlophone. Like Prince, Bowie's extensive catalog and style-changing creativity are coming to life in new ways now that he is gone. Spying Through A Keyhole is an apt title for the up-close-and-personal look we are gaining on both artists, and thanks go out to both aritst's estates for making more of their legacies available.
