Who Can I Be Now?

If you grew up, like I did, on the classic David Bowie greatest hits album "Changes," then you might have missed out on an amazing array of other work. Thanks to Parlophone Records, you can now correct that... or, if you've familiarized yourself with Bowie's other work (or tracked his career in real time), you can re-live the thrill of his musical explorations album by album.

"David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now?" is the second installment in a series of boxed set editions offering a deluxe complete collection of the late, great Thin White Duke's work. Like the first volume, it offers meticulously remastered albums and CD-sized replications of the original vinyl experience, from album covers to liner notes to CDs that are printed to look like album labels (and are lovingly packaged in individual protective slipcases). You may need a magnifying glass to see the lyrics and other printed material, but that's a small (ahem!) price to pay. Alternatively, you could also go out and buy this quality offering in its 180g vinyl version -- a 13-LP set (as opposed to the 12 CDs included here).

Where the first volume, aptly titled "Five Years," contained Bowie's output from 1969-1973, this new set covers his prolific "American phase," starting in 1974 with "Diamond Dogs" and stretching to a live set from 1976. Everything about the set reflects enormous care and taste, but the true standout is the inclusion -- and this is the crown jewel of the set that has everyone talking -- of Bowie's previously-unreleased soul album "The Gouster." You might be skeptical that an album that sat gathering dust for so many decades can be any good; in fact, it's an astonishment. Who knew Bowie could do soul like this? But here he is, delivering the goods, and my gods it's a revelation.

Some of the material from "The Gouster" was re-worked for "Young Americans," but this is far from the only opportunity fans will have to compare and contrast different takes on signature Bowie songs. Two live albums are included in the set -- "David Live" and "Live Nassau Coliseum '76" -- and in a further example of this set's embarrassment of riches, "David Live" comes in two flavors: The original edition and the 2005 remixed version.

"Station to Station" comes similarly reworked: A color cover version of the album with remixes of all the songs done in 2010 sits comfortably next to the original with its black and white cover.

As was the car with the first boxed set, "Who Can I Be Now?" offers a bonus disc -- called "Re:Call" on the earlier set, and titled "Re:Call 2" here -- that's packed with different edits of the singles, plus live tracks, B-sides, and other rarities.

A CD-sized hardcover book is also included, reproducing album covers in full color, preserving original lyrics from Bowie's notebooks (also in fill color, which -- when the lyrics are being scrawled in such bright hues -- is practically a necessity), and re-printing articles from music magazines (my favorite: William S. Burroughs' interview of David Bowie; yowza!!).

Electrifying isn't even the word for this set. Deeply satisfying comes closer. I gasped when I saw it, and I sighed with pleasure throughout. Others may want this set; those smitten with all things Bowie need it.

"David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now?"
CD Box Set
Parlophone Records
$119.99
http://store.davidbowie.com/who-can-i-be-now-1974-to-1976-12-cd-box-set.html