Early recordings made by David Bowie, made before he became the artist the world would come to know, are set to be released in September.
The Shel Talmy Recordings is made up of tracks Bowie recorded with ‘60s producer Shel Talmy while he was still going by the name Davie Jones.
Talmy, best known for working with The Who and The Kinks, signed the then-Davie Jones and his band at the time, the Manish Boys, in December 1964. By the time they began recording, however, Bowie had formed a new band, Davie Jones & The Lower Third. Most of the recordings featured on the album were made with the latter band or are solo demos.
The Shel Talmy Recordings includes 21 tracks. The CD and digital versions feature 10 previously unreleased recordings, while the vinyl features six. Guests on the album include a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and future Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pianist Nicky Hopkins.
As a preview of the album, one of those previously unreleased tracks, “I Want Your Love” is out now via digital outlets.
Musician and music historian Alec Palao writes in the liner notes that the collection is “a primary chapter if not the very earliest installment in David’s musical journey.”
“The sounds here should not be judged by the standards of his later career, but by the standards of what was happening in Britain at that precise point in time,” he adds. “In which case, they speak as loudly of the excitement of London and its music scene in that pivotal year of 1965 as they do for the launch of its brightest future star.”
The Shel Talmy Recordings will be released Sept. 18. It is available for preorder now.
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