Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)

Brilliant Adventure
(1992–2001)
Box set by
Released26 November 2021 (2021-11-26)
Recorded1992–2001
Genre
LabelParlophone
ProducerVarious
David Bowie chronology
David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99)
(2021)
Brilliant Adventure
(1992–2001)

(2021)
Toy
(2021)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Mojo[3]
Pitchfork7.6/10[4]
Record Collector[5]
The Telegraph[6]
Uncut[7]
Variety92/100[8]

Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 26 November 2021.[9] A follow-up to the compilations Five Years (1969–1973), Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976), A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) and Loving the Alien (1983–1988), the set covers the period of Bowie's career from 1992 to 2001, commonly regarded by analysts as an artistic renaissance following his commercially successful but critically maligned work in the 1980s. However, Bowie's 1988–1992 tenure with the hard rock group Tin Machine is excluded. The set comprises eleven compact discs or 18 LPs.[10]

Exclusive to the set are BBC Radio Theatre, a live album showcasing Bowie's uncut BBC Radio Theatre live show in 2000 (previously documented in an edited form on Bowie at the Beeb) and Re:Call 5, the fifth installment in the retrospective boxes' exclusive rarities compilations. The latter includes non-album and soundtrack singles, single edits, and B-sides.[10]

The set contains remastered versions of Bowie's studio albums Black Tie White Noise, The Buddha of Suburbia, Outside, Earthling, and Hours (1993–1999).[11] The remastered albums were released individually in August 2022. Also featured is a finalized version of Toy, an album of re-recordings that was produced in late 2000 and set for release in 2001, only to be shelved due to Virgin Records viewing it as commercially unviable in the wake of a financial downturn for the company.[12] An alternate version of Toy, containing prototypes of the Heathen tracks "Slip Away" and "Afraid" but excluding "Can't Help Thinking About Me" and "Karma Man", had previously leaked in 2011.[13][14] Toy was released not only on the box set, but also as an expanded three-CD release on 7 January 2022, titled Toy:Box, including alternate mixes and outtakes.[10][15] Both configurations include cover art originally proposed by Bowie for the planned 2001 release, depicting his adult face superimposed on one of his baby photos.[10]

Like previous box sets in the "era" series, Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) includes a hardcover book, spanning 84 pages in the CD release and 128 in the vinyl release, containing rare and newly-published photos from the covered period by a variety of photographers. The book also contains memorabilia scans, writeups by collaborators Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Reeves Gabrels, and Mark Plati, and a newly-conducted interview with Erdal Kızılçay, who had collaborated with Bowie throughout the late '80s and on both The Buddha of Suburbia and Outside.[9][16]

Track listing[edit]

Black Tie White Noise (2021 remaster)[edit]

All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted

Black Tie White Noise track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."The Wedding"instrumental 5:04
2."You've Been Around" Bowie, Reeves Gabrels4:45
3."I Feel Free" (featuring Mick Ronson)Pete BrownJack Bruce4:52
4."Black Tie White Noise" (featuring Al B. Sure!)  4:52
5."Jump They Say"  4:22
6."Nite Flights"Noel Scott EngelEngel4:30
7."Pallas Athena"  4:40
8."Miracle Goodnight"  4:14
9."Don't Let Me Down & Down"Tahra Mint Hembara, trans. Martine ValmontHembara4:55
10."Looking for Lester"instrumentalBowie, Nile Rodgers5:36
11."I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday"MorrisseyMark E. Nevin4:14
12."The Wedding Song"  4:29
Total length:56:33

The Buddha of Suburbia (2021 remaster)[edit]

All tracks are written by David Bowie

The Buddha of Suburbia track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Buddha of Suburbia"4:28
2."Sex and the Church"6:25
3."South Horizons"5:26
4."The Mysteries"7:12
5."Bleed Like a Craze, Dad"5:22
6."Strangers When We Meet"4:58
7."Dead Against It"5:48
8."Untitled No. 1"5:01
9."Ian Fish, U.K. Heir"6:27
10."The Buddha of Suburbia (ft. Lenny Kravitz on Guitar)"4:19
Total length:55:26

Outside (2021 remaster)[edit]

All lyrics are written by David Bowie

Outside track listing
No.TitleMusicSung from the perspective ofLength
1."Leon Takes Us Outside"Bowie, Brian Eno, Reeves Gabrels, Mike Garson, Erdal Kızılçay, Sterling CampbellLeon Blank1:25
2."Outside"Bowie, Kevin Armstrongprologue4:04
3."The Hearts Filthy Lesson"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellDetective Nathan Adler4:57
4."A Small Plot of Land"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellThe residents of Oxford Town, New Jersey6:36
5."Segue – Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette)"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellBaby Grace Blue1:39
6."Hallo Spaceboy"Bowie, EnoPaddy5:14
7."The Motel"BowieLeon Blank6:49
8."I Have Not Been to Oxford Town"Bowie, EnoLeon Blank3:47
9."No Control"Bowie, EnoDetective Nathan Adler4:33
10."Segue – Algeria Touchshriek"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellAlgeria Touchshriek2:03
11."The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)"Bowie, Eno, GabrelsThe Artist/Minotaur4:21
12."Segue – Ramona A. Stone/I Am with Name"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellRamona A. Stone and her acolytes4:01
13."Wishful Beginnings"Bowie, EnoThe Artist/Minotaur5:08
14."We Prick You"Bowie, EnoMembers of the Court of Justice4:33
15."Segue – Nathan Adler"Bowie, Eno, Gabrels, Garson, Kızılçay, CampbellDetective Nathan Adler1:00
16."I'm Deranged"Bowie, EnoThe Artist/Minotaur4:31
17."Thru' These Architects Eyes"Bowie, GabrelsLeon Blank4:22
18."Segue – Nathan Adler"Bowie, EnoDetective Nathan Adler0:28
19."Strangers When We Meet"BowieLeon Blank5:07
Total length:74:36

Earthling (2021 remaster)[edit]

All lyrics are written by David Bowie; all music is composed by Bowie, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, except where noted

Earthling' track listing
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Little Wonder" 6:02
2."Looking for Satellites" 5:21
3."Battle for Britain (The Letter)" 4:48
4."Seven Years in Tibet"Bowie, Gabrels6:22
5."Dead Man Walking"Bowie, Gabrels6:50
6."Telling Lies"Bowie4:49
7."The Last Thing You Should Do" 4:57
8."I'm Afraid of Americans"Bowie, Brian Eno5:00
9."Law (Earthlings on Fire)"Bowie, Gabrels4:48
Total length:48:57

Hours (2021 remaster)[edit]

All tracks are written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels; except "What's Really Happening?", with lyrics by Alex Grant

Hours track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Thursday's Child"5:24
2."Something in the Air"5:46
3."Survive"4:11
4."If I'm Dreaming My Life"7:04
5."Seven"4:04
6."What's Really Happening?"4:10
7."The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"4:40
8."New Angels of Promise"4:35
9."Brilliant Adventure"1:54
10."The Dreamers"5:14
Total length:47:06

BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000[edit]

All tracks are written by David Bowie

BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Wild Is the Wind"6:21
2."Ashes to Ashes"5:03
3."Seven"4:12
4."This Is Not America"3:43
5."Absolute Beginners"6:31
6."Always Crashing in the Same Car"4:06
7."Survive"4:54
8."Little Wonder"3:48
9."The Man Who Sold The World"3:57
10."Fame"4:11
11."Stay"5:43
12."Hallo Spaceboy"5:21
13."Cracked Actor"4:09
14."I'm Afraid of Americans"5:29
15."Let's Dance"6:20
Total length:73:48

Note that in some releases of the Brilliant Adventure there are two discs of the BBC Radio Theatre, with different tracks:

All tracks are written by David Bowie

BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 disc 1 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Wild Is The Wind"6:22
2."Ashes to Ashes"5:05
3."Seven"4:15
4."This Is Not America"3:47
5."Absolute Beginners"6:35
6."Always Crashing In The Same Car"4:10
7."Survive"4:58
8."The London Boys"3:57
9."I Dig Everything"4:58
10."Little Wonder"3:51
Total length:43:00

All tracks are written by David Bowie

BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000 disc 2 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Man Who Sold The World"3:59
2."Fame"4:15
3."Stay"5:47
4."Hallo Spaceboy"5:22
5."Cracked Actor"4:12
6."I'm Afraid of Americans"5:33
7."All The Young Dudes"3:42
8."Starman"4:31
9.""Heroes""5:43
10."Let's Dance"6:18
Total length:49:22

Toy[edit]

All tracks are written by David Bowie

Toy track listing
No.TitleOriginal version onLength
1."I Dig Everything"Single from 1966, Early On (1964–1966)5:03
2."You've Got a Habit of Leaving"Single from 1965, Early On (1964–1966)4:48
3."The London Boys"B-side of 1966 single "Rubber Band", The World of David Bowie3:47
4."Karma Man"The World of David Bowie3:46
5."Conversation Piece"B-side of "The Prettiest Star", Five Years (1969–1973)3:53
6."Shadow Man"Previously unreleased; originally recorded in 1971 during the sessions for Ziggy Stardust4:40
7."Let Me Sleep Beside You"The World of David Bowie3:14
8."Hole in the Ground"Conversation Piece (Home demo)3:32
9."Baby Loves That Way"B-side of "You've Got a Habit of Leaving", Early On (1964–1966)4:37
10."Can't Help Thinking About Me"Single from 1966, Early On (1964–1966)3:25
11."Silly Boy Blue"David Bowie (1967)5:35
12."Toy (Your Turn to Drive)"Nothing Has Changed (2014)4:16
Total length:50:36

Re:Call 5[edit]

Disc one:

  1. "Real Cool World" (Sounds from the Cool World Soundtrack Version)
  2. "Jump They Say" (7" version)
  3. "Lucy Can't Dance"
  4. "Black Tie White Noise" (featuring Al B. Sure!) (Radio Edit)
  5. "Don't Let Me Down & Down" (Indonesian Vocal Version)
  6. "Buddha of Suburbia" (Single Version) (featuring Lenny Kravitz on guitar)
  7. "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" (Radio Edit)
  8. "Nothing to Be Desired"
  9. "Strangers When We Meet" (edit)
  10. "Get Real"
  11. "The Man Who Sold the World" (Live Eno Mix)
  12. "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Showgirls Soundtrack Version)
  13. "Hallo Spaceboy" (Pet Shop Boys Remix)
  14. "I Am with Name" (Alternative Version)
  15. "A Small Plot of Land" (Long Basquiat Soundtrack Version)

Disc two:

  1. "Little Wonder" (Edit)
  2. "A Fleeting Moment" (aka Seven Years In Tibet – Mandarin Version)
  3. "Dead Man Walking" (Edit)
  4. "Seven Years in Tibet" (Edit)
  5. "Planet of Dreams" – David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey
  6. "I'm Afraid of Americans" (V1 – Edit)
  7. "I Can't Read" (The Ice Storm Long Version)
  8. "A Foggy Day in London Town" – David Bowie and Angelo Badalamenti
  9. "Fun" (BowieNet Mix)
  10. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" (Stigmata Soundtrack Version)
  11. "Thursday's Child" (Radio Edit)
  12. "We All Go Through"
  13. "No One Calls"

Disc three:

  1. "We Shall Go to Town"
  2. "1917"
  3. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" (Edit)
  4. "Thursday's Child" (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
  5. "New Angels of Promise" (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
  6. "The Dreamers" (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Version)
  7. "Seven" (Demo)
  8. "Survive" (Marius de Vries mix)
  9. "Something in the Air" (American Psycho Remix)
  10. "Seven" (Marius de Vries Mix)
  11. "Pictures of Lily"

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 58
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 23
Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 87
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 40
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 24

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) [Box Set] by David Bowie". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) – David Bowie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  3. ^ Savage, Jon (January 2022). "Playground Twist". Mojo. No. 350. p. 92.
  4. ^ Collins, Sean T. (11 December 2021). "David Bowie: Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  5. ^ Draper, Jason (24 November 2021). "David Bowie: Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)". Record Collector. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  6. ^ McCormick, Neil (25 November 2021). "Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001), review: proof that Bowie was always a class act". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  7. ^ "David Bowie: Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) Review". Uncut. January 2022. p. 38.
  8. ^ Aswad, Jem (26 November 2021). "David Bowie's 'Brilliant Adventure' Boxed Set Finds His 1990s Music Aging Much Better Than Expected: Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Brilliant Adventure and TOY press release". David Bowie Official Website. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d Sinclair, Paul (29 September 2021). "David Bowie / Brilliant Adventure [1992–2001]". SuperDeluxeEdition. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ^ Marchese, Joe (29 September 2021). "Your Turn to Drive: Two David Bowie Boxes, Including Expanded 'Toy,' Announced". The Second Disc. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  12. ^ Greene, Andy (29 September 2021). "David Bowie's Lost Album 'Toy' Emerges From the Vaults". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  13. ^ Michaels, Sean (23 March 2011). "David Bowie's unreleased album Toy leaks online | Music". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  14. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (22 March 2011). "Unreleased David Bowie LP 'Toy' Leaks Online". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  15. ^ DeVille, Chris (29 September 2021). "David Bowie's Lost Album Toy Getting Official Release". Stereogum. Scott Lapatine. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  16. ^ Rapp, Allison (29 September 2021). "David Bowie's 'Lost' Album 'Toy' Set for Official Release". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 3 December 2021". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 December 2021.