Now Available: David Bowie, Five Years

You know the time-honored cliché about how even if an artist had only released [INSERT ALBUM TITLES HERE] and nothing else, they'd still be seen as a legend? Well, you could probably get into a fist fight with David Bowie fans about which albums they'd include within those brackets, but one thing's for sure: there are precious few artists who can lay claim to releasing as much rock 'n' roll awesomeness within a five-year span as the man known as The Thin White Duke did between 1969 and 1973…and we'd say that even if we hadn't just released a 10-album, 12-CD box set entitled David Bowie: Five Years 1969-1973.

If you're trying to do the math, save your brain power and let us clarify what's included:

David Bowie AKA Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold The World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Aladdin Sane
PinUps
Live Santa Monica '72
Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack
Re:Call 1

You probably won't recognize that last title, since it's a new 2-disc compilation of non-album singles, single versions & b-sides, one which features a previously unreleased single edit of "All The Madmen," which was originally set for a U.S. release but was never actually released, and the original version of "Holy Holy," which was only ever released on the original 1971 Mercury single and hasn't been available on any release since.

Here's the full track listing for that compilation:

Disc One
"Space Oddity" (Original UK Mono Single Edit)
"Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud" (Original UK Mono Single Version)
"Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola"
"The Prettiest Star" (Original Mono Single Version)
"Conversation Piece"
"Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 1)"
"Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 2)"
"All The Madmen" (Mono Single Edit)
"Janine"
"Holy Holy" (Original Mono Single Version)
"Moonage Daydream" (The Arnold Corns Single Version)
"Hang On To Yourself" (The Arnold Corns Single Version)

Disc Two
"Changes" (Mono Single Version)
"Andy Warhol" (Mono Single Version)
"Starman" (Original Single Mix)
"John, I'm Only Dancing" (Original Single Version)
"The Jean Genie" (Original Single Mix)
"Drive-In Saturday" (German Single Edit)
"Round And Round"
"John, I'm Only Dancing" (Sax Version)
'Time" (U.S. Single Edit)
"Amsterdam"
"Holy Holy" (Spiders Version) "Velvet Goldmine"

Oh, and there's also another exclusive inclusion: a 2003 stereo remix of The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by the album's original co-producer Ken Scott, previously only available on DVD with the LP/DVD format of the 40th anniversary edition of the album. You're welcome.

The boxed set also comes with a hefty little book - it's 128 pages in the CD box and 84 pages in the vinyl set - and it features rarely seen photos as well as technical notes about each album from producers Tony Visconti and Ken Scott, an original press review for each album, and a short foreword by legendary Kinks front man Ray Davies.

In other words, even if you already own all of the albums, there's still plenty of good reasons for you to get Five Years, so…what are you waiting for? Go out and get it already!