Rare (David Bowie album)

Rare (often referred to as Bowie Rare) is a compilation album by the English musician David Bowie, released by RCA Records in December 1982. The album compiles rare and previously hard-to-find recordings made between 1969 and 1980, many of which had only been available as single B-sides or foreign-language releases.

Background

By 1982, Bowie's relationship with RCA Records was strained. He had recorded his last music for the label with the Baal EP and was displeased when RCA released a five-year-old duet with Bing Crosby ("Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy") as a single without his consultation. Bowie informed RCA that he was unhappy with the Rare compilation and subsequently signed with EMI Records for his next album.

Release

RCA did not issue Rare in the United States, nor was the album reissued on CD alongside most of Bowie's other RCA albums in 1984. On the UK Albums Chart, the album spent eleven weeks and peaked at number 34.

Track listing

All songs written by David Bowie except where noted.

Side one:

1. "Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola" (Bowie, Mogol) – 5:02 — An Italian-language version of "Space Oddity", released as a single in Italy in 1969/1970.
2. "'Round and 'Round" (Chuck Berry) – 2:41 — A cover of Chuck Berry's "Around and Around", recorded during the Ziggy Stardust sessions, B-side to "Drive-In Saturday".
3. "Amsterdam" (Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman) – 3:25 — A cover of Jacques Brel's song, recorded during the Ziggy Stardust sessions, B-side to "Sorrow".
4. "Holy Holy" – 2:15 — A newer version of Bowie's 1970 single, recorded during the Ziggy Stardust sessions, B-side to "Diamond Dogs".
5. "Panic in Detroit" – 5:49 — A live recording from the same concerts as David Live, B-side to "Knock on Wood".
6. "Young Americans" – 3:11 — US single edit.

Side two:

1. "Velvet Goldmine" – 3:08 — Recorded for the Ziggy Stardust sessions, B-side to the 1975 reissue of "Space Oddity".
2. "Heroes"/"Helden" (Bowie, Brian Eno, Antonia Maass) – 6:07 — A version of "Heroes" with English and German lyrics, released as a single in West Germany in 1977.
3. "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" – 3:26 — Single edit.
4. "Moon of Alabama" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:51 — Recorded in 1978, released as a single A-side in 1980.
5. "Crystal Japan" – 3:07 — Recorded in 1979 for a Japanese commercial soundtrack, released as a Japanese single A-side in 1980, then internationally as the B-side to "Up the Hill Backwards" in 1981.

Chart performance