and the next day

You just had to laugh.

Signed affidavits of silence & secrecy. A global web-launch to make marketeers squirm with envy.

And a glut of music. And good.

That's the staggering achievement. It could have been an anti-climax.

Ian McCulloch didn't like it much - 'too many musos widdling about'.......pot calling the kettle......

So, after ten years of silence and with no fanfare, here comes Dave with a modest collection of tunes.......followed in November 2013 by a second batch from the same sessions.......and with a pile left in the closet for future reference! There are 29 tracks, 22 of which are released in various batches throughout 2013. Some have alternate versions. One is an extended remix.

'Chump' remains in the Bowie vaults, along with 6 other tracks which still have no vocal. It's unlikely that we'll live to hear those.Still, there's a feast enough in the material on offer. Much of it is brilliant, which is typical of Bowie. And some of the accompanying videos are cheeky and a welcome slap on the cultural face. He's still funny. 

Naturally, after so many years of silence, everyone wants to write something profound about the album. Thousands of words are poured on the meaning of Bowie’s songs and on his cultural significance. I bet he was relieved he had chosen not to conduct interviews. Somewhat bemused by the sheer inundation of analysis and evaluation, Bowie conceded to allow the press to receive 42 special words which were “important” in the construction of The Next Day. That merely added more fuel to the unyielding amount of verbiage. In a delightful twist, Bowie put out a booklet in the Extra package for The Next Day. In it you were invited to write your own ideas about his ‘cryptic’ lyrics. Nice one.