Bowie's 'The Width of a Circle' Collects 1971 Rarities

'The Width of a Circle'
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Parlophone Records

Last year, David Bowie fans traveled to an alternate version of 1970 with The Metrobolist, a remixed version of the album ultimately released as The Man Who Sold the World. In May, the Bowie time machine zooms to 1971 with The Width of a Circle, a new 2CD set featuring 21 unreleased tracks from that year.

Among The Width of a Circle's contents are two live sets: one on BBC's The Sunday Show as introduced by John Peel and another on the Sounds of the Seventies program. This is the first time both shows are being released in full, having been excerpted nearly two decades ago in a box set highlighting Bowie's BBC recordings. Also included are all the non-album singles Bowie issued that year, including fan favorites like "London Bye, Ta-Ta" and "Memory of a Free Festival"; they're presented in both original mixes and newly-created ones by Tony Visconti, who remixed The Metrobolist.

Another gem for collectors is the inclusion of five songs from The Looking Glass Murders, a.k.a. Pierrot in Turquoise. Bowie appeared in (and wrote or offered these songs for) this 1970 filmed version of an avant-garde theatre piece created by his mentor Lindsey Kemp.

Read More: Turn and Face the Strange: David Bowie's Biggest Hits

The Width of a Circle is out May 26, along with a new picture disc reissue of The Man Who Sold the World and a 10" vinyl EP featuring four of Visconti's new remixes. All can be pre-ordered at Bowie's official store.

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