Sound + Vision (box Set) - Set Contents

Set Contents

Sound + Vision contains few of Bowie's greatest hits in their original form, instead frequently opting for demos, live versions and even a German vocal version of "Heroes" ("Helden"). The reason for the quixotic tracklisting is that it was originally conceived in 1989 as less of a comprehensive career retrospective than as a "teaser" for the then-upcoming Rykodisc CD reissue campaign covering Bowie's output from 1969 to 1980. As a result of this commercial logic, none of the "rarities" originally included on the 1989 edition of Sound + Vision (the rare single versions of "Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud" and "Rebel Rebel," or the previously unreleased studio outtakes "London Bye Ta-Ta," "1984/Dodo," "After Today," or "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City") were included as bonus tracks on the Rykodisc editions of Bowie's albums. Conversely, given this boxed set's initial conception as an "extended sampler," the compilers felt little need to include all of Bowie's hits, choosing instead to give every album equal coverage. Nor did they feel compelled to include other sought-after rarities on the set, since they could be found on the Rykodisc CDs.