David Bowie's Toy has finally been leaked!!!

TOY

Finally, after 10 years, David Bowie's unreleased album has been leaked! Bowie fans worldwide feel liberated!!!



Info

Artist: David Bowie

Release Year: Unreleased although was planned for 2001

Producer: Mark Plati & David Bowie (let me know if Im wrong, details are still pretty shady)

Track listing

1. Uncle Floyd
2. Afraid
3. Baby Loves That Way
4. I Dig Everything [* track pick]
5. Conversation Piece
6. Let Me Sleep Beside You
7. Toy (Your Turn To Drive)
8. Hole In The Ground [* track pick]
9. Shadow Man [* track pick]
10. In The Heat Of The Morning
11. You've Got A Habit Of Leaving
12. Silly Boy Blue
13. Liza Jane
14. The London Boys

10 years ago, David Bowie recorded Toy, a collection some of his old songs from the 60's revamped and rerecorded with a few new songs thrown in too. Tentitavely scheduled for release mid 2001, its release date kept being put back and back by Virgin (Bowie's then record label) until it was never released at all. Furious Bowie left Virgin to set up his own record label. But it seems this album was a casualty of this period because to this day it still lacks an official release.

Well it's been 10 LONG years but finally we can listen to it in it's entirety. Toy has finally been leaked onto the web in its full form! For years Bowie fans have searched high and low for any traces of this mysterious unreleased album, to only have 30 second clips, some b-side different mixes and some full tracks but not always in perfect quality. But alas, we have it. But has it been worth the wait?

In short, yes. This album is just superb with not a bad track on it. We start with two new songs recorded for the album specifically. First "Uncle Floyd" (later rerecorded in a very different way as "Slip Away" for Heathen) which begins with about a minutes worth of talking from the Uncle Floyd Show. Then the track slowly builds and has a rather great stripped back feel with Bowie's vocal on top form, crooning through the lines. Next is "Afraid" which was remixed later and too was included on Heathen. Its not massively different to the later remix but is good all the same, with a different instrumentation and backing vocals, giving it a new sense of energy.

"Baby Loves That Way" was officially released as a b-side in 2002 but was a different mix to the original for Toy. Its a fun song, set to a slower pace than the 60's original. "I Dig Everything" is just brilliant, one of the best tracks, with Bowie's voice sounding great. It far surpasses its original form and is very much how this song should have always sounded. Full of life and energy that makes the use of the word dig seem cool! Now thats impressive! A lovely rendition of "Conversation Piece" follows, with Bowie's older voice making this song so much more heartwrenching than it's original. "Let Me Sleep Beside You" brings back that life and energy from "I Dig Everything" on this awesome guitar heavy track. If Toy ever does get a release, this should be the lead single.

The third new song for the album is "Toy (Your Turn To Drive)". It has been available as a download off Itunes for quite a while under the name "Your Turn To Drive". A more fitting name as "Toy" doesn't even feature in the song. A nice little piano led song with Bowie's hushed vocals creating a sound thats rather dreamy. Next is "Hole In The Ground" which starts with a sublime pounding intro before setlling down a bit. It was supposedly originally a demo but hasn't been heard before but more than stands up, helping to keep the album from drifing off in the middle. This is followed by the painstakingly beautiful "Shadow Man". Originally it was a demo from around 1971 and was a favourite of many. The rerecorded version was also released as a different mix in 2002 featuring Tony Visconti's string arrangment and never deserved to be a mere b-side. Instead it should be commended as one of Bowie's most beautiful recordings ever. The Toy version lacks these strings and has a different vocal mix but is still as fantastic, retaining some gorgeous piano from Mike Garson. Bowie's vocal performance is just to die for. Literally melts the soul. A stunning track and definately a highlight of the album.

"In The Heat Of The Morning" bears resemblance to its original but again is set to a slightly slower pace. It makes use of a harmonica rather fittingly and the guitar sound is more prominant, all of which are positives. "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving" is similar to "Baby Loves That Way" but with a quicker pace. It too was released as a b-side in 2002 in a slightly different mix. It has been said "Silly Boy Blue" was set to close the album and one can see why. It is a fitting closer, with its atmospheric feel that makes this a stately reworking of the best song from Bowie's debut album. It is probably the most heart touching track after "Shadow Man".

It too has been suggested that "Liza Jane" and "The London Boys" were intended as b-sides or bonus tracks of some sort. "Liza Jane" was Bowie's first ever proper record and this newer version is almost unrecognisably different. Set to a far slower pace, it has a rather 50's swing feel it could be said. "The London Boys" is just like a modernised verison of its original although it has a slightly brighter feel to it compared to the dark tone of the 60's version.

In all it has definately been worth the wait. Even though it is technically about 10 years old, the songs feel fresh and exciting as if they were recorded yesterday, making the album more than a sum of its parts. It has a life and energy of its own and gives it quite a different atmosphere from other Bowie albums. In a way Toy is reminiscent of Station To Station in its transitional feel. Just as Station To Station was the stepping stone from Young Americans to Low, Toy is the stepping stone from hours... to Heathen. Yes Toy is more of an album for Bowie fans, but it doesn't take away any of its charm. Its layed back and a whole load of fun with some tender moments thrown in. Bowie really sounds like he's enjoying himself too! Its just a travesty its never given the official release in so desperately needs and deserves! After 8 years of no new music, it almost feels as if Bowie has come out of his "retirement".