Story summary
Alec Palao, a music historian and archivist, discovered five unreleased songs by young David Bowie under his birth name, Davie Jones, while browsing through old records. These tracks were initially found in 2013 and are now part of a collection along with an additional five unreleased songs that became available to buy and stream starting from Friday. Palao described these recordings as "the most visceral, raw you'll ever hear" from Bowie.
David Bowie entered the mainstream music scene in 1969 with his single "Space Oddity," achieving eleven number one albums throughout his career. Despite his death in 2016, Bowie remains one of Britain's most recognizable cultural icons. The release of these previously unheard tracks offers a glimpse into London's musical life in the mid-1960s and showcases the early stages of Bowie's legendary career. In fact, according to Music Week, Bowie was named the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century ahead of The Beatles in 2022, highlighting his enduring influence on the music industry.
Written for “David Bowie Streaming_release” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Ten years ago Alec Palao was casually flicking through a collection of old records when he noticed some faint pencil markings that were enough to draw a gasp.
asserted
that → publish → gasp
"Davie Jones," it read.
asserted
it → read → ?
What he had found was musical gold: five unreleased songs by a young David Bowie, filed away under his birth name.
asserted
found → find → name
From Friday, those tracks, plus another five unreleased songs that came Palao's way after the initial discovery, will be available to buy and stream.
asserted
that → come → discovery
"They are probably the most visceral, raw you'll ever hear the man," said Palao, a music historian and archivist.
asserted
Palao → hear → man
He entered the mainstream with his 1969 single, Space Oddity, and went on to achieve 11 number one albums.
asserted
He → enter → albums
He died in 2016, but remains one of Britain's most recognisable cultural icons.
asserted
He → die → icons
Six of the previously unreleased tracks from the new collection will be available on vinyl, tapping into Bowie's popularity in that format specifically.
asserted
Six → tap → format
In 2022, Bowie was named the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century by Music Week, ahead of The Beatles.
asserted
Bowie → name → Beatles
"It's just a fascinating window into London in 1965 and its possibilities," said Palao.
asserted
Palao → say → 1965
In the early sixties, Bowie was a teenager, performing as Davie Jones at London clubs and dreaming of stardom.
asserted
Bowie → perform → stardom
Many of the tracks he recorded in that period are either little known or lost to time.
asserted
he → record → time
But his first professional producer, Shel Talmy, had kept a recording from 1965 among his collection of material by other artists he had worked with: The Kinks; The Who; Manfred Mann; The Easybeats.
asserted
he → keep → artists
It was within Talmy's collection that Palao came across the valuable 12-inch acetate.
asserted
Palao → come → acetate
That material and the five other previously unheard tunes, as well as demos and remastered songs, form part of a new, posthumous album called The Shel Talmy Recordings.
asserted
material → remastere → album
A limited edition vinyl will be sold at Record Store Day and HMV outlets.
asserted
vinyl → sell → Day
In 2022, David Bowie's estate sold the publishing rights to decades of the singer's work to Warner Music Group.
asserted
estate → sell → Group
For this new material, Palao, along with Talmy Enterprises Incorporated, licensed the album to Warner, and it will be released by the company's subsidiary, Parlophone.
asserted
it → license → subsidiary
Royalties will be paid to Bowie's estate by Warner.
asserted
Royalties → pay → Warner
experimenting
"I think it's wonderful that people can get to hear the early Davie Jones music," said Dana Gillespie, an early collaborator of Bowie's.
asserted
Gillespie → think → Bowie
She met him after a performance at the Marquee Club in London when Bowie was 17.
asserted
Bowie → meet → London
"They're songs that don't really sound like David but it's him trying to find his voice.
asserted
him → sound → voice
He was experimenting."
asserted
He → experiment → ?
Gillespie became close friends with Bowie, eventually working with him on his "Ziggy Stardust" album.
asserted
Gillespie → become → album
Talmy worked with both artists and Bowie's song "Andy Warhol", on his fourth studio album, was originally written for Gillespie.
asserted
song → work → Gillespie
"He was very driven," remembered Gillespie, who is still touring and making music at the age of 77.
asserted
who → drive → 77
"Some time in the sixties, he asked me to come and visit his parents.
asserted
he → ask → parents
We were in his little house in Bromley, and when his parents left the room he turned to me and said: 'Whatever it takes, I want to get out of here.'
asserted
I → leave → Whatever
And he did," she said.
asserted
she → do → ?
It is a decade since Palao found the recordings.
asserted
Palao → find → recordings
Since then, it has been a long process to bring them to market.
asserted
it → bring → market
The result is an album that he says is "absolutely pure rock 'n' roll".
asserted
he → say → ?
"If you're looking for clues as to what he was to become, there's maybe less of that," said Palao, "but objectively speaking, I feel it's important stuff.
asserted
it → look → that
Gillespie is excited by one song in particular.
asserted
Gillespie → excite → song
"There was a famous café called the Gioconda in Denmark Street where I often used to go with David," she said, recalling the centre of musical life in London in the 1960s.
"One day when I was sitting there, David rushed in and took me by the hand.
asserted
David → be → hand
He said: 'You have to hear this'.
"
asserted
You → say → this
He ran with me around the corner and squeezed us into a small listening booth.
asserted
He → run → booth
I had one speaker and he had the other, and he played me 'I Pity The Fool'."
asserted
I → have → Fool
A remastered version of the song can be heard in the new album.
asserted
version → remastere → album
For music historians, fans of Bowie, and those who were there, the new album is another chance to reconnect with an enduring cultural icon.
asserted
album → reconnect → icon
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
