Today marks what would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday. The glam rock icon shed his incomparable mortal coil and departed the earthly plane on January 10, 2016, just two days after he turned 69 (nice?). Although his energy dissipated and returned to the ether from whence it came, David Bowie is releasing new-ish music this year in the form of the upcoming six-track EP Is It Any Wonder, the title of which is taken, of course, from “Fame.” A track from the forthcoming album will be released each week, starting today with a previously unreleased recording of “The Man Who Sold The World.” This version was recorded in 1996 as part of the ChangesNowBowie session, which aired on the BBC in 1997 to celebrate Bowie’s 50th birthday. The version is largely acoustic, with what sounds like a sitar playing the familiar opening chords, which recur throughout:
According to Rolling Stone, this iteration of “The Man Who Sold The World” is featured on both the new Is It Any Wonder EP, as well as an upcoming release of the full ChangesNowBowie sessions, which is comprised of nine tracks in total. The late, great Bowie recorded both sessions in New York City in preparation for his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden.