''Sound + Vision'' is the first

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

by English musician

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, released by

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record la ...

in 1989. By the end of the 1980s, the rights to Bowie's pre-1983 catalogue (originally issued by

Phillips Phillips may refer to: Businesses Energy * Chevron Phillips Chemical, American petrochemical firm jointly owned by Chevron Corporation and Phillips 66. * ConocoPhillips, American energy company * Phillips 66, American energy company * Phil ...

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

and

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

) reverted to Bowie and his former management company, MainMan. Rykodisc had approached Bowie in 1988 to re-release his albums on CD and Bowie agreed, and in September 1989 the ''Sound + Vision'' box set was released. By April 1990, the box set had sold over 200,000 copies, which, for a set costing $50–$60 (or about $ today), was considered "phenomenal"."Bowie, Rebel in Repose" by Edna Gundersen, ''USA Today'', 27 April 1990, Section D pp 1 & 2

Set contents

''Sound + Vision'' was originally conceived in January 1988 as a career retrospective, modeled on

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's '' Biograph'' and Eric Clapton's '' Crossroads'', that launched the then-upcoming Rykodisc CD reissue campaign covering Bowie's output from 1969 to 1980. Primarily based on the Serious Moonlight Tour setlist, it 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 "rarities" originally included on the 1989 edition of ''Sound + Vision''—rare single versions of " Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" and "Rebel Rebel", and previously unreleased studio outtakes "London Bye Ta-Ta", "1984/Dodo", "After Today" and "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"—were exclusive to this box set.

Awards and reception

The set won the 1990

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for Best Album Package. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' said the boxset "stood above the rest f the 1989 boxset releases and called the release a "promising harbinger" for the then-upcoming re-release of Bowie's RCA back catalogue on CD by Rykodisc,"CD News" by Pete Howard, ''Rolling Stone'', 14–28 December 1989, page 216 for which Bowie launched a worldwide supporting tour."Watch that Man" by Tina Clarke, ''Music Express'', March 1990, page 9

Release versions

It exists in two primary editions, each of which has been released in an original version and a subsequent repackaged version: # The original 1989 Rykodisc edition, in an LP-size box designed by Roger Gorman and featuring photography by

Greg Gorman Greg Gorman (born 1949) is an American portrait photographer of Hollywood celebrities. His work has been seen in national magazine features and covers, including ''Esquire'', '' GQ'', ''Interview'', ''Life'', '' Vogue'', ''Newsweek'', ''Rolling St ...

, was either in LP, audiocassette or CD format, as six LPs, three cassettes or three CDs and one CD-Video (a Laserdisc type disc that was retired in 1991), with the latter containing three audio live tracks and the music video of " Ashes to Ashes". There was also a numbered limited edition of 350 in a solid beech wood case with a certificate personally signed by Bowie. Content from this release included material from Bowie's catalogue through 1980 (including several live performances from the 1970s). A second Rykodisc version of this edition, released in 1994 on CD, replaced the CD-Video with a regular CD-ROM, and a further reissue in 1995 omitted the video disc entirely and was packaged in a smaller slipcase. The contents of these releases are otherwise identical to the original release. # A new edition of the album, issued by Virgin/EMI in 2003, added Bowie studio material released from 1982–1993 (plus live tracks from 1983 and 1997), and replaced some of the tracks from the original set with alternate versions. This version contains more tracks on each CD than the original release, and does not include the CD-Video/CD-ROM tracks from the original release. This edition was re-released on CD, in a smaller slipcase, under the

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

imprint in 2014.

Track listing

1989 issue

2003 reissue (CD: EMI / 5945112)

All songs written by

except where noted. Songs that are different from the original ''Sound + Vision'' box set or new to this release of the box set are as indicated with *.

Charts

Album

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sound and Vision Albums produced by David Bowie Albums produced by Ken Scott Albums produced by Tony Visconti Albums produced by Hugh Padgham David Bowie compilation albums David Bowie video albums 1989 compilation albums 1989 video albums 1989 live albums Live video albums EMI Records compilation albums Rykodisc compilation albums Virgin Records compilation albums EMI Records live albums Rykodisc live albums Virgin Records live albums EMI Records video albums Rykodisc video albums Virgin Records video albums