NewsDavid Bowie / new album Blackstar
David Bowie will release his 28th studio album ★ (pronounced ‘Blackstar’) at the beginning of next year.
More information is set to be revealed over the next few days, but at this stage all we really know is that this is a seven-track album and the title track, Blackstar, will feature on Sky Atlantic’s The Last Panthers (see the trailer below) which starts tonight!
★ will be issued on CD, vinyl and clear vinyl. There doesn’t appear to be any actual deluxe editions with extra tracks, although Bowie’s website is offering special bundles with the dreaded ‘lithograph’. Amazon has pre-orders for CD and vinyl although I can’t spot any clear vinyl, as yet.
While 2013’s The Next Day was announced on on 8 January (Bowie’s birthday), this time ★ will be released on that very day in 2016.
CD
- • UK Pre-order: Blackstar
- • USA Pre-order: Blackstar
- • CANADA Pre-order: Blackstar
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Blackstar
- • FRANCE Pre-order: Blackstar
- • ITALY Pre-order: Blackstar
Vinyl LP
- • UK Pre-order: Blackstar
- • USA Pre-order: Blackstar
- • CANADA Pre-order: Blackstar
- • GERMANY Pre-order: Blackstar
- • FRANCE Pre-order: Blackstar
- • ITALY Pre-order: Blackstar
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I’m very disappointed with Davidbowie.com. I too ordered the clear vinyl edition of Blackstar with the three lithographs. The limited edition lithographs arrived bent, creased and generally damaged and I too got the feeble excuse about delivery times. They didn’t wait a moment to take my £49.95 (including postage) in mid November. I’m not sure if it’s actually legal to take money for goods you cannot supply? They should at least have provided access to a download code for the delayed item. Very poor service indeed!!
My pre-order of clear vinyl didn’t arrive from Barnes and Nob;e direct.
Did anyone else use them or have issues?
They now advise it is out of stock but will be re-stocked!!! Obviously this is just customer service giving me the brush off but I am greatly disappointed especially as standard black vinyl seems to be rare also.
I think standard black vinyl is only rare at the moment because lots of vendors have sold out. I’m sure they’ll get more stock and it won’t be rare anymore!
How do I know what number out of the clear edition vinyl do I have ?
Thanks I’ll hang up and listen : )
RIP David and the many years of joyful moments listening to your creations.
I just got the new bowie black star. Does anyone know if there is a trick to reading the booklet? Do I need to use a magnifiing glass? Let me know if you have any ideas.
Thanx
J
Great cd by the way
Just listening for the 2nd time. All I can say so far is to me it’s much better than the overrated ‘Next Day’!
Just got mail from Bowie site saying Clear vinyl delivery will late as they have shipping problems, should have been in post by now, £45 not well spent.
Frustrated in Kent
Probably doesn’t matter at this late date. Sue & Pity She’s a Whore are different versions. I prefer the first version of Sue but like the new version of Whore. The first version of Whore sounded like a reject from Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music. RIP Lou. Sally can dance.
Oh, yeah…. Tin Machine rules! I’ve been listening to them a lot in the past year. Very underrated.
> David Bowie will release his 25th studio album
Not to be a nitpicker, but I think it is his 27th (whereas Bowie’s website claims it’s #28).
If you include Tin Machine (which we shouldn’t given the effort Bowie went to to say they were a ‘proper band’) then it’s 28. Without Tin Machine it’s 26. Either way I got it wrong :)
The “exclusive” clear vinyl version can be bought in every recordshop in Holland.
The management of Bowie has a strange sence of humor.
“exclusive clear vinyl” edition through http://www.jpc.de im Germany!
I’m in the US and the 3 lithograph bundles are all sold out, so does anybody know if there’s a chance of them restocking? The UK store still has the bundle available but I don’t want to pay more for it.
Are both tracks from the Sue 10″ on this album? Saw a reference to its b-side in a Rolling Stone feature.
Great track,can’t help thinking it would fit great on the ‘Outside’ album!!
[…] Read more about David Bowie’s Blackstar here. […]
sigh….no cd single for the track; boo hiss what about us oldies who collect physical releases?
They seem to have removed the litho bundles, they were there – http://davidbowie.parlophonestore.co.uk/uk/
The heading still says ‘Exclusive Lithos’, maybe they’ll be back on later?
I only bought the clear vinyl anyway as the lithographs would only stay in a drawer for the rest of time!
http://davidbowie.parlophonestore.co.uk/uk/blackstar/blackstar-clear-vinyl-lp-limited-edition.html
Link for UK / Europe clear vinyl
There are bundles with the lithographs there too.
Cheers Gavin for spotting that. My pre-order is already on the way.
Out of interest, will the clear vinyl pressing be a limited edition for the davidbowie.com website? I’ve been thinking of getting this and the three lithographics, but the import charges would make me consider waiting until Amazon has it.
Have no idea, but I doubt Amazon will get any… Also, what import charges? Surely this doesn’t all ship from the USA?
Sorry about that, I didn’t realise I had the US currency of the david bowie website on. Ordered the clear vinyl from them, and pre ordered the CD from amazon.co.uk.
Oh god just put myself through the full 10 minutes of the Blackstar video arghhh what a load of utter rubbish come on mate this is painful you sound painful singing this dirge…Bowie is up there with the likes of Kate Bush, Alannis Morrisette, Tori Amos and Prince who are ALL Grossly OVERRATED !!
Loved Blackstar. Listened to it without watching the video because I didn’t want the promo to distract from the music, which I fear is what happened to TheProgster above.
Blackstar is quite clearly two songs stuck together to get headlines about a ten minute long song, but that’s fine.
I’m a bit disappointed that Sue and ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Whore are on the new album. That means just five new songs.
Great song. The album could be something special.
Does “Images” count?
I love “Sue”. But I loved the b-side “‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore” even more. Like others, I was a bit worried about “Blackstar”, too, but having seen the video, I’m no longer concerned – it’s excellent.
The US release of The Man Who Sold the World (which preceded the UK release) didn’t feature Bowie on the cover
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/david_bowie/the_man_who_sold_the_world_f5.p/
I’d be very surprised if a Collectors/Deluxe edition of Bowie’s new album doesn’t hit the shelves before next Christmas.
Ah, yes… well done. I think we have a winner. That’s my favourite Man Who Sold The World cover.
Paul, I’m with you on Sue; I didn’t like it at all. However, all my fears seem to have been unnecessary. Just heard the full ten-minute version of Blackstar, and it’s quite fantastic. Haven’t got a clue what’s going on in the video, though!
BlackStar is fantastic easily the best thing he’s done in ages.
I don’t begrudge Bowie anything after all the enjoyment he’s given me over the years, but having three different CD versions of The Next Day did make me think that perhaps Imam’s dress fund needed a bit of a top-up.
Whereas I normally can’t wait to hear a new Bowie album, I am a bit worried about this one; I’m hoping it’s not too much like Jazz Club on The Fast Show. Nice.
Know what you mean. I’m a massive fan and have always enjoyed ‘experimental’ Bowie, but I thought that “Sue” track was massively overrated and completely out of place on that hits collection.
Ooh I so beg to differ….
I loved Sue and was/am really pleased that he is doing something different. I kind of liked Next Day but I’m glad he is not doing another straight-ahead rock/pop album.
Personally I’m really looking forward to this although I’m sure it is going to take a few listens to adapt…
It’s an extra 2 to 4 week wait for it to show up on my doorstep (in NZ) if I order the clear vinyl version. :(
All the formats, including the clear vinyl are available at the David Bowie store: http://store.davidbowie.com/blackstar.html
If this is the cover of the album then this is the first Bowie album without his image on it.
Incorrect. First edition of The Buddha Of Suburbia.
Nice call. The ‘cover’ of Lodger only really has his legs on it, despite how they changed it for CD etc.
The Buddha Of Suburbia was a soundtrack so not technically a Bowie album though as time goes on it has been accepted as one.
It’s not really a soundtrack. One song was used in the BBC TV series. It’s more ‘inspired by’. It may have been low key but don’t think fans thought of it as anything other than a Bowie album at the time…
While it’s not, sadly, really the type of material designed to have mass appeal, I think you’d also find that a fair number of hardcore fans – and also, the man himself – would tell you it’s probably one his finest works.
And for that matter – how is it not a “Bowie album”, soundtrack or not?
Labyrinth or Christiane F.? No. This? Emphatically, yes.
and ‘Tin Machine II’ :-)
(well, he was on the cover of the other two TM albums…)
Also do you think they are going to do the same thing they did with “The Next day” when they re-released a deluxe edition a year afterwards with all the extra tracks and the videos… Might wait on that one
I hope not (in that I purchased the three-extra-tracks single CD edition of The Next Day on the day it came out and was a bit miffed when the deluxe clamshell ‘two-cd-dvd-lyric book-notebook’ deluxe edition came out a year later), and, as is the case with many here I suspect (which is what the record companies know very well!) I hope so too (in that I really liked the deluxe edition and was really excited [and enjoyed] the extra tracks not on the 2013 editions and also having the videos on physical DVD). There is a Blackstar video release tonight (or tomorrow), so that’s one for the 2016 deluxe edition already!!!!
Could very well be the case with a release date in January.
Wouldn’t be too surprised if some kind of deluxe edition will be out for the x-mas season 2016…
From davidbowie.com: Limited edition clear vinyl LP exclusively at Barnes&Noble: http://smarturl.it/blackstar_clearvinyl
I’m assuming then that amazon will not be selling the clear vinyl but you can probably get it either at barnes & Noble or on the davidbowie.com website
Hi Bassel,
The official David Bowie store is now showing the Clear Vinyl copies in there now (it wasn’t earlier)
Still can’t see it on Barnes and Noble
Hopefully clear vinyl version becomes available to the EU zone too. Bowie’s official site and Barnes and Nobles are shipping from the US only and dollars only of course. That means atleast a quarter of more expenses added the the vinyl and shipping price, because of the union import tax and exchanges rate too.