12" Black vinyl disc 180g WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH)

LIMITED 11-TRACK VINYL ALBUM RELEASED EXCLUSIVELY FOR RECORD STORE DAY 20th APRIL 2024

Parlophone Records is proud to announce the release of a very special David Bowie limited vinyl LP, WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH), on 20th April 2024 for Record Store Day.

The album is taken from the Trident Studios 1/4Ó stereo tapes dated 15 December 1971, which were created for the then-provisional tracklisting for what would become THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS album.

The tracklisting for WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH) differs from that of the ZIGGY STARDUST album and features four songs that didnÕt make the final album.

On Side 1, in the place of 'STARMAN', one of the last three tracks recorded for the album in February 1972, is 'ROUND AND ROUND', a Chuck Berry cover. The track was finally released on a single as the B-side to 'DRIVE-IN SATURDAY' on 6th April 1973. Initially, closing Side 1 of the album was Bowie's version of Jacques BrelÕs ÔAMSTERDAMÕ, which would later appear as the B-side of ÔSORROWÕ on 12th October 1973.

Side 2 of the 15th December 1971 tracklisting features two long-time non-LP fan favourites, 'HOLY HOLY' and 'VELVET GOLDMINE'. The former is a re-recording with The Spiders of DavidÕs 1971 single. Again, this track version had to wait several years before surfacing as the B-side of 'DIAMOND DOGS' on 14th June 1974.

ÔVELVET GOLDMINEÕ is considered by many to be a lost Ziggy era classic; one Bowie often referred to as ÔHeÕs A GoldmineÕ or ÔSheÕs A GoldmineÕ in his notebooks and interviews. The track was recorded during the Ziggy sessions. Still, it was not released until 26th September 1975, alongside ÔCHANGESÕ backing the re-released album version of ÔSPACE ODDITYÕ, which peaked at no. 1 in the U.K. singles chart in November 1975.

The cover of WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH) features a photo of David taken at an early Ziggy Stardust period session by Brian Ward, and the two sides of the inner bags are the fronts of the two Trident Studios tape boxes. The albumÕs title comes from the lyrics of ÔSTARMANÕ, which, along with 'ROCK 'N' ROLL SUICIDE' and 'SUFFRAGETTE CITY', had not yet been recorded when this variation of the album was compiled.

WAITING IN THE SKY (BEFORE THE STARMAN CAME TO EARTH) was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original Trident Studios master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. The half-speed vinyl cut was by engineer John Webber at AIR Studios, London.
12" Inner bag 4/0c CMYK,
12" Spined Sleeve 3mm spine 4/0c CMYK + PMS877, 350gsm
Vinyl Label Pair: 2 x PMS colour
Shrink wrap - standard sleeve
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