Two cover songs recorded by David Bowie have been released on what would have been his 74th birthday.

You can listen to his versions of John Lennon's "Mother" and Bob Dylan's "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" below. The songs will be released as a 7" single limited to just 8,147 copies.

According to NME, the songs were recorded in 1998. "Mother," which was produced by longtime collaborator Tony Visconti, was intended for a Lennon tribute album that was ultimately scrapped. Bowie recorded "Tryin' to Get to Heaven," which Dylan released on Time Out of Mind, while working on LiveAndWell.com, a limited-edition live album made for subscribers to his website.

In other Bowie news, his influence on R&B, jazz and gospel will be the focus of an upcoming tribute record. Modern Love, due on May 28, features interpretations of Bowie's songs by Meshell Ndegeocello ("Fantastic Voyage"), Jeff Parker and the New Breed ("Soul Love") and We Are King, whose take on "Space Oddity" you can hear below.

“I felt that the connection between Bowie and R&B, jazz, funk, gospel and all things soulful had never really been explored before,” Drew McFadden, who curated the record, said in a press release. “At least not so much in covers, which tend to lean more towards rock and pop. Certainly, there’s been plenty of Bowie covers over the years, but none that have really tapped into what seems to have been a big part of his core musical style and direction.”

Listen to David Bowie's Bob Dylan and John Lennon Covers

Listen to We Are King's Cover of 'Space Oddity'

 

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