David Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’ 50th Anniversary Picture Disc Out Soon
David Bowie’s Hunky Dory will be reissued as a picture disc next month to mark its 50th anniversary, Parlophone Records announced.
Issued on Dec. 17, 1971, Bowie's fourth studio project included “Changes,” “Oh! You Pretty Things” and “Life on Mars?” Hunky Dory also marked the first time he recorded with guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Woody Woodmansey.
The anniversary picture disc will arrive on Jan. 7, the day before what would have been Bowie’s 75th birthday. Parlophone has also released an alternative mix of “Changes.” The track, created by co-producer Ken Scott from the original master tapes, can be heard below.
“The new version … is a fresh look at David’s classic,” Scott said in a statement. “When listening to the original multi-track, I discovered a few things that I had eliminated from the original mix and also a completely different sax solo at the end. It was those things that led me to try a new mix, trying for a slightly harder, more contemporary edge to it.”
The Hunky Dory picture disc contains the 2015 vinyl remaster, and comes with a poster featuring the annotated back cover image of the album.
“Although now widely acknowledged as one of the best albums of all time, Hunky Dory didn’t make a dent on the U.K. album charts upon its 1971 release,” Parlophone notes in a news release. “It wasn't until August 1973 that it finally peaked in the U.K. top 5 in the wake of a reissue of ‘Life on Mars?’ following the 1972 release of Bowie’s breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
“Despite being one of David’s most recognizable songs, ‘Changes’ was never a top 40 hit in the U.K., although it did peak at 41 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1975," the label said. "It has long since stood alongside ‘Life on Mars?’ as one of the several beloved Bowie classics featured on Hunky Dory.”
Listen to David Bowie's 'Changes (2021 Alternative Mix)'