Sound + Vision is the first box set by English musician David Bowie, released by Rykodisc in 1989. By the end of the 1980s, the rights to Bowie's pre-1983 catalogue (originally issued by Phillips/Mercury Records and RCA Records) 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 $0 today), was considered "phenomenal".

Set contents

Sound + Vision was originally conceived in January 1988 as a career retrospective, modeled on Bob Dylan'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 for Best Album Package. Rolling Stone said the boxset "stood above the rest [of 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, for which Bowie launched a worldwide supporting tour.

Release versions

It exists in two primary editions, each of which has been released in an original version and a subsequent repackaged version:

Track listing

1989 issue

2003 reissue (CD: EMI / 5945112)

All songs written by David Bowie 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