Reissues, remixes, remasters
Lodger was first released on compact disc by RCA in 1984.
In 1991 Rykdisc/EMI reissued the album with two bonus tracks: ‘I Pray, Olé’, a previously-unreleased recording said to date from 1979; and a newer version of ‘Look Back In Anger’, recorded in 1988.
Lodger was re-released once again by EMI in 1999, with 24-bit digitally remastered sound, but no bonus material.
The 2017 box set A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) contained two versions of Lodger – a remastered version of the 1977 release, and a more recent remix by Tony Visconti. The 2017 remaster was given a standalone release on CD, vinyl and digital download the following year.
A remix of Lodger had been discussed by Bowie and Visconti for many years, although work commitments hadn’t given them the opportunity to properly revisit the multitrack tapes. That changed ahead of the David Bowie Is exhibition, which opened in London in 2013 and contained a mashup of Bowie recordings created by Visconti.
The subject of remixing Lodger came up many times over the past decades, but we could never agree when to begin. We had very busy parallel lives and when we talked recording it was always about the next studio album. For the making of the 15-minute mash up used in the March 2013 Bowie Is… exhibition, I needed many multi-track masters of albums from the archives, including Lodger. We were also putting finishing touches on The Next Day. David left the making of the mash up to me. With both projects overlapping, the idea of remixing Lodger remained dormant.
A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982) book
Visconti created an initial remix during a break in the nine-month period in which he and Bowie worked on the Blackstar album. The recording of the album contained several breaks, too brief to allow Visconti to embark upon production work with another artist, so he turned instead to creating a remix of Lodger’s opening song ‘Fantastic Voyage’.
I decided to make a start with ‘Fantastic Voyage’, to plumb the sonic depths of what I had to work with. The separated tracks sounded very well recorded – the first time I’d heard them this way since we mixed in New York all those years ago. I was assured that if we mixed in a high end studio at the time Lodger could have sounded every bit as good as Scary Monsters. So I commenced on making a new aural landscape for ‘Fantastic Voyage’. I wouldn’t tell David until I had something impressive to play to him. If the difference was minimal then I wouldn’t waste his time. ‘Fantastic Voyage’ turned out really great, but I felt that three impressive remixes would stand a better chance of piquing David’s interest.
A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982) book
Visconti’s first task was working on Dennis Davis’s drum sound, which he felt had never been done justice in the original New York mixes.
David and I always strove for a great drum sound and the original Lodger mixes just never got there. I tackled the drums first. I noticed how the toms were always too quiet when Dennis Davis played a spectacular fill. You can hear them now – Scary Monsters level!I was able to pay more attention to David’s voice, to make it more present and inviting. I made better reverbs and echos, applying subtle alterations to different sections. I found some extra vocal parts we could have, should have added in the mixes long ago. I’ll leave it up to the listener to find them.
A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982) book
Bowie was initially unaware that Visconti was remixing Lodger. He was given a preview once the first five songs had been done, and immediately gave his blessing to continue. Sadly, he did not live to hear the final results.
By the time I had the first half of the album mixed, from ‘Fantastic Voyage’ to ‘Red Sails’ (I couldn’t stop after three), I felt it was time to play them to David. One day when he came to my studio to work on the Blackstar album, I told him I had a surprise for him. Would he like to hear something amazing? Well, of course he would say yes to that. I prefaced the playback with something he always said to me – I told him it was an experiment and if he didn’t think it could fly we’d drop it. That said, I pressed play. INSTANT JOY! David said he was thrilled and asked me to finish it in my own time. It was his idea to release both versions side by side. With more of Blackstar to work on, I left the final five mixes to much later.
A New Career In A New Town (1977–1982) book
The Lodger remix had a more detailed rendering of Brian Duffy’s Polaroid of Bowie on the cover, rotated so Bowie’s face was visible on the front. Derek Boshier’s lettering and the postcard design was mostly retained, although the “c/o R.C.A. Records” portion was omitted.
The inner gatefold featured another Duffy image of Bowie from the photo shoot, in place of the original collage. The remixed cover design was credited to Scott Minshall of the London-based creative agency GAS Associates.
How on earth could you record an album like Lodger and not find the time or proper studio to mix it the way you want it? Incredible! What’s more important than your album? It still came out great but one wonders if it would have sold more.
Thank you Joe for this site. I’ve read every word, went back to beginning and started again. I’ve read many books about Bowie and still learned so much more I didn’t know from your pages. Cheers!
Thank you! I’ve still got many more song features to write, and the history section is barely there, but over time I’ll be growing the site into hopefully something good. Glad you like it 🙂
I have a Lodger mystery. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
I was logging my vinyl on discogs and found i have a mystery: my Copy of Lodger has the serial number AYL1-4234 on both the sleeve and etched into the vinyl. That’s the 1981/2nd pressing. The sleeve also says “previously released as AQL1-3254.” That is the number for the first pressing, which was pressed in 1979.
Here’s the mystery: the only date printed on the vinyl is 1979. There is no date printed on sleeve. All evidence points towards this being a misprint but i can’t find any information on it. Does anyone know anything about this or how i can find out more?
Lodger is the most dramatic album since Ziggy, possibly his most dramatic.
It is to played from start to finish.
Close your eyes.
Hear the entertainment mogul/Duke flee Berlin for North Africa. Meet his would be Assassin. Meet the Duke in his new North African career. Hear the Duke look back on his life. Hear the Assassin kill the Duke for “Red Money”. See the crime scene on the Album cover art. Lodger is Bowie’s “Casablanca’.
With the “Duke” dead, Bowie moves to Scary Monsters, where he performs without character for the first time since “Man of Music” in 1969.
There’s a black and white movie called The Lodger about a hotel guest being Jack the Ripper, and this Lodger album cover seems to have what looks like a victim from a crime scene. Never read about anyone mentioning it, including Bowie, but seems like it’s inspired from it.