Back in November 1985 David Bowie’s record company, EMI, had planned to release a compilation album featuring dance remixes from a couple of Bowie’s recent albums. The name of the album was imaginatively titled Dance [EMI ST-17175]. Each track on the proposed release was to receive additional production and mixing by Rusty Garner and Paul Sabu. The track listing was as follows:
Loving The Alien
Let’s Dance
Shake It
Blue Jean
China Girl
Dancing With The Big Boys
Modern Love
However, the album was withdrawn from EMI’s release schedule and it did not come to pass. No vinyl or CDs were pressed. A number of printer proofs for the sleeve were created. One of these was recently auctioned on eBay. Before all the sleeves for the album were destroyed a few were salvaged and others were used as packaging material for other albums as delivered to retail outlets. These were subsequently passed on to fans.
The sleeve artwork is not that brilliant and it seems that EMI was attempting to recapture the hype that surrounded Bowie in 1983 at the time of his hit album Let’s Dance and the Serious Moonlight Tour. Download a high resolution image of the sleeve.
Links:
BowieNet
Illustrated David Bowie discography
Bassman’s Bowie Page
Mar 11, 2010 @ 23:39:11
Hi, I’ve linked your interesting comment to the discogs page of the cd: http://www.discogs.com/David-Bowie-Dance/release/1958129
Mar 12, 2010 @ 06:26:47
Thanks very much. An excellent printer proof of the artwork was auctioned on eBay recently.
Cheers, John.
Oct 21, 2018 @ 22:19:32
Hi John,
Nice post re Bowie.
A version of Dance has been included in the new Loving The Alien box. Sounds great – although it should have been a double CD. What do you think?
May 22, 2019 @ 05:49:32
Album is now streaming on Spotify!
May 29, 2019 @ 06:58:01
Yes indeed, however the tracks for this issue are not the same as the original. ^_^