A sequel to the 2015 box Five Years 1969-1973, 2016's Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) covers just three years but this stretch in the mid-'70s happens to be the peak of David Bowie's superstardom. That much can be gleaned from the number of albums within the set: three studio albums -- Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Station to Station, each released in a subsequent year -- along with the double live album David Live from 1974. Four albums in three years is plenty but to that core canon Who Can I Be Now? adds five additional alternate albums, each with varying degrees of rarities.
There are full latter-day remixes of David Live and Station to Station -- the former from 2005, the latter from 2010 -- the concert album Live Nassau Coliseum '76, which was added to the super deluxe 2010 reissue of Station to Station, a bonus disc of single edits and stray songs entitled Re:Call, plus an early version of Young Americans called The Gouster. The latter seems to bend the rules of this extensive Bowie catalog reissue project, which is to preserve the officially released canon and keep unreleased tracks -- whether they surfaced on the '90s Rykodisc reissues or remain unheard -- locked up in the vaults. The Gouster contains "Who Can I Be Now?" and "It's Gonna Be Me," both originally released on the 1990 Ryko edition of Young Americans, along with alternate versions of "Can You Hear Me?" and "Right," plus the disco version of "John, I'm Only Dancing," but otherwise it plays like Young Americans, only not quite as good. Furthermore, its presence calls into question why the unreleased outtake "Shilling the Rubes" is left behind alongside the "Dodo" that showed up on the Ryko CD of Diamond Dogs: if the door is opened for some outtakes, it's hard not to miss those that are absent. Still, this is quibbling. The Who Can I Be Now? box set remains as beautifully produced as Five Years, and a deep dive into its contents produces many rewards. Perhaps the alternate album mixes are only slightly different, but it's hard not to be impressed by the rapid development of Bowie's music during these three years. The distance between Diamond Dogs and Station to Station is vast, and the addition of the live albums accentuates how deeply he cared for strong, deeply etched funk to offset his art. Listening to all this music in a concentrated blast, such progression is a wonder to behold.
CD 1 - Diamond Dogs
01. Future Legend (2016 Remastered Version) (1:00)
02. Diamond Dogs (2016 Remastered Version) (6:04)
03. Sweet Thing (2016 Remastered Version) (3:39)
04. Candidate (2016 Remastered Version) (2:41)
05. Sweet Thing (Reprise) [2016 Remastered Version] (2:33)
06. Rebel Rebel (2016 Remastered Version) (4:35)
07. Rock 'N' Roll with Me (2016 Remastered Version) (4:03)
08. We Are the Dead (2016 Remastered Version) (5:02)
09. 1984 (2016 Remastered Version) (3:27)
10. Big Brother (2016 Remastered Version) (3:23)
11. Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family (2016 Remastered Version) (2:06)
CD 2 + 3 - David Live (Original)
01. 1984 (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:22)
02. Rebel Rebel (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (2:40)
03. Moonage Daydream (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (5:08)
04. Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (8:34)
05. Changes (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:34)
06. Suffragette City (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:41)
07. Aladdin Sane (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (5:01)
08. All the Young Dudes (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (4:18)
09. Cracked Actor (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:26)
10. Rock 'N' Roll with Me (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (4:17)
11. Watch That Man (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (5:05)
12. Knock on Wood (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:20)
13. Diamond Dogs (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (6:30)
14. Big Brother (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (4:08)
15. The Width of a Circle (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (8:12)
16. The Jean Genie (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (5:17)
17. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (4:48)
CD 4 + 5 - David Live (2005 Mix)
01. 1984 (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:22)
02. Rebel Rebel (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (2:41)
03. Moonage Daydream (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:08)
04. Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (8:36)
05. Changes (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:36)
06. Suffragette City (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:43)
07. Aladdin Sane (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:02)
08. All the Young Dudes (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (4:15)
09. Cracked Actor (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:26)
10. Rock 'N' Roll with Me (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (4:16)
11. Watch That Man (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:06)
12. Knock on Wood (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:25)
13. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:48)
14. Space Oddity (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (6:26)
15. Diamond Dogs (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (6:27)
16. Panic in Detroit (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:40)
17. Big Brother (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (4:11)
18. Time (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:23)
19. The Width of a Circle (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (8:11)
20. The Jean Genie (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (5:19)
21. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (Live) [2005 Mix] [2016 Remastered Version] (4:47)
CD 6 - The Gouster
01. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) [2016 Remastered Version] (7:02)
02. Somebody Up There Likes Me (Alternative Gouster Mix) (6:33)
03. It's Gonna Be Me (Without Strings) [2016 Remastered Version] (6:30)
04. Who Can I Be Now? (2016 Remastered Version) (4:42)
05. Can You Hear Me (Alternative Gouster Version) (5:24)
06. Young Americans (2016 Remastered Version) (5:17)
07. Right (Alternative Gouster Mix) (4:40)
CD 7 - Young Americans
01. Young Americans (2016 Remastered Version) (5:14)
02. Win (2016 Remastered Version) (4:48)
03. Fascination (2016 Remastered Version) (5:48)
04. Right (2016 Remastered Version) (4:23)
05. Somebody Up There Likes Me (2016 Remastered Version) (6:36)
06. Across the Universe (2016 Remastered Version) (4:34)
07. Can You Hear Me (2016 Remastered Version) (5:09)
08. Fame (2016 Remastered Version) (4:21)
CD 8 - Station To Station
01. Station to Station (2016 Remastered Version) (10:18)
02. Golden Years (2016 Remastered Version) (4:03)
03. Word on a Wing (2016 Remastered Version) (6:05)
04. TVC15 (2016 Remastered Version) (5:35)
05. Stay (2016 Remastered Version) (6:17)
06. Wild Is the Wind (2016 Remastered Version) (6:06)
CD 9 - Station To Station (Harry Maslin 2010 Mix)
01. Station to Station (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (10:19)
02. Golden Years (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (4:03)
03. Word on a Wing (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (5:56)
04. TVC15 (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (5:33)
05. Stay (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (6:15)
06. Wild Is the Wind (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (6:07)
CD 10 + 11 - Live Nassau Coliseum '76
01. Station to Station (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (11:53)
02. Suffragette City (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (3:31)
03. Fame (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (4:02)
04. Word on a Wing (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (6:06)
05. Stay (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (7:25)
06. Waiting for the Man (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (6:20)
07. Queen Bitch (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (3:12)
08. Life on Mars? (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (2:13)
09. Five Years (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (5:04)
10. Panic in Detroit (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (6:02)
11. Changes (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (4:11)
12. TVC15 (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (4:58)
13. Diamond Dogs (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (6:38)
14. Rebel Rebel (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (4:06)
15. The Jean Genie (Live Nassau Coliseum '76) (7:26)
CD 12 - Re:Call 2
01. Rebel Rebel (Single Mix) [2014 Remastered Version] (4:23)
02. Diamond Dogs (Australian Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:01)
03. Rebel Rebel (US Single Version) [2014 Remastered Version] (3:01)
04. Rock 'N' Roll with Me (Live) [Promotional Single Edit] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:30)
05. Panic in Detroit (Live) [2016 Remastered Version] (5:49)
06. Young Americans (Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:17)
07. Fame (Single Edit) [2015 Remastered Version] (3:34)
08. Golden Years (Single Version) [2014 Remastered Version] (3:29)
09. Station to Station (Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:41)
10. TVC15 (Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:36)
11. Stay (Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:23)
12. Word on a Wing (Single Edit) [2016 Remastered Version] (3:14)
13. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) [1975 Single Version] [2016 Remastered Version] (3:27)
