Maps of Music

Toy (2011)

Where the lyrics of Toy take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded in 2000 by Bowie's touring band, Toy was shelved by its label and was not officially released until 2021.

Key places

Overdubs begin at Looking Glass (2011)

Recording site Looking Glass Studios — Overdubs for the album commenced at this New York studio in October 2000. Lisa Germano, Gerry Leonard and Cuong Vu were among the musicians brought in for the overdub work. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Rehearsals at Sear Sound (2011)

Recording site Sear Sound Studios — The band rehearsed the songs at this New York studio before recording them as live tracks. The rehearsals came before the live-track sessions that formed the basis of the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Toy: studio album by David Bowie, released posthumously
• Recorded July to October 2000 in New York City
• Re-recordings of songs Bowie recorded between 1964 and 1971, plus a couple of new tracks
• Co-produced by Bowie and Mark Plati
• Official release 26 November 2021 as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001), via ISO and Parlophone
• Standalone CD and LP releases on 5 August 2022

Background

• The working title Toy came from a lyric in two songs recorded
• Bowie wanted to rehearse, record live and release the songs as quickly as possible
• The plan predated the idea of the surprise album
• Intended for March 2001 release, but shelved by EMI/Virgin
• Bowie left the label and began work on Heathen (2002)
• Various Toy tracks appeared as B-sides and bonus tracks in 2002 and 2003
• Different mixes leaked online in March 2011, attracting media attention

Recording

• Lineup from Bowie's touring band: Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey, Mike Garson, Mark Plati and Sterling Campbell
• Overdubs from Lisa Germano, Gerry Leonard and Cuong Vu
• Band rehearsed at Sear Sound Studios before recording the songs live
• Pete Keppler engineered the sessions
• Tony Visconti provided string arrangements on two tracks
• Recording paused for two months in August for the birth of Bowie and Iman's daughter Alexandria
• Overdubs commenced at Looking Glass Studios in October
• Mixing began at the end of October, with Bowie predicting a March 2001 release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London.
• Studied art, music and design; took up saxophone in 1961.
• Adopted the stage name David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.

Career

• Breakthrough with "Space Oddity" in 1969, reaching the UK top five.
• Glam rock success in 1972 with the Ziggy Stardust persona and album.
• Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", Lodger) with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti in the late 1970s.
• Greatest commercial success with Let's Dance in 1983.
• Fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine from 1988 to 1992 before resuming a solo career.
• Final studio album Blackstar was released two days before his death in 2016.

Legacy

• Sold over 100 million records worldwide.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The 2021 release received positive reviews from music critics
• The Guardian: Alexis Petridis highlighted Shadow Man as a standout and called the album an enjoyable curiosity rather than a major release
• The Independent: Helen Brown praised Bowie's vocal performance and the band's playing, highlighting the new versions of Shadow Man and Conversation Piece
• Pitchfork: Sean T. Collins praised the band's performance and wrote that the intimate setting suited the session players better than festival sprawl
• Evening Standard: David Smyth was positive and highlighted the remade tracks as material long overdue for an official release
• Rolling Stone: Brenna Ehrlich called it a completely serviceable album that lacks surprises and is far from transcendent, noting Bowie's vocal performance as the standout

Reappraisal

• Tony Visconti, who called it Bowie's ghost album, welcomed its official release
• Visconti told Uncut magazine that he believed the album contained some of Bowie's finest work

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Bowie wanted the songs out quickly, a plan that predated the idea of the surprise album
• Plati said the aim was to keep the sessions loose and fast, and cut 13 basic tracks in around nine days
• Earl Slick said he refused to listen to Bowie's original recordings so they would not shape his new playing
• Recording paused for two months in August 2000 after the birth of Bowie and Iman's daughter Alexandria
• Lisa Germano was hired at Plati's suggestion after he saw her perform with the band Eels in New York

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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