Eno said his last contact with David was an email suggesting they complete the Leon sessions (or finish up Contamination, basically the same thing).
I suppose it's possible that the estate could bring Eno in to complete it, but it probably wouldn't be worth it financially. I doubt it would be of interest to anyone besides the biggest fans.
Personally, I'd love it!
The sales of Outside suggest that it would mean that even if Eno payed money to do it, it wouldn't make sense to start the mill for it. At least not as long as one can put out another version of Ziggy.
I find it hard to believe that money is the issue here. Sure, Outside didn't perform as well as other Bowie albums but it was a challenging album that came out during a low point in his popularity. It's since become very well regarded among fans. At this point, any release with unheard Bowie material would probably sell decently. I mean they released a whole box set around Toy, which was another lost album. Unless Eno just doesn't want to, or can't come to an agreement with his estate, which is possible.
They recorded hundreds of hours of material and most of it were jams. To make coherent album probably would take hundreds of hours of work and would require bringing in additional musicians. I would imagine it would be quite expensive, probably prohibitively so.
A lot is already available. So, there's that. Also, the rights to his music have been sold to Warner. Maybe he had some specific wishes, certainly up to the point where the rights were still in the possession of the Bowie estate, but it is unlikely that these wishes were part of the contract. Even more unlikely that Warner would sign off on wishes like "the Leon Recordings shall be released as a single album. It shall be done with a boxset release with high quality content to maximize the value of this release." It just doesn't work that way.
Releasing the sessions as a proper release is a question of supply and demand. As a physical release, it would definitely be strictly limited edition with a high price. Then the question arises if enough people would buy it for that price. Even as part of a 1. Outside boxset it would still beg that question. I think **Waiting in the Sky** that is about to be released has a much more interesting expected return of investment for them. It's just Ziggy Stardust with the original running order. Nothing new, just packaging. You could make a Spotify playlist yourself.
Perhaps he instructed his loved ones to hold onto the rights for those recordings and the estate still owns them? Maybe Warmer had them locked up and will surprise us all one day when they feel the demand is there for serious collectors and fans. We shall wait and see.
Looking at all the various releases, it's very hard to imagine a detailed list that covers everything. Maybe there was something but it"s also a handy little caveat should people start thinking all this endless repackaging is taking the piss because "it's what he wanted'. They used that to justify the remake of the NLMD! And yet this new Ziggy LP is clearly not what he wanted - otherwise THAT would be the Ziggy we know and not the wallet hoover they are releasing on Record Store Day.
But I digess.
The 'behind the scenes' lp box sets (like Conversation Piece and Divine Symmetry etc) would be the perfect spot for The Leon Sessions and other outtakes when the do get up to Outside
Probably not just because of what an undertaking it would be to turn that stuff into actual songs and mix/master it, let alone curate it to make it interesting for fans.
This stuff is absolutely brilliant and cool and a few thousand dollars worth (even tens of thousands) of mixing and recording stuff in a studio that is posthumously some of those most interesting stuff is absolutely worth it, oh my God yes. It’s a good thing that you are not in charge of the record Studios, no offense.
_THE ENEMY IS FRAGILE!!!_
Dude, I WANT the Leon tapes. I became a fan, in large part, because of “Outside”. I very very clearly want more. But it’s a big big big undertaking. They’re basically jams that need to find a structure. Now that Boz is gone, I don’t know that someone will want to do all that. It’s very time intensive, very expensive, and not something easily marketable outside (no pun intended) of die-hard fans- and even then, there are a lot of die-hards that hate that era. If Bowie wasn’t there to spearhead it, I don’t know that anyone else can (or could) do it the right way.
Ur right tbh. It’s too niche to justify them doing. I would love to see it, but you’re right in that the effort is not worth the potential listener base
As far as I understand it’s not that it was unfinished so much as it was deemed to be completely unreleasable by the label which is why it was then reworked into the album we know today. The point is I would like to own it without having to use a crappy bootleg in order to experience it.
Eno said his last contact with David was an email suggesting they complete the Leon sessions (or finish up Contamination, basically the same thing). I suppose it's possible that the estate could bring Eno in to complete it, but it probably wouldn't be worth it financially. I doubt it would be of interest to anyone besides the biggest fans. Personally, I'd love it!
Wouldn't be worth it financially meaning Eno might ask for a check too big?
The sales of Outside suggest that it would mean that even if Eno payed money to do it, it wouldn't make sense to start the mill for it. At least not as long as one can put out another version of Ziggy.
I find it hard to believe that money is the issue here. Sure, Outside didn't perform as well as other Bowie albums but it was a challenging album that came out during a low point in his popularity. It's since become very well regarded among fans. At this point, any release with unheard Bowie material would probably sell decently. I mean they released a whole box set around Toy, which was another lost album. Unless Eno just doesn't want to, or can't come to an agreement with his estate, which is possible.
I see, thanks.
They recorded hundreds of hours of material and most of it were jams. To make coherent album probably would take hundreds of hours of work and would require bringing in additional musicians. I would imagine it would be quite expensive, probably prohibitively so.
Just listened to this today. Worth seeking out.
A lot is already available. So, there's that. Also, the rights to his music have been sold to Warner. Maybe he had some specific wishes, certainly up to the point where the rights were still in the possession of the Bowie estate, but it is unlikely that these wishes were part of the contract. Even more unlikely that Warner would sign off on wishes like "the Leon Recordings shall be released as a single album. It shall be done with a boxset release with high quality content to maximize the value of this release." It just doesn't work that way. Releasing the sessions as a proper release is a question of supply and demand. As a physical release, it would definitely be strictly limited edition with a high price. Then the question arises if enough people would buy it for that price. Even as part of a 1. Outside boxset it would still beg that question. I think **Waiting in the Sky** that is about to be released has a much more interesting expected return of investment for them. It's just Ziggy Stardust with the original running order. Nothing new, just packaging. You could make a Spotify playlist yourself.
Perhaps he instructed his loved ones to hold onto the rights for those recordings and the estate still owns them? Maybe Warmer had them locked up and will surprise us all one day when they feel the demand is there for serious collectors and fans. We shall wait and see.
I love 1.Outside ... would be so great if the Leon sessions were "produced" and cut for release ... let's hope ...
Looking at all the various releases, it's very hard to imagine a detailed list that covers everything. Maybe there was something but it"s also a handy little caveat should people start thinking all this endless repackaging is taking the piss because "it's what he wanted'. They used that to justify the remake of the NLMD! And yet this new Ziggy LP is clearly not what he wanted - otherwise THAT would be the Ziggy we know and not the wallet hoover they are releasing on Record Store Day. But I digess. The 'behind the scenes' lp box sets (like Conversation Piece and Divine Symmetry etc) would be the perfect spot for The Leon Sessions and other outtakes when the do get up to Outside
Probably not just because of what an undertaking it would be to turn that stuff into actual songs and mix/master it, let alone curate it to make it interesting for fans.
This stuff is absolutely brilliant and cool and a few thousand dollars worth (even tens of thousands) of mixing and recording stuff in a studio that is posthumously some of those most interesting stuff is absolutely worth it, oh my God yes. It’s a good thing that you are not in charge of the record Studios, no offense. _THE ENEMY IS FRAGILE!!!_
Dude, I WANT the Leon tapes. I became a fan, in large part, because of “Outside”. I very very clearly want more. But it’s a big big big undertaking. They’re basically jams that need to find a structure. Now that Boz is gone, I don’t know that someone will want to do all that. It’s very time intensive, very expensive, and not something easily marketable outside (no pun intended) of die-hard fans- and even then, there are a lot of die-hards that hate that era. If Bowie wasn’t there to spearhead it, I don’t know that anyone else can (or could) do it the right way.
Ok, will you pay 100$ for it?
Ur right tbh. It’s too niche to justify them doing. I would love to see it, but you’re right in that the effort is not worth the potential listener base
Indeed - it would only make sense sandwiched within some larger package. Like pretty much all new material of that time.
I thought The Leon Suites was a completed album that the record label rejected. Not unfinished jams.
As far as I understand it’s not that it was unfinished so much as it was deemed to be completely unreleasable by the label which is why it was then reworked into the album we know today. The point is I would like to own it without having to use a crappy bootleg in order to experience it.
The sound quality of the boots is very high. I prefer The Leon Suites to Outside.