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The newly released mix was made available via Parlophone Records and was created by the album’s co-producer Ken Scott. The legendary producer is best known as one of the five engineers who worked closely with the Beatles. Scott generated the new mix at the beginning of the year from existing multi-tracks. The new version of the iconic track was based on the master track which resulted from Bowie’s broadcast recording on Top Of The Pops, with the master having initially been released on the picture disc Starman 7’’, which dropped over ten years ago.

A statement on Bowie’s website has given the following description outlining the importance of the performance and recording, “David Bowie’s performance of STARMAN on Top Of The Pops is undoubtedly one of the most essential pieces of music television ever broadcast. It has influenced generations of musicians, artists and writers who saw it at the time and countless others who have since seen it over the decades, from bootleg VHS copies to YouTube clips.”

Although taken off the air in 2006, Top Of The Pops has remained an important institution within British music and has been responsible for the success of many artists since its first broadcast in 1964. According to rules outlined by the Musicians Union. In order to appear on the TV show artists would have to re-record their song and then perform the vocals live over the newly recorded track. Due to these rules, Scott had multiple tracks available to use and was able to utilise both aspects of the process.

The new mix consists of the backing vocals recorded for the show’s purpose and the lead vocals taken from the track featured on the album. As per the show’s request, the backing vocals were recorded at Trident Studios, one of London’s most beloved recording facilities located in SoHo. Keen-eared music fans will spot the Adhoc ab-lib within the mix, Bowie can be heard singing “Hey Brown Crow”.

The re-worked mix of “Starman” is not the only celebratory nod to the influential album’s 50th anniversary, to commemorate the release of The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars the album will also be made available as a special edition. As from Friday 17th June 2022, the album will be available to purchase as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and picture disc, the LP will not only hold great collector value but will also include the re-worked master and a reproduction of the promotional poster.

Bowie’s powerful talent is not only evident in his enduring legacy but can also be seen within his influence seen in other musicians, Tim Burgess is one of such artists and chose to celebrate the musical landmark in a virtual fashion. The English singer and frontman for The Charlatans held a very special listening party today via Twitter, Burgess has given the following description of the event, “I’m really excited to be hosting a Ziggy Stardust Listening Party on the 50th anniversary of the album’s release. Fans from all around the world can take part and we’ve enlisted a few friends to help us out too.”

Details concerning Burgess’ listening party can be found here.

Click here to stream/buy/listen to “Starman (Top Of The Pops Version 2022)“

The album will consist of 15-tracks and a series of live performances of the hit songs Rudie Can’t Fail and I Fought The Law. These performances were from Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros live show at London’s Brixton Academy in 2001.

Yalla Yalla and Johnny Appleseed are among the famed tracks that will feature on Assembly, alongside three previously unreleased mixes of songs by The Clash. Notably, Joe Strummer’s cover of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song will be included in the album, as well as a song that has never been released in any form Junco Partner Acoustic by The Clash.

In 2020 it was announced that Dark Horse Records would be releasing music by Joe Strummer on its platform that year, Dhani Harrison (George Harrison’s son and now owner of Dark Horse Records), stated “It is with great pleasure and excitement that I can finally announce a new chapter for Dark Horse Records in the music industry alongside our friends at BMG. The label started by my father in 1974 has been a family business my whole life (and is indeed even the reason that my parents met.)

That same year Dark Horse released the Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros’ albums Rock Art and The X-Ray Style, Global A Go-Go, and Streetcore. Dhani Harrison continued explaining the new era that included Strummer saying that “From the Indian classical Ragas of Ravi Shankar to the Rock and Roll of ‘Attitudes’ I look forward to reintroducing, to a new audience, all of those artists that my father loved so much. We will also be expanding the Dark Horse family with new artists and classic catalogues in the coming years to include a rich and varied roster of incredible musicians whom we love. Please watch this space! With love, Dhani Harrison.”

Assembly Track List:

01 ‘Coma Girl’, ‘Johnny Appleseed’, ‘I Fought The Law’ (Live at Brixton Academy, London, 24 November 2001)
02 ‘Tony Adams’
03 ‘Sleepwalk’
04 ‘Love Kills’
05 ‘Get Down Moses’
06 ‘X-Ray Style’
07 ‘Mondo Bongo’
08 ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ (Live at Brixton Academy, London, 24 November 2001)
09 ‘At The Border, Guy’
10 ‘Long Shadow’
11 ‘Forbidden City’
12 ‘Yalla Yalla’
13 ‘Redemption Song’
14 ‘Junco Partner’ (Acoustic)