reviews / 2025

DAVID BOWIE - I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)

Name: DAVID BOWIE – I Can't Give Everything Away (2002-2016)
Item: I Can't Give Everything Away (2002-2016)
Rating: 8.5
Author: Claudio Lancia

2025 (Parlophone)

art-rock

by Claudio Lancia

8.5

“I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)” is the last of six box sets tracing the entire artistic arc of David Bowie. Following “Five Years (1969-1973)”, “Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976)”, “A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)”, “Loving The Alien (1983-1988)” and “Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)”, released starting in 2015, this brings to a close the monumental project that reconstructs, in strict chronological sequence, the entire discography of the White Duke (with the exception of his debut and the Tin Machine period), enriched with numerous extra contents. “I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)”, which borrows its title from the closing track of “Blackstar”, focuses on the final period of the English artist's career, which, though undermined by the illness that thinned out his public appearances, remained rich in ideas and masterstrokes, starting with the results of his renewed partnership with producer Tony Visconti (interrupted in 1980 after the “Scary Monsters” sessions), which led to two albums in just fifteen months: the melancholic “Heathen” in June 2002, and the more rhythmic “Reality” in September 2003.

Bowie continued to work with musicians of the highest caliber, from Carlos Alomar to Pete Townshend, from Dave Grohl to Tony Levin, from Lisa Germano to Matt Chamberlain. Alongside original songs, some of which finally came together after years of attempts (among them the sumptuous “Bring Me The Disco King”), the White Duke recorded covers of Pixies, Neil Young, Modern Lovers, and George Harrison, the latter two (“Pablo Picasso” and “Try Some, Buy Some”) originally intended for the “Pin Ups 2” project, which Bowie had wanted to record back in the Seventies. The triumphant tours that followed the two albums of the 2000s testify to a period of dazzling form, but just when Bowie seemed unstoppable, busy gathering universal praise as certification of a truly enviable career, on 25 June 2004, after the concert at the Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel, he was rushed to hospital in Hamburg due to a blocked coronary artery. The remaining Reality Tour dates were cancelled. It marked the end of David Bowie's live career, as he stayed away from the stage in the following years, save for a handful of extremely rare appearances.

David Bowie's absence from recording (aside from a few precious featured appearances scattered across the years) came to an end on 8 January 2013, his 66th birthday, when he announced a new album, “The Next Day”, preceded that same day by the single and its accompanying video, “Where Are We Now?”. The album was released on 12 March and became another huge success.

Three years later, “Blackstar” would prove to be the moving, dramatic, at times almost unbearable epitaph, as well as the true masterpiece of late-period Bowie, capable of turning even the awareness of death into art.

The last four albums – remastered with Tony Visconti's involvement – are all included in the box set (thirteen CDs or eighteen vinyl records), together with the EPs “The Next Day Extra” and “No Plan”. But the real treasure of the box is two complete concerts, one for each of the tours that followed the release of “Heathen” and “Reality”, recorded respectively on 18 July 2002 at the Montreux Jazz Festival and on 22-23 November 2003 at the Point Theatre in Dublin. While the latter had already been officially released in 2010 (the live album “A Reality Tour”, albeit with a different track sequence), the Montreux Jazz Festival concert had until now only been available as a bootleg. A performance that has become legendary, not least for its near-complete rendition of “Low”.

Another reason to be interested in “I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)” is the inclusion of an exclusive compilation created specifically for the occasion, “Re:Call 6”: a full 41 tracks of B-sides, live recordings, alternate versions and remixes, none of which have ever appeared on any album. Standouts include collaborations (in the studio or live) with Lou Reed, Arcade Fire, David Gilmour, Kristeen Young, Earl Slick, Maynard James Keenan and John Frusciante.

Rounding out the lavish box set is an elegant book featuring unpublished notes, drawings and handwritten lyrics by Bowie, numerous photographs, memorabilia, and liner notes written by Tony Visconti and Jonathan Barnbrook. The result is an almost complete account (inevitably, something is missing) of the White Duke's final fourteen years, an essential item for die-hard completists, even though the content will already be well known to Bowie collectors. The price is far from cheap, but for now all the material can be heard on streaming platforms. It may well be the most fitting way to remember a genius of reinvention, ten years on from a loss that still hurts far too much.

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09/01/2026

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Claudio Lancia, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition

Tracklist

1. Heathen
2. Sunday
3. Cactus
4. Slip Away
5. Slow Burn
6. Afraid
7. Iʼve Been Waiting For You
8. I Would Be Your Slave
9. I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship
10. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
11. Everyone Says ʻHiʼ
12. A Better Future
13. Heathen (The Rays)
14. Montreux Jazz Festival
Cd1
1. Sunday
2. Life On Mars?
3. Ashes To Ashes
4. Cactus
5. Slip Away
6. China Girl
7. Starman
8. I Would Be Your Slave
9. Ive Been Waiting For You
10. Stay
11. Changes
12. Fashion
13. Fame
14. Im Afraid Of Americans
15. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
Cd2
1. ‟Heroes”
2. Heathen (The Rays)
3. Everyone Says ‟Hi”
4. Hallo Spaceboy
5. Let’s Dance
6. Ziggy Stardust
7. Warszawa
8. Speed Of Life
9. Breaking Glass10. What In The World
10. Sound And Vision
11. Art Decade
12. Always Crashing In The Same Car
13. Be My Wife
14. A New Career In A New Town
15. Subterraneans
16. Reality
17. New Killer Star
18. Pablo Picasso
19. Never Get Old
20. The Loneliest Guy
21. Looking For Water
22. She’ll Drive The Big Car
23. Days
24. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
25. Try Some, Buy Some
26. Reality
27. Bring Me The Disco King
28. A Reality Tour
Cd1
1. Rebel Rebel
2. New Killer Star
3. Reality
4. Fame
5. Cactus
6. Sister Midnight
7. Afraid
8. All The Young Dudes
9. Be My Wife
10. China Girl
11. The Loneliest Guy
12. The Man Who Sold The World
13. Fantastic Voyage
14. Hallo Spaceboy
15. Sunday
16. Under Pressure
17. Life On Mars?
18. Battle For Britain (The Letter)
Cd2
1. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
2. Ashes To Ashes
3. The Motel
4. Loving The Alien
5. Breaking Glass
6. Never Get Old
7. Changes
8. I’m Afraid Of Americans
9. ‟Heroes”
10. Bring Me The Disco King
11. Slip Away
12. Heathen (The Rays)
13. Five Years
14. Hang On To Yourself
15. Ziggy Stardust
16. The Next Day
17. The Next Day
18. Dirty Boys
19. The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
20. Love Is Lost
21. Where Are We Now?
22. Valentine’s Day
23. If You Can See Me
24. I’d Rather Be High
25. Boss Of Me
26. Dancing Out In Space
27. How Does The Grass Grow?
28. (You Will) Set The World On Fire
29. You Feel So Lonely You Could Die
30. Heat
31. The Next Day Extra Ep
32. Atomica
33. Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix By James Murphy For The DFA)
34. Plan
35. The Informer
36. I’d Rather Be High (Venetian Mix)
37. Like A Rocket Man
38. Born In A UFO
39. I’ll Take You There
40. God Bless The Girl
41. So She
42. ★ (Blackstar)
43. ★
44. ’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore
45. Lazarus
46. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)
47. Girl Loves Me
48. Dollar Days
49. I Can’t Give Everything Away
50. No Plan Ep
51. Lazarus
52. No Plan
53. Killing A Little Time
54. When I Met You
55. Re:Call 6
Cd1
1. Slow Burn (Single Edit)
2. Wood Jackson
3. When The Boys Come Marching Home
4. Safe
5. Sunday (Moby Remix)
6. A Better Future (Remix By Air)
7. Slip Away (SACD Mix)
8. Slow Burn (SACD Mix)
9. I’ve Been Waiting For You (SACD Mix)
10. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone (SACD Mix)
11. A Better Future (SACD Mix)
12. Safe (SACD Mix)
13. Everyone Says ‘Hi’ (Radio Edit)
Cd2
1. Sunday (Tony Visconti Mix)
2. Everyone Says ‘Hi’ (Metro Remix Radio Edit)
3. Heathen (The Rays) (Live In Berlin, 22/09/02)
4. Hop Frog — Lou Reed Featuring David Bowie
5. Saviour — Kristeen Young Featuring David Bowie
6. Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary) — Earl Slick Featuring David Bowie
7. Bring Me The Disco King (Loner Mix) — David Bowie Featuring Maynard James Keenan And John Frusciante (Taken From The Underworld Motion Picture Soundtrack)
8. New Killer Star (Radio Edit)
9. Love Missile F1-11
10. Fly
11. Queen Of All The Tarts (Overture)
12. Never Get Old (Single Edit)
13. Waterloo Sunset
14. Rebel Rebel (2003 Re-Record) (Taken From The Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle Motion Picture Soundtrack)
15. New Killer Star (Sessions @ AOL Live Version, 23/09/03)
Cd3
1. Days (Live)
2. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone (Live)
3. Rebel Never Gets Old (Radio Mix)
4. (She Can) Do That — David Bowie With BT (Taken From The Stealth Motion Picture Soundtrack)
5. Life On Mars? (Live At Fashion Rocks, 08/09/05)
6. Wake Up (Live At Fashion Rocks, 08/09/05) — David Bowie With Arcade Fire
7. Five Years (Live At Fashion Rocks, 08/09/05) — David Bowie With Arcade Fire
8. Arnold Layne (Live At The Royal Albert Hall, 29/05/06) — David Gilmour Featuring David Bowie
9. Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix By James Murphy For The DFA Edit)
10. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (2014 Version)
11. ’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore (2014 Version)
12. Lazarus (Radio Edit)
13. I Can’t Give Everything Away (Radio Edit)
Lp Box Set
1. 84-page hardback book
2. Heathen (Remastered) (1LP)
3. Montreux Jazz Festival (4LP) (Previously unreleased)*
4. Reality (Remastered) (1LP)
5. A Reality Tour (Remastered & Re-sequenced) (3LP)
6. The Next Day (Remastered) (2LP)
7. The Next Day Extra (Remastered) (1LP)
8. ★ (Blackstar) (1LP)
9. No Plan (1LP)
Re:Call 6 (Non-album singles, edits, single versions, b-sides and soundtrack music) (Remastered) (4LP)*
1. * Exclusive to I CAN’T GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY LP box
Cd Box Set
1. 128 page hardback book
2. Heathen (Remastered) (1CD)
3. Montreux Jazz Festival (2CD) (Previously unreleased)*
4. Reality (Remastered) (1CD)
5. A Reality Tour (Remastered & Re-sequenced) (2CD)
6. The Next Day (Remastered) (1CD)
7. The Next Day Extra (Remastered) (1CD)
8. ★ (Blackstar) (1CD)
9. No Plan (1CD)
Re:Call 6 (Non-album singles, edits, single versions, b-sides and soundtrack music) (Remastered) (3CD)*

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The dandy who fell to Earth

From glam pantomime to the prescient electronics of the Berlin period. From spatial ballads to r'n'b and dance forays. From multimedia shows to film roles. Life, secrets and works of David Robert Jones, the "global" artist who introduced a new conception of rock. Right up to his exit from the stage in the most spectacular way possible, with the splendid musical testament of "Blackstar"