WHO’S key Member announces unexpected retirement....

A previously unreleased version of the Who’s classic “I Can’t Explain” by David Bowie has been unveiled ahead of the June 14 release of the upcoming Bowie box Rock ‘n’ Roll Star!

The song, recorded in 1972 during the sessions for Bowie’s star-making The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album, is a relatively faithful cover of the Who’s 1964 single, the band’s first released under that name (their debut, “Zoot Suit,” was recorded as the High Numbers).

Bowie later re-recorded “I Can’t Explain” for his 1973 covers album Pin Ups, but that version was slowed down and glammed up. This newly unearthed take from June 24, 1972, referred to as the “Trident Studios Version – Take 2,” retains the crunching power chords of the Who’s original.

You can listen to Bowie’s 1972 version of “I Can’t Explain” below.

“I Can’t Explain” follows the release of a demo version of “Ziggy Stardust” and a first-take, alternate recording of “Lady Stardust” from the upcoming box set.

What’s on David Bowie’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star!’ Box?

The five-CD/Blu-ray set Rock ‘n’ Roll Star charts the rise of not only Bowie’s greatest album but also his most popular character through various demos, BBC performances, live songs and session outtakes from the era. Nearly 30 of the tracks are previously unreleased.

Starting in February 1971 with a San Francisco Hotel recording of “So Long 60s,” the box includes recording sessions, radio and TV appearances and live tracks from Bowie and the Spider From Mars’ Oct. 1, 1972, show at Boston Music Hall.

The Best Song From Every David Bowie Album

He tried on many personas over his long career, and tested out various styles. Which tracks are the most essential?

‘David Bowie’ (1967): “Love You Till Tuesday”

Most Bowie compilations usually leave out his debut album, which sounds little like what was to come from him over the next five decades. It’s mostly British music hall and not very memorable. “Love You Till Tuesday” – the LP’s highlight – was later re-recorded and released as a single, though it bombed, prompting a makeover by the artist that surfaced a couple years later and began his career as one of rock’s most influential artists.

‘David Bowie’ (1969): “Space Oddity”

“Space Oddity” became such a significant song in Bowie’s career that his second self-titled album, released two years after the debut, was renamed ‘Space Oddity’ in the U.S. in 1972, after ‘Ziggy Stardust’ made him a star. The song is one of Bowie’s cornerstone recordings – a tale of isolation inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s landmark ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ – that he revisited several times throughout his career (see Major Tom’s appearances in “Ashes to Ashes” and “Hello Spaceboy”).

‘The Man Who Sold the World’ (1970): “The Man Who Sold the World”

The legend doesn’t quite start here, but ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ is Bowie’s first consistent album, and the one where he tentatively settles on a style – which, of course, became more fluid as that legend grew. The title track is the centerpiece, a persona-shifting song about spiritual disorder that thematically presages many others to come. Nirvana revived it more than two decades later.

Tags: WHO