David Bowie's unreleased early recordings are coming soon: Hear 'I Want Your Love' now

15 July 2026, 14:03 | Updated: 16 July 2026, 14:19

David Bowie in the mid-1960s. Picture: Alamy

By Mayer Nissim

David Bowie's legendary recordings with Shel Talmy are finally getting a release.

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Before David Bowie, the artist then known as David Jones tried again and again for a pop breakthrough.

As part of The Manish Boys or with The Lower Third, Bowie released a clutch of flop singles as he slowly started to find his voice.

He recorded several sessions with Shel Talmy, who had produced The Who's debut album My Generation and the first five albums by The Kinks, helping to create the sound of the 1960s that had such an influence on the young Bowie.

From those recordings The Manish Boys single 'I Pity The Fool' was first released in 1965, with the Bowie-penned 'Take My Tip on the B-side. It was followed five months later by Davy Jones and The Lower Third's 'You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving' (with 'Baby Loves That Way' on the flip).

Further songs emerged in the 1990s on releases like Early On (1964–1966), and now after much back and forth, the most complete collection of the Shel Talmy sessions has been announced, with its 22 tracks including ten previously unreleased recordings.

David Bowie - The Shel Talmy Recordings. Picture: Parlophone

The compilation is released on September 18, 2026 and is available for pre-order now.

One of the previously unheard songs 'I Want Your Love', credited to Davie Jones & The Lower Third, is available to stream now.

Also featuring on some of the recordings is Talmy's favoured session guitarist Jimmy Page, who would later form Led Zeppelin, and keyboard player Nicky Hopkins, who would go on to play with everyone from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Jeff Beck and Art Garfunkel.

Shel Talmy died in 2024, but four years earlier had spoken about the existence of the unreleased songs and his hopes of them getting a release.

I Want Your Love (2026 Remaster)

"I have a further 8 completely unreleased David Bowie tracks that I produced in my files, kept in secure storage for many years," he said on Facebook at the time in a post archived by David Bowie News).

"For security reasons, these tracks have never even been played for anybody in their entirety, and are unknown to even the most ardent Bowie-philes.

"Now I would like to make this material available, and my intention for this project is for my team and I to be involved and to enter into a deal with a major label. My attorneys and I have been negotiating with several interested parties, including the Bowie Estate."

Available on CD and edition vinyl (11 tracks only), the collection has been mastered and remastered in 2026 by John Webber. An alternate cover vinyl edition will be limited to 1965 copies.

I Pity the Fool

The full tracklisting of David Bowie - The Shel Talmy Recordings is as follows

You've Got A Habit Of Leaving ^
I Want Your Love *^
Cupid *^
I Pity The Fool +
Baby Loves That Way ^
Keep Up With The Jones (Instrumental) *^
Leave Her To Me *^
I’ll Follow You^
You Gotta Tell Her *^
Take My Tip +
Certain Woman *^
Glad I've Got Nobody ^
Today (Demo) *-
I Want My Baby Back (Demo)-
I Live In Dreams (Demo) *-
Bars Of The County Jail (Demo) -
That’s Where My Heart Is (Demo) -
I Do Believe I Love You (Demo) *-
You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving (Alternative overdub/vocal) ^
I Pity The Fool (Alternative vocal take) +
Baby Loves That Way (Alternative vocal take) *^
Take My Tip (Alternative vocal take) +

Key: *Previously Unreleased, ^ Davie Jones & The Lower Third, + The Manish Boys, - Davie Jones

It was announced earlier this year that 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, where Bowie lived from the ages of 8 to 20 (1955 to 1967), is being restored for the public.

The house, which Bowie would have called home while he was recording with Talmy in the mid-1960s, been acquired by Heritage of London Trust.

"It was in this small house, particularly in his tiny bedroom, that Bowie evolved from an ordinary suburban schoolboy to the beginnings of an extraordinary international stardom," said David Bowie Is exhibition co-curator Geoffrey Marsh.

The heritage project, due for completion in late 2027, will restore the "two up, two down" railway workers’ cottage to its original early 1960s appearance.