David Bowie Mapped Out A Series Of Posthumous Anthology Releases

For a certain tier of artist, the posthumous album is a significant portion of their output. Whether it’s a 2Pac/Jimi Hendrix scenario where post-death releases basically outnumber the actual albums put out during the artist’s lifespan, or a Kurt Cobain situation where some unheard scraps of music were kept under wraps until more than 20 years later, it’s an expected part of the artist’s life cycle and the industry’s bottom lines. And so, posthumous David Bowie releases are an inevitability. But in classic Bowie fashion, he seemingly took the rare step of actually plotting out some of these collections before he died.

Newsweek reports that there is “a long list of unscheduled musical releases that Bowie planned” before succumbing to cancer. According to the magazine, these will be anthology releases, which Bowie divided into eras, adding, “It is not yet known whether they will contain previously unheard work, though past rereleases of Bowie’s work have.” The first compilation is expected to be released in late 2017.

This is in addition to producer Tony Visconti‘s recent revelation that five other tracks from the Blackstar sessions have yet to be released. All these potential releases are a welcome, but bittersweet, development for Bowie fans who have been diving into his catalog over the past few weeks.