The release
Station To Station was released on 23 January 1976. It failed to top any charts worldwide, but went top ten in Australia, the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
In the UK it spent 17 weeks on the albums chart, peaking at number five. In the US it fared even better, reaching number three, and staying on the charts for 32 weeks. Station To Station was Bowie’s highest-charting US album until The Next Day in 2013.
Reissues, remixes, remasters
Station To Station was first released on compact disc by RCA in 1985.
In 1991 it was remastered and reissued by Rykodisc/EMI, with the cover photograph in full colour rather than the original monochrome image with a white border. This edition also contained two bonus tracks: live versions of ‘Word On A Wing’ and ‘Stay’, recorded on 23 March 1976 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.
The full-colour cover was reproduced for an EMI reissue in 1999, which featured a 24-bit digital remaster but no bonus material. The original artwork was used for a 2007 reissue by EMI Japan.
2010 saw two new versions, a special edition and a deluxe edition, both of which had CD-sized replicas of the original LP sleeve.
The special edition had three CDs, including the entire 1976 Nassau Coliseum show across two CDs. It also had a 16-page booklet and three photo cards.
2010 Deluxe Edition
The deluxe edition contained five CDs, one DVD and three vinyl LPs. The first two CDs were of the 2010 analogue transfer and the 1985 CD master respectively.
The third CD was a five-track CD EP containing single edits of ‘Golden Years’, ‘TVC 15’, ‘Stay’, ‘Word On A Wing’ and ‘Station To Station’, and the fourth and fifth CDs were the Nassau Coliseum concert.
The deluxe DVD contained four audio mixes: the original analogue master; new DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 AC3 surround sound mixes, and a new stereo mix, all by Maslin.
The first LP was of the original stereo analogue master, while the second and third were of the Nassau Coliseum show in gatefold sleeves.
The deluxe edition also contained a 24-page booklet, a poster, and two folders containing reproduction artefacts from the era, including a backstage pass and fan club memorabilia.
Station To Station was remastered once again in 2016. It was included in the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set, along with a separate disc containing the 2010 Harry Maslin mix. The remaster was issued as a standalone release in 2017.
When it came time to master the 2010 mixes, the first engineer of choice that came to mind was Brian Gardner who had mastered the original Station To Station back in the 70s.… Brian and I played through each track numerous times tweaking the EQ and dynamics. The digital information came out of the computer on their high end D/A converters and from there routed to the console for processing. All of the equipment in the audio chain at Grundman’s [Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios in Hollywood] is still analogue, including the consoles. No computer plugins were used in mastering.
Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) book
In re: the album’s content, I think that the pleas to God and declarations of love are more those of desperation/insincerity. In ‘Word On A Wing’, he sounds uncertain about whether he is actually willing to commit to God or not — almost reluctantly trying hard to fit in the scheme of things. ‘Wild Is The Wind’, on the other hand, is almost obsessive in its desire to ‘satisfy this hungriness’, and the meaning becomes hollow when looked at from the perspective of the Thin White Duke character being ‘a would-be romantic with absolutely no emotion but who spouted a lot of neo-romance’.
At least, that’s my cynical take on the album. 🙂
“Word On a Wing”, to me, is the offer of a man who has a great deal of pride and self-respect to serve God, but on terms which are agreeable to him. He still cares for himself and doesn’t stand in his own light. It is the approach of a little god to the big God, accepting the latter’s supreme authority but at the same time asserting some degree of independence and control over the relationship that he wants to build between them.
This theme is revisited in Blackstar, with the conversation the dying or deceased Bowie has with God. “You’re a flash in the pan, I’m the big I am”. “I am” is, of course, how God referred to himself in Exodus. God is asserting his primacy over Bowie whilst paradoxically acknowledging that Bowie has a certain god-like status.
Bought this when it came out. Never opened it, and still sealed. Many, many times I’ve been tempted to! Curious to know how much it’s valued at now (unopened/mint obvs.).
When he performed ‘Five Years’ it was dramatically lit with just a spot from just below him at the front of the stage. When the last drumbeat sounded all the lights went out except for the spot and he held his hands to his temples w/an abject look of confusion of fear. Then the spot went out. One of the most brilliant, simple, effective uses of stagecraft I’ve ever seen.