David Bowie — Leon 4: Downside Up, Inside Out (4-CD Set) | 2016/2019 Remaster
The Album That Should Have Come Before Outside — Finally Heard Properly
The Leon Suites is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood documents in David Bowie's entire career. Recorded at Mountain Studio in Switzerland in 1994 with Brian Eno, Reeves Gabrels, Mike Garson, Erdal Kizilçay, and Sterling Campbell, it was not — as many people assume — a collection of outtakes from 1. Outside. It was a fully realised concept album for an entirely new group project, presented to record companies and rejected as uncommercial. Only after that rejection did Bowie take fragments of it and rebuild them into what became 1. Outside. Had Leon been released, Outside would never have existed.
What This Set Is
Leon 4: Downside Up, Inside Out is the 2016/2019 speed and pitch-adjusted remaster by Goody, sourced from the Arthur Productions limited longbox edition of 350 numbered copies. Four discs presenting the Leon material in four distinct configurations — the outtakes assembly, the original three-suite album sequence, a reordered edit, and an untitled 15-track split version — each offering a different way into this extraordinary and still largely unknown record.
The Music
Five suites were recorded for Leon. Two were deleted. Three received a final mix and were presented for release. What survived covers some of the most experimental and atmospheric music Bowie and Eno ever made together — long-form pieces built around the Nathan Adler concept that would later anchor Outside, here in their original form before the commercial pressures of a new record deal reshaped everything.
Disc One assembles the outtakes including Hello Leon, the epic 22-minute I Am With Name / Hide Me / We'll Creep Together, and two bonus tracks from a 2003 Wembley after-party. Disc Two presents the album as it was intended — three suites running nearly 74 minutes. Disc Three offers a reordered edit of the same material. Disc Four splits the Leon Suites into 15 untitled tracks across 72 minutes, allowing the listener to experience the material as raw components rather than constructed pieces.
Why This Matters
This is not supplementary material. This is the record that Bowie made before Outside — the finished album that the industry rejected and that history almost entirely forgot. The 2016/2019 remaster corrects the speed and pitch issues that plagued earlier circulating copies, making this the most listenable version of the Leon material currently available to collectors.
Tracklisting
Disc I — The Outtakes: Something Really Fishy (65:13)
| # | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hello Leon | 4:20 |
| 2 | I Am With Name / Hide Me / We'll Creep Together (Part 1) | 22:36 |
| 3 | Hide Me / We'll Creep Together (Part 2) | 1:53 |
| 4 | I'd Rather Be Chrome | 4:04 |
| 5 | The First Time / I'd Rather Be Chrome | 4:04 |
| 6 | I Am With Name / We'll Creep Together (Part 3) | 15:48 |
| 7 | The Leak Soldiers (Wembley 2003 bonus) | 6:53 |
| 8 | I'd Rather Be Chrome (Wembley 2003 bonus) | 5:36 |
Disc II — Leon Suites: The Album (73:26)
| # | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Am With Name | 22:49 |
| 2 | Leon Takes Us Outside | 22:08 |
| 3 | The Enemy Is Fragile | 28:29 |
Disc III — 2.Inside: The Reordered Album (73:25)
| # | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leon Takes Us Outside, Pt. 1 | 7:03 |
| 2 | The Enemy Is Fragile | 28:29 |
| 3 | I Am With Name | 22:47 |
| 4 | Leon Takes Us Outside, Pt. 2 | 15:06 |
Disc IV — 3.Upside: Another Album Assembly (72:11)
| # | Track | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 | The Leon Suites (15 untitled splits) | 2:04 – 11:07 each |
Credits
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| Vocals, Lyrics, Production | David Bowie |
| Production | Brian Eno |
| Guitar | Reeves Gabrels |
| Piano, Keyboards | Mike Garson |
| Bass, Instruments | Erdal Kizilçay |
| Drums, Percussion | Sterling Campbell |
| Recorded | Mountain Studio, Switzerland, 1994 |
Product Details
| Format | 4-Disc CD Set (CD-R) |
| Original Source | Arthur Productions A-2 — limited longbox, 350 numbered copies |
| Remaster | Goody speed/pitch-adjusted remaster — 2016/2019 |
| Original Release | Europe, 2017 |
| Genre | Experimental Rock |
| Packaging | UK buyers receive full case with printed cover. All other countries receive discs in plastic sleeve — artwork emailed after purchase |
| Note | Unofficial collector's edition — not an official release |
Delivery Info
UK orders arrive in 2 working days. Europe in 5 days. Rest of the world approximately 8 days.