Album of the Day

It was the months of July through October 2000 when David Bowie worked on a passion project that came to be known as TOY. The plan was to hit a recording studio with his touring band at the time (which included guitarist Earl Slick, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, pianist Mike Garson and drummer Sterling Campbell) and knock out an entire album as fast as possible for a “surprise” release. Hoping to get the LP out by March 2001, the entire project was shelved by the label, leading Bowie to jump ship to a new label and craft what became his 23rd studio album, HEATHEN. As for TOY, various tracks from the record surfaced over the years, but it wasn’t until 2021 when TOY was officially released; first as part of the Brilliant Adventure (1999-2001) box set, then later as a deluxe edition in January 2022. The urgency and spontaneous energy of tunes like “You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving” permeates the inspired and truly brilliant posthumous release. Give it a spin to recognize Bowie’s heavenly birthdate of January 8.