An unheard David Bowie song, 'Today,' surfaces from a new 1965 album

A previously unheard David Bowie demo titled "Today" has been released, taken from the upcoming album 1965 Shel Talmy Recordings, NME reported on August 14. The song is a stripped-back, melancholic ballad about lost love, recorded before the singer, born David Jones, took on the David Bowie name. "Nothing can I give, only one sad song," he sings on the demo.

The recordings were made in 1965 at Central Sound Studios on London's Denmark Street with producer Shel Talmy, who also worked with The Who and The Kinks. The album, due September 18 via Parlophone, also includes contributions from a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page, The Yardbirds and Nicky Hopkins, plus 10 previously unheard tracks. "Today" is the second track released from the album, following the earlier reveal of "I Want Your Love."

In the sleeve notes, writer Alec Palao says the collection deserves consideration as "a primary chapter if not the very earliest instalment" in Bowie's musical journey, and argues the songs should be judged by the standards of London's music scene in 1965 rather than by Bowie's later career.

Two songs from the sessions, "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving" and "Baby Loves That Way," were originally released as singles and later re-recorded by Bowie for his 2021 album TOY. The reissue campaign extends further still: the house at 4 Plaistow Grove where Bowie wrote many of his early songs is set to be restored and opened to the public in 2027.

Bowie's early years have drawn renewed attention before. Discussing the 2019 documentary Finding Fame, director Francis Whately told NME that Bowie "was incredibly resilient," with an ability "to get up off the floor when something goes wrong" that came to define his later career. The full album lands as part of a wider run of Bowie archival releases, tracked on the release calendar alongside the rest of this week's rock news.