Tony Visconti has claimed that David Bowie was planning a new album before he died.
The release of 'Blackstar' was heralded as another momentous step for David Bowie, with the English musician seeming to have a real fire in his belly.
The singer's tragic death earlier this week cast new light on the record, which was then viewed as a farewell of sorts. Producer Tony Visconti has added another layer of intrigue in a new interview with Rolling Stone, arguing that David Bowie was planning to record another album before he died.
The producer claims that David Bowie wrote and demoed five songs in the weeks before his death. "At that late stage, he was planning the follow-up to 'Blackstar'," he said. "And I was thrilled, and I thought, and he thought, that he'd have a few months, at least. Obviously, if he's excited about doing his next album, he must've thought he had a few more months. So the end must've been very rapid. I'm not privy to it. I don't know exactly, but he must've taken ill very quickly after that phone call."
The singer kept his health a secret, but informed Visconti during the 'Blackstar' sessions. "He just came fresh from a chemo session, and he had no eyebrows, and he had no hair on his head, and there was no way he could keep it a secret from the band. But he told me privately, and I really got choked up when we sat face to face talking about it."
The producer asked Bowie directly if he was planning a farewell album. His response? To simply laugh.
