A new version of David Bowie’s 1987 song “Beat of Your Drum” has been released, and featuring Bowie’s original backing vocals in producer Mario McNulty’s new remake.

The song appears as the B-side of a limited-edition 7" picture disc, alongside the new version of “Zeroes.” Both tracks are taken from the remastered version of Bowie's 1987 album Never Let Me Down, which is part of the upcoming box set Loving the Alien.

You can listen to “Beat of Your Drum 2018” below.

“David Torn’s ambient guitars start the song that now lead into a much darker world than its shiny predecessor," McNulty, who worked with Bowie in the years leading up to the singer's death in 2016, said in a statement. "David sang all the backing vocals on this which I have kept.”

The producer previously discussed how he relied on the strength of the songwriting on Never Let Me Down, which Bowie had always wanted to revisit. “I remember going over to his house, and he was kind of laughing about it a bit,” he said. “He outlined three ideas for the new version: He wanted a new arrangement, he wanted strings and he wanted real drums. He really did not like any of the electronic drums on the entire album. He would listen to it and just be like, ‘Ugh.’”

McNulty added that Bowie had "such a great vision for what he was doing. You can hear that in the [original] vocals on these songs. Even if he wasn’t involved in the production process as much as he wanted to be, his vocals are inspired, and I think that just comes down to the songwriting. He felt close to these songs.”

The Loving the Alien box set, which collects Bowie's '80s albums, will be released on Oct. 21.

 

 

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