🔘 BAAL – Single: Feb. 1982

Label: RCA Records PB 110

Date: February 26, 1982 (UK)

Tracklist: 5 tracks

Length: Approx. 8–10 min read

David Bowie’s Baal, backed with “All the Madmen,” was released as a 7-inch vinyl EP single in the UK by RCA Records (catalog number PB 110) on February 26, 1982. Featuring recordings of songs composed for Bertolt Brecht’s play Baal, this EP marked Bowie’s final release of new material with RCA before his transition to EMI.

🔘 – Sub‑Heading

Bowie’s stark, theatrical farewell to RCA — Brechtian, abrasive, and defiantly uncommercial.

🔘 – Excerpt

Bowie’s performance as Baal aired on 2 March 1982, and RCA released the EP to coincide with the broadcast. Both the play and the EP received positive reviews, with the EP reaching No. 29 on the UK chart — an impressive showing for such unconventional material. The release appeared in both 7" and 12" formats, the former housed in a double gatefold sleeve with extensive notes.

🔘 – Key Highlights

• Released February 26, 1982

• Bowie’s final new‑material release for RCA

• Songs composed for Brecht’s Baal

• UK chart peak: No. 29

• Issued in 7" gatefold and 12" editions

🔘 – Overview

David Bowie’s Baal EP was released on February 26, 1982, coinciding with the BBC broadcast of his performance in Bertolt Brecht’s play Baal on March 2. The EP features Bowie’s studio recordings of the songs from the production, all originally composed for Brecht’s 1918 play.

The release marked Bowie’s final new‑material issue for RCA Records before his move to EMI for Let’s Dance. Despite its abrasive, theatrical nature, the EP reached No. 29 on the UK chart — a strong performance for such an unconventional project.

The 7" edition came in a double gatefold sleeve containing detailed notes on the musical content and a short biography of Brecht. A 12" edition was also issued, gaining some club and radio play.

🔘 – The Story

Baal represents one of Bowie’s most unusual and uncompromising projects. His interest in Brechtian theatre had surfaced before — notably in the Brecht on Brecht productions he admired in the 1970s — but this BBC adaptation allowed him to fully inhabit the role of Baal, a violent, amoral drifter.

RCA timed the EP’s release to coincide with the broadcast of the play on March 2, 1982. The EP’s five tracks — “Baal’s Hymn,” “Remembering Marie A.,” “Ballad of the Adventurers,” “The Drowned Girl,” and “The Dirty Song” — were recorded specifically for the production and reflect Brecht’s stark, anti‑romantic aesthetic.

“The Drowned Girl” later appeared on The Platinum Collection (2005) and the 2007 reissue of The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987, which also included a music video. Both “The Drowned Girl” and “Baal’s Hymn” were included in the 2003 and 2014 expanded editions of Sound + Vision. All five tracks were later featured on Re:Call 3 in the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.

All lyrics were written by Bertolt Brecht and translated by John Willett, except “Remembering Marie A.,” which is traditional, adapted by Brecht and translated by Willett.

🔘 – Track List

Side A

Baal’s Hymn — 4:02

Remembering Marie A. — 2:07

Total length: 6:09

Side B

Ballad of the Adventurers — 2:01

The Drowned Girl — 2:26

The Dirty Song — 0:38

Total length: 5:05

🔘 – Variants (UK)

• UK 7" EP — RCA PB 110 (double gatefold sleeve)

• UK 12" EP — RCA (extended format, club/radio play)

🔘 – Chart Performance

• UK Singles Chart: No. 29

🔘 – Context & Notes

Artist: David Bowie

Label: RCA Records

Release Date: February 26, 1982

Format: 7" and 12" vinyl EP

Catalogue: PB 110

“The Drowned Girl” appeared on The Platinum Collection (2005) and the 2007 reissue of The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987. Both “The Drowned Girl” and “Baal’s Hymn” were included in the 2003 and 2014 expanded editions of Sound + Vision. The EP became available digitally in 2007 and all tracks were included on Re:Call 3 in the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.

🔘 – Visual Archive

David Bowie — Baal — UK 7" EP Sleeve (1982).

(Double gatefold with extensive notes and Brecht biography.)

🔘 – Related Material

• A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)

• Sound + Vision (expanded editions)

• The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987

• The Platinum Collection

🔘 – Discography

Baal (1982 EP)

Sound + Vision (2003/2014 editions)

Re:Call 3 (2017)

🔘 – Mini‑Timeline

February 26, 1982: EP released

March 2, 1982: BBC broadcast of Baal

2003/2014: Tracks included on Sound + Vision reissues

2007: Digital release

2017: All tracks included on Re:Call 3

🔘 – Glam Flashback

Not glam at all — and that’s the point. Baal shows Bowie shedding personas, embracing theatre, and diving into Brecht’s brutal world with total commitment.

🔘 – Closing Notes

A stark, theatrical farewell to RCA, Baal remains one of Bowie’s most distinctive and uncompromising releases — a final, Brechtian curtain call before the bright pop of his EMI years.

🔘 – Hashtags

#DavidBowie #Baal #RCA #1982 #BertoltBrecht #ReleaseChronicle

🔘 – Sources

RCA Records (1982)

BBC broadcast documentation

Box set and reissue notes

Discographic verification

🔘 – Copyright Notice

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.