Guitarist Earl Slick Keeps David Bowie's Memory Alive In New, Remixed Track

Storied guitarist Earl Slick "partnered" with deceased glam rock legend David Bowie to release reminiscent, remixed track, "Isn't It Evening (The Revolutionary)" (initially featured on 2004's Zig Zag and newly presented by YPK8 Music) on Thursday (July 25) in celebration of his latest autobiography, Guitar .

To understand the sheer mastery behind the remixed track, we have to travel all the way back to 1974 when Bowie tapped Slick to "replace Mick Ronson as lead guitarist for the Diamond Dogs tour," per The Cavern Club . Slick was also featured in Bowie's Young Americans and Station to Station albums released in 1975 and 1976.

Now, half a century later, Slick is keeping Bowie's memory alive by sharing a co-written "musical treasure" fueled by a serendipitous turn of events 20 years in the making that, according to a press release, caused everything to fall into place . It was not the guitarist's initial plan for Bowie to be featured on Zig Zag amid its creation two decades ago when the song was first written.

"I would never have thought to ask David to sing on my record. It's not that we weren't close -- we'd known each other forever -- but it just wasn't something that would have occurred to me. But when I called Mark Plati at the studio one day to talk about some sessions I wanted to do, it turned out David was there."

He continued:

"He got wind of what we were planning and asked to talk to me. 'I guess you're not interested in me maybe doing a little something on the record?' It was a silly question, of course. And what I figured would be some percussion or 12-string guitar turned into lyrics and an amazing vocal. I'm really excited to finally be able to share it with the world!"

And thus, "Isn't It Evening" was born! Producer Mark Plati expressed his excitement with how the single came together, noting that it was the "highlight of his career" to help bring the project to life in the early 2000s.

Mixer Bob Clearmountain , who recorded and mixed Bowie's Let’s Dance album in 1983, also helped breathe life into the newly remixed track, connecting the project to Bowie's tragic passing in 2016.

"His passing was a real shock for me as we had become long-distance friends. Mixing his voice somehow made me feel close to him again."

Listen to Slick's latest masterpiece, "Isn't It Evening (The Revolutionary)" with Bowie on vocals, on iHeartRadio , and check out his autobiography, Guitar , which recently achieved #1 on Amazon .