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David Bowie - Best of Bowie
Music CD CoverArtist: David Bowie Edition: Music CD Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered CD Release Date: 2002-10-22 Music Label: Virgin Records Us Soundtracks: Music CD 1- Space Oddity
- The Man Who Sold The World
- Changes
- Life On Mars?
- Moonage Daydream
- Suffragette City
- Ziggy Stardust
- All The Young Dudes
- The Jean Genie
- Panic In Detroit
- Rebel, Rebel
- Diamond Dogs
- Young Americans
- Fame
- Golden Years
- TVC15
- Sound and Vision
- Heroes
- D.J.
Music CD 2- Ashes To Ashes
- Fashion
- Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
- Under Pressure
- Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
- Let's Dance
- China Girl
- Modern Love
- Blue Jean
- This is Not America
- Dancing In The Streets
- Absolute Beginners
- Time Will Crawl
- Under The God
- Jump They Say
- The Heart's Filthy Lesson
- I'm Afraid Of Americans
- Thursday's Child
- Slow Burn
Free Music Notes for Best of BowieFree Music Review: Bowie for Absolute Beginners? And everyone else! Hit: 5 Stars
I find it very depressing that Amazon still hasn't put up the tracklisting for this album (the double CD version "Best Of Bowie" for America) so I guess I'm gonna have to do it. Disc 1 1. Space Oddity 2. The Man Who Sold The World 3. Changes 4. Life On Mars? 5. Moonage Daydream 6. Suffragette City 7. Ziggy Stardust 8. All The Young Dudes 9, The Jean Genie 10. Panic In Detroit 11. Rebel, Rebel 12. Diamond Dogs 13. Young Americans 14. Fame 15. Golden Years 16. TVC15 17. Sound and Vision 18. "Heroes" 19. D.J. Disc 2 1.Ashes To Ashes 2. Fashion 3. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) 4. Under Pressure 5. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) 6. Let's Dance 7. China Girl 8. Modern Love 9. Blue Jean 10. This is Not America 11. Dancing In The Streets 12. Absolute Beginners 13. Time Will Crawl 14. Under The God 15. Jump They Say 16. The Heart's Filthy Lesson 17. I'm Afraid Of Americans 18. Thursday's Child 19. Slow Burn This listing is very unique because it includes the big pop hits (the poppy R&B meets rock guitar "Let's Dance"), culturally significant songs (revolutionary singer-songwriter moments like "Changes" and "All The Young Dudes") and excellent singles that didn't get the attention they deserved the first time (the industrial rocker "Heart's Filthy Lesson"). The fact that "Best Of Bowie" takes songs form nearly every Bowie studio album (except for the cover packed "Pin Ups" and "Buddha Of Suburbia", which in all fairness was a soundtrack) shows all the levels that the man works on musically. The seventies are where Bowie shines with everything from the edgy alien hard rock of "Ziggy Stardust" to the glam rock perfection of "Rebel, Rebel". "Diamond Dogs" (only live track and the longest in length at over 6 minutes) should have been a shorter track, especially since they cut down the stellar cynical lyric with an R&B beat of "Young Americans" to a single edit. The Berlin tracks are a great way to end the first disc. "Low" is represented well by the dancy "Sound And Vision" while "Heroes" is tragic and wonderful. Then there is the eighties heyday from disco flavored new wave of "Fashion" to horn blasting "Modern Love" (which I viewed as a sardonic joke about yuppie culture, right?) to that poppy Motown cover "Dancing In The Streets" (with Mick Jagger adding his swagger). Then there was the nineties peak of creativity of the bleeping drum machine pop "Jump They Say" to the moody introspective AC of "Thursday's Child" to the techno rock dance of "I'm Afraid Of Americans" (the Trent mix) and closing with the passionate soul rock of "Soul Burn". The unfortunate thing is that it misses with some track placement. I don't understand why "Time Will Crawl" represents "Never Let Me Down" and the obvious not "Day In, Day Out". Also, some tracks take getting used to like the collaboration with the Pat Methany Group with the world music with a dance groove "This is Not America". And now I understand why people dislike Tin Machine with the c-rocker blah bombast of "Under The God", but it shows an interesting side of Bowie. These very few questionable tracks (which I can live with) don't change my overall impression of the set being very strong. Slight omissions (why not "Rock And Roll Suicide" from "Ziggy Stardust..."?) and edits (or non-edits in some cases) doesn't change the fact that this album is filled with some of the greatest transformations from the rock chameleon that Bowie is. He has rocked us in a variety of ways and this album is needed for those who have adored him for years and is superb for those just starting out. Keep in mind that there are about 22 verisons of this CD, most single discs. This is the American double CD verison.
Best of Bowie PosterDAVID BOWIE Best Of Bowie (2002 US 1st ever career-spanning 2-CD set featuring 38 digitally remastered tracks from the early Space Oddity to the 2002 Slow Burn picture sleeve with US flag spine - still sealed in original stickered shrinkwrap) Though one of rock's most influential figures, David Bowie's accomplishments are pocked by some distinct ironies. His willful efforts at being a musical and visual chameleon spurred triumphs in genres as diverse as folk, glam, new wave, and electronica. Given the dizzying range and success of his '70s incarnations--from Ziggy to the Thin White Duke to the gaunt, goth-cypher of Low and Heroes--he seemed the artist most well-equipped to weather the changing tides of taste and trend, yet saw his career essentially shrink to cult status after scoring his biggest triumphs when he reshaped the soulless, dance-oriented club music of the early '80s into his own image. This 20-track compilation does little to address the Chinese puzzle that has been Bowie's post-'85 career, but it does deliver an artistically dizzying slate of hits as it skips from one early peak to the next, from evocative cabaret ("Space Oddity," "Changes") through muscular glam-rock ("Suffragette City," "The Jean Genie") to R&B ("Young Americans," "Fame") and post-punk flirtations ("Ashes to Ashes," "Fashion") to the dance-club hits ("Let's Dance," "China Girl," "Modern Love") and '80s one-off duets ("Under Pressure" with Queen, "Dancing in the Streets" with Mick Jagger) that essentially marked the end of his superstar reign. Whole eras and at least one classic '70s album (Low) go completely unaddressed, but all of Bowie's signature hits are here, as well as Earthling's powerful, underappreciated "I'm Afraid of Americans." --Jerry McCulley
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