All Saints: Collected Instrumentals 1977-1999

David Bowie

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 11, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00005BCGY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,960 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This collection of instrumentals offers a stark reminder of the sheer mind-boggling scope of David Bowie's sound and vision. Most of these 16 brooding soundscapes are plucked from Bowie's hugely influential 1977 albums, Low and Heroes. Taking his cue from Kraftwerk, Bowie enlisted ambient pioneer Brian Eno and decamped to Berlin. It's no exaggeration to say that the resulting albums were integral in defining the path of modern music. Throughout, there's a palpable sense of foreboding, perhaps best exemplified by "Sense of Doubt," a truly unsettling mesh of booming piano and spookily spiraling synths. That the Thin White Duke's Berlin material still dazzles is no surprise. However, it's the remarkable revelation--provided by a clutch of slightly more recent tracks--that he can still cut it that'll hearten disillusioned Bowie fans everywhere. --Chris King

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We've heard it all before, but..., September 19, 2001

By	Gsorme "gsorme" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I wasn't going to buy it, because I was cynically thinking it was just another way for Bowie to cash in on his past without turning out something new and brilliant (which maybe it is!). But for various reasons (and perhaps because I'm just a die-hard fan whatever else my fluctuating opinion may be), I picked it up. What can I say that hasn't been said already? Not a lot: These compositions make a lot of sense together (Brilliant Adventure makes MORE sense to me here than it did on hours...). The whole album is an effective soundscape that sets a unique tone. And because of the all-instrumental context, I find myself paying more attention to the pieces than I do on the original albums.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Bowie's Instrumentals!!, September 18, 2003

By	Louie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"All Saints" is an excellent collection of innovative instrumental work from the legendary David Bowie. Compiled personally by Bowie and initially given away as a Christmas gift to only his closest and personal friends, "All Saints" was later given an official release as a limited edition. At the time of this writing, the CD is still readily available and is worth picking up.
This collection spans from the years 1977 to 1999. Most of the tracks included here are from the two-thirds of Bowie's "Berlin" album trilogy ("Low" and "Heroes", the third being "Lodger"). Additionally, there are three rare pieces ("Abdulmajid", "Crystal Japan" and the CDs title track) which were only previously available as bonus tracks when the Rykodisc label reissued the entire Bowie catalog in the early 1990s (The Rykodisc reissues are now out-of-print).
This CD as a whole demonstrates David Bowie's pioneering use of synthesizers and ambient soundscapes. A majority of these compositions were made in collaboration with ambient music specialist Brian Eno and display a unique combination of lush beauty, harsh experimentation and cinematic intensity. Any of these compositions could've easily been used as film music for it is highly visual and adventurous. The closing piece ("Some Are" from Philip Glass's "Low Symphony") is particularly cinematic with its use of a full symphonic orchestra creating a dynamic sense of drama.
"All Saints" is not only a must have for David Bowie fans but also for fans of instrumental music as well. Like his collaborator Brian Eno as well as the German-based bands Tangerine Dream, Cluster and Kraftwerk, David Bowie has also garnered himself as an innovator of ambient electronic music. This collection shows Bowie at his instrumental best and reveals the full scope of his serious musical and compositional side.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite collection, August 2, 2001

By	Brian "beejay46" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This collection of David Bowie's instrumental pieces makes a lot more sense than most such compilations. It's good to have them all on one CD, and the tracks go so well together that you could almost imagine it is a 'proper' album in its own right.

While the opening tracks "A New Career in a New Town" and "V-2 Schneider" are relatively up-tempo, some could be called 'ambient', while others are beyond classification. However you describe them, thay are by turns beautiful, exhilarating, meditative, or even, occasionally, slightly disturbing.

"All Saints" is a great chance to own, in one handy package, a body of work by Bowie (not forgetting his collaborations here with Brian Eno) that has been immensly influential and also helped to expand the boundaries of popular music.