Customer Reviews

Best Of Bowie

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a big Bowie fan and overall this is a decent collection of his works. The two disc set has a better selection, but I liked that this single disc spanned his early to later hits. The sound quality is good.

HOWEVER, I was VERY disappointed to notice that several songs have been edited. They've been shortened to presumably include more songs on this single CD. A couple of instrumental parts within songs have been shortened (such as in Young Americans) and the endings of some songs have been truncated. This really bothers me.

If you're new to Bowie and don't know his music yet, this probably a good way to get a sample. If you know and love these songs, the edits might just drive you nuts. They sure bug me.

There's no denying that David Bowie is one of the greatest artists in rock history (voted # 8 of all time by VH1), and condensing his 30 - plus years of music to a single or even double disc collection is difficult. In 2002, this feat was attempted with "Best Of Bowie". 20 of his best songs were included on this collection. How does it work? Read on for the positives and the negatives.

Positives:

-Most of Bowie's biggest hits that the casual fan would be familliar with are here, including "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Rebel Rebel", "Young Americans", "Fame", "Let's Dance" and "China Girl".

-Underrated gems "Suffragette City" and "Ashes To Ashes" have been included as well.

-"Under Pressure", his collaboration with Queen, and the cover of "Dancing In The Street", a duet with Mick Jagger, found their way on to this collection.

-It's affordable and easy to find.

Negatives:

-A lot of great hits are missing. Where are "TVC 15", "Tonight" (with Tina Turner), "Cat People" (Putting Out Fire)", "Tuesday's Child", "DJ" and so many other classic Bowie tracks?

-Several tracks are edited.

-No liner notes.

-The two disc version of this collection puts this one to shame. With the same titel and packaing and 18 more songs, it is the one to own.

In conclusion, this is not really the best Bowie collection. Get the two disc version instead.

Bowie offers this single CD 20-track collection containing only his biggest hits - the ones he usually does in concert (minus the duets). Consider it the poor man's version of his greatest hits. For [a lttle bit] more, you can have a second CD containing some of his other big hits, but the decision is only made depending on how big a fan or a completist you are. I recommend the double disc set. PLUS, the sound is spectacular on both! The remastering is excellent!

Another Bowie compilation is not what I needed but I am very pleased with this collection. The day I bought it, it became a staple in my car CD player.

Track listings are generous, totaling eighteen, and they include all of Bowie's biggest hits. Already owning "ChangesBowie" and "Best Of 1969-1974", I hesitated to buy yet another of his compilations, but am glad that I did. Since Amazon.com has not listed the tracks, here they are: "Absolute Beginners", "Ashes To Ashes", "Blue Jean", "Changes", "China Girl", "Fame", "Fashion", "Golden Years", "Heroes", "Let's Dance", "Modern Love", "Rebel Rebel", "Space Oddity", "Suffragette City", "Young Americans" and three duets I had not seen on a Bowie CD before, "This Is Not America" w/Pat Metheny, "Dancing In The Streets" w/Mick Jagger and "Under Pressure" w/Queen.

What pleases me the most about this collection is the stellar digitally-remastered sound quality. Exceptionally well done, there are separations in some of the songs I had never noticed before. Kudos to the producer. If you like Bowie, you will like this CD. Bowie aficionados still smarting from his overtly commercial product from the 1980s may find this package lacking, but if you like his hits, this is a CD you will enjoy.

I would suggest buying the double-disc version of this album. For just a few extra dollars you get double the songs. I mean we're talking about Bowie here, the guy's been making music for over three decades and has recorded more than 20 studio albums. You can't expect to get all the hits on just one disc. Even if you are a more casual fan, expand your Bowie knowledge and get the 2-disc version. Anyone who likes rock (classic, glam, pop, new wave, disco, etc.) should own it, because Bowie pioneered ALL of these genres and more. He is a largely under-appreciated musical genius, especially in America.

This is really mostly the same as his "Changes" cd, but if you're looking for the best of the best of "Bowie", this is it. Included is "Space Oddity", "Ziggy Stardust", "Young Americans", "Modern Love", and many more. This also has "Dancing In The Street" with Mick Jagger. Obviously someone as huge and influential as "Bowie" needs more than a one disc retrospective. If you need more too, there's the 2-disc version of this collection, which has twice as much, and is twice as good. For just a few dollars more, I'd definitely get that one. It has everything that's missing here, and will also have you saying "Let's Dance".

The chameleon of pop. Major Tom. Ziggy Stardust. The Thin White Duke. Folk, glam, soul, funk, dance, pop, drum & bass. David Bowie has gone through many pivotal phases in his illustrious career. But capturing the essence of his character for the sake of beginners is a tricky task. This one-disc compilation attempts to reconcile the many phases of Bowie's varied career within the 80 minute time limit imposed by the format. How well does it accomplish this task, and what material made the final cut?

Well:

1. Space Oddity- A folkie sort of tune about a man in space. Very well produced, with strings and other instruments occasionally adding flavour to this essentially acoustic song.

2. Changes- A classic pop tune. The "ch-ch-ch-changes" bit should be familiar to most, as should the "Time may change me/but I can't change time" refrain.

3. Suffragette City- "Hey Man" and "Wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am" are the choiciest bits of this glam rock track. This song signals Bowie's entry into glitter infamy as he takes up the persona of Ziggy Stardust.

4. Ziggy Stardust- Another classic. Very well produced: an acoustic on one stereo channel and an electric guitar on the other. Catchy, utterly senseless ("he could like 'em by smiling") and timeless.

5. The Jean Genie- Fantastic glam riff, so great it was later copped by the Sweet for "Blockbuster." The bass intro itself is great, and the lyrics are uber-bizarre.

6. Rebel, Rebel- One of Bowie's more well-known compositions. Take to guess what it's about?

7. Young Americans [Single Version]- Any bits of glam rock are gone by 1975. This track shows Bowie fully immerse himself into the Philly Soul sound, and the results are quite nice. Its a lively track, with back-up singers and the works, and there's a great frantic quality about the whole song. This compilation gives us the abridged single version. It's not a huge problem, though.

8. Fame- A funky masterpiece. It's got a street-wise minimalist strut that's hard to beat. Also from '75 and made with a little help from an ex-Beatle, this song is another instant Bowie classic. It's one of the highlights from the "Young Americans" album, and clearly a highlight of Bowie's career.

9. Golden Years [Single Version]- The funkyness of "Young Americans" is consolidated and plasticized on this track. The groove and the soul still there, but they've been molded into Bowie's framework. Again, this version is abridged.

10. Heroes [Single Version]- One of the best songs of all time. Heart-wrenching delivery, gripping lyrics that teem with a universal theme & unique production. This track was the one that most got my attention off the entire compilation. My misgiving? It's the abridged version. The original is over 6 minutes long and has Bowie's delivery evolved from aloof to extremely passionate. The edited version remains powerful, but a bit of the strength is sapped by cutting it down.

11. Ashes To Ashes [Single Version]- Remeber Major Tom? He's still around, but on this track, we find out he's actually a junkie "strung out in heaven's eye/hitting an all-time low." The song has a space-age production that still sounds fresh today, sort of like early Roxy Music taken to its logical extreme. Abridged, but that's no problem.

12. Fashion [Single Version]- Another abridged song? Yep. No problem, though. This slightly-veiled pastiche against fascism is remains great. Angular guitar work, dark neon production and goofy lyrics that counterpose fashion and authoritarianism all have a place in this song. Wonderful.

13. Under Pressure- Bowie and Queen. The bass line of the century. Universal subject. Excellent delivery. Classic all the way.

14. Let's Dance [Single Version]- The track that broke Bowie into our hearts. Moody, danceable, retro, modern... a set of contradictions embodied in a single track. Unbelievably fun, though. Abridged.

15. China Girl [Single Version]- Originally recorded by Iggy Pop but written by Bowie and the ex-Stooge, this song takes the moodyness found in Let's Dance and allows it to become the core of the composition. Any song that can incorporate oriental cliches, Marlon Brando and swastikas just so happens to be crazy enough to work. "Oh baby, just you shut your mouth...shhhh...." Abridged.

16. Modern Love- Takes off where the poppy Let's Dance track left off. Dancey with a bit of retro-jukebox twist, yet still a product of the 80s. Catchy and bouncey, but not as creatively-driven as his 70s output.

17. Blue Jea- Like Modern Love, but with the occasional horns. Good fun, but increasingly hollow.

18. Dancing In The Street- Bowie and Jagger. Should've been genius, like Bowie and Queen. Alas, its anything but. This cover of a Martha & the Vendellas track is notable for its triteness and shoddy nature. This is where the Bowie's quality control department instinct fell asleep at the wheel. Somehow, people remember this aberration, hence its inclusion here.

19. This Is Not America- David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group make a song. World falls asleep.

20. I'm Afraid of Americans (V1) [Radio Edit]- V1? Radio Edit? Well, the version on the "Earthling" album is quite different from the one here. It's arranged a bit differently and it has a different mix. This version stems from the "I'm Afraid of Americans" single, which is essentially an EP where Trent Reznor gets to muck about and make noise. There are 6 versions of the songs on that single. This is version one, i.e., V1. It's also shortened by about a minute. All I can say is that its not the best track off "Earthling," but it did get attention because of the video.

So what are the pros of this collection? Well, it touches upon most eras of Bowie's work. Great songs are chosen throughout. Its everything you might ever want, and then some.

Cons? The edited songs are sure to miff many fans, but for the most part, nothing really major is cut out. Another misgiving one can have about the collection lies in the fact that its a one-CD set, and thus omits many hits, favourites and even entire periods (hardly any album tracks from 84-97, nothing from 97-02!). One can also argue that the last few songs could have been replaced by better choices.

So what I have to say about this compilation? For me, it was an excellent introduction to Bowie. It wasn't too cumbersome, and it gave a solid overview. The latter tracks are weak selections, but aside from that, nothing else ticked me off. In retrospect, one would have hoped for better tracks at the end and maybe less abridged versions. But that's about the only big faults I can name. If you want a sturdy introduction to Bowie, check out some of the multiple-disc collections. If you are looking for an affordable one-disc Bowie compilation, this is a great place to start.

this is my favorite cd i own. you can leave it on repeat and its as good the 4895743095th time as it was the first. "Under Pressure" is my favorite song on the cd.

The single-disc "Best of Bowie" is a greatest-hits package for absolute beginners. If you don't mind the edited versions of "Young Americans," "Heroes," "Ashes to Ashes" and "Let's Dance," by all means give this a listen. Otherwise, track down "Changesonebowie" or the revised "Sound + Vision" box set.

David Bowie is my all time favorite solo artist. I love the man's work thro his whole career and I think his changes have been magnificent, but this greatest hits was a bit disapointing. Not all his songs are here, for instinct 'Oh! You pretty thing', 'Sound and Vision', and much more that should of been taken for consideration. Also some have been edited like some review I read here aswell, the one that ticks me off the most is the new ending for 'China Girl', cutting out the last synthethizer playing with the chorus which is the best part of the whole song and just cutting it to the end after the guitar solo.

Indeed, if you're new to David Bowie this is a great sample but for the hardcore fans this shouldn't be bought. Get the double great hits album instead.