The Complete David Bowie [Paperback]

Nicholas Pegg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

The career of David Bowie has been one of the most colorful and intriguing in modern rock history. In The Complete David Bowie, Nicholas Pegg chronicles the star’s every move—from his first appearance as balladeer Davy Jones in the 60s, and his spectacular, gender-bending turn in the 70s as Ziggy Stardust, to his starring roles in films like The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Hunger. This definitive reference also includes a detailed production history and an analysis of all Bowie’s albums, including 2003’s Reality; hundreds of entries with facts and anecdotes about all his songs, plus unreleased rarities; and set lists and histories of every live show.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pegg eloquently catalogues Bowie's proclivity for making radical jumps from one musical and fashion motif to another." - Publishers Weekly 

"All Bowie books must now be measured against Nicholas Pegg’s The Complete David Bowie ... ‘It is not only a pleasure to dip into, but also one of the few reference books that can be read cover to cover. Pegg’s encyclopaedic structure mirrors the cut-up, mix-and-match nature of Bowie’s own career, making one reconsider the very notion of a conventional rock biography." – Times Literary Supplement

“An indispensable guide for all serious collectors of David Bowie’s music.” - BowieNet

“Absolutely thorough, absolutely definitive and absolutely entertaining.” BBC Radio 5 Live --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

The career of David Bowie has been one of the most colorful and intriguing in modern rock history. Now, in "The Complete David Bowie," Nicholas Pegg chronicles the star's every move--from his first appearance as balladeer Davy Jones in the 60s, and his spectacular, gender-bending debut in the 70s as Ziggy Stardust, which made him an international sensation, to his starring roles in films like "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and his more mature work on albums like "Zion." This definitive reference also includes a detailed production history and an analysis of all of Bowie's albums; hundreds of entries with facts and anecdotes about all his songs, including unreleased rarities; and set lists and histories of every live show. Moving beyond his music, the book charts Bowie's career on stage and screen, his videos, and more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 446 pages
• Publisher: Reynolds & Hearn (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903111145
• ISBN-13: 978-1903111147
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,545,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Bowie reference book, January 2, 2001

By 

Emilio Dreyer Pacheco (Porto Alegre, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete David Bowie (Paperback)

It's hard to dispute this book's billing as "The Most Comprehensive Bowie Book Ever Published"! Although the author drew from existing sources without conducting any original research, his encyclopedic knowledge of the subject more than makes up for it. David's music is analyzed from two perspectives: song by song (from A to Z) and album by album (in chronological order). And the entries are far from superficial: they scrutinize each topic exhaustively. Bowie's other works (movies, videos, etc.) are also covered. With 445 pages full of text in small print (no pictures), "The Complete David Bowie" puts all other "Bowie guides" to shame. That, of course, does not include biographies. But you can forget books like "We Can Be Heroes - The Story Behind Every Bowie Song" (Chris Welch), "The Complete Guide to The Music of David Bowie" (David Buckley - but his Bowie biography "Strange Fascination", on the other hand, is a must), "David Bowie, Theatre of Music" (Robert Matthew-Walker) and others in a similar vein.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, July 31, 2002

By 

Karl Haikara (Denver, Co.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete David Bowie (Paperback)

The best book about David Bowie, in a non-bio way.
The meat of the book are its song by song chapter, and album by album chapter.
The song by song covers every Bowie song, taking about its form and whats its about.
The album by album chapter covers each album in great detail.
The book also has chapters about Bowie's art, acting, videos, ect. In all it has nearly everything you'll need to know about David Bowie's career.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Bowie for the serious fan, February 15, 2003

By 

Ramona A Stone (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete David Bowie (Paperback)

As a collector of Bowie's music, I found this book invaluable. It filled in some gaps in my understanding of the great ones music and cleverly clarifies the evolution process from one Bowie phase to the next.
The book makes reference to many rare and unreleased songs which is vital to a serious collector.
It is written plainly and factually with no hint of worship.
If you are only concerned with Bowie's music then this is the book for you. Essential.