Heathen [Limited Edition w/Bonus Disc] [Limited Edition]

David Bowie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000066SX2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,390 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a return to greatness, June 11, 2002

By 

Chad R. Hay (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heathen [Limited Edition w/Bonus Disc] (Audio CD)

What an amazing album..

Generally, you can pick out where Bowie may have received his inspiration by the different styles he's used over the years, or the different characters he's employed... but finally, for the first time, he's playing HIMSELF.

In an odd analogy, this album seems to be the culmination of the work he's put into the previous twenty-five or so, and in the end, a masterpiece has been born. The bonus disc has a great remix by Air, but the rest can be taken or left. It's not bad, but not essential. Conversation Piece was from the aborted Toy album, and the version of Panic In Detroit, using a Speak N Spell (remember those?), had been previously released on the 1992 Rykodisc pressing of Scary Monsters.

Buy this. You cannot possibly be disappointed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet again another good Bowie CD but Questionable Bonus Disk, June 18, 2002

By 

G. Guthrie "fiction book collector" (columbus, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Heathen [Limited Edition w/Bonus Disc] (Audio CD)

The Music itself deserves 5 stars. This is yet another Bowie album that sounds completely unlike any of his others. At first I thought it was another album like hours, it has a mellow theme to it. But, after a couple of listens I realized some of these tunes are very upbeat. Luckily Bowie dropped Reeves Gabriels for this outing, his signature guitar style has severely crippled Bowies sound. But, I honestly think he did some superb albums with Reeves, most notably "Outside". Anyway, this album sounds fresh and exciting. A few rockers are "Slow Burn", "Afraid" along with the covers "Cactus" and "I've Been Waiting for You". Most of the other tracks are a little more subdued, but still very excellent. After listening to this CD straight through about 10 times, I can honestly say there isn't a bad song on this album and it keeps getting better with each listen.

As for the bonus CD, I felt it was half bad, half good. This is why I gave this review only a 4 star. "Sunday" and "A Better Future" are both remixes and are done pretty well. I enjoyed them both. "Conversation Piece" is a remake from the "Space Oddity" period, but offers nothing exciting at all and turned out to be quite dull. Also, an outtake of "Panic In Detroit" done in 1979 shows up here. Why? I have no idea. It is almost the exact same outtake that showed up on the "Scary Monsters" Ryko re-release. I will admit I was very disappointed that this even showed up on the bonus CD. But, any Bowie you can get is good so go for it only if you're a Bowie freak, if not then I recommend saving the few bucks and going for the regular CD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of the cool, September 9, 2002

By 

Tyro (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heathen [Limited Edition w/Bonus Disc] (Audio CD)

Bowie's albums don't sell, sadly. But this one was at least critically acclaimed; that's quite an achievement, because a new album by a legend generally gets trashed. It's not that this is so much better than "1. Outside" or "Earthling" - both wonderful musical achievements, but this one would appeal to a wider audience. Some people couldn't get past all the baggage in Outside (the story, the spoken interludes, the changing musical styles) or the heavy techno sound of Earthling. Here Bowie does something good; he relaxes and stops trying so hard. No big concepts or self-conscious references to his past work (well, not too many). Instead, there's a delicate kind of humor in songs like "Everyone Says Hi" (a favorite of reviewers) and "A Better Future." And musically the album has a sense of fun and a light catchiness in each and every track. (Musically, it really recalls "Black Tie White Noise," the most neglected Bowie album of all.) "Hours..." wasn't a high point, but this is a really, really enjoyable piece of work. Buy it. You won't be sorry.