Customer Reviews

London Boy

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'London Boy' is a CD collection of several of David Bowie's earliest (1960's) recorded tracks. Hearing the very first cut, the original'Space Oddity', brings back memories of a conversation I had with two late teen sophisticates where I touted David Bowie's early recordings, most of which appear on this CD. These young men of the world didn't quite see the value in Bowie's early material, and especially thought that 'Space Oddity' was just a bit corny.

Well, I had the last laugh, and this issue lets me relive this experience and realize that even in these very early tracks, Bowie was something special.

The thing which most impresses me about his lyrics and arrangements is how dramatic they are. While he never did a piece as great as Pete Townsend's 'Tommy', there are strong similarities between his Broadway / London Music Hall style here and Townsend's story telling works going back even before his 'Tommy' masterpiece.

The difference, and the thing which most sets Bowie apart from rockers Townsend and Daltry is how protean Bowie was over the years. He was constantly reinventing himself, so that he is one of the very few performers who arrived in the 1960's who is still fresh 20 and 40 years later.

This album is the evidence which made me believe that Bowie was destined for great things.

The only reason collectors may want this set is that it includes the rare full-length version of "Space Oddity", which has a longer coda. The recording was edited for inclusion in the 1968 "Love You Till Tuesday" movie and it was the shorter version that first saw the light of day when the movie was finally released on video in 1984, along with a soundtrack album. Later the British Pickwick label reissued the album on CD and, probably by mistake, included the previously unheard full-length version of the track (and also the full-length version of "Ching-a-Ling", which unfortunately is not here - neither is "When I'm Five", which only appeared on the soundtrack album). Well, now that rare version is available again. It's no big deal, actually, it's just about one more minute of David and John Hutchinson going "doooo, do do do doooo..." before the song finally fades out, but it's a rare version, anyway. If you have or can get a hold of the Pickwick CD (which is long out of print) you really don't need this compilation, as all the other recordings can be found on "The Deram Collection" with more tracks and and a nice, informative booklet.

A great collection from the king and queen of glammer rock. London Boy definitely shows the many sides of Bowie and is defenitely one of the best of Rock genre.

David Bowie is the difinitive of Glam rock and a major icon in the "british invasion." With the sensational song "Ziggy Stardust," Bowie proves he is a TRUE rock star. With his contoversial lyrics and his progressive outfits, Bowie has changed music and this is a prime example of some of his greates works.