Best of Bowie
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Audio CD (22 October, 2002)
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Though one of rock's most influential figures, David Bowie's accomplishments are pocked by some distinct ironies. His willful efforts at being a musical and visual chameleon spurred triumphs in genres as diverse as folk, glam, new wave, and electronica. Given the dizzying range and success of his '70s incarnations--from Ziggy to the Thin White Duke to the gaunt, goth-cypher of Low and Heroes--he seemed the artist most well-equipped to weather the changing tides of taste and trend, yet saw his career essentially shrink to cult status after scoring his biggest triumphs when he reshaped the soulless, dance-oriented club music of the early '80s into his own image. This 20-track compilation does little to address the Chinese puzzle that has been Bowie's post-'85 career, but it does deliver an artistically dizzying slate of hits as it skips from one early peak to the next, from evocative cabaret ("Space Oddity," "Changes") through muscular glam-rock ("Suffragette City," "The Jean Genie") to R&B ("Young Americans," "Fame") and post-punk flirtations ("Ashes to Ashes," "Fashion") to the dance-club hits ("Let's Dance," "China Girl," "Modern Love") and '80s one-off duets ("Under Pressure" with Queen, "Dancing in the Streets" with Mick Jagger) that essentially marked the end of his superstar reign. Whole eras and at least one classic '70s album (Low) go completely unaddressed, but all of Bowie's signature hits are here, as well as Earthling's powerful, underappreciated "I'm Afraid of Americans." --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

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• Original recording remastered

Reviews (67)

All the hits are here!
If you're a casual Bowie fan like I am, then this is the cd package you want. All of the hits are here and the sound quality is very good. The booklet and the overall package are excellent.

Purest don't like the fact that many of the tunes have been edited/shortened to fit on the double cd package, however for the most part, the casual fan like myself wont ever notice the missing parts as they are usually just longer solo sections or longer endings. All the songs are great for the most part and they flow well together in this package. Personally I could do without Under Pressure and Dancing In The Streets as they are both sub par in my opinion. I like the Stones and Queen, but those tunes do neither band or Mr. Bowie any justice.

If you don't mind slightly edited tunes here and there, then this is probably the Bowie Best Of you want!

Not quite his best of
I noticed by reading most of the reviews here that this particular release is the American one. I have the Australian release which has three tracks that are not on the US edition for some inexplicable reason, namely 'Starman', 'John, I'm only Dancing' and the ironic 'Boy's keep Swinging'. These are amongst his most popular tunes. Mind you, at least the US one has the 'D.J' and 'Cat People (Putting out the Fire)'.

Still, it would have been nice if the punchy 'Look Back in Anger' was on both releases as well as the instrumental 'V2 Schneider' or even 'When I'm Five'.

As this seems to be an incomplete collection of his best it only warrants 4 stars from me.

A Great, Two-Disc Retrospective of a Groundbreaking Career
David Bowie's influence on modern pop, rock and alternative music has been pondered countless times - let's just say that if you find yourself on this page, you agree that he's at least an accomplished hit-maker if not a full-fledged musical icon.

When a musician achieves such a high level of critical and commercial success for as long as Bowie has, he or she is bound to release multiple retrospective packages, each with slightly different aims/audiences - just the hits, hits with rarities, singles only, etc.The "Best of Bowie" two-disc edition is a great compilation that will primarily target both casual fans who want all of the familiar material that they grew up hearing and more serious fans who appreciate the convenience of having so much of Bowie's career in one ready-to-go release.

The first disc focuses on his early, more straightforward rock songs.It includes the mega-hits that everyone knows ("Changes", "Heroes") as well as the Classic-AOR standards that everyone should know ("Panic in Detroit", "Suffragette City").Imagine a younger Nirvana fan discovering the original "The Man Who Sold the World" - that's the beauty of a "best-of" that's this well done.

The second disc starts with the experimental glam/new wave ("Fashion", "Ashes to Ashes") sound and moves through the 80s pop hits ("Modern Love", "Blue Jean") and 90s creative renaissance ("The Heart's Filthy Lesson" - the music under the credits of the film "Seven", "I'm Afraid of Americans" - a super collaboration with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails).It also includes a number of tracks that had previously been unavailable on Bowie releases:"Under Pressure" with Queen, "This is not America" (from the movie "The Falcon and the Snowman") with Pat Methany, "Under the God" from Bowie's hard-rock side project Tin Machine, and (unfortunately, according to some) the "Dancing in the Streets" duet with Mick Jagger.While none of these songs are rare per se, it's a nice bonus to have them collected here so that you don't have to track them down on their respective releases.

There will always be those who nitpick any retrospective over song selection, but think of the audience.I love the "Low" album, but anyone who appreciates it that much likely owns it outright, while anyone who just knows the hits wouldn't like it very much except for "Sound and Vision" (which is included here).As others have mentioned, some of the songs such as "Young Americans" and "Golden Years" are the edited single versions, but again, I believe that anyone attuned enough to Bowie's music to notice this should already have the originals on their initial recordings.So get over it - this best-of does a fantastic job of showcasing the talent and groundbreaking creativity that David Bowie has given to popular music.

The two-disc edition of "Best of Bowie" is a must-have for anyone looking to introduce themselves to his works or sweep up all of the familiar hits at once.It's more of a nice-to-have for more serious fans who don't feel like lugging out the "Sound+Vision" box set to relive his entire history. ... Read more

Asin: B00006JYI7
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blue-Eyed Soul    3. Experimental Rock    4. Glam Rock    5. Hard Rock    6. New Wave    7. Pop    8. Pop/Rock    9. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    10. Proto-Punk    11. Rock    12. Singer/Songwriter   

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust (EMI) [ENHANCED CD]
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After flirting with heavy guitar rock ("The Man Who Sold the World") and lighter pop ("Hunky Dory"), Bowie found middle ground on Ziggy Stardust. The creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona would live on well after Bowie shed the alien skin, marking the first rock concept album by a sexually ambiguous, artistically bent musician who confounded critics at every turn. A blend of dramatic strings, swaggering saxophones, jagged guitars, and theatrical arrangements, the album's darker rock numbers like "It Ain't Easy," "Moonage Daydream," "Ziggy Stardust," and the irresistible "Suffragette City," still serve as solid excursions into the future (then and now) of rock. The buoyant "Hang on to Yourself" and the dreamy "Star" offer hints of optimism in Ziggy's bleak world. The dramatic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the image-heavy "Star Man" ("he'd like to come and meet us but thinks he'd blow our minds!") no doubt provided plenty of stage-worthy moments when Ziggy toured in the '70s, but years later they still thrill. Bowie blew our minds!--Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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Over-hyped but subtley brilliant
This album is brilliant in ways that most people don't recognize.While not the most fun or engaging Bowie album (thus, the three stars), ...Ziggy Stardust... does cleverly fool its audience, giving them the exact rock n' roll tripe and the exact disposable rock n' roll star it had come to expect from popular culture.Many fans of this album miss this crucial point, bopping along mindlessly to such mindless "classics" as Moonage Daydream and Hold On To Yourself.I'm not knocking the album, mind you--I'm merely appreciating another aspect of the album that most usually overlook.

Other aspects of the album go largely unnoticed.For example, subtle messianic allusions abound, drawing comparisons between fan worship and savior worship.In a world that lives vicariously through the exploits of celebrities rather than the exploits of the gods, meeting a celebrity is like a religious experience.And like the "saviors" of old, rock stars often "die" at the hands of their own "people."

The metaphors go deeper than signifying rock stars and saviors....Ziggy Stardust... (and glam rock in general) sought to usurp traditional notions of "authenticity."Warhol, Bowie, and others realized that the function of surface is to signify substance (or lack thereof).In a culture that defines one by one's "substance," one can "become" just about anything by merely signifying it, even the archetypical pop star that self-destructs amidst a popular backlash.

Born out of an era enamored of Warhol's idealization of vapidity, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars was the first David Bowie album to capture the public imagination.It is fun and upbeat, but it is a very empty album, even by Bowie's standards.In my humble opinion, more engaging concepts lay in other Bowie albums.

For passionate, prophetic sci-fi in the vein of William Burroughs, check out Aladdin San and Diamond Dogs (not that they aren't without their own glam trappings and subtexts).For the sound of a broken individual seeking escape and healing through solipsism, check out Low.For some cocaine-fueled paranoid funk, listen to Station to Station.For some occultism set to a happy beat, purchase Hunky Dory.For some fractured, postmodern strangeness, give Outside a shot.

The rest of his albums are also worth your time.

One of Bowie's Best!
1972 was Bowie's year. He released his two masterpieces that year: Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust. Quite amazingly, they are the complete opposites of each other. Hunky Dory has more of a folk feel with leanings to the morose. Ziggy Stardust is glam rock to its core. Though polar opposites, they both comprise Bowie's character. The superficiality and glam of Ziggy Stardust and the depth and introspection of Hunky Dory are both seen throughout Bowie's career. This, along with Hunky Dory, ranks up there with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's and The Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed as one of the defining rock albums.

Essential Bowie.

Although it is considered a concept album of sorts, it doesn't get bogged down in themes or complex stories.It didn't even occur to me that it was a concept album, until someone mentioned it.That's part of the beauty: you can enjoy the songs as songs.

The production is crisp and high-quality, but not overdone.Despite the sci-fi theme, it has a good balance of dirty rock-and-roll crunch, so that it stays down-to-earth, and not too geeky, artsy, or spaced-out ("Suffragette City" is a good example).

If you get this album, it's worth checking out the lyrics online, if they're not included with the cd.Some of them are funny, warped, and surreal, in a good way.I'm not always into lyrics, but Bowie is like the Bob Dylan of glam, and knowing the lyrics has enhanced the listening experience for me.

In terms of listenability, this album is listenable all the way through, with no skips.It is very much an album, not a hits-and-filler collection.

Lots of hooks and grooves.Great to sing along in a British accent.

Songwriting: 9/10
Musicianship: 9/10
Sound Quality: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Listenability: 10/10 ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7P
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. England    3. Glam Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Proto-Punk    9. Rock    10. Singer/Songwriter   

Aladdin Sane
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The second most important moment in Bowie's glam period, Aladdin Sane is full of smart, cutting-edge songs that hold up decades later as classic moments in rock. Standout tracks include "Panic in Detroit," with Mick Ronson's screaming guitars and Mick Woodmansey's urgent drumming; "Watch that Man," a piano-driven, rollicking number perfect for the Bowie strut; the lascivious and sweaty "Cracked Actor"; the punky "Jean Genie"; and a perfectly raucous cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Time" hearkens back to the theatrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, while "Drive in Saturday," "The Prettiest Star," and "Lady Grinning Soul" serve as precursors to Bowie's "plastic soul" sounds that came later in the '70s. Aladdin Sane is even more impressive when considering that the same year this album was made, Bowie was also working with artists like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, producing some of their most heralded works (the Stooges' Raw Power and Reed's Transformer). --Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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Glam trash
Aladdin Sane is one of the most pretentious albums I've ever heard...and one of the most exhilarating!

From the "passionate" outbursts of Time to the grittily "authentic" guitars of Cracked Actor, this album is a theatrical rollercoaster!

Great fun!

A lad insane
I bought this album after my younger sister bought me Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.I really love this album.I probably listen to it more than Ziggy.There is not a bad song on the album.I ended up getting the 30th edition that has a lot of liner notes about what Bowie was thinking at the time he wrote the album.So I definetly suggest getting the 30th anniversary edition just for that, but this is definetly a rock and roll classic.My other favorite artists are The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Smiths, etc.If you like the aformention artists you will definetly like this album.

One of Bowie's best
A brilliant album from David Bowie's glam rock days. Every bit as good as Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, any fan of Bowie's early work will love this. The tracks are all the work of genius, in particular Lady Grinning Soul. Also featured is the famous Jean Genie, a hit that anyone from the disco days of the 70's will remember fondly. Stick on the glitter and the platforms, let your hair down, and enjoy. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7Q
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Proto-Punk    8. Rock   

Space Oddity
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This 1969 release features David Bowie's first hit single, "Space Oddity," and sets the tone for the spacey Ziggy Stardust to come. But other than the title track, Space Oddity isn't a glam-rock album. For that phase, one must move ahead to 1970's The Man Who Sold the World. These folk-based tracks largely present Bowie as a surrealist singer-songwriter. The uncharacteristically bitter and sarcastic "Letter to Hermione" is the most impassioned track here, presenting, as it does, the angry side of this master of cool. While still earlier recordings are noted for their Anthony Newley affectations, Space Oddity is where the Bowie myth begins to take shape. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

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from humble beginnings...
Contrary to popular conception, Space Oddity was not Bowie's first album.That honor (or indignity, depending on how you look at it) goes to an album called David Bowie.

Nevertheless, Space Oddity is Bowie's first serious excursion into rock (barring the few tracks recorded for Deram that pinch rock cliches).

The album is typically hippy, although Bowie has his tongue planted firmly in his cheek on some of the tracks, and he blatantly criticizes the hippy community on Cygnet Committee.

Nevertheless, the album sounds like the soundtrack to a love fest circa 1969.If you like that sort of thing, you'll like this album.If not, at least you can revel in the irony of Bowie doing a psychedelic rock ablum.

One of Bowie's most overlooked albums
David Bowie's 2nd album, Space Oddity, is perhaps the 2nd most overlooked album in his catalog (the most overlooked would have to be the pure folk album, 1967's David Bowie). It's a shame, as there are some real good numbers in here. This album does however, feature one of his best songs. The mini-epic "Space Oddity". The story of Major Tom is a real great song with great acoustic guitar, and a totally strange, but totally fantastic stylophone part played by David. Essential Bowie. "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" starts off in a mystic sort of way, before it turns into total glam guitar and harmonica soloing. "(Don't Sit Down)" is 40 seconds of studio nonsense, where there is some very interesting guitar, and David sings a bit ("Don't Sit Down, Don't Sit Down") before he bursts into laughter and the track fades out. "Letter To Hermione" is a nice number with some beautiful guitar playing and singing, as David sings to his former love, Hermione Farthingale. "Cygnet Committee" is the hidden gem of this album, as Bowie weaves stories through shifting rhythm patterns in this 9-minute song, with his ending cry of "I Want To Live". "Janine" is a more upbeat rocker as compared to the rest of the album and a good one at that. "An Occasional Dream" is folk, acoustic guitars, recorders and all. It is another song about his relationship with Hermione Farthingale. "Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud" is another song about space, and most noticeably features a grand sound, with David backed by horns and strings. "God Knows I'm Good" is pure folk, as it is about social commentary. A decent song with great acoustic guitars. "Memory Of A Free Festival" is a little on the weird side, but still good. David recalls memories from a festival he played recently and the ending chorus, with many people repeating "The sun machine is coming down, and we're gonna have a party" is great, and guaranteed to get stuck in your head. So overall, this is a good album. A little bit of glam, and a little bit of folk. I recommend you pick up some of Bowie's other albums (Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory) before you pick up this one. Heck, "Space Oddity" is worth the price of admission alone.

4.5 stars - Bowie's classic sophomore album
Space Oddity (1969.) David Bowie's second album.

David Bowie began his musical career under performing folksy-poppy tunes, under his real name, David Jones (he changed his last name to Bowie to avoid being confused with the guy from the Monkees.) After he changed his name to Bowie, he released his first album, which was self-titled, in 1967. Unfortunately, the happy folk-oriented pop tunes failed to make an impact at a time when music was welcoming many a new sound. If Bowie wanted to succeed in the music industry, he'd have to find a way to do it - and experimenting with a variety of different sounds is ultimately how he'd end up doing it. Bowie's second album, Space Oddity, got its original release in 1969. Read on for my review.

This was Bowie's first album that became fairly popular, due in no small part to the fact that he changed his sound. The sound Bowie uses on his sophomore album is unlike that of anything he'd done prior or beyond - he fused elements of glam rock and folk rock! It's as if Bowie took the past and the future and combined them. What's really odd is that this glam/folk fusion WORKS! The obvious hit on this album is the title track, which was Bowie's first hit. The classic rock and roll tale of astronaut Major Tom remains a classic rock staple to this day, and its popularity was helped greatly by the fact that the moon landing occured in the same era in which the album was originally released. The tune is definitely a prelude to the glam rock stardom Bowie would obtain a few short years later. The vast majority of the songs on this album try to create the perfect fusion between glam rock and folk rock, and they do it very well. The album tends to use more acoustic guitars than electric ones, oddly enough, but this doesn't detract from the experience. No other artist ever fused these genres successfully, making this a definite landmark classic rock album. I'm not going to deny that it lacks the expertise of Bowie's early-mid seventies work (such as the Ziggy Stardust album), but this effort more than holds it own. Bowie did glam rock on this album before glam rock even existed elsewhere, and the sheer innovative power of this album can not be denied. Though a bit uneven in places, Space Oddity is still an essential David Bowie album.

Many of David Bowie's albums were remastered and rereleased, but sadly, the import Ryko versions of these albums featured bonus tracks that didn't get put on the American versions! If you can find the Ryko versions for a decent price, get those instead of the standard American releases.

David Bowie's breakthrough album is one of classic rock's most important and most influential. 1969 was a year when rock and rollers were constantly trying new things, and Bowie's being among them was one of the stepping stones to the stardom he'd gain in the next decade. No classic rock collection is complete without Space Oddity - the ultimate (and arguably the only) album that fuses glam and folk rock! ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7M
Subjects:  1. British Folk-Rock    2. British Psychedelia    3. Folk-Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Rock    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Heroes
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One of Bowie's more stellar moments working with Brian Eno, Heroes again sees the artist moving into barely chartered waters (at that point, 1977), creating moving, emotive rock and putting it right up against some very detached and futuristic synthesized sounds. The collection opens with a ferocious rocker, courtesy of Robert Fripp's taut, snarling guitars ("Beauty and the Beast"), and then slides into the roar of "Joe the Lion" without missing a beat. Bowie's vocals have rarely sounded as desperate as they are on "Heroes," the anguished "Blackout" rages on a peculiarly up beat, and suddenly the listener finds they've slipped into a parallel world of icy soundscapes. The next four tracks present glassy synthesizers, stark piano, the ping of Asian-styled guitars, and other styles presumably left over or influenced by the Low recordings. The delicate "Moss Garden" is particularly beautiful, and "Sense of Doubt" is brooding and ominous. The closer, "The Secret Life of Arabia," moves with the rhythm of a snake charmer, and Bowie's vocals are irrepressibly intoxicating. Challenging, and worth the effort.--Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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total abandon
This music sounds like it was recorded with total abandon.Far less melodic in most places than its immediate predecessor, Low, Heroes is strange, alive, and difficult to categorize.

You'll hear everything from chaotic disco to nightmarish ambient.

Recommended.

Bowie and Fripp!
I've heard a good share of the Bowster's albums and this one is only eclipsed by Ziggy and possibly Hunky Dory. It's basically Bowie's hard rock album(even the most hard-rocking numbers on Man Who Sold The World probably couldn't quite be called hard rock...well maybe one or two...I dunno) and is not nearly as experimental as Low or as everyone says it is.

1. Beauty and The Beast(9/10) - This song is great but it took a few listens to grow on me.
2. Joe The Lion(10/10) - Rough sounding and one of Bowie's most hard-rocking songs. Great riff courtesy of Robert Fripp and powerful singing by Bowie. The lyrics are pretty much nonsense, but who the hell cares.
3. Heroes(10/10) - The album's best song, pretty far up on my nonexistent "Best Bowie Songs" list, probably Bowie's best and most powerful vocal performance, and one of the best all time vocal performances in rock history.
4. Sons Of The Silent Age(10/10)
5. Blackout(10/10) - A pretty strange sounding song but great.
6.V-2 Schneider(9.5/10)
7. Sense of Doubt(9.5/10) - A nice brooding instrumental.
8. Moss Garden(10/10)
9. Neuköln(10/10)
10. Secret Life of Arabia(8.8/10) - Not quite as good as everyone says but still very good.

Overall - 10/10
One of Bowie's best and among the best of alltime.

Another Bowie Classic
This, along with most of Lodger, is the best of the Berlin Trilogy. It has some of the Philadelphia R&B of Young Americans in Sons of the Silent Age and the synth-pop of Low and Station to Station in V-2 Schneider and most of the second half. It also closes with a cool, pop song The Secret Life of Arabia. Overall, the best of the three by far. I can't give it a 5-star rating because that belongs on Ziggy Stardust or Hunky Dory. But this, along with Station to Station and The Man Who Sold The World, does deserve 4 and 1/2 stars. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7V
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Scary Monsters
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Some would argue that this is the last great Bowie album, and certainly his only great album of the '80s. While it lacked the bite of its punk brethren at the time, it appealed to some fans of that genre and to middle-of-the-road rockers as well. Muscular playing met with no-frills production, and the product as a whole was infused with a gloriously arty style. "It's No Game (Part I)" opens the album, and is sung in Japanese, and "It's No Game (Part II)" closes, in English. New York punker Tom Verlaine even contributed a track ("Kingdom Come"), and "Scream Like a Baby" tells a dark and violent story with a howl. The drug-oriented "Ashes to Ashes" confesses that Major Tom was a junky while sounding all sleek and alluring, and the dance floor hit "Fashion" took aim at its very subject. The crowning jewel is the title track, with Robert Fripp's guitar ripping the place up at a relentless pace. It's been a long time since Bowie sounded this inspired.--Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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One of Bowie's best albums
A stunning album that serves to bring together the diverse musical styles that Bowie explored in the past while thoroughly (post) modernizing them.Scary Monsters is focused and played with the intensity of punk while retaining an intellectual and slyly witty art rock flavor.Bowie used a lot of collaborators on this album to great effect.Most notably Robert Fripp whose insane leads on the title track and Fashion are almost worth the cost of the album alone.But the true star of this album is Bowie himself.His singing is some of the most expressive of his carreer going from barely contained screams one moment to world weary crooning the next.He pulls out every trick in his bag to great effect.Bowie really created a monsterwork here from the beautiful and melodic sequel to Space Oddity, Ashes To Ashes to the cockney accented freakout of Scary Monsters (and supercreeps) to the Japanese language interludes of Its No Game Pt1. It's punk, it's science fiction, it's art rock and it's Bowies last truly great album.In fact Scary Monsters may be Bowie's best album, certainly within the top 3.

One of my favorite Bowie albums
Scary Monsters has a special place in my heart.

The (then) latest in recording technology really caught up to Bowie's bizarre visions.He presents us with some truly strange soundscapes that evoke, among other things, isolation (Ashes to Ashes), cheeky ire (Fashion), and paranoia (It's No Game Part 1).

An epic, multitextural album.

Definately Bowie's Modern Yardstick
If 'Ziggy Stardust' was Bowie's scale for measuring his 70's work then this album does the same for his work up to today.At it's most basic 'Scary Monsters' is David Bowie's hardest rocking album of the decade.Both parts of "It's No Game",the title cut and "Teenage Wildlife" all feature Robert Fripp's slashing guitar riffs strung into wild,disonant patterns.So if songs such as "Up The Hill Backwards","Kingdom Come" and "Because Your Young" all carry on the warped and disonant guitar rock sound,they also carry an equally mutated wall of sound-like production and (yes) very catchy writing.Of course this album will be remembered commercially for two reasons-the tongue in cheek dance-rock of "Fasion",with it's great rhythmic backup and the jerky "Ashes To Ashes",the twisted follow up to 'Space Oddity' where Bowie implies 'Major Tom was a junkie'.
So is there a good reason to say that any Bowie album today is and I quaote 'his best since 'Scary Monsters'?Well there is-this album ushered Bowie into the era of the music video (Fasion and Ashes To Ashes both have their own clips-worth searching for) and everything on this album has a particularly timeless quality.Because of his clout Bowie knew he'd succeed no matter what so he committed himself to his own artistic vision rather then to being ultra trendy.In fact as is the case here he went out of his way to mock those trends when he could.By far his most consistant album of this decade. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7Y
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Post-Punk    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Proto-Punk    8. Rock   

Lodger
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funky world music (before there was world music)
Bowie returns to melody and narrative for this funky excursion into exotic musical forms.

Many of the songs describe wanderers--perhaps a metaphor for Bowie's philosophical wanderings?

Fun and fairly good.
Lodger is far more uplifting than it's precessors Low and "Heroes", and toys with worldly influences instead of with dark and broody instrumentals. Those influences work well, though it's no Graceland. At times the album doesn't sound as inspired as Low and most of "Heroes" does, and it lacks real standout tracks, but as a whole it's a very fun and fairly good album. Worth listening to any day.

Thrumblewoom
Not as experimental as "Heroes", his previous album, and not as accessible as the following 'Scary Monsters', 'Lodger' tends to be forgotten nowadays, which is okay; everything is forgotten eventually, might as well get it over with quickly. Only the other day I realised that I had forgotten David Lynch, the film director, who was huge in the early 1990s. Lodger's first side is very weak, and it's a shame that the current version of the CD doesn't have the bonus tracks that came out a while back, but hey. I realise now that I had also forgotten Laura Dern. She's old now. It's easy to see that a bunch of early-80s acts had this album, specifically Gary Numan, Ultravox and the like, although Lodger has very few synths.

Lodger has a slick, early-80s production which thankfully does not extend to synth drums, although there is what sounds like fretless bass on a few tracks. The top standout is 'Look Back in Anger', which is excellent, and was accompanied with an equally-good extended version on the previous release of the album, now gone. The other bonus track was 'I Pray, Ole', a terrible title which was nonetheless a catchy little song. 'Boys Keep Swinging' is the one they play on television, and it's fun but fairly trivial; 'DJ' has oblique lyrics which have nothing to do with dinner jackets at all ("he used to be my boss, and here he is a puppet dancer!" is a good line). 'Repetition' is a throw-back to the paranoid, edgy songs that were on 'Low', specifically 'Breaking Glass'; "I guess the bruises won't show / if she wears long sleeves". 'Red Money' is one of those boring slow songs where you envisage the band nodding their heads and high-fiving in the studio, because musicians love kicking out boring slow jams almost as much as they sicken my stomach.

The first side isn't as good. 'Red Sails' has a nice wispy synth part, but has a terrible 'oriental' melody, whilst both 'African Night Flight' and 'Yassassin' dabble with what would become 'world music' but not very well. 'Fantastic Voyage' sounds like a rewrite of 'Word on a Wing' from 'Station to Station'. 'Move On' is quite good, with what sounds like a backwards vocal solo - there are lots of tricky experimental touches on the album - but it comes and goes, phfft.

That's it, I can stop now. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7X
Sales Rank: 15501
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock   

Diamond Dogs [ECD]
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Editorial Review

George Orwell's classic tale of totalitarianism, 1984, was the inspiration for a project that David Bowie hoped would further solidify his standing as a rock visionary. Bowie was a natural artist to helm a musical companion to Orwell's allegory, since his own music exhibits an innate alienation. The concept ultimately broke down, but the music didn't. "Rebel Rebel" has become a rock staple, while "Sweet Thing," "Candidate," and the forthright yet experimental title track (Bowie as puppet master) offer additional highlights. Still, despite such benchmarks and its conceptual flaws, Diamond Dogs is best listened to as a thematic collection. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

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dark, disturbing, and deeee-lightful!
Bowie was getting pretty paranoid by this point, and Diamond Dogs shows it.This album is one of his darkest and most forboding.

Nevertheless, there are still grooves to dance to, such as the funky 1984 and, of course, the Chant of the Ever-Circling Skeletal Family (it's a short dance).

Don't be fooled by the Scary Cover
Bowie originally wanted to do a musical for the book 1984, however George Orwell's wife would have nothing to do with Bowie.Thank God, otherwise we would not have Diamond Dogs.I had always steered clear from this album because the cover, however the music inside it is amazing.This album just rocks, especially the title track.It just makes you feel great.The begining has Bowie saying "This ain't rock'n roll, this is genocide"just sends a shiver down your spin.
This is an essential rock'n roll album and of course an essential Bowie album.

Fascinating
"Diamond Dogs" is often cited as the low point of David Bowie's glam period, but it's always fascinated me the most. It's definetly the most 'out there', somewhat conceptual and weird in nature.

Other than the upbeat rock goodness of "Rebel Rebel" (which is basically one long hook), and to a lesser extent, the carefree blues/rock fun of the title track, there's no hits on here.

The highlight, of course, is the "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)" song cycle. The first half has a sort of smokey cellar soul feel to it..or, claustrophobic gospel? My bad descriptions don't do the song justice. Great singing (very deep, lower register stuff in there), great piano, souring chorus. It gets a little blusey and more rockin' in the middle, then closes with a reprise of the first part. A glorious little package, for sure.

The rest of the album is great too. "We Are the Dead" is eerie..yet majestic, and breathtaking. "1984" has a sweeping, disco feel..it's cool. "Big Brother" is also killer, and it closes with the delightfully silly/bizarre "Chant of the Ever-Circling Skeletal Family". The latter is a total throwaway piece to cap off "Big Brother", but it rules..

Don't believe some of the reviews you may see (AllMusic's review, for example). This is just as good (albeit much less accessible) as "Ziggy" and "Aladdin"..

Or maybe I'm just insane. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7S
Subjects:  1. Glam Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock   

Young Americans [ECD]
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With 1975's Young Americans, David Bowie chose to head in yet another "new direction," this time extrapolating on the slick disco-soul vibe that characterized 1974's David Live. Surrounded by an army of backup singers (including Luther Vandross) and smooth session players, Bowie actually makes the stylistic affectation work on three of the songs--"Fame," "Young Americans," and "Can You Hear Me." The rest of the record suffers from a dearth of quality songwriting; all the tasty licks in the world can't disguise the fact that "Fascination," "Win," "Somebody Up There Likes Me," and "Right" are basically empty-headed disco vamps. (And the less said about the overwrought cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe," the better.) A necessary transitional step to Station to Station, perhaps, but not a great record. --Dan Epstein ... Read more

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A thankfully short aberation with two good songs
Bowie does soul music and neither benefit from the experience.There are two good songs on this album: Fame and the Hot Chocolate inspired Young Americans.The other songs are mediocre at best, ie bland disco-soul without much soul, or depth and a just plain bad cover of the Beatles song Across the Universe. Bowie sings well but comes across as a dillitente whose reasons for making Young Americans have more to do with the popular tastes of the day than artistic consideration. This album was made during the popular and thankfully shortlived accendancy of that musical pablum known as disco.And while Young Americans isn't really disco, it's not soul or in any case good soul either.If I want to hear soul music or R&B circa 1974 I'll listen to Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield or any of the thousands of real practitioners of the genre.If you want blue eyed soul you'd be better served by picking up a Righteous Brothers album or even Tom Jones.

Thankfully Bowie's facination with soul was a short lived lapse in taste (and reason) and he moved on to Station To Station and the magnificent Eno trilogy of Low, Heroes and Lodger, not to mention Scary Monsters.Young Americans is his worst album of the seventies with the worst album cover of his entire career.I wouldn't pay more than three dollars for this album.Better yet, rip the two good songs from a friend or download them from iMusic and forget this failed experiment.

Multi-colored-eyed soul
A slick soul album from the master of irony.

If for nothing else, get this album for the classics, Young Americans and Fame!You won't regret it!

Worth A ListenBut Not a Must-Have
Lets get to the point here - I give this album two stars each for the two hits(the title track and Fame). However both of these tunes sound out of placewhen compared to the rest of the album that sounds like demo versions of songs not yet fully developed. While Bowie might have been fascinated with the R&B scene of America to the extent that he secured the services of a top flight backing band fluent in the genre (Alomar, Weeks, Newmark, Vandross), the full potential of this lineup didn't manifest except on the two hits leaving listeners to wonder what went wrong with the rest of the album. It certainly wasn't a question of talent of course. Also consider that Fame was cowritten with Alomar and Lennon though its the former's work with James Brown that enabled this song to take off as it did.Given the authenticity of backing band its a mystery as to why the rest of the album sounds so thin in comparison. Since Bowie was at the helm then he'll have to bear responsibility for that.
... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7T
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blue-Eyed Soul    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Rock   

Hunky Dory
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Bowie's first classic.
One of the most melodic, catchy albums Bowie has ever written.Ironic, considering the themes of the lyrics.

Ever the seeker, Bowie's voracious quest for perspectives (notice I did not say "truth") led him to investigate myriad occult and philosophical concepts.Hunky Dory finds him wrestling with these concepts, all the while confused and contradictory--in other words, all the things we love about David Bowie.

A concept-heavy, musically bouyant album!

.
Good Charlotte doesn't have to pretend they're gay, because they really are.

P.S. Noone cares about your mission to convert the world to talentless and tastless crap, and will continue to listen whatever they feel like. Preferably good music like this.

Classic
Songs like "Oh! You Pretty things" and "Changed" Show the Genius of David Bowie. A definite Classic. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7O
Sales Rank: 1398
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. British Folk-Rock    3. England    4. Glam Rock    5. Pop    6. Pop/Rock    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Proto-Punk    9. Rock    10. Singer/Songwriter   

Station to Station
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After the success of the dance hits "Fame" and "Young Americans" (both off 1975's Young Americans), Bowie seemed to step back, ponder the future of rock, and then turn up the guitars and the art-rock sensibilities and make a completely engaging and evocative album. From the epic title track (introducing the Thin White Duke character and building into an incendiary rocker) to the irresistible "Golden Years" (another dance hit) and on to the physically wrenching and funk-drenched "Stay," the soul of David Bowie is pretty much meshed into every track. The playful "TVC15" takes the listener on a bumpy ride into unholy tech-love, and the gorgeous "Wild is the Wind" and "Word on a Wing" have Bowie stepping out of his rocker persona and into sensual crooner mode. Strong from beginning to end. --Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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One of Bowie's best
This is some high-energy funk tinged with some unexpected (but perfectly fitting) ambient guitar squeals.

I love the epic title track and the high-octane Stay.Wild As The Wind is the most romantic song I've ever heard.

Eclectic,Bold, and Downright Good
Its tough to review something you know you like. Its hard to be objective. On the other hand there are very good reasons to investigate this record should you not be familiar with it. Its a great collection of sounds and vibes which combine to make some engaging songs. The sequence of songs (just 6) is great. You don't get worn out with too much of anything and each track is different but not so much so to make you think you've got some patched together release.

From a musical standpoint you've got some stellar playing here - Carlos Alomar is very tasty (Wild Is The Wind, Golden Years) and Earl Slick lays it on (but not too much) making the title track and "Stay" such a great melange of rock and funk. You've got your obvious single here "Golden Years" which should have charted higher and longer than it did originally though everyone knows its a great song. George Murray was an awesome bassist and be sure to check out his work on "Stage".

Every Bowie fan needs to acknowledge that the man has benefitted greatly from having solid musicianship behind him and STS is one particular case where everyone earned their keep and then some. While Bowie gets the songs going his band took them to another plane altogther so he owes them for this especially given how wild his life was at the time of the recording of this album. At first I wasn't sold on "Wild Is The Wind" since it takes some major cajones to take this on when you know how well Nina Simone did it though I quickly realized that Bowie wasn't trying to take her on choosing rather to do it his way. For Bowie fans you probably realize that his vocal style had changed from the Ziggy/Alladin Sane days into this neo baritone/Scott Walker kinda thing that he tried to make work on "David Live" (with some degree of success) though later perfected here on STS.Bowie is always moving in different directions and I think this album captures him at a great time - somewhere between R&B and rock with an eye towards musical textures available with synthesizers.

One of the 5 greatest albums ever
Every song is incredible. From dance to pop to crooning to hard rock An arguement can be made for each song being one of the six best songs ever done by bowie.

This album has three of bowies most known and popular songs, Station to Station, Golden Years and TVC15 , the amazing thing about this album is that they are NOT the best songs. Word on a Wing, Wild is the Wind and Stay are simply some of the best songs recorded by anyone.

This album has always been in my top 10 from the day it was released ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7U
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blue-Eyed Soul    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock   

Heathen
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Heathen is, in essence, the first "traditional" Bowie album worthy of kudos in years, as it successfully reunites Bowie with producer Tony Visconti, the man at the controls during Bowie's Berlin period. Heathen finds rock's greatest chameleon once again remolding his past, advancing to new vistas by moving up that metaphorical hill backward. Even more gratifying is the universally high quality of the songwriting craftsmanship on offer, where even a ditty as frivolous as "Everyone Says 'Hi'" ("Don't stay in a sad place where they don't care how you are") hits the mark. For heavyweights who like their Bowie with furrowed-brow, the monastic aura of opener "Sunday" sounds like a post-rock Enigma covering Nico's interpretation of Tim Hardin's "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce," whilst the strident savagery evidenced on an apt cover of the Pixies' "Cactus" disposes with Frank Black's hound-dog yelp and reasserts the melody without undermining the original's obsessional score. Tin Machine ought to have sounded like this. Watch out, too, for the Robert Fripp-impersonating flamethrowing of Pete Townshend on "Slow Burn" and the guitar of the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl lending a slacker swagger to a cover of Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting for You" (again, much better than Tin Machine's live version). Heathen proves that Bowie's still got it. All of it. And in abundance. Awaken all ye nonbelievers.--Kevin Maidment ... Read more

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I didn't like this one nearly as much as most others
Don't get me wrong: this is another good Bowie album (does he really have a bad one, or just varying degrees of "good"?).Tracks like Sunday, Slow Burn, Slip Away, and Heathen (The Rays) make this album a must-have.

At the same time, the stylistic shifts on this album make the listening experience bumpy.You'll hear jagged, experimental arrangements like those on Outside alongside theatrical compositions reminiscent of certain tracks on Aladdin Sane.You'll hear "straightforward" (is Bowie ever straightforward?) rock n' roll songs alongside dirges that could have come from hours...

Granted, Bowie achieves some sort of consistency in his diversity, but I would have preferred that this album was mixed a little more consistently to tie the disparate styles together.

Not so much a cohesive statement as a sample-platter of the styles Bowie has played with over the years.

Bowie fans will probably enjoy, but not indispensable
I wouldn't really call myself a Bowie "fan". I don't own any of his albums, but I like quite a few of his tracks over the years between "Space Oddity" and the "Let's Dance" album, so I thought
this would be worth having when I had a chance to pick this up as a promo during a stint as a record store clerk.

This Bowie album shows him making further attempts to incorporate more electronic elements into his songs, more as techno "flourishes" than a real attempt to try and put his music into clubs awash with day-glo wearing ravers.

Overall, I found this album fairly listenable, but not really with much that "leapt out" at me. I have found that the tracks "settle in" more with repeat listens, so it could be that in a few years my estimation of it will climb, but for now it's only a (slightly) above average CD to me.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Slip Away" reminded me of older Bowie in sound (70s era).The lyrics are a tribute to a (somewhat obscure? I'd never heard of it and had to Dogpile the reference) 70s-80s era kids show that apparently used rockers as guests (Bowie, it seems visited show as guest in the AUDIENCE, not as performer..see http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/9631/ufmusic.html#bands). "Cactus", a Pixies cover, was a good listen as was single "Slow Burn", though I think the better choice would clearly have been "Everyone Says 'Hi'" which was the most immediately catchy tune and one that might have had more universal appeal beyond the typical Bowie fanbase (as his "Let's Dance" material did).

LOWS:
Many are talking up the Neil Young cover on "I've Been Waiting for You" but I didn't find it very exciting. "Afraid" also didn't really spark any interest.

BOTTOM LINE:
This is not probably indispensable for casual Bowie fans like me who really only like the scattered song or two over his career. If that's you, you'll probably be fine with just getting the "Best of Bowie" doubledisc (ASIN B00006JYI7) or "Changesbowie" if you want just a single disc (ASIN B000034DF1)

If you're a bigger Bowie fan, you'll probably at least want to take the time to see if a friend or the local library has a copy to hear. Even a casual fan like me found some worthy tracks so if you have 2 or 3 Bowie CDs on your rack, you'll probably want to get this. Bowie diehards probably will want the version with an extra bonus disc instead (ASIN:B000066SX2)

SIDENOTE:
To the person suggesting symbolism because Bowie uses left hand to "do things" in sleeve photos, this link (http://forum.littleoogie.com/viewtopic.php?topic=822&forum=4) suggests it's only because he IS in fact left-handed, despite playing guitar righty.

3 1/2 stars

David Bowie Rocks As Always
I am a big fan of the Ziggy era, my favorite albums of David Bowie are "Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars" and "Hunky Dory". This album is quite different from both of these albums, but I think that Bowie still has some few tricks up his sleeves that everytime he makes more music, it sounds better than the last. This album is very relaxing and smooth. It is very creative and enjoyable. I hope others will enjoy it too. ... Read more

Asin: B000065V1V
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    5. Rock   

Let's Dance [ECD]
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David Bowie returned to recording after a four-year break with this relatively clean-cut 1983 album. Although offering another definite new direction for Bowie, with Nile Rodgers of Chic helping to produce a stylish post-disco dance sound, Let's Dance is a mixed bag. Much of the album's success was due to its three danceable hit singles--"China Girl," a sensuous Bowie/Iggy Pop collaboration, the distinctive "Modern Love," and the funky title track. However, much of the rest of the album is bland and vapid, marking the start of serious decline in Bowie's songwriting skills. A cover of Metro's "Criminal World" and "Cat People" are the only other strong tracks here. --James Swift ... Read more

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The perfect soundtrack to the greed obsessed '80s
Shallow, insipid and uninspired.Oh to be fair there are a couple of good if inconsequential tracks on this album such as China Girl written by Iggy Pop.But after the magnificent Scary Monsters, this album was one of the biggest disappointments of Bowie's career. I'm sure it was his biggest seller too, sigh.Let's Dance is Young Americans part 2, except with that awful and entirely unoriginal '80s dance pop sound and even worse lyrics." In the serious moonlight", are you f-ing kidding me? Has there ever been a more cringe worthy line uttered by Mr. Bowie?Yeah the album introduced Stevie Ray Vaughn to the larger world of pop but he just phones in a couple of pedestrian blues leads, big deal.You'd never guess what a master of the blues he was by listening to his contributions on this album.Let's Dance is mildly entertaining, kinda like Roxy Music light, but Bowie never got more shallow than this.

Ziggy gets jiggy
From the man that introduced rock n' roll to irony comes the perfect soundtrack to a corporate yuppie's day!

Fun, vapid, and irresistible!

Bowie goes disco with fine results
David Bowie, it is fair to say, has changed the face of music several times before with classic albums such as 'Hunky Dory', 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Low'.'Lets Dance' shows that he had not lost his touch when it came to writing timeless rock/dance classics such as the title track and "Modern Love"( reminicent of "Five Years" from 'Ziggy Stardust').The rest of the tracks fall between average and good disco tracks, bar Cat People, a brilliant, catchy, fiery rock track, disgracefully only charting at #26 in the UK!The tracks "Ricochet" and "Criminal World" certainly create an atmosphere, but don't reward repeated listening and are really just for background music, while "Shake It" and "Without You" are the two worst tracks - cliched, unspectacular disco tracks.That said, this is overall a fine disco album and a typically good/polished production of the '80s.

6/10 ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7Z
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blue-Eyed Soul    3. New Wave    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Rock   

Low
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Always up for messing with the formal expectations of rock, Bowie teamed up with Brian Eno for three frustrating but compelling albums, starting with Low. Treated instruments are claustrophobically crowded together, and Bowie's voice leaps in and out of the mix seemingly at will. Where it seems like it might show up, it's replaced by wailing synths or nothing at all, and it vanishes altogether from most of the second half-- a series of long, menacing, barely mobile synth explorations. To prove that they could make pop out of these herky-jerky mix tricks, they pull off "Sound And Vision" in the middle of the disc, but the essence of Low is that the "star" is either absent or alarmingly in your face. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

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a moving, yet strangely numbing album
Hear the sound of a broken man retreating into himself for safety and healing.

A good listen when you need a catharsis.

New Music - Night And Day
The first of a trio of albums that David Bowie co-produced with Tony Visconti at Conny Plank's Hansa Studios by the Wall in Berlin, Low (originally titled New Music - Night And Day) represented probably the most radical change of colour that the chameleon that was Bowie had so far affected. Their relatively poor sales at the time of release were instrumental in Bowie and RCA parting company (though all three reached the UK album top five), but have served only to enhance Bowie's standing over the decades.

Bowie has described the album as one that was extremely important to him and which had an influence on English music thereafter through its ambience and drum sounds. All three albums (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger) featured the involvement of Brian Eno, whose presence is clearly audible throughout, though on Low he is working to Bowie's brief rather than in true collaboration and has only one shared composer credit on the album, Warszawa.

Work on the album began in France at the Chateau d'Hérouville in June 1976, where Bowie was working with Iggy Pop in preparation for his album, and both albums feature the two of them with Ricky Gardiner and Carlos Alomar on guitars. Low therefore also belongs to a second trilogy, alongside The Idiot and Lust For Life, its sequel.

Bowie and Iggy relocated in 1976 to Berlin, to live and work and to kick their cocaine habits - a bizarre strategy which against all odds seemed to work. Theresultant Low is an album of two distinct sides, an aspect that the CD format slightly unravels. The first side consists of half a dozen bursts of song featuring the augmented full band from his previous tour, albeit treated by Eno, sandwiched between two instrumentals, and including the two singles Sound And Vision (with the vocal doo-doo-doos of Mary Hopkin Visconti) and Be My Wife. Bowie had evidently been soaking up the German music scene and their are echoes of Faust, Neu!, Can and others.

If the lyrics on side one were minimal, having more or less discarded narrative, on the second side they were banished altogether for a startling eerie and wordless, largely instrumental handful of atmospheric longer textural tone poems, of which Warszawa is the centre-piece. They possibly comprise Bowie's strongest album side. Though sounding initially dark and sinister because of the (then) unfamiliarity of the sounds, they are intended to be glowing and spiritual, a positive source of regeneration and optimism, that grew out of his impressions of the Eastern bloc, though it was to be another duo-decade before the Wall was to go. Weeping Wall, despite its title, was originally intended for the soundtrack of the film The Man Who Fell To Earth, and the album cover is a still from that film, depicting Bowie as Newton, in profile (Low profile).

The composer Philip Glass used two of the pieces from side 2, Subterraneans and Warszawa, along with the unreleased composition Some Are from the same sessions, to create in 1993 his "Low" Symphony - From The Music Of David Bowie And Brian Eno

David Bowie's Low
One of Bowie's finest moments. Recorded when he was hanging out in Berlin, painting, and absorbing its culture. Also noted is that this is a great collaboration with Brian Eno. I think this was recorded about the same time Bowie starred in Nicholas Roeg's film, 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' -- an art house cinema classic. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7W
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Experimental    3. Experimental Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Proto-Punk    8. Rock    9. Synthesizer   

The Man Who Sold the World
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With 1970's The Man Who Sold the World, David Bowie set aside his pop and singer-songwriter aspirations and headed in a harder-rocking direction. Producer Tony Visconti provided a thick, dense setting with guitarist Mick Ronson playing the role of guitar hero to Bowie's megalomaniac frontman; think Keith Richards and Mick Jagger sprinkled with fairy dust. The new approach flowered on Hunky Dory, but the outline for the master plan is here. The title track, "The Width of a Circle," and "All the Madmen" are essential Bowie, as he slips from cryptic to straightforward, celebratory wordplay. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

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heavy metal with heavy concept
This is the album where some of Bowie's pet concepts started cropping up.Evolution, totalitarianism, and the occult are all sung about in turn.

A hard, heavy album for the rock fan that is looking for a little more substance.

One of Bowie's strangest efforts
After I explored the true glam-rock classics Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, I decided to pick up The Man Who Sold the World. At first, I disliked a great deal of the songs, but as time passed, I've found it to be a decent album overall, with some classics and some huge missteps. The Width of a Circle is a great opener, the Marc Bolan tribute of Black Country Rock is excellent, the creepy, disconcerting After All is great as well, and Saviour Machine is one of my favorite Bowie songs of all time. The Man Who Sold the World is a strange song, but I've grown to like it. Also, the closer - The Supermen - is one of Bowie's greatest songs of all time, very atmospheric and dense. Even if these songs are pretty good, the missteps suck the life out of the album. All the Madmen is a weak song in my opinion; I never truly enjoyed that song. She Shook Me Cold is Bowie's attempt to be Robert Plant, but it's kind of by-the-numbers, very clinical and boring. Running Gun Blues is the same way, not at all interesting, and these three mistakes stand out. The other problem is that there are no obvious classics. So, after you've listened to Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, and Hunky Dory, check this out. It isn't an all-time classic, but it is worthwhile for the real Bowie fan - it's often very underrepresented on compilations.

Bowie bedazzles, Ronson rocks hard!
Overall, this album has a much more "classic" blues-based, folk rock sound than any of Bowie's other material. It's not too far off from the kind of music typically heard on classic rock radio. But thanks to Bowie's phenomenal creativity (not to mention the fantastic band - basically a proto-Spiders from Mars) the music often reaches far beyond this "classic" style, the bedrock for most of these songs. Sometimes it's quasi-psychedelic, sometimes it's just straight-up rock and sometimes it's altogether unclassifiable.

Each song features meltdown guitar playing from Mick Ronson. The lyrics aren't really that deep but they're quite entertaining and sometimes pretty thought provoking none-the-less. My favorite track - the soaring case for insanity "All the Madmen." Least favorite - "The Supermen" with those "George of the Jungle" drums. For a rock n' roller, Bowie had real vision. Not only that, he had the courage to pursue his vision.

Bowie was very good at manipulating his image and one could say his decision to wear a dress on the cover was calculated to shock (something he loved to do). But he also did what he wanted and seemed to genuinely like wearing dresses. Consider this quote from 1971: "I went to America to promote THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD and, as I was going to Texas, I wore a dress. One guy pulled out a gun and called me a (...). But I thought the dress was beautiful." On the other hand: "I was always sort of a throwback to the Beat period in my early thinking, and when the hippies came along with all their funny tie-dyes and things, it seemed naive and wrong. It didn't have a backbone. I hate weak things. I wanted to hit everyone that came along wearing love beads." (1976)

Not to brag or anything, but I must say I'm quite happy with my RYKODISK remaster. It's worth seeking out for the excellent bonus material, especially the supercool "Holy, Holy" single. ... Read more

Asin: B00001OH7N
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Proto-Punk    8. Rock