The Best of Bowie

Like the Rolling Stones' similarly enjoyable 40 Licks, things do get a bit sticky towards the end of Disc Two, though there's mercifully nothing from the two Tin Machine albums. Obsessives should note, too, that the tracklisting of Best of Bowie varies from country to country: the albums have been compiled according to the most popular songs in each territory. Wonder which lucky place got "The Laughing Gnome" included on their version? --John Mulvey

CD1 equates more or less to "the legendary years" as we're introduced to Major Tom floating in his tin can, Ziggy Stardust playing guitar, and all the most familiar songs. The order is clearly intended to be chronological, but actually isn't ("Starman" is bizarrely out of sequence), although it holds up well, presenting Bowie's own artistic progression from guitar-strumming troubadour through his mastery of glam rock and electronica. His capacity to straddle genres is abundantly clear by about five tracks in, as is his skill as a chronicler of the changing fashions of the age, from glam rock ("You Pretty Things" and "Life on Mars") through the androgynous disco era ("John, I'm Only Dancing") to punk ("Rebel Rebel"). The first half of the CD contains all-time greats as well as some less familiar classics ("Drive-In Saturday" is my personal favourite). Personally, I find everything after "Diamond Dogs" a bit painful to listen to; "Fame" and "Golden Years" may be classics of their kind but they do represent Bowie in the throes of his musical wanderlust, and the quality of the melodies and the poignancy of the lyrics take a back seat. The last few tracks are, frankly, a let-down, and not a patch on "Space Oddity" or "Life on Mars".

CD2 redeems all that, picking up at the tail end of the 70s with the glorious instrumental of "Sound and Vision". "Heroes", following it, is over-familiar now thanks to car adverts and too much Radio 2 airplay, but gives a foretaste of what was to lie in store in the 1980s. There may be fewer all-time greats on CD2 ("Ashes to Ashes", "China Girl" and "Let's Dance" being pre-eminent), but a more melodic Bowie is showcased here: still an auditory experimenter, as shown in the deranged Mockney vocals of "Scary Monsters" and the thumping cacophony of "Little Wonder", but one with a deeply soulful side, best exemplified in the glorious "Absolute Beginners". This is also the collaborative Bowie, appearing here with Queen ("Under Pressure"), Mick Jagger ("Dancing in the Street") and the Pet Shop Boys ("Hallo Spaceboy"), tracks more usually omitted from traditional compilations. The late 80s are ignored altogether, and the selection of more recent tracks seems rather arbitrary, with only "Hallo Spaceboy" really seeming to work to justify its inclusion; consequently, CD2 also seems to end on a weak note. But so much brilliance has gone before that it's hard to complain, really!

It's unlikely that any listener will like *every* track on this CD. Bowie's musical repertoire was so wide-ranging that he will never please all the people all the time. Everyone will have their own ideas about what should have been left off (for me most of the "Fame"-era stuff could have happily been ditched) and what should have been included, but wasn't (I'd have had "Time Will Crawl" and "Never Let Me Down", not to mention "The Laughing Gnome"...). Perhaps that's the strength of this collection. Listen and decide for yourself!


Box Sets Go Double CD...It Works!   December 1, 2002
Martin A Hogan (San Francisco, CA.)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful

Over a decade ago, every major artist (and some minors) produced a box set. Now the trend is a double "best of" CD (Bowie, Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac...) This is not bad, but severely limits the tracks to the biggest hits, and even then leaves out some gems.

Bowie's selections sticks to the singles and if you never bought "ChangesOne" or "ChangesTwo" or "The Singles", then this is your best choice. "All The Young Dudes" is a nice surprise here, but where is "Strangers When We Meet" or "Starman"? See what I mean? Plus, what are the tracks on the bonus CD that was originally available? That was a major selling point, if I only knew what was included. Regardless, this is the best of Bowie and you can't really complain too much. Liner notes - Okay.


One of the best compilation albums ever.   November 20, 2006
Penolope Pitstop (Surrey, UK)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I am ashamed to say that up until now I wasn't really a David Bowie fan. I was a bit young for the Ziggy Stardust era and apart from Lets Dance and Modern Love I wasn't aware of his past accomplishments. However I am a fan now.

This man is brilliant, I recognised the majority of the songs on this album, but what surprised me is that I never knew they were written and sung by David Bowie.

The diversity of his music is sublime. From bluesy Jean Genie to the sexy but sleazy John I'm only dancing, to the wonderful Life on Mars. This album has everything for everybody. I have played this album over and over again and still, I am not bored.


A Brilliant Introduction   November 4, 2002
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This is a brilliant introduction to Bowie's music - if you don't already own a compilation of his music, this is the one to get! From Space Oddity, through Ziggy Stardust, Hereos, Ashes to Ashes, Lets Dance (in fact all of his career apart from the terrible "Never Let Me Down" and "Tin Machine" albums) to this years "Slow burn", most of his classics are here. Of special interest are his collaborations, "Under Pressure" the (intentionally?) humourous "Dancing in the street", the mellow "This is not America", and "Hello Spaeboy" with Pet Shop Boys.

If there are any criticisms they would be that the track list is very similar to 1993's "The single collection2, so long term fans may not see the need to purchase these songs again, and personally I would have chosen "Everyone Says Hi" rather than "Slowburn" from Heathen. Howver this is a great introduction for Bowie initiates, and a great present for anyone!