Below is a track listing of each release, and (sometimes) a quick review. (10 = Perfection)


Man of Words, Man of Music/Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane
Pin-Ups
Diamond Dogs
Young Americans
Station to Station
Low
"Heroes"
Lodger
Scary Monsters
Let's Dance, Tonight, & Never Let Me Down
Black Tie White Noise
The Buddha of Suburbia
1. Outside

Bowie at the Beeb
Sound + Vision
Santa Monica '72
Early On (1964-1966)
The Deram Anthology (1966-68)
ChangesThreeBowie



Studio Albums:

Man of Words, Man of Music/Space Oddity (1969)

Track Listing:
Space Oddity
Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed
Don't Sit Down
Letter To Hermione
Cygnet Committee
Janine
An Occasional Dream
The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
God Knows I'm Good
Memory Of A Free Festival

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Conversation Piece
Memory Of A Free Festival Part 1
Memory Of A Free Festival Part 2

I have a serious soft-spot for this one, something about it is delicately soothing, naive without being irritating. Songs that I hated on first listen (Letter to Hermione, Memory of a Free Festival) endeared themselves to me in time. While a few of these songs lack something or don't quite work for one reason or another, the only seriously vile track is this particular mix of Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud. On the acoustic B-side version from the S+V boxset, Bowie's voice alone brilliantly carries the emotional intensity, some of his best vocal work, in fact. However, in this mix his voice is smothered by a hideous, melodramatic horn and string arrangement that conjurs up pictures of Mickey Mouse in a magician's robe, conducting a troupe of dancing broomsticks. What a waste! Best three tracks: Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed, The Cygnet Committee, Janine. (6)



The Man Who Sold the World (1971)

Track Listing:
The Width Of A Circle
All The Madmen
Black Country Rock
After All
Running Gun Blues
Saviour Machine
She Shook Me Cold
The Man Who Sold The World
The Supermen

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Lightning Frightening
Holy Holy
Moonage Daydream
Hang Onto Yourself

Best three tracks: Width of a Circle (classic), All the Madmen, and The Man Who Sold the World. (5)



Hunky Dory (1971)

Track Listing:
Changes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Eight Line Poem
Life On Mars?
Kooks
Quicksand
Fill Your Heart
Andy Warhol
Song for Bob Dylan
Queen Bitch
The Bewlay Brothers

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Bombers
The Supermen (alternate version)
Quicksand (demo version)
The Bewlay Brothers (alternate version)

Hunky Dory is a lovely collection of simple, beautiful songs, just as catchy as those on Ziggy, but more touching (and ripe for open-ended discussion) without a concrete narrative dictating their meaning. The first great Bowie record, despite it's low points (Song for Bob Dylan, Fill Your Heart). Best three tracks (although it's so hard to choose!): Oh! You Pretty Things, Queen Bitch, The Bewlay Brothers. (8)



The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Track Listing:
Five Years
Soul Love
Moonage Daydream
Starman
It Ain't Easy
Lady Stardust
Star
Hang On to Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Suffragette City
Rock and Roll Suicide

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
John, I'm Only Dancing
Velvet Goldmine
Sweet Head
Ziggy Stardust (acoustic demo)
Lady Stardust (piano only demo)

Ziggy is certainly not the best Bowie record, but it's goddamned cute and catchy. The whole thing drips of melodrama which actually increases its appeal. The sing-along factor is high. I'm not sure it'd be one of my desert island picks, but it's definately a must-have. Best three tracks: Moonage Daydream, Hang On to Yourself, Five Years. (7)



Aladdin Sane (1973)

Track Listing:
Watch That Man
Aladdin Sane
Drive-In Saturday
Panic In Detroit
Cracked Actor
Time
The Prettiest Star
Let's Spend the Night Together
The Jean Genie
Lady Grinning Soul

Aladdin Sane is a better record than Ziggy Stardust. It really is. It's raw, raunchy, cynical, and totally without cheese (but, fortunately, not without camp). One tends to wonder what happened to that naive little English dandy from Ziggy, and who replaced him with this slick, world-weary cabaret star? Buy this record. Worship it. Best three tracks: The Jean Genie, Time, Cracked Actor. (9)

Fun Fact: As wonderful as this record is, it could have been even better. Versions of All the Young Dudes, Holy Holy, and John, I'm Only Dancing were all recorded but eventually thrown out.



Pin-Ups (1973)

Track Listing:
Rosalyn
Here Comes the Night
I Wish You Would
See Emily Play
Everything's Alright
I Can't Explain
Friday On My Mind
Sorrow
Don't Bring Me Down
Shapes of Things
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Where Have All the Good Times Gone

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Growin' Up
Amsterdam

Decent covers of good songs. 'Nuff said. (No rating)



Diamond Dogs (1974)

Track Listing:
Future Legend
Diamond Dogs
Sweet Thing
Candidate
Sweet Thing (reprise)
Rebel Rebel
Rock and Roll With Me
We Are the Dead
1984
Big Brother
Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Dodo
Candidate (demo)

Diamond Dogs, much like Lodger, is an underrated and often overlooked album, that is more often cited for its surreal cover art than for the music held within. Admittedly, it's an uneven piece; Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing edges on genius, while 1984, Future Legend, and Chant... not only fall flat, but do so to an embarrassing extreme. All in all, there are more great tracks than humiliating ones. If you don't already own a copy, I'd suggest looking on eBay for a RykoDisc edition - otherwise you'll be missing out on a great one, the Candidate demo. A completely different song from the album track, this version is understated and revealing. Best three tracks: Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing, Rebel Rebel, Candidate (demo). (7)


Young Americans (1975)

Track Listing:
Young Americans
Win
Fascination
Right
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Across the Universe
Can You Hear Me?
Fame

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Who Can I Be Now?
It's Gonna Be Me
John, I'm Only Dancing Again

I acquired a copy of Young Americans a few years ago when I asked my best friend if I could have a listen at his copy. He responded by handing it to me with the words, "Take it home. Please. And don't bring it back."

I listen to this and ask myself, "Why, David, why???" It's a testament to my level of Bowie obsession that I listen to it at all. Young Americans, Somebody Up There Likes Me, and Can You Hear Me are tolerable, even a bit catchy; the rest are just hideous. The biggest stinker has got to be the cover of Across the Universe, followed quickly by the single, John, I'm Only Dancing Again, which sends me into painful convulsions. One song is genuinely good: the bonus track, It's Gonna Be Me, which is not included in the EMI rerelease. (2)

Some mildly incoherent song-by-song analysis from Bowie, circa 1975:

"Right is putting a positive drone over. People forget what the sound of Man's instinct is - it's a drone, a mantra. And people, say: 'Why are so many things popular that just drone on and on'. But that's the point really. It reaches a particular vibration, not necessarily a musical level.

Somebody Up There Likes Me is a 'Watch out mate, Hitler's on his way back.' It's your Rock 'n' Roll sociological bit.

Across The Universe was a flower power sort of thing John Lennon wrote. I always thought it was fabulous, but very watery in the original, and I hammered the hell out of it. Not many people like it. I like it a lot and I think I sing very well at end of it.

People say I used John Lennon on the track, but let me tell you, no one uses John Lennon. John just came and played on it. He was lovely.

Can You Hear Me was written for somebody, but I'm not telling you who it is. That is a real love song. I kid you not. And the end of the thing is Fame which was more or less sung about what we're doing now."



Station to Station (1976)

Track Listing:
Station to Station
Golden Years
Word On a Wing
TVC15
Stay
Wild Is the Wind

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Word On a Wing (live)
Stay (live)

Station to Station the song is best enjoyed on a good car stereo, at night, on an empty street, with both windows open, at the highest volume tolerable, going 90 miles per hour.

Station to Station the album is a thousand times better than Young Americans, while retaining some elements of funk. Most of the tracks are sincere, his vocals are top-notch and one can sense Low on the horizon. However, it has numerous drawbacks, not the least of which is its length - just six tracks, short even when you take into account that the mesmorizing title track lasts 10 minutes. I said before that the tracks were sincere, and I believe they are, but the disturbing flipside is that these were written and recorded during a state of cocaine-induced delirium. Word On a Wing is particularly sickening; Bowie prefaced this number during his Storytellers performance by referring to it as a "cry for help." Well, it certainly makes me cry, and not because it's emotionally touching either! Best three tracks: Station to Station, TVC15, Wild is the Wind. (7)



Low (1977)

Track Listing:
Speed of Life
Breaking Glass
What In the World
Sound and Vision
Always Crashing In the Same Car
Be My Wife
A New Career In a New Town
Warszawa
Art Decade
Weeping Wall
Subterraneans

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Some Are
All Saints
Sound and Vision (1991 remix)

There aren't enough ways to say just how brilliant I think this album is. It is, perhaps unintentionally, a portrait of a man on the brink of insanity. The lyrics of side one are short, fractured, like the dialogue of a madman. Behind these short expressions of self-hate and hopelessness, the accompanying perky soundscapes become terrifying and overpowering. The second half, often dismissed, is just as integral to this concept as the first. By this time words have been disposed of, and the detached electronic voices are all that's suitable to express the artist's deepening depression. Low is, in my opinion, Bowie's only perfect album - each track contributes to the whole. Even Scary Monsters, just about the only album I like better, has a couple of songs that could have been omitted, but Low doesn't have a single weak link. (10)



"Heroes" (1977)

Track Listing:
Beauty and the Beast
Joe the Lion
"Heroes"
Sons of the Silent Age
Blackout
V-2 Schneider
Sense of Doubt
Moss Garden
Neuk�ln
The Secret Life of Arabia

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
Abudulmajid
Joe the Lion (1992 remix)

With "Heroes", Bowie's nervous breakdown shifts to a more coherent brand of desperation. The lyrics (some of the best of his career) have returned to Bowie's trademark narrative style *somewhat*, but they're far more self-aware and intimate than any of his pre-Low lyrics. Beauty and the Beast is an ode to his darkside, which he regrets in earnest that he is unable to control, while Blackout chronicals his growing alchoholism. The title track is arguably Bowie's greatest song; his vocals progress from near-whisper to knife-in-the-gut-screams-of-agony, all the while maintaining a soothing synth melody in the background. Another masterpiece. (9)



Lodger (1979)

Track Listing:
Fantastic Voyage
African Night Flight
Move On
Yassassin
Red Sails
D.J.
Look Back In Anger
Boys Keep Swinging
Repetition
Red Money

RykoDisc Bonus Tracks:
I Pray, Ol�
Look Back In Anger (rerecorded 1988)

Underrated. Forgotten. Poor Lodger. Granted, the lyrics lack any heavy psychological overtones; well, glad he was feeling better at least. The concept of the first side doesn't have me bouncing with excitement, but the songs are fabulous and his vocals are stellar, especially on Fantastic Voyage (yeah, I know, he's showing off with that one note, but tell me you don't love it). Boys Keep Swinging and DJ are campy pop songs, while Look Back In Anger is intense and mesmorizing. Of the three, I'd have to say Eno's whimsical side is the most prominent on this one. Lodger's a nifty little record, and one of my favorites (also a favorite of my 11 year old brother). Best three tracks: Move On, Boys Keep Swinging, Look Back In Anger. (7)



Scary Monsters (1980)

Track Listing:
It's No Game (Part 1)
Up the Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Ashes to Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like a Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (Part 2)

RykoDisk Bonus Tracks:
Space Oddity (re-recorded single, 1979)
Panic In Detroit (re-recorded 1979)
Crystal Japan (Japanese single, 1979)
Alabama Song (UK single, 1979)

Scary Monsters pulls you in with the first vicious scream of It's No Game and holds you by the throat, at its mercy, never losing momentum, even through the stellar bonus tracks. What an album.

I wish I could say that Scary Monsters marks a turning point in Bowie's career, a period of newfound musical and emotional maturity, or that it is the first in a series of albums that rock like none since Aladdin Sane while still incorporating Eno-esque synth tricks in an appropriately 80s way. I can't. For all its brilliance, Scary Monsters stands alone, a preview of things to come that never did. Sure, Outside is good, but for all intents and purposes Scary Monsters is the last great Bowie record. Never since has he matched the sheer energy of the title track, or come close to a song as insidiously catchy as Ashes to Ashes, or as violently captivating as It's No Game (Part 1). The days of solid crooners like Teenage Wildlife are gone. Sorry, Dave. Best three tracks: It's No Game (Part 1), Ashes to Ashes, Teenage Wildlife. (10)



Let's Dance (1983)

Track Listing:
Modern Love
China Girl
Let's Dance
Without You
Ricochet
Criminal World
Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
Shake It

Bonus Track:
Under Pressure

Tonight (1984)

Track Listing:
Loving the Alien
Don't Look Down
God Only Knows
Tonight
Neighboorhood Threat
Blue Jean
Tumble and Twirl
I Keep Forgetting
Dancing With the Big Boys

Virgin Bonus Tracks:
This Is Not America
As The World Falls Down
Absolute Beginners

Never Let Me Down (1987)

Track Listing:

Day-In Day-Out
Time Will Crawl
Beat Of Your Drum
Never Let Me Down
Zeroes
Glass Spider
Shining Star (Makin' My Love)
New York's In Love
'87 And Cry
Too Dizzy
Bang Bang

Virgin Bonus Tracks:
Girls
Julie
When the Wind Blows

Let's Dance marks the introduction of Bowie's most infamous persona, that of wholesome pop star. It's apparent that with Dance, Bowie was actively seeking a hit that would put him at the forefront of popular music in America, and what he produced was a thin and easily accessable (to say the least) collection of pop songs. Most of the highlights are on Side Two: the infectious Criminal World, and Cat People (Putting Out Fire) which could just as easily be titled David Bowie Possessed By The Sisters of Mercy. In fact, the music itself is not so offensive as the media manipulation that accompanied it; anyone who saw his tanned, bleached-blond mug on Rolling Stone with the headline, "David Bowie STRAIGHT" knows exactly what I'm talking about. No matter his motives, Bowie wanted to make Let's Dance, and it shows, compared to its half-hearted follow-ups, Tonight and Never Let Me Down. One of them is Bowie's worst record, which one is a matter of personal preference. Despite the atrocious Iggy Pop covers (damn you to hell, David) I think Tonight is slightly less painful. Come on, Loving the Alien is kind of cute, isn't it? Well, maybe not. Let's Dance (4), Tonight (1), Never Let Me Down (1).



Black Tie White Noise (1993)

Track Listing:
The Wedding
You've Been Around
I Feel Free
Black Tie White Noise
Jump They Say
Nite Flights
Pallas Athena
Miracle Goodnight
Don't Let Me Down & Down
Looking for Lester
I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday
The Wedding Song

Bonus Tracks:
Jump They Say (remix)
Lucy Can't Dance

What's the worst form of torture you can imagine? The rack? Chinese water torture? The iron maiden? Or being forced to listen to Black Tie White Noise? Ground Control to Major Tom: YOU ARE A WHITE LIMEY. Didn't you learn your lesson with Young Americans? To its credit, though, there are more highlights here than on it's cocaine-driven predecessor. The single, Jump They Say, is Bowie's strongest song in ten years (not to mention his coolest video). You've Been Around isn't half bad, and neither is the Morrissey cover, I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday. Well, at least he was trying. (3)



The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)

Track Listing:
Buddha of Suburbia
Sex and the Church
South Horizon
The Mysteries
Bleed Like a Craze, Dad
Strangers When We Meet
Dead Against It
Untitled No. 1
Ian Fish, U.K. Heir
Buddha of Suburbia

Go ahead, start writing the hate mail now. I don't like The Buddha of Suburbia. That's right. I don't like it. Some of the instrumentals are soothing, I'll give it that much, next time I'm having trouble sleeping I'll keep it in mind. But if I want instrumentals, and I want Bowie, why would I put this on and not "Heroes"? The answer is I wouldn't. At least BTWN had Jump They Say to keep me from pawning it, there's not a single phenomenal song on here, only the New Wave-y Dead Against It even caught my attention. In my opinion, this record is every bit as torturous as BTWN, only more boring and pretentious. Thumbs way down. (2)



1. Outside (1995)

Track Listing:
Leon Takes Us Outside
Outside
The Hearts Filthy Lesson
A Small Plot of Land
Segue - Baby Grace (a Horrid Cassette)
Hallo Spaceboy
The Motel
I Have Not Been to Oxford Town
No Control
Segue - Algeria Touchshriek
The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
Segue - Ramona A. Stone/ I Am With Name
Wishful Beginnings
We Prick You
Segue - Nathan Adler
I'm Deranged
Thru' These Architects Eyes
Segue - Nathan Adler
Strangers When We Meet

Wow, strong ballads, delicately beautiful instrumentation, even a catchy (but not paper thin) single. Maybe Bowie hasn't lost it after all. Sure, the segues are irritating, but these are some really great songs. It's probably no coincidence that not only did Brian Eno make his return on this album but so did piano wiz Mike Garson, who lended his keys to Aladdin Sane 22 years earlier. A Small Plot of Land and The Motel in particular showcase his talent. Also included is the definitive version of Strangers When We Meet, akin to Teenage Wildlife in its sing-a-long capacity. Best three tracks: I'm Deranged, Thru' These Architects Eyes, Strangers When We Meet. (7)



Under Construction... next installments coming shortly.





Compilations, Box Sets, and Live Albums:

Bowie at the Beeb (2000)

Track Listing:

(Disc One)

In the Heat of the Morning
London Bye Ta-Ta
Karma Man
Silly Boy Blue
Let Me Sleep Beside You
Janine
Amsterdam
God Knows I'm Good
The Width of a Circle
Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
Cygnet Committee
Memory of a Free Festival
Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud
Bombers
Looking for a Friend
Almost Grown
Kooks
It Ain't Easy

(Disc Two)

The Supermen
Eight Line Poem
Hang On To Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Queen Bitch
Waiting For the Man
Five Years
White Light/White Heat
Moonage Daydream
Hang On To Yourself
Suffragette City
Ziggy Stardust
Starman
Space Oddity
Changes
Oh! You Pretty Things
Andy Warhol
Lady Stardust
Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

(Disc Three)

Wild Is The Wind
Ashes To Ashes
Seven
This Is Not America
Absolute Beginners
Always Crashing In The Same Car
Survive
Little Wonder
The Man Who Sold The World
Fame
Stay
Hallo Spaceboy
Cracked Actor
I'm Afraid Of Americans
Let's Dance

Forget the first and third discs for now, the reason to buy this box set is the second which includes the definitive version of just about every song on Ziggy Stardust. Those great simple rocks songs, as loud and fast as they should be, without the tinny production of the album and with the sound quality that lacks in most live albums and bootlegs. The first version of Hang On To Yourself is especially great, I had it playing on a boombox not too long ago and a kid walked by and said "punk rock!" Indeed!

The first disc isn't terribly interesting unless you just live for everything Bowie did before Hunky Dory. *Shrug*.

The third disc, not-so-limited-edition as it turns out, surprised me; it's a very solid live set. I didn't care for the re-working of Always Crashing In The Same Car, and I don't like the songs from hours... any better live, but otherwise it's a fun CD.



Sound + Vision (1989)

Track Listing:

(Disc One)

Space Oddity (original demo)
Wild-Eyed Boy from Freecloud (acoustic B-side version)
The Prettiest Star (single version, featuring Marc Bolan on guitar)
London Bye Ta-Ta (also with Marc Bolan)
Black Country Rock
The Man Who Sold the World
The Bewlay Brothers
Changes
Round and Round (B-side)
Moonage Daydream
John, I'm Only Dancing ("sax mix" recorded for Aladdin Sane featured on the first 1000 pressings of ChangesOneBowie)
Drive In Saturday
Panic In Detroit
Ziggy Stardust (live from ZS: The Motion Picture)
White Light/White Heat (live from ZS: The Motion Picture)
Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (live from ZS: The Motion Picture)

(Disc Two)

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Sorrow
Don't Bring Me Down
1984/Dodo (unreleased track recorded 1973)
Big Brother
Rebel Rebel (single version)
Suffragette City (from David Live)
Watch That Man (from David Live)
Cracked Actor (from David Live)
Young Americans
Fascination
After Today (Young Americans outtake)
It's Hard to be a Saint in the City (unreleased track recorded 1975)
TVC15
Wild Is the Wind

(Disc Three)

Sound and Vision
Be My Wife
Speed Of Life
Helden (1989 remix)
Joe The Lion
Sons of the Silent Age
Station to Station (from Stage)
Warszawa (from Stage)
Breaking Glass (from Stage)
Red Sails
Look Back In Anger
Boys Keep Swinging
Up The Hill Backwards
Kingdom Come
Ashes to Ashes

Some interesting outtakes and B-sides, but probably not worth the exorbitant price of most box sets. However, the first disc alone would be an excellent buy, featuring Round and Round, my favorite version of Wild-Eyed Boy from Freecloud, and the schizophrenic London Bye Ta-Ta. The tracks from ZS: The Motion Picture rock out as well, and, with the exception of Black Country Rock, they've included only great album tracks. The second disc is a guilty pleasure. The cover of Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere will make Who fans cringe, just as it did on Pin-Ups. 1984/Dodo is a better, more melodramatic version than either song alone, and I managed to find some sick pleasure in it. The tracks from David Live are, well, anything but. After Today and It's Hard to Be a Saint In the City are horrible, but god help me I love 'em. The last disc is a throw-away, assuming you own the Berlin Trilogy and Scary Monsters. The only rare track here is Helden which is just creepy unless your first language is German. Stage bites, plain and simple. I don't actually have the booklet, but I have it on good authority that it's pretty impressive. If you can find a slightly damaged copy on eBay for $20 go for it, but otherwise, you're not missing much. (No rating)



Santa Monica '72 (1995)

Track Listing:
Hang On to Yourself
Ziggy Stardust
Changes
The Supermen
Life on Mars
Five Years
Space Oddity
Andy Warhol
My Death
Width of a Circle
Queen Bitch
Moonage Daydream
John, I'm Only Dancing
Waiting for the Man
The Jean Genie
Suffragette City
Rock and Roll Suicide

This album rocks! If you only want one live Bowie record, make it this one. The sound is excellent, the band's loud and fast, and the between-song-chatter is gloriously cheeky. Makes for great car music, and doubles as an excellent "Greatest Hits, Pre-Soul." (8)



Early On (1964-1966) (1991)

Track Listing:
Liza Jane
Louie, Louie Go Home
I Pity The Fool
Take My Tip
That's Where My Heart Is
I Want My Baby Back
Bars Of the County Jail
You've Got a Habit of Leaving
Baby Loves That Way
I'll Follow You
Glad I've Got Nobody
Can't Help Thinking About Me
And I Say To Myself
Do Anything You Say
Good Morning Girl
I Dig Everything
I'm Not Losing Sleep

Eeeeeegad, this is bad! If you're going to rip off The Who, at least do it well. This compilation is for chuckles ONLY, nothing redeemable here except for the gem Can't Help Thinking About Me which, silly lyrics aside, seems dreadfully out of place among this rubbish. (2)



The Deram Anthology 1966-68 (1997)

Track Listing:
Rubber Band (single version)
The London Boys
The Laughing Gnome
The Gospel According to Tony Day
Uncle Arthur
Sell Me a Coat
Rubber Band
Love Me Till Tuesday
There Is a Happy Land
We Are Hungry Men
When I Live My Dream
Little Bombadier
Silly Boy Blue
Come and Buy My Toys
Join the Gang
She's Got Medals
Maid of Bond Street
Please Mr. Gravedigger
Love You Till Tuesday (single version)
Did You Ever Have a Dream
Karma Man
Let Me Sleep Beside You
Ching-A-Ling
Sell Me a Coat
When I Live My Dream
Space Oddity

More early Bowie than you could ever want on one disc. The anomaly that sets these songs apart from those of other wannabe pop acts of their day is that while Bowie is obviously reaching for a hit single and trying very hard to write easily digestible pop songs, he just can't do it. His cleverness and dark sense of humour are too strong. So what we've got here are poorly arranged pop songs with some of Bowie's wackiest and most depraved lyrics to date. Some of the less amusing ones you'll never want to hear again; some of them you'll play over and over with masochistic glee. By the way, as for The Laughing Gnome, I like it. How can you not love, "'Didn't they teach you to get your 'air cut at school, you look like a Rolling Gnome...' 'Not at the London School of EcoGNOMEics hehehehahahahahaha!!!'" Best three tracks: Please Mr. Gravedigger, She's Got Medals, Little Bombadier. (5)



ChangesThreeBowie (198?)

Track Listing:
London Bye Ta-Ta
Conversation Piece
The Prettiest Star
Holy Holy
John, I'm Only Dancing
You Didn't Hear It From Me
Memory Of a Free Festival Pt. 1
Rebel Rebel
The Supermen
All the Young Dudes
Bombers
Wild-Eyed Boy from Freecloud
Memory of a Free Festial Pt. 2
Tired of My Life
Five Years (live BBC performance, 1972)
It's Gonna Be Me
Who Can I Be Now?
Waiting for the Man (live BBC performance, 1970)
Right On Mother
Changes (live in Rotterdam, 1976)

The only copy I've ever seen of this is a dingy third (fourth?) hand CD that I sort-of nicked from a close friend (that he sort-of nicked from his friend... it's a wicked cycle). It has a Japanese price sticker on the cover. (It originally cost 4200 yen.) According to the print on the CD it is "for promotional use only, not for sale." Versions of London Bye Ta-Ta, The Prettiest Star, John, I'm Only Dancing, Rebel Rebel, and Wild-Eyed Boy from Freecloud are the same as featured on Sound + Vision, only poor quality. You Didn't Hear It From Me is 1984/Dodo. Holy Holy, Conversation Piece, Memory of a Free Festival Pts 1 & 2, Bombers, It's Gonna Be Me, and Who Can I Be Now? are all Ryko bonus tracks. What makes this record worth having is the version of All the Young Dudes, for which the master recording was lost until recently. However, I believe the same version is featured on the recent Best Of 1969-74, likely much better sound quality. Also of interest: Tired Of My Life is an infant incarnation of It's No Game a la Crosby, Stills, and Nash (feel free to shudder). The cover of Waiting for the Man featured here is quite possibly the worst raping Bowie has ever committed on tape, almost as misconceived as his cover of Neighborhood Threat, for which I'd like to hang him by his toenails. Oh yeah, it's bad. (No rating)



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