Search - David Bowie :: The Best Of David Bowie 1969-1974

SUPERB SELECTION OF SONGS

Pieter | Johannesburg | 02/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This excellent compilation draws from the albums The Man Who Sold The World, Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, Pin-Ups, Aladdinsane, Diamond Dogs and his opus magnum Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars. It thus provides some of his best work with producer Tony Visconti plus a wide variety of different musical styles. There's the wistful pop of Space Oddity and Starman, the pre-punk aggro of Jean Genie (supposedly written about Iggy Pop), the anthemic rock of Rebel Rebel, the 60s pop of Sorrow and Oh You Pretty Things (This was a hit for Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits in 1971). There's also the heavy rock of Man Who Sold The World (a hit for Lulu in the late 1960s) and All The Young Dudes (a hit for Mott The Hoople in 1973), the bleak ballad Drive-In Saturday, his fast and aloof interpretation of Let's Spend The Night Together and the phenomenal and breathtaking Life On Mars with its gripping arrangement and poetic lyrics. Other favorites of mine include the catchy Prettiest Star and Changes with its interesting wordplay, plus the magnificent Diamond Dogs with its howling hound sounds. The choice of tracks is highly intelligent and although these things are always subjective, I do for once agree with the selection of the compilers. Of course, Bowie had a novelty hit in 1973, The Laughing Gnome, but it would have been out of place on this album so I won't complain of the omission, and it was recorded long before 1969. Bowie's early work has stood the test of time very well. These are all strong, melodic songs that still evoke vivid images and emotions. This album well and truly deserves its five stars."

A Bowie Comp Done Right

Blake Maddux | Arlington, MA United States | 08/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Any single-disc compilation of David Bowie's best songs seems doomed to fail. His career is so long and varied that something is bound to be left out or un(der)represented. 1990's Changesbowie did a good job of covering the hits from "Space Oddity" to "Blue Jean", and 2002's Best of Bowie added "Under Pressure" and tacked on a few non-essential items to bring it up to date (1997, in that case). Both of these collections made for entertaining listens, but incomplete pictures. Bowie the pop star, in both cases, was emphasized over Bowie the artist.



Fortunately, EMI recognized in 1997 that these two sides of David Bowie were not mutually exclusive, and decided to issue the pertinent songs alongside one another on two separate discs covering the first decade of his career. Although two discs may be less buyer friendly, it is really the only way to do justice to an artist like Bowie, as he has a plethora of hits, album cuts, and B-sides that rank among his best songs. And it was wise to separately issue two individual CDs, as the material from each "era" adheres to different sets of artistic criteria. The individual discs help keeps the songs separate in the listener's mind, and thus have a clearer perspective of what Bowie was shooting for as his career progressed.



The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 is a piñata of tracks from the first half-dozen years of his recording career. It contains all of his most enduring radio classics from the early days: "The Jean Genie", "Space Oddity", "Ziggy Stardust", "Rebel Rebel", "Suffragette City", and "Changes". These are great songs, of course, but there are fourteen other songs on the disc, most of which are of at least equal quality. Some have become well-known through the years in spite of not being radio favorites, such as "Starman" and the ghostly "The Man Who Sold the World", which had recently - at the time of this compilation's release - been a highlight of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance. There is also a generous helping of album tracks, among which are two more from Hunky Dory ("Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Life On Mars?"), one from Ziggy Stardust ("Rock & Roll Suicide"), four more from Aladdin Sane, and a live version of the title track from Diamond Dogs.



And the gems don't end there. The remarkable glam-rock B-sides "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "Velvet Goldmine" are here, as is his version of his own "All the Young Dudes". Finally, there is the superb interpretation of the one-hit wonder "Sorrow", from his underrated Pin-Ups CD. (This definitely beats out his cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together" in terms of being worthy of inclusion on a best-of.) Overall, there are no glaring omissions whatsoever from this collection, maybe just some fans' personal faves. 1969/1974 does a perfect job of demonstrating what a versatile, prolific, and entertaining performer Bowie was from almost day one. And with the time frame that it covers, it reminds one that he achieved all of this in a mere 6 years."