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Product Description
Review
No matter how many substandard albums David Bowie has released in the latter part of his career, his eponymous 1967 debut album has always been perceived as the slightest long-player in his catalogue. For some, then, this deluxe version of David Bowie – expanded to two CDs, with lengthy booklet notes – will be almost laughably inappropriate.
As well as legendary lost song London Bye Ta-Ta and contemporaneous non-album Bowie material like the swirling Let Me Sleep Beside You and novelty song The Laughing Gnome, disc two virtually gives us the album we’ve heard twice over (stereo and – first time on CD – mono) on disc one in a different permutation: single and radio session versions and previously unreleased mixes. All very comprehensive, but aesthetically too much even if the parent album was the greatest ever made.
David Bowie shows talent, but one very much unrefined. Within a musical style that is baroque pop crossed with northern brass band crossed with music hall, parping horns and brisk drums decorate pretty but largely unmemorable melodies. The lyrics are above average – thoughtful character studies – but hardly deep, sort of toytown Eleanor Rigbys. Highlights are the orchestrated, melancholy Sell Me a Coat, Rubber Band – an old-time musician's misty memories set to a marching beat – and There Is a Happy Land, a shimmering musical adaptation of Keith Waterhouse’s novel of childhood. Everything is agreeable but nothing truly classic and the relentless whimsy gets tiresome.
What is extraordinary throughout, though, is a vision and individualism remarkable for a 20-year-old. Young Bowie has a penchant for putting himself in the heads of the old and the unhip, something very unfashionable in the insurrectionist 60s. Meanwhile, he is so determined to stick to his then-daring resolution to sing in his own English accent that in the bopping Love You Til Tuesday he spurns the opportunity to rhyme “branch” and “romance” that an American inflection would offer him. As for the closer Please Mr Gravedigger, its sneeze-punctuated vocal and lightning-and-footsteps backing make it as much radio play as song.
David Bowie is hardly an essential listen but historically interesting as unmistakably the entrée of someone with a future. This chance of reacquaintance enables us to acknowledge that it deserves a marginally higher place in the pecking order. Let’s see… Let’s Dance – move aside.
Ahem. --Sean Egan
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Product Description
1-CD-1 2-Uncle Arthur 3-Sell Me A Coat 4-Rubber Band 5-Love You Till Tuesday 6-There Is A Happy Land 7-We Are Hungry Men 8-When I Live My Dream 9-Little Bombardier 10-Silly Boy Blue 11-Come And Buy My Toys 12-Join The Gnag 13-She's Got Medals 14-Maid Of Bond Street 15-Please Mr. Gravedigger 16-CD-2 17-Rubber Band 18-The London Boys 19-The Laughing Gnome 20-The Gospel According To Tony Day 21-Love You Till Tuesday 22-Did You Ever Have A Dream 23-When I Live My Dream 24-Let Me Sleep Beside You 25-Karma Man 26-London Bye Ta-Ta 27-In The Heart Of The Morning (2010/DECCA) 53 tracks - slipcase packaging
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
For those Bowie fans who have the original vinyl, reissued vinyl, cassette, CD, Deram Anthology CD etc - the great news is the re-mastering and overall sound on this is CD is STUNNING...
Much has been written about the style of this album over the last 44 years which I will not regurgitate (Anthony Newley mimic, Pink Floyd influenced, Tommy Steele wannabee). What is valid is that it splits the Bowie fan base like Marmite - people seemingly love it or hate it which is probably down to the fact that he is largely backed by an orchestral arrangement.
At the time of writing this album (and the included "bolt-on" songs) Bowie was being persuaded by his manager to write music from what he was observing rather than the "Love, love, love" route of the Beatles. He had been handed a copy of the Velvet Underground album and this influence is clear to hear throughout and on the bonus tracks (yes, Laughing Gnome has a similar riff to "Waiting for the Man"!)
The result is each song is a small cleverly woven story with a subject matter featuring stress or isolation (Uncle Arthur, Rubber Band, She's Got Medals, Little Bombardier, Maid of Bond Street), childhood simplicity (There is a Happy Land, Silly Boy Blue, Come and Buy my Toys, When I Live my Dream) or the simply bizarre.
Bowie's vocal accents change throughout the album (South London, American, upper crust English) and it's the first time he takes on different personas to get his clever lyrics over.
The album can have that "What the...?" on first listening but most people that I know that own it grow to love it on repeated listening, mainly because the songs come to life and undoubtedly could have gone on to form concept albums of their own.
The mono version has been included so that the listener can recreate how it first sounded on release, the remixes are cleaner and clearer, the bonus tracks and BBC stuff are necessary for those who were unable to pick them up on bootlegs.
Overall, the verdict must be for the curious "Give it a go" - it will grow on you and there are some beautifully simple songs such as Let Me Sleep Beside You, The London Boys and In the Heat of the Morning which will stay with you forever.
It's NOT Ziggy Stardust but it was written only 5 years before it...
Much has been written about the style of this album over the last 44 years which I will not regurgitate (Anthony Newley mimic, Pink Floyd influenced, Tommy Steele wannabee). What is valid is that it splits the Bowie fan base like Marmite - people seemingly love it or hate it which is probably down to the fact that he is largely backed by an orchestral arrangement.
At the time of writing this album (and the included "bolt-on" songs) Bowie was being persuaded by his manager to write music from what he was observing rather than the "Love, love, love" route of the Beatles. He had been handed a copy of the Velvet Underground album and this influence is clear to hear throughout and on the bonus tracks (yes, Laughing Gnome has a similar riff to "Waiting for the Man"!)
The result is each song is a small cleverly woven story with a subject matter featuring stress or isolation (Uncle Arthur, Rubber Band, She's Got Medals, Little Bombardier, Maid of Bond Street), childhood simplicity (There is a Happy Land, Silly Boy Blue, Come and Buy my Toys, When I Live my Dream) or the simply bizarre.
Bowie's vocal accents change throughout the album (South London, American, upper crust English) and it's the first time he takes on different personas to get his clever lyrics over.
The album can have that "What the...?" on first listening but most people that I know that own it grow to love it on repeated listening, mainly because the songs come to life and undoubtedly could have gone on to form concept albums of their own.
The mono version has been included so that the listener can recreate how it first sounded on release, the remixes are cleaner and clearer, the bonus tracks and BBC stuff are necessary for those who were unable to pick them up on bootlegs.
Overall, the verdict must be for the curious "Give it a go" - it will grow on you and there are some beautifully simple songs such as Let Me Sleep Beside You, The London Boys and In the Heat of the Morning which will stay with you forever.
It's NOT Ziggy Stardust but it was written only 5 years before it...
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Whilst this album will not be to everybody's tastes due to it's sheer eccentricity and whimsy, best explained in other reviews here, I have to say that this is a superb repackage. The sound quality is excellent. The remastering is of the highest order - no unnecessary pumping or squashing of the dynamics that is sadly inflicted on too many albums today in order to make them "louder" hence the music here breathes as it should. It was always a very well recorded album thanks to producer Mike Vernon and legendary engineer Gus Dudgeon. So this really does sparkle.
The accompanying booklet is richly detailed with recording dates and a most interesting timeline that helps place this album and singles into the context of the times. It's great to finally have the early BBC sessions and the new stereo remixes are brilliant. After 43 years, the Gnome finally laughs in true stereo!
I give this 5 stars because this is how such reissues should be done. Genuine time and care went into making this the final word on this album. The music may indeed not be everybody's cup of tea but I guess if you're reading this, then you are interested and have knowledge of how strange this album is. Great value for money. Couldn't ask for anything more from a reissue.
The accompanying booklet is richly detailed with recording dates and a most interesting timeline that helps place this album and singles into the context of the times. It's great to finally have the early BBC sessions and the new stereo remixes are brilliant. After 43 years, the Gnome finally laughs in true stereo!
I give this 5 stars because this is how such reissues should be done. Genuine time and care went into making this the final word on this album. The music may indeed not be everybody's cup of tea but I guess if you're reading this, then you are interested and have knowledge of how strange this album is. Great value for money. Couldn't ask for anything more from a reissue.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What do we have here? Previously unreissued on CD mono versions of the original 1967 debut David Bowie LP, 5 previously unreissued 1967 cuts from John Peel's "Top Gear" AND the original long lost first take of "London Bye Ta Ta". Wow! My only gripe is when in our lifetime will we get to hear "Bunny Thing", "Funny Smile" and "Pussy Cat", all 1967 out takes that were slated for the "Deram Anthology '66-'68" but omitted at the request of The Thin White Duke's "people".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
bowie
if your a Bowie fan then youll like this,i bought it to replace one of my Bowie lps with the various songs on it,as i hadnt listened to most of my Bowie stuff for quite a while it... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Robert Quinn
If you like Bowie you must buy this
I can't agree more with all of the positive reviews here. The 1st Bowie record I bought was the Sound & Vision 7 inch vinyl single back in 77/78, and I have loved all of his 70s... Read more
Published 16 months ago by JD Durham
The Real Bowie?
Bizarrely, this was the first Bowie album I heard & got to love when I was 13 or so. I guess like most music 'when you hear it' has a bearing on your view of it. Read more
Published 19 months ago by A. D. Hayward
Dig this early Bowie classic - top gear
I first heard some of this album material on a much inferior cd, with terrible sound, but even then the quality of some of the songs broke through. Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Fennessy
For completists only.
David Bowie's debut album (released on the same day as Sgt. Pepper) is totally bizarre if you're familiar with any of his other work. Read more
Published 21 months ago by MR K J DOWNING
A Karma Man than he later became
Bowie called this his Anthony Newley period, many have said he sounds more like Tommy Steele (Tommy Steele from Mars) but unlike the songs of Newley or Steele many of Bowie's songs... Read more
Published 24 months ago by J. A. Harvey
He's a laughing gnome ...
For most people, the David Bowie story starts with 1969's "Space Oddity". But he'd been releasing records since 1964, and had a long series of flops before his first hit. Read more
Published on 9 May 2010 by B. Garvey
Old school Bowie sounds fresh & exciting!
Without rambling on and cutting to the chase....this deluxe edition is worth every dollar/pound!
The recordings sound fresh, clean, warm and certainly are a credit to... Read more
The recordings sound fresh, clean, warm and certainly are a credit to... Read more
Published on 6 April 2010 by B. Stuart
In The Heat of The Morning
I first started listening to Bowie with the accompaniment of my eldest sister bellowing/screeching out from her room -(she had a portable record player and collected all the Bowie... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2010 by Mr Fish
A NOTE OF CAUTION FOR FANS......
This collection is the 'DAVID BOWIE' album with extras - It does NOT replace your Deram Anthology CD! Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2010 by Alan
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