Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Steve
Format:Audio CD
This album is a perfect introduction to Bowie's most interesting and, in my opinion, his best period. This really is an intoxicating stew- Here we have plastic soul (Young Americans, Can You Hear Me), Krautrock-influenced rock-funk (TVC15), heart-stopping balladry (Wild is the Wind), electro-pop (Sound and Vision) and avant-garde guitar noise (check the startlingly weird guitar solo on Boys Keep Swinging). There's even a great version of Knock on Wood, from the coked-up David Live. To be honest, after getting into this stuff, Bowie's glam period, great as it is, just sounds a little conventional in comparison, mainly because the late 70s saw Bowie experiment with different procedures for making music. For instance, Sound and Vision has no vocals for almost 2 minutes (very unusual for a pop single), and on Boys Keep Swinging, Bowie instructed the musicians to swap instruments, giving the song a suitably shambolic, teen-punk feel. 'Chance' procedures were also employed on Low and Lodger through the influence of Brian Eno.
All of the albums from the period are well-represented, except Low, (which is his best album, so you should own it anyway). Although some of the tracks are edited (TVC15, Young Americans, Heroes, Golden Years), this doesn't matter, because if you come to this album as an introduction, never having heard the originals, you won't notice this anyway. In fact, Heroes and The Secret Life of Arabia (another gem) actually sound better than on the "Heroes" remaster, which has a thinner mix.
The only stinkers are It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City, which is pretty dreadful, and the disco version of John, I'm Only Dancing, which is actually rather enjoyable in a camp, Bee-Gees kind of way;) One thing's for sure, Bowie was never less than interesting during this period, whether or not his experiments came off successfully.
All of the albums from the period are well-represented, except Low, (which is his best album, so you should own it anyway). Although some of the tracks are edited (TVC15, Young Americans, Heroes, Golden Years), this doesn't matter, because if you come to this album as an introduction, never having heard the originals, you won't notice this anyway. In fact, Heroes and The Secret Life of Arabia (another gem) actually sound better than on the "Heroes" remaster, which has a thinner mix.
The only stinkers are It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City, which is pretty dreadful, and the disco version of John, I'm Only Dancing, which is actually rather enjoyable in a camp, Bee-Gees kind of way;) One thing's for sure, Bowie was never less than interesting during this period, whether or not his experiments came off successfully.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best of 1975-1979: David Bowie - Bowie provides us with sound and vision
9 Jun 2011
Format:Audio CD
This is the second in a trilogy of albums anthologising David Bowie's output since 1969. This does an excellent job of collecting all the hits up until from 1975 to 79, essentially collecting in one place the important recordings with which he consolidated his reputation. This was an inventive and productive era for Bowie, during which he underwent several stylistic changes and so there is no one `sound' that characterises this album. Suffice to say it is track after track of catchy seventies pop.
While I feel Bowie's albums of this period are a bit uneven, this set manages to give all the essential hits while cutting out some of the filler you would inevitably end up with if you collected the albums. A great way of getting Bowie's big hits from the period.
While I feel Bowie's albums of this period are a bit uneven, this set manages to give all the essential hits while cutting out some of the filler you would inevitably end up with if you collected the albums. A great way of getting Bowie's big hits from the period.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This great compilation reflects my favourite Bowie period, the middle to late seventies. Drawn from the albums Young Americans, Station To Station, Heroes and Lodger, it covers his "plastic soul" excursion, the Thin White Duke period and the three albums of synth experimentation. The sequence of tracks is odd - I think a chronogical one would have made more sense. My favourite tracks from Low are here: the sublime Sound & Vision and the ominous Breaking Glass, of which the latter inspired Nick Lowe's brilliant song I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass from 1978. Station To Station, in my opinion the best ever Bowie album, provides the energetic TVC15, the classic soulful Golden Years and the wistful ballad Wild Is The Wind, but a serious omission has been the magnificent Word On a Wing, one of the greatest and most poetic Bowie tracks of all time with its transcendent spiritual quality, its inspired lyrics and soaring melody. Fame and Young Americans, the "plastic soul" songs, still sound good after all these years, especially next to the disco version of John, I'm Only Dancing. I don't find some of these tracks from Heroes, like Secret Life Of Arabia or Beauty And The Beast, as memorable as some of the other songs here, but I love his cover of Knock On Wood and of course the title track of Heroes remains a landmark composition, one of the most psychologically trenchant songs of all time. Artists as diverse as Blondie and Nico have covered it and I still listen to the German and the French versions on vinyl. To me, Lodger was the least satisfying of the trilogy of Eno albums, but Boys Keep Swinging still swings after all these years and I remember its dramatic video clip from 1979. I consider this his most creative period based on the sheer quality of songs such as Sound & Vision, Breaking Glass, Heroes, Golden Years, Fame, Young Americans and Wild Is The Wind. That's why, although I regret the omission of the breathtaking Word On A Wing, I have awarded this album five stars
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 17 reviews
3.3 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not a patch on the 70-74 material
I bought this after watching the recent 1970's Bowie documentary on the BBC. I didn't particularly like Bowie's "Thin White Duke " period at the time, although I was a big fan of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gus
4.0 out of 5 stars
no complaints
I choose this rank because I think that service is fast and good, but pack of the item is used.
Published 1 month ago by KINGA STEFANIEC
5.0 out of 5 stars
real good :D
It arrived on the predicted date, excellent condition and as its Bowie, an immediate must have for me :) i'm very pleased with this item. Read more
Published 13 months ago by jess
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bowie CD
Excellent - arrived promptly and is very good quality. I would have no problems in recommending this item and this service to other buyers
Published 14 months ago by Michael 1927
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of only albums you'll ever need
This album covers the best of the mid-late '70s almost all the songs are good althoughI would have wanted to add a few more songs from this time like "Fascination"(1975),... Read more
Published on 6 April 2001 by william_badman@hotmail.com
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
