Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As the title says "complete"....well, almost, 12 Sep 2003
This is not a book for those looking for a biography of the great man. What this is is a book for the true Bowie fanatic. If you’re not interested in the fact that the version of Ziggy Stardust recorded on 1st June 1973 is two words different from the version recorded on 14th July 1973 then don’t buy this book. If you find such titbits fascinating then this book is for you. Packed with trivia on virtually every song, film, video, play, art exhibition, and just about everythng else that Bowie has produced, contributed to, or just inspired, this is simply the definitive record of the man’s works. Read it from cover to cover , or just keep it for reference. Either way, this book is a must.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bowie in calm, fond, total, detail., 1 Nov 2000
Nicholas Pegg is clearly a great fan of David Bowie, but he also displays a calm intelligence, gently chiding his hero for Tim Machine and other follies. The book examines every track Bowie ever recorded in alphabetical order, a cut-up technique similar to Bowie's own, before launching on more in-depth (and chronological) examinations of the albums. The pitch is exactly right: it's not too musicianly, not too fannish, and entertains the wild speculations of biographers as possibilites rather than history. Also, Pegg seems to have paid attention to every Bowie resource and taken the best from all of them, leading to an overview that carefully wanders round its subject to see it from all angles. If the character of Bowie himself can be pinned down in print, it's here, where he comes across as a decent, concerned, sharing sort of chap with a corny sense of humour, who, realising that he was rather horribly normal, hid for a long time behind images and drugs. Whilst, of course, being an astonishing songwriter and performer. This book reminds you of the length of the career, the size of the contribution, and is a work of similar art itself. 'The Complete' title has never been more apt.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book worthy of Bowie, 12 Sep 2006
This book triumphantly illuminates the extraordinary career & catalogue of David Bowie.
It works on several levels. It is bursting with detail, but there is a consistent discipline which prevents it falling into random trivia. With Bowie, this distinction is vital. His cronic referencing of many artists, not least himself, creates a maze. Mr Pegg is our surefooted guide through the sometimes obscure labyrinth. My appreciation of Bowie's work, particularly from Buddha Of Suburbia onwards, has been hugely enhanced by understanding his influences & context at the time of writing.
The most satisfying sections are the narratives on albums & tours. These are not biography, in the sense of the bonkfest pageturner genre of rock writing. Mr Pegg clearly has no appetite for these redtop areas. Rather, he studiously, absorbingly & lovingly charts the evolution of the Bowie canon.
Bowie emerges as down to earth, somewhat vulnerable & touched by an extraordinary intuitive genius. We see that his work excels the more he trusts this intuition.
Most broadly, 'The complete DB' begins to place Bowie in cultural history. Legacy is not,I suspect, a priority of Bowie, but it is an inevitable issue & the almost scholarly perspective & rigour of Mr Pegg sets a well considered marker.
The final pleasure of this book is the style. Generous, whilst balanced in sharing past journalistic criticisms of Bowie; witty; understated, yet sharp. I would have enjoyed the read if Bowie had not been a hero. For those for whom he is, you will find yourself continually pouring through the pages, preferably with the stereo at full volume.
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