Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Collector's Editions Are Getting Better, 18 Jun 2004
This marketing idea is great, but finally we have a double re-issue where the gatefold is not as much a flimsy fall-apart box, like "Ziggy Stardust" and "Aladdin Sane". But, there is a ton of good information in the booklet with classic photos. The sound is not remastered any better than the last issue of "Diamond Dogs and that goes for the 2nd CD as well. I'm not sure why a silly song like, "Dodo" is here twice or why the K-Tel version of "Diamond Dogs" is included other than to fill up a disc. The "Rebel Rebel" (US Single) is a nice version if you don't have it already and the 2003 version is fantastic! If you saw Bowie on the last tour, this is what he sang! But still, this is a collector's edition and does not offer much unless you are a true die-hard fan like me. The truth is I can't wait until Bowie releases his next "Live" album next year.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bowie's finest Moment?, 6 Dec 2005
Diamond Dogs is, for me, Bowie's finest moment - forget "Ziggy" as this is where he shines brightest.
It's a very dark album - almost brooding in places, and is all that ever surfaced from the ill-fated musical version of Orwell's "1984" that was planned but stopped by Orwell's relatives.It starts off with a very alternative rendition of "Bewitched" from South Pacific being played on a distant sounding guitar with a nightmare scenario being described setting the scene for the post apocalyptic setting of the record.
The title track, with it's very under rated hookline, kicks in after this and then goes into the "Sweet Thing" extravaganza, and finally amongst some of the nastiest feedback lines ever played drops neatly into "Rebel Rebel".
Side two is the surviving material from 1984, and is Bowie at the peak of his songwriting (at least, as far as I'm concerned). If you don't already own this - then the reissue is worth getting. If possible though, try to track down the earlier Ryko reissue that is just a single disc as to my ears, none of the 30th Anniversary editions have been remastered particularly well.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly his best ever though get it quickly, 31 Jan 2008
The album that became Diamond Dogs was originally intended as a musical based on George Orwell's 1984 till Orwell's widow refused permission. The revised album which eventually followed is still largely conceptual and includes many of the now commonplace terms used in Orwell's masterpiece. It is a highly imaginative LP both musically and lyrically and there is a case for arguing that it is Bowie's best ever long player.
Unlike David' previous albums, the appeal of Diamond Dogs is as much down to some thrilling musical passages as the quality of the songs themselves. In many respects this is surprising given that, for the first time, Bowie didn't have a regular backing band but was working more as a solo artist with a handful of hired musicians. A move which would normally result in a more introverted, singer-songwriter based LP works the other way for our David...
A further deliberate consequence of this change is that Bowie plays far more of the music - virtually all of the guitar as well as saxophone, moog and mellotron. Although he's not a virtuoso on any of these instruments, his imaginative, unconventional playing leads to some fantastic musical textures and passages. This is particularly the case in the stunning Sweet Thing / Candidate / Sweet Thing (Reprise) trilogy (a big favourite with David's real fans) as well as the haunting We Are The Dead and Big Brother.
Among such uncommercial numbers, the album's biggest hit Rebel Rebel seems rather out of place. Tacked on the end of side one, it's almost as if someone told David that he had to write and include a catchy hit single even though it doesn't fit with the flow of the LP. Having said this though, Rebel Rebel is an excellent track built almost entirely around that riff and a cool, mid 60s R'n'B beat. The 30th Anniversary Edition of Diamond Dogs also includes a rare and inferior US single version recorded in 1974, which has more variety but not the feel of the UK original. Other extras on the second disc include Dodo and the rather filthy Alternative Candidate, a totally different song from the main album's Candidate apart from a couple of lyrics. Overall the disc has some interesting rather than brilliant extras though the fantastic accompanying booklet with an extensive essay on the album's genesis by David Buckley makes up for any possible musical shortcomings on the second CD.
Diamond Dogs 30th Anniversary Edition is a very worthy souvenir of what is arguably David Bowie's best ever long-player. It has some of the most thrilling music Bowie has ever made and is recommended for new fans and those who have the original album. Get it quickly though as the canny musician is likely to delete it soon, like he sadly already recently has with the Anniversary Edition of Aladdin Sane. Over to the "used and new" sections for that one for me...
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