The Best of Bowie (on CD)

The Best of Bowie
by David Bowie [Compact Disc 781.66 Bow]

The passing of legendary musician David Bowie had me digging out this 2002 collection, The Best of Bowie, to remember the iconic songs for which he’ll be remembered. This 20-track single-disc collection covers all of his “big hits”, but barely scratches the surface of his incredible, multi-faceted career. Continually reinventing his performing persona, Bowie had the ability to slide from glam rock, to R&B, to punk, to plaintive ballads, to infectious dance club beats, to in-your-face rock & roll, and mastered all those styles. He was highly experimental, and this collection’s only weakness is that it emphasizes the “hits” without including some of his more exotic material. None-the-less, if you’re looking for a broad snapshot of his lengthy career, you can’t go wrong with trying out this particular album.

I’m a happy camper, because my four favorite Bowie selections all made this album: The sad, mournful “Space Oddity” — check out Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s music-video cover of this, filmed aboard the International Space Station in 2013; “Suffragette City”; “Under Pressure” (teamed up with Queen); and “Dancing in the Streets” (an upbeat duet with The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger). This 2002 album was released alongside a 2002 DVD of the same title, which gives viewers the added benefit of seeing the incredible changes in Bowie’s physical appearance over the course of his career.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters, by Sean Egan, The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Star Icons, hosted by Nebraskan Dick Cavett, and Labyrinth, the cult fantasy film on DVD, directed by Jim Henson, in which Bowie acted/sang as The Goblin King!] [ official David Bowie web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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