Essential David... Review

07/13/2005 7:10 AM, AMG


Early in 1997, David Bowie sold the rights to his RCA catalog to EMI, and the first release to appear under the new agreement was The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974, which was part of EMI's limited-edition 100th Birthday series. Instead of playing it straight, the 20-track set offers both the predictable classics -- "The Jean Genie," "Space Oddity," "Starman," "Drive-In Saturday," "Ziggy Stardust," "Suffragette City," "Changes," "Sorrow," "The Man Who Sold the World" -- and relative obscurities, like the B-side "Velvet Goldmine," Bowie's version of "All the Young Dudes," and alternate takes of "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "The Prettiest Star." There are also album tracks like "Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Life on Mars" that have become classics, making The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 an impressive, reasonably thorough overview of Bowie's glam years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide