Probably the most comprehensive anthology of any musical artist to date, the 47-track
Best of Bowie traces the guises of David Bowie from the androgynous, glam-rock rebel of the 1970s to his more recent incarnation as the postmodern pop ironist of the '90s. The collection provides an added insight into wider developments in fashion, music, and the pop video. Most of the early material is taken from television music programs such as
The Old Grey Whistle Test ("Oh! You Pretty Things," "Queen Bitch," and "Five Years"); however, as the demands of television and music promotion progress, Bowie ventures into more sophisticated stand-alone videos culminating in 1983's "Let's Dance."
Best of Bowie's animated menus, and the opening menu sequence of both discs are excellent. Although there are no listed bonus features, the discs are swarming with extra "Easter egg" features such as alternative videos and vintage interviews (these can be accessed via the track-listing menu by selecting certain tracks and pressing the Right button). Background information about each video is displayed before the start of every promo, which is reproduced in the accompanying glossy booklet. The sound and picture quality is variable for early videos but improves (admittedly erratically) for later videos. Despite the mountains of material on both discs, there are a number of unexplainable absences such as "Changes", "Under Pressure," and "Sound and Vision." Watch out for the
Best of Bowie, Vol. 2.
--John Galilee
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