Best of Bowie [Bonus CD]

Disc 1
1	Space Oddity 5:14
2	The Man Who Sold the World 3:59
3	Changes 3:35
4	Life on Mars? 3:53
5	Moonage Daydream 4:40
6	Suffragette City 3:27
7	Ziggy Stardust 3:15
8	All the Young Dudes 4:13
9	The Jean Genie 4:08
10	Panic in Detroit 4:28
11	Rebel Rebel 4:31
12	Diamond Dogs 6:06
13	Young Americans Single Version 3:14
14	Fame 4:17
15	Golden Years Single Version 3:29
16	TVC 15 Single Version 3:35
17	Sound and Vision 3:05
18	Heroes Single Version 3:37
19	DJ 4:00
Disc 2
1	Ashes to Ashes Single Version 3:38
2	Fashion Single Version 3:27
3	Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) Single Version 3:34
4	Under Pressure / Queen 3:57
5	Cat People (Putting Out Fire) Single Version 4:13
6	Let's Dance Single Version 4:10
7	China Girl Single Version 4:18
8	Modern Love 4:47
9	Blue Jean 3:12
10	This Is Not America / Pat Metheny Group 3:53
11	Dancing in the Street / Mick Jagger 3:22
12	Absolute Beginners Single Version 5:39
13	Time Will Crawl 4:20
14	Under the God Tin Machine 4:07
15	Jump They Say Radio Edit 3:54
16	The Heart's Filthy Lesson Radio Edit 3:34
17	I'm Afraid of Americans (V1) Radio Edit 4:26
18	Thursday's Child Radio Edit 4:27
19	Slow Burn Radio Edit 3:57

Barnes & Noble

Yes, there have been numerous collections chronicling the career of rock's greatest chameleon, but seldom has one cut to the chase as effectively as this set, which presents pristinely remastered, punched up versions of Bowie's personal Top 20. Kicking off with his earliest forays into post-cabaret acoustic rock (like the still-mystical "Space Oddity"), the album skips off the waves of glitter that he surfed on "Suffragette City" and "The Jean Genie" as well as the streets of Philadelphia, which inspired the soul-flaked "Fame" and "Young Americans." While some eras -- like the dark, moody Low period -- are under-represented, Bowie's forays into post-punk ("Fashion") and dance culture ("Let's Dance," presented here in the single version, which omits Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar solo) are explored fully. This two-disc set connects the dots of Bowie's musical outlines a bit more boldly than its single-disc companion, particularly in chronicling the harder edge of his glam period (in songs like "Panic in Detroit") and the bracing experimentalism of the past decade ("This Is Not America" and "Under the God," for instance). A triumph of pairing style with substance, David Bowie's best still sounds fresh. David Sprague

All Music Guide

David Bowie has switched labels so often his catalog is cluttered with hits compilations, all purporting to be definitive. Since he is one of the few major artists with no compunction against putting all his hits on one disc, they're all excellent, and 2002's Best of Bowie is no exception, no matter which country you live in (brief explanation: sensitive to the needs of fans in different markets, Bowie and EMI/Virgin tailored a different Best of Bowie for every country it was released in -- a collector's and cataloger's nightmare, but the basics apply for each variation). Yeah, there are great songs missing, and it loses a little focus toward the end, but all the big, big hits are here, in great sound and logical sequence. Bowie made more than his share of great albums, but if you just want the highlights, this is as good as Changesbowie in capturing them. [The Best of Bowie was also released in the US and Canada as a double disc set and added some of the great songs that were missing from the single disc set. It also added a few more not as great songs but remains a solid collection.] Stephen Thomas Erlewine