A great album discovered lateby JohnQ
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July 30, 2009:
This album did not get noticed until after Ziggy became a hit but this one is an excellent album and ought to be seen as the classic it is. This version of the album does not include the bonus tracks that exist on the RYKODISC edition and its worth looking for those extra songs.
This review was written about the CD Enhanced edition.
An impressive effort!by Anonymous
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March 12, 2007:
This album often gets overlooked in the light of Bowie's subsequent releases like "The Man Who Sold the World," "Ziggy Stardust" or the brilliant "Hunky Dory." But if you listen to this album on its own terms, you may be pleasantly surprised. "Space Oddity" showcases Bowie's talent as a songwriter and so serves as an adumbration of where his career would progress from there. The title track is an epic tale of existential angst and suffocating alienation, themes which would dominate Bowie's output throughout his career. Whether he is lamenting finding the meaning of life in a seeming meaningless world or, more likely, the loss of his girlfriend to a close friend the song still grabs the listener from the opening cords and does not let go. Not all the selections hit the mark. "Cygnet Committe," in particular, is too long and pretentious, but a few tracks have become Bowie classics: "God Knows I'm Good," "Memory of a Free Festival" and "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud." The latter selection is Bowie's best song from his early period and captures the existential nihilism that forms the core of this album and Bowie's early career perfectly, arguably even better than does the title track. The 1990 Rykodisc version is worth tracking down because of the bonus tracks, especially the single version of "Memory of a Free Festival" Parts 1 & 2 which features the first appearance of the late guitarist Mick Ronson on a Bowie record. Unfortunately, those bonus selections have not been included on the version listed here.
This review was written about the CD edition.