Search - David Bowie - Best of Bowie on DVD

More than expected

11/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a Bowie DVD that is actually clear and of great quality. For those poor souls who bought the Glass Spider or Serious Moonlight DVD I'm sure you haven't noticed much difference from the VHS. This DVD is extra special because of the more recent videos that never made it to USA TV and the stunning clarity of the older material. Yes, LIFE ON MARS is supposed to look like that! We have all years represented here but we still have some of the more oscure stuff missing like DB's '80's soundtrack work with Pat Metheny or Raymond Briggs. Maybe those recordings are owned by someone else and will never see a real release. Now as far as Easter Eggs go...I won't say WHERE but I will say WHAT: full 20 minute Jazzin' For Blue Jean video promo, Russell Harty interview, MTV promo club version of Blue Jean (alternate video), Day In Day Out (extended dance mix video),Seven Years in Tibet (mandarin Version video), Survive (Live paris '99 and more to be discovered. Remember you have 2 discs here...there will be a lot!!"

Worth every single penny!

Kevin O'Conner | 11/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"wow. what surprised me about this collection was how GOOD the quality of the videos were. i expected really grainy 1960's footage, but all of the music videos were SO CLEAR!!!so will people stop complaining about the fact this dvd lacks the Changes music video? if you've ever even seen Changes, you know you're not missing out on a whole lot.plus, that elusive 20 minute blue jean promo video is hidden as an easter egg in here. before this dvd came out, that video was so rare it was virtually nonexistent. This is a FABULOUS collection of bowie. you're getting 47 of bowie's best music videos... plus easter eggs! it's definetely worth every penny."

Fabulous collection - but why the easter eggs?

Kevin O'Conner | 11/21/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For the record, I hate easter eggs. Why hide stuff? I've already bought the disc. That said...Best of Bowie is a thoroughly decent collection of David Bowie videos, many of which will be unfamiliar to American audiences - especially if you tuned out after the mid-80's.The video quality is consistently good throughout, though some of the production values of the videos produced during the '70s ("Space Oddity" is a good example) seems downright quaint now. The late '70s/early '80s stuff (pretty much everything from "Be My Wife" through "Fashion", and, maybe, "Wild Is The Wind"), though, is a good reminder of how much Bowie brought to the then-fledgling art of music videos.The sound quality, unfortunately, is not as consistent. Most of this is due to the source material - much of the TV clips are in mono, for example, and the performance of "Young Americans" on the Dick Cavett Show is downright distorted in many places. Some of it, however, could have easily been corrected in the mastering - for example, "Fashion" appears to consist of one side of the stereo mix presented as a mono track.The easter eggs are a major annoyance - especially after having spent some [money] on the collection; their inclusion as such is - in my opinion - a remnant of the geek chic that surrounded the DVD format during its first two or three years of existence. Some, like the interview and the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture DVD promo on disc 1, can be easily accessed via the track listings; others (pretty much everything else - the Credits section on disc 2 lists all of the easter eggs contained within) involve more trickery and/or careful observation (or hit-and-miss searches) of title and chapter numbers. So far, I've managed to access all of them except the live performance of "Survive".I'm a little disappointed that neither "Golden Years" nor the original version of "Fame" are included, especially given the embarrassing performance (flubbed lines all over the place suggest either lack of rehearsal or the influence of certain illicit substances) of "Young Americans" that is included.Still, this collection is a fabulous reminder of why David Bowie remains such a vital presence. Even the less interesting songs (mostly from the late '80s) still have perfectly good videos to accompany them."

My Favorite Martian

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 09/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As an overview of nearly 2 decades of David Bowie's work, mostly in the form of videos, this is a remarkable 2 Disc set that shows the changes from the 25 year old with the cobalt blue guitar and rather shabby looking teeth in 1972, to the sophisticated superstar of the late '90s.

Though the first few videos are rather simple in their presentation, he quickly learned the theatrical, unique style he is famous for, with his space alien themes, outlandish costumes, and marvelous red hair.

"Boys Keep Swinging" from '79 is the first number with some uniquely Bowiesque dance moves, and there is one song with Mick Jagger from '85, "Dancing in the Streets."

My favorite piece, which is pure musical artistry, is "Wild is the Wind," with Bowie in everyday clothes and no fancy makeup. I was entranced by this track, and wish there had been more like it.



With his androgynous charm, skill as a performer, and musical/vocal/songwriting talent, Bowie is deservedly one of the longest lasting and most fascinating of all pop/rock icons. This set is a must for Bowie fans, anyone who would like to know more about this superstar who continues to be an influence in the music industry, and to view the pure magic of "Wild is the Wind."

Total playing time is 4 hours and 12 minutes.



Disc # 1:

"Oh ! You Pretty Things" (1972) / "Queen Bitch" (1972) / "Five Years" (1972) / "Starman" (1972) / "John, I'm Only Dancing" (1972) / "The Jean Genie" (1972) / "Space Oddity" (1972) / "Drive-in Saturday" (1973) / "Life on Mars ?" (1973) / "Ziggy Stardust" (1973) / "Rebel Rebel" (1974) / "Young American" (1974) / "Be My Wife" (1977) / "Heroes" (1977) / "Boys Keep Swinging" (1979) / "D.J." (1979) / "Look Back in Anger" (1979) / "Ashes to Ashes" (1980) / "Fashion" (1980) / "Wild is the Wind" (1981) / "Let's Dance" (1983) / "China Girl" (1983) / "Modern Love" (1983) / "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (1983) / "Blue Jean" (1984) / "Loving the Alien" (1985) / "Dancing in the Streets (with Mick Jagger) (1985) .

Disc # 2:

"Absolute Beginners" (1986) / "Underground" (1986) / "As the World goes Down" (1986) / "Day-In Day-Out" (1987) / "Time Will Crawl" (1987) / "Never Let Me Down" (1987) / "Fame" (1990) / "Jump They Say" (1993) / "Black Tie White Noise" (1993) / "Miracle Goodnight" (1993) / "Buddha of Suburbia" (1994) / "The Heart's Filthy lesson" (1995) / "Strangers When We Meet" (1995) / "Hallo Spaceboy" (1996) / "Little Wonder" (1997) / "Dead Man Walking" (1997) / "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997) / "I'm Afraid of Americans" (1997) / "Thursday's Child" (1999) / "Survive" (1999).

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