The best and the worst of Bowie

This interesting box set includes the very best and some of the worst of David Bowie, the best being Station To Station and the worst Let's Dance, with Young Americans quite good too.



Although Let's Dance was a huge commercial success that gave him three top 5 singles in Modern Love, China Girl and the title track, it's not a memorable work. (Cat People was later included on the expanded version of the album was a lesser hit). I won't say it hasn't aged well, because as danceable pop the music is not the worst in existence. In Bowie's oeuvre, however, it doesn't hold up well against his best work like the magnificent Station To Station, the Eno albums or most of his other 1970s work. Of the four hits, Let's Dance is the only one that I can still listen to because of its funky feel. The rest of the tracks are forgettable, throwaway numbers that add nothing to Bowie's reputation. Two stars for this one.



Golden Years contains some of Bowie's most brilliant and enduring songs, like the epic title track, the soulful Golden Years and the spiritually uplifting Word On A Wing, plus his graceful interpretation of Wild Is The Wind. To me, the album represents Bowie at the height of his melodic, lyrical and vocal powers. Various styles blend together to form a perfectly cohesive sound. All of the songs are memorable whilst the aforementioned ones are spectacular. Station To Station is a stupendous achievement, probably the best album of his career. Five stars for this disc.



Young Americans is not quite on the level of Station to Station, but has its charms. It represented Bowie's interpretation of the Philly sound of the middle 1970s and contains some gems like the title track, his version of Across The Universe and the masterpiece Fame, which exists in more than one version. Plastic Soul, this style was called, and although it lacks real soul it is certainly danceable so perhaps it was a precursor of disco like the sound of Philadelphia. Three and a half stars for this one.



Overall I give this set 4 stars but Station To Station is absolutely essential for any genuine Bowie fan. And no, Let's Dance is not quite as unlistenable as those unmentionable Tin Machine albums!