CD/DVD Review: David Bowie - The Best of 1980-1987

David Bowie has had a long and storied career that started way back in the late 1960's and is still going today. Love him or hate him, he has delivered memorable music while refusing to be categorized. He was at the forefront of glam rock in the 1970's, when he took on a number of sexually ambiguous alter egos, and went onto a lot of dance music through the 1980's. It is those 80's which are the focus of this collection. It is not one of his better eras, but there are still some good tunes to be found.

The Best of David Bowie 1980-1987 spans the years that Bowie himself has described as being a creative lowpoint. This collection is targeted at casual fans who may not have discovered the two disk Best of Bowie collection, or the three disk Platinum Collection, from which this disk was taken. That's right, this was originally part of a box set, three disks covering a different part of his career. The first disk covered 1969-1974 with hits like "Space Oddity," "Suffragette City," and "The Man Who Sold the World," while the second covered 1974-1979 with tracks such as "Young Americans" and "Heroes." Each of the disks was also released seperately, with this third disk being the first to find release in the US. As an added incentive it also includes a DVD with 15 videos from this era.

Deciding whether or not this disk is for you comes down to a number of factors. If you already own all of the studio albums, there is little use for the CD. Likewise, if you have the the Best of Bowie DVD, you have most, if not all of the videos included. As for the casual fan, you would probably be better served with the two disk Best of Bowie CD release. However, if you are a completist, or have a particular affection for this era and need a few songs or videos to pad out your collection, this may be right up your alley. This isn't to say that this is a bad collection by any stretch, weaker, definitely, but not bad. There have just been so many collections, compilations, and reissues over the years that it is hard for any of them to cover any new ground.

It's easy to look at the 80's era Bowie and say that it was his weakest. You'd probably be right, there was nothing in this time period that comes close to the likes of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Space Oddity, or Station to Station. Still, there are some real gems during this four album cycle. Among the stronger tracks here are the "Ashes to Ashes," "Cat People," "China Girl," and "Loving the Alien." Also included is the instantly recognizable collaboration with Queen, "Under Pressure," whose famous bassline was famously appropriated, sans credit, by rapper Vanilla Ice (who insisted that he came up with it, and that it was "completely different" from this song).

While these songs are good, they fail to become great. If there is one thing that seems to define this era, it is that the songs all have a danceable groove. They are very easy to listen to, they are go down smoothly. Despite the often silly lyrics, and more mainstream stylings, this supremely pop version of Bowie is still a delight. I believe that, had he not set such a lofty bar through the prior decade, these songs would be held in much better regard. Again, I cannot say any of this is outright bad, it's not.

The most interesting track on the set, and one that I had never heard before, is Bowie's cover of "Alabama Song," previouslly recorded by The Doors. The song is from Bertold Brecht’s opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, of which Bowie is a fan. He recorded the song and released it as a single in 1982, with an acoustic version of "Space Oddity" as the B-side, all in an effort to get closer to the end of his RCA contract. The song is utterly bizarre, I cannot say I have heard anything quite like it, I love it. The odd timing, drums and guitar out of synch, whiel the vocals do their own things. Quite odd, and oddly, quite fitting.

The DVD contains some of the worst fashion the 80's had to offer. It's not that Bowie wasn't his own man, but the outfits worn by him and his band and video subjects are just absolutely goofy. Take, for example, the first video "Ashes to Ashes," he has the oddest clown getup, or "Let's Dance" with the red shoes, or the weird painted look in "Blue Jean." They are not all bad, I kind of like "China Girl," "Absolute Beginners," and "When the Wind Blows." The videos do not appear to have undergone much in the way of restoration, they are a little worn and faded looking, a quite distinctive 80's sheen. They are not awful, just showing the age a bit. The audio, by and large, is pretty good, presented in PCM stereo. They are nice to have as a bit of a throwback, but they are not what you would call "good" videos. It is a little funny to note that Bowie does not have much in the way of facial expressions outside of the occasional smile, he looks oddly botoxed in a number of the videos. The disk runs for a little over an hour.

Bottomline. This is a pretty good disk if you are looking for the cream of the 80's crop, plus the videos are fun little time capsule. Again, before snatching this disk up, you will probably want to take a look at what you already have, and what Bowie you need to fill in the holes. You could do a lot worse than this if you have an affinity for 80's music. There is no one quite like David Bowie.

Mildly Recommended.