For the second compilation, we have David Bowie using songs from his debut album up to and including Ziggy Stardust. Bowie had been on vinyl as far back as 1964 but none of these early singles made the cut. To my ears, they are not very good and pretty derivative of the period in which they were recorded. However, by the time his first album came out in 1967, there were a couple of songs that didn’t sound out of place. Most of these were stereo but some mono mixes were used all thanks to the deluxe edition of his debut album which was a goldmine of interesting cuts and BBC sessions. A couple of these early songs are presented by BBC recordings as they had a bit more life to them than the studio cuts. 1971 re-recording of Holy Holy was also included here as this was the version I heard first and I prefer it to the original single mix. The first disc does highlight the fact that Bowie was really trying to find his voice and style.
Disc 2 is where this changes and the gold starts to flow. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust are great albums and it was hard leaving songs off. However, it is all about the flow when putting a compilation like this together. I included the demo of Quicksand instead of the studio cut as I like the simplicity of it. It is also quicker and fits in better. Looking for a Friend is the unreleased single mix from Bowie’s Arnold Corns project and some period songs that were either released as B-sides later on (Velvet Goldmine) or unreleased at the time (Sweet Head). The disc finishes with a bang by using the single version of John, I’m Only Dancing. Well the version without the saxophone on it anyway. For the cover, I used a fresh faced Bowie from his debut album but with any reference to the record label taken off.
Disc 1
- Space Oddity
- Unwashed & Somewhat Slightly Dazed
- The Man Who Sold The World
- Running Gun Blues
- Janine
- God Knows I’m Good
- Let Me Sleep Beside You (BBC Version)
- Black Country Rock
- Come & Buy My Toys (Stereo Album Mix)
- Letter To Hermione
- Holy Holy (1971 Re-Recording)
- An Occasional Dream
- In The Heat Of The Morning (Mono Vocal Version)
- Sell Me A Coat (Original Mono Album Mix)
- Silly Boy Blue (BBC Version Recorded For Top Gear)
- Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (Rare B-Side Version – 2003 Digital Remaster)
- After All
- Cygnet Committee
- Memory Of A Free Festival
Disc 2
- Changes
- Oh! You Pretty Things
- Eight Line Poem
- Life On Mars!
- Kooks
- Fill Your Heart
- Andy Warhol
- Song For Bob Dylan
- Queen Bitch
- Quicksand (Demo)
- Looking For A Friend (Single Version)
- Moonage Daydream
- Starman
- It Ain’t Easy
- Lady Stardust
- Star
- Hang On To Yourself
- Velvet Goldmine
- Ziggy Stardust
- Suffragette City
- Sweet Head
- Rock & Roll Suicide
- John, I’m Only Dancing (1972 single version, new 1990 remix)
The playlist for Disc 1 is available on Spotify, but disc 2 could not be re-created because one or more songs were not available on that platform.