Bowie recommendation please

Posted by: Gavin B on 13 August 2002

Reading Q magazine last week I noticed that some shop or other was having a Bowie sale with lots of his albums reduced. I have none of his albums and have never really 'fancied' the thought of getting one - I'm not really sure it's my thing. However, I feel I ought to give it a go.

So, if you had to recommend ONE Bowie album, which would it be?

(Let's not worry whether your particular recommendation is in the sale or not!!)

Posted on: 16 August 2002 by Former member

The laughing gnome - what a classic!!!!

Posted on: 16 August 2002 by Gunnar Jansson

??????????

Posted on: 17 August 2002 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly

Ziggy is one of the all time greats. Production so simple, gives so much. I now have gone through 5 copies; 2 CD three vinyl; the real good news is that it has just been remastered at last onto 180g plastic by Simply Vinyl. I bought mine early august at HMV for 13 squid ie 1/2 price. Buy of the year.
Other gems: Aladdin Sane - great songs,great off beat piano; Diamond Dogs is great for the melancholic: Heroes was about the first chill out album - a Friend Of Mine speaks very highly of Moss Garden after special herbal tobacco at 4 am watching the sun rise: try Man Who Sold the World for some surprisingly heavy sounds, in spite of Lulus' later covers...aaaah,back to the 70s.....

Posted on: 17 August 2002 by Rico

in no particular order...

Ziggy Stardust
Station to Station
Heroes
Scary Monsters
David Live (at the tower philidelphia, 1974) - the "Procol Harum" recommendation [

Jonathan ]
Aladinsane

...and I didn't mind tin machine at all!

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

Posted on: 18 August 2002 by throbnorth

Virgin VShops seem to have most of the EMI remasters at £3.99 at the moment, so if you have any gaps..... also pretty much all DVD's are £9.99

throb

Posted on: 18 August 2002 by Bananahead

I have always found the simply vinyl pressings to be very good.

http://www.simplyvinyl.com/more.asp?catid=9&page=1&spage=1&field=0&criteria=bowie&id=307

Nana

Posted on: 18 August 2002 by Chris West

"Ziggy"

Chris West

Naim USA.

Posted on: 28 August 2002 by Former member

The Man Who Sold The World!!! I used to have it on 8-Track but my dad threw it out the window of the car...I guess that's why I like it so much!

Posted on: 29 August 2002 by gusi

David Live (in Philadelphia)
Station to Station

Gus

Posted on: 01 September 2002 by John L

I was inspired by this thread and went to Coconuts and bought "Ziggy Stardust". I've listened to the disc three times since Thursday. Great suggestion!
Regarding the re-remaster of Live at Leeds, I like the disc and the "Tommy" disc sounds great. However, they did not put the tracks in the order of the concert, thus a re-re-remaster is probably on the horizon.

John Litwin

Posted on: 23 September 2002 by Richard Dane

I just picked up a copy of the 24bit remastered "Hunky Dory". Oh dear.... did RCA actually give EMI the master tape??? The sound was so poor I was convinced that somebody had messed about with the CD player. No such luck. Still, at least it's a great album - my 1st choice, by the way, along with Ziggy Stardust - so even the unbearably bright & harsh remaster/production are no bar to superb music.

After I'd played the CD and recovered from the shock of such an aural assault, I fished out my old RCA "Dynaflex" copy from my school days in the US. Despite a few tics and pops here and there, it sounded SO much better, tonally more even and with a very coherent soundstage. At last I remembered why I used to take this very LP to so many auditions on the Hifi upgrade trail. If anybody is reading this having only ever heard the re-mastered CD they'd probably think I was mad and not a little deaf.....

Posted on: 24 September 2002 by Bosh

I also got the 24 bit remaster of HD a couple of weeks ago and also found it virtually unlistenable. Aladdin Sane however, although not brilliant, is much better

I'm sill a bit reticent about filling other Bowie gaps in my collection. How do the other remasters compare, especially Ziggy

Posted on: 24 September 2002 by David Hobbs-Mallyon

Bosh,

I'd agree completely with your comments re: Hunky Dory. However, the Ziggy remaster is excellent. Well worth getting.

David

Posted on: 24 September 2002 by Paul Ranson

The 1990 Hunky Dory sounds fine, rather like the vinyl in fact...

Paul

Posted on: 24 September 2002 by David Stewart

HMV online are currently offering the CD remaster of Hunky-Dory in their 3CDs for £20 offer. They also have the Simply Vinyl LP issue of Ziggy for £12.99

On the other hand MVC have the EMI reissues of Aladdin and Hunky-Dory on CD for £4.99ea.(and only £1 the lot for postage).

David

Posted on: 24 September 2002 by Former member

Never heard Bowie on CD better than on vinyl.
Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust... stand out. Hunky wins by a mile - those harsh acoustics are deliberate - love 'em or hate 'em. Bowie re-invented himself on every album...past tense.
For me, Young Americans (1975?) was a big disappointment, followed by Pin-Ups (he didn't even write the songs!), these marking the passing of "iconic Bowie".
Prior to '75, albums other than Hunky and Ziggy, definitely worth considering are :
The Man who sold the world,
A lad in sane.
His first (real) album, Space Oddity, is not up to scratch, but it contains, in my humble opinion, his best track ever - Cygnet Committee.

OLD GIT! (I heard that...but look...I'm a junior member)

[This message was edited by Tim-o-fee on TUESDAY 24 September 2002 at 14:26.]