CD/DVD Review: David Bowie - The Best of 1980-1987
Published July 19, 2007
The most interesting track on the set, and one that I had never heard before, is Bowie's cover of "Alabama Song," previously 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, while 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.
- CD/DVD Review: David Bowie - The Best of 1980-1987
- Published: July 19, 2007
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Pop, Music: Rock, Music: Video
- Writer: Chris Beaumont
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Comments
I agree with the notion that this is Bowie's weakest period, that's something everybody knows: he wasn't at his peak. I also agree with the spirit of this review, because it remarks that it wasn't that bad. But I think that the videos in the compilation are, indeed, what you would call great videos, because of their historic relevance. To mention "Ashes To Ashes" as an example of "goofiness", being this video considered as fundational, one of the greatest videos of all time, that's something no one can agree with. It seems that, at that point, this review lacked of historic perspective.


Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about entertainment when he isn't sitting in a movie theater. He is known around the office as the "Movie Guy" and is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Interests include science fiction, horror, and metal music. His writings can be found at 


Some of us think "Absolute Beginners" is one of the 3 or 4 best singles he ever recorded. [And the brilliant opening dance number of the uneven movie musical it came from makes the DVD worth renting.]