The content covers an era that I know very little of. It is following his chameleon character phase, after Ziggy, Major Tom, and the rest, after the glam and the world tours. This is when Bowie took up residence in Berlin and began his long running relationship with Brian Eno. It was a period where David did some more experimental work, playing the fringe of pop. All I was really able to take away from this is that I want to get my hands on the music and listen to it rather than some very dry talking heads that I have no idea who they are, or why they are important.
Audio/Video: The quality doesn't do anything to help their case. They are not bad, but they are certainly uninspired. It is presented in a 4:3 ratio, and was clearly shot on video. The lighting of the various subjects is uneven, some are dark, some are light, but this is more to do with the original shooting rather than the transfer. The audio is plain old stereo, not even Dolby Digital, it has a flat and lifeless aura to it. Overall, it is a lifeless product.
Extras: There are a couple of extras here, but nothing worth cheering about. There is a brief four minutes on Bowie post-Berlin, which could have just been tacked on as a post script to the main feature. Also included is a text quiz of Bowie in this period, it follows the same lifeless pattern of the rest of the disk. Finally, we get text biographies of the people involved and an ad for other unauthorized Bowie titles.
Bottom Line: I feel let down by this lackluster title. I truly hoped for something of interest on this enigmatic artist, someone I feel is still on top of his game. Instead, I had bad flashbacks to a few other unauthorized disks I reviewed for the likes of Metallica, Green Day, and Eminem, not very esteemed company (I refer to the disks, not the artists). Skip this, go get the music instead.
Not Recommended.
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