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David Bowie

David Bowie Box

Sony / BMG | 2007 | Album

Biography

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For David Bowie fans on a seemingly endless quest to understand what makes rock 'n' roll's most famous chameleon tick, the David Bowie Box offers some intriguing clues but not exactly the elusive "Eureka!" moment. Made of up of five separate studio LPS that largely form the artists 1990s and 2000 flirtation with highly stylized sounds along with second discs made of B-sides and rarities, the box set should be extremely helpful to Bowie completeists who may have fallen behind in their collection or casual fans that may have rocked "Rebel Rebel" at a karaoke competition or two.

David Bowie's musical output in the last decade or so has been challenging at times as he's traded in the jazzy pop sounds that made him a 1980s video staple in favor of a greater exploration of sub-music genres. Take for example 1997's "Earthling" which has a gritty industrial sound. Once you've finally digested hearing the singer's posh airy vocals sailing over a sea of chunky sound, stick in the bonus disc where you'll find remixes of "Earthling" tunes from everyone from Junior Vasquez to Moby that light up with electronic beats and synth-heavy funk.

The other releases, including 2002's loose moody "Heathen" and 2003's free-flowing "Reality", are more accessible but nonetheless intriguing. Stylistically, the "Reality" LP may be all over the map from Spanish-tinged rock ("Pable Picasso") to piano-flavored jazz ("Bring Me The Disco King") but it is also, in it's chaotic collection of sounds, the most carefully crafted and complete album. The bonus disc of this LP also includes a few remixes of "Rebel Rebel" that shake the dust off this classic tune and send it not only spinning but practically bursting in exciting new directions.

While it's true that all of this material may have been available before via U.S. studio and international releases, it's still nice to have the later half of Bowie's music career conveniently boxed up in one place and, when you add in about 60 bonus tracks, the David Bowie Box is hard to pass up!

Amy Wagner