okay Bowie freaks..... I know some of you have done Best Of's and compilations.

I'm working out a 6-Disc Bowie anthology, and it works perfectly. Pretty much finished the track listing, but it could change when I actually burn the CDs. I'll post them as I burn them.

Disc One covers the "early period" through Hunky Dory. I ended it with Queen Bitch to sorta give it a blast off, and to be a bridge to the glam on Disc Two. It's about 73 minutes. I considered Memory of a Free Festival, Black Country Rock and the BBC recording of London Bye Ta Ta, but it just seemed tighter at 73 minutes and 20 tracks.


Disc One

1.Can't Help Thinking About Me
2.Do Anything You Say
3.Karma Man
4.Let Me Sleep Beside You
5.In the Heat of the Morning
6.When I Live My Dream
7.Space Oddity
8.Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
9.An Occasional Dream
10.The Prettiest Star
11.Conversation Piece
12.The Man Who Sold The World
13.All The Madmen
14.After All
15.Holy Holy
16.Changes
17.Oh You Pretty Things
18.Life On Mars?
19.The Bewlay Brothers
20.Queen Bitch

so what do you think? What are your "early bowie" track listings? maybe we can compare as we go through all 6 discs.

Ah! You beat me to it. But I guess this is an excuse to get me off my ass and post it. I was just thinking about starting a thread like this. I'll post mine as soon as I have it worked out. Hopefully tomorrow.

My Bowie fanaticism starts with the album "Space Oddity" so I don't really know his previous things...

Here are my favourite songs 1969-1971:

1. Space Oddity
2. Janine
3. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
4. Memory Of A Free Festival
5. Conversation Piece
6. The Prettiest Star
7. The Width Of A Circle
8. The Man Who Sold The World
9. The Supermen
10. Changes
11. Oh! You Pretty Things
12. Life On Mars?
13. Quicksand
14. Queen Bitch
15. The Bewlay Brothers


[Edited 5/6/05 8:02am]

JonSnow said:

Very good. Perhaps "Conversation Piece" (you are referring to the Heathen bonus disc version, though?) would belong rather to a later era when it was recorded, not written, but those songs cover pretty much Dave's best early songs.

Novabreaker said:

Conversation Piece was originally the b-side to the "Prettiest Star" single. It can be found on the RykoDisc release of the "space oddity" album. He later re-recorded it for inclusion on a planned release called "Toy" which eventually was cancelled, and most of the material ended up either on "Heathen" or as B-Sides to the "Heathen" singles. Since he remembered "Conversation Piece" some 30 years later and deemed it worthy of being re-recorded, i figure the original deserved a place on his anthology. Plus, it's a real cool song

Cheek said:

I know this song probably *should* be included over An Occasional Dream - it was a single, after all - but i just couldn't bring myself. It's the one Bowie single that i absolutely despise, LOL. And since on later discs there are a couple singles I didn't have room for, I didn't feel bad about leaving a single off disc one.

JonSnow said:

I didn't know that. The RykoDisc releases have been out of the market for at least 6 years now, but I don't think I ever listened to Space Oddity on Ryko.

They really had great bonus tracks.

Nobody likes 'Letter to Hermione'?

trashoblanco said:

I do! One of his better early songs.

i tend to do one or two big, blow-out bowie compilations every year - usually whenever he releases (or re-releases) something that has enough new/unreleased stuff to get me all excited about all things bowie (and it doesn't take much, i'll admit)...i usually give these comps away to someone as soon as i'm done, though - it's more of a compiling/ CD art design exercise than anything else, really.

alrighty, here is Disc Two. A couples notes: used single versions of Time, Jean Genie and Rebel Rebel. Also used the "sax" version of John, I'm Only Dancing. I just think its better.

Rosalyn was the 2nd track from Pinups because it was a single in New Zealand (the only other track from Pinups besides Sorrow to be a single anywhere - and I didn't want to take just one track from Pinups).

Started w/ Moonage Daydream cuz it kinda kick starts the glam era, and closed with 1984 cuz it's a bridge to the next era, which begins with Young Americans.

No live tracks - I usually don't mix live and studio material. It clocks in at 74:53, very tight I love the flow of it.

Here goes:

DISC TWO

1.Moonage Daydream
2.Starman
3.Ziggy Stardust
4.Suffragette City
5.Hang Onto Yourself
6.Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
7.Velvet Goldmine
8.John I'm Only Dancing
9.All The Young Dudes
10.The Jean Genie
11.Drive-In Saturday
12.Watch That Man
13.Time
14.Panic in Detroit
15.Sorrow
16.Rosalyn
17.Rebel Rebel
18.Diamond Dogs
19.Rock 'N' Roll With Me
20.1984






.
[Edited 5/7/05 13:11pm]
[Edited 5/7/05 13:13pm]

Novabreaker said:

Yeah, it's pretty cool. The RD version also has the single mix of Memory of a Free Festival. Oddly it omits the Prettiest Star single and the b-side version of Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud, but those are on the Sound and Vision box, and I guess he wanted to avoid duplicating material. Which is actually a pretty good idea, i guess.

Have you guys noticed the similarity between Queen Bitch and the Killers' "Mr. Brightside"? I was listening to Queen Bitch today, and it had been awhile since I heard it. A certain part came on and i was like - fuck - that is Mr. Brightside. So when I got home tonight, i played them back to back, and yes the resemblance is uncanny.

I hope Mr. Bowie is getting royalties!! Hehe. this has probably been noticed before, it's so obviously. But hey, i guess if u gotta copy, copy from the best. I put a snipped of them both together, but i can't figure out how to post it.
[Edited 5/7/05 22:19pm]

OK. Just finished Disc Three. Now bedtime, LOL.

I used the album version of Young Americans (the single edit is the worst edited version in pop history, just a brutal edit), and the album version of Station to Station in all its glory.

Single versions of Golden Years, TVC15, Stay and Heroes. 19 tracks, clocks in at just over 75 minutes. I almost added It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City, but it just didn't seem to fit in right. This is such a strong disc of his original material, and perhaps his most original period. The cover just seemed to tarnish it somehow. And I couldn't fit Can You Hear Me?, which would be track 4 if there was room for 20 on the disc. I could make it fit, but it would take some tweaking.

DISC THREE:

1.Young Americans
2.Fame
3.Fascination
4.Golden Years
5.TVC15
6.Station to Station
7.Stay
8.Be My Wife
9.Sound and Vision
10.Breaking Glass
11.Always Crashing In The Same Car
12.Heroes
13.Sons of the Silent Age
14.V-2 Schneider
15.Secret Life of Arabia
16.Look Back in Anger
17.Boys Keep Swinging
18.DJ
19.Fantastic Voyage

JonSnow said:

JonSnow said:

...though your song selection is really good!

Wow, could the org be any deader?

Cheek said:

i know, i know... but it's necessary for the compilations. It's either that, or leave tracks off.

Besides, i like the single versions on compilations. Makes it much tighter, somehow. I prefer the album versions when listening to the actual CDs. (i know, i'm strange, heh)

JonSnow said:

i can dig that, especially when i'm making a comp for someone unfamiliar with bowie's old stuff. as much as i love the full version of 'stay', i'll put the 7" edit on a bowie comp for a friend if it means i can add more songs to it. if they like it, then i figure they're in for more of a treat when they hear the full versions.

JonSnow said:

Okay, okay... I approve it!

The silly thing is that I made a 3CD compilation of Prince hits for my friend and it includes a lot of single versions cuz I wanted to put more tracks on!

So don't listen to me, I'm silly!

This was a tough one. I really wanted both "Girls" and "Without You" but for the longest time I thought I had to choose one or the other. But I finally decided to do my own edits of "Girls" and "Absolute Beginners" - both fade out early, and using all single versions I was able to squeeze this on at 79:56.

Whew!

DISC FOUR:

1.Ashes to Ashes
2.Fashion
3.Scary Monsters
4.Up the Hill Backwards
5.Cat People (Putting out Fire)
6.Under Pressure
7.Let's Dance
8.China Girl
9.Modern Love
10.Without You
11.Blue Jean
12.Tonight
13.This is Not America
14.Loving the Alien
15.Absolute Beginners
16.As The World Falls Down
17.When the Wind Blows
18.Girls
19.Time Will Crawl
20.Never Let You Down

I'm gonna jump in here in a hot minute. I just made some kick-ass discs myself.

GangstaFam said:

Cheek said:

Here's my stance on edits. I like 'em. Even if they're crappy. Plus, I can make some killer ones of my own with this nifty wave editing software I have. And I think when a greatest hits is released or you're making your own compilation, they work on a number of fronts.

1. For the hardcore fans that already have all the albums, most Greatest Hits/Best Ofs/Anthologies etc. don't serve much purpose. Why not throw on all the single edits/versions to give them something they might not have. I know I appreciate that.

2. For the casual fan who's using such a compilation to get into an artist for the first time, it's great. You can cram on more songs they might recognize and really give them their money's worth. Plus, if this serves as an introduction, having the edits will give them something to look forward to once they branch out to the artist's albums.

3. For the consumer who will never buy another album by this artist, they don't deserve the full versions anyway!

Another good aspect to edits...

When I'm making a compilation of an artist's full career overview and not just a theme/mix disc, I really like edits. I'm listening to it to get a taste of everything when I'm not in the mood for one specific work/period. That's why edits are good. If I want the full thing, I'll just slap on the album.

GangstaFam said:

Finally got my shit together...

Okay, so here’s a list of what I’ve included in my first set and why, along with track times, edit info, etc. I decided on my tracklistings based on what was released on singles or was significant in some way. I kept it roughly chronological unless it didn’t make sense, i.e. the schizo early 70’s when something like “Soul Love” could be a live b-side in 1978. I tried to keep everything within the era it was from. All live singles I included the studio versions. All the edits I included are the officially released ones unless otherwise noted. If an edit wasn’t appropriate, the album versions were used. Anyway…

Disc One: 1969 – 1971 (Folkie; seems to be his first creative period where he stopped being a poser and started creating something unique)

3:32 1. Space Oddity (single edit); released as a single 7/69
4:48 2. Wild-Eyed Boy from Freecloud (acoustic version); b-side of “Space Oddity”
3:21 3. Janine; scheduled as the b-side of the withdrawn “All the Madmen” single
3:12 4. The Prettiest Star (1970 version); released as a single 3/70
3:05 5. Conversation Piece (1970 version); b-side of “The Prettiest Star”
3:59 6. Memory of a Free Festival Part 1; released as a single 6/70
3:57 7. The Man Who Sold the World; b-side to the “Space Oddity” re-release in ’72 and “Life On Mars?
4:49 8. All the Madmen (custom edit removing the middle gibberish); released as a promo single 4/71
3:52 9. After All; not included for any reason other than I like it. Plus, Tori covered it.
3:07 10. Holy Holy (rare 1971 version); released as a single 1/71
3:34 11. Black Country Rock; b-side to “Holy Holy”
4:55 12. Width of a Circle (custom edit removing the long instrumental segments); released as a single 6/73
3:39 13. The Supermen; included cuz he seemed to really favor this song at the time. seemed primed to be a single.
2:39 14. Bombers; rare single released 11/71
3:33 15. Changes; released as a single 1/72
3:12 16. Oh! You Pretty Things; might as well have been a single. released on many best of comps including ChangesTwoBowie
3:49 17. Life On Mars? (isolated from “Eight Line Poem”); released as a single 6/73
2:59 18. Andy Warhol (beginning and ending gibberish removed); b-side of “Changes”
3:12 19. Queen Bitch; b-side of both “Rebel Rebel” and “1984”
5:02 20. Quicksand; b-side of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide”
5:21 21. The Bewlay Brothers; included cuz it fucking rules!

Total: 79:47



Disc Two: 1972-1973 (Glam Rocker; no explanation necessary. All the best of his Ziggy period.)

4:11 1. Starman; released as a single 4/72
3:25 2. Suffragette City; b-side of “Starman”
2:45 3. John, I’m Only Dancing; released a single 9/72
2:35 4. Hang Onto Yourself; b-side of “John, I’m Only Dancing”
3:10 5. Velvet Goldmine; b-side of “Space Oddity” re-release in 1975
4:37 6. Moonage Daydream; first released under the Arnold Corns moniker, later the b-side of the Space Oddity re-release in '72
4:41 7. Five Years; not a single but performed on the Old Grey Whistle Test
3:33 8. Soul Love; b-side of “Blackout”
2:58 9. Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide; released as a single 4/74
3:13 10. Ziggy Stardust; surprisingly never a single, but later became the b-side to “The Jean Genie”
4:05 11. The Jean Genie; released as a single 11/72
5:07 12. Aladdin Sane; included on ChangesTwoBowie
4:30 13. Drive-In Saturday; released as a single 4/73
3:41 14. Time (single edit); released as a single 4/73
3:05 15. Let’s Spend the Night Together; released as a single 6/73
2:58 16. Cracked Actor; released as a single 6/73
4:25 17. Panic in Detroit; b-side of “Knock on Wood”
4:10 18. All the Young Dudes; huge hit for Mott the Hoople and beginning to appear on many “Best Of”s
2:52 19. Sorrow; released as a single 11/73
2:20 20. Rosalyn; released as a single 11/73
2:35 21. Where Have All the Good Times Gone?; b-side of “Rosalyn”
3:46 22. White Light/White Heat (Bowie at the Beeb version); released as a single 11/83

Total: 78:55



Disc Three: 1974-1976 (Soul Period; I realized that Diamond Dogs is totally schizo, but I’ll give Bowie the benefit of the doubt on this transitional album. Plus, it really doesn’t have the feeling of his Spiders/glam work. The tour for that album showed where his heart was.)

4:29 1. Rebel Rebel (isolated from the album); released as a single 2/74
4:39 2. Diamond Dogs (single edit); released as a single 6/74
3:27 3. 1984; released as a single 4/74
3:18 4. Big Brother (fade); released on the Sound and Vision box set
2:56 5. Candidate (Intimacy edit); released on the 30th anniversary edition of Diamond Dogs
4:01 6. Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me; released as a single 9/74
2:58 7. Knock On Wood (live); released as a single 9/74
3:12 8. Young Americans (single edit); released as a single 2/75
4:13 9. Fame; released as a single 8/75
4:14 10. Right; b-side of “Fame”
3:28 11. John, I’m Only Dancing Again (rare single edit); released as a single 12/79
4:03 12. Fascination (custom edit removing the soloing and coming back in with the ending)
4:45 13. Win; included cuz I LOVE it!; both this and “Fascination” were included in remixed form on the Rykodisc remaster
4:31 14. Can You Hear Me? (custom edit removing the 3rd chorus and resuming with the ending); b-side of “Golden Years”
3:26 15. Golden Years (single edit); released as a single 11/75
3:32 16. TVC15 (single edit); released as a single 4/76
3:20 17. Stay (single edit); released as a single 7/76
5:11 18. Station To Station (custom edit and one of the coolest fucking things you’ve ever heard. Seemless! Too hard to explain what I did to it, but it’s real real good. ); released on a rare French sampler
3:45 19. It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City; included on Best of Bowie 74/79
3:48 20. Word on a Wing (custom edit removing the middle section); b-side of “Stay”
3:32 21. Wild is the Wind (single edit); released as a single 11/81

Total: 80:59



Disc Four: 1977-1980 (Experimental/Electronic phase with Eno in Berlin. Scary Monsters seems to be agreed upon as the end of his classic era, and it goes well with this material. My favorite Bowie era.)

2:51 1. A New Career in a New Town; b-side of “Sound and Vision” and a fitting opener to this disc
3:02 2. Sound and Vision; released as a single 2/77
2:55 3. Be My Wife; released as a single 6/77
1:51 4. Breaking Glass; released as a single 11/78
2:22 5. What in the World?; b-side of “Star” promo 12”
3:28 6. Always Crashing in the Same Car; classic song that should’ve been a single. Plus, I had room.
3:35 7. “Heroes” (single edit); released as a single 9/77
3:34 8. Beauty and the Beast; released as a single 1/78
3:44 9. The Secret Life of Arabia; released on Best of Bowie 74/79
3:16 10. Sons of the Silent Age; see “Always Crashing…”
3:05 11. Joe the Lion; b-side of “John, I’m Only Dancing Again”
3:47 12. Blackout; released as a single 11/78
3:17 13. Boys Keep Swinging; released as a single 4/79
3:20 14. D.J. (single edit); released as a single 6/79
4:10 15. Yassassin (couldn’t find the edit of this, can anyone help me?); released as a single 6/79
2:59 16. Repetition; b-side of “D.J.”, “Yassassin”, and “Look Back in Anger”
3:05 17. Look Back in Anger; released as a single 8/79
2:54 18. Fantastic Voyage; b-side of “Boys Keep Swinging”
3:35 19. Ashes To Ashes (single edit); released as a single 8/80
3:25 20. Fashion (single edit); released as a single 10/80
3:32 21. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) ; released as a single 1/81
3:14 22. Up the Hill Backwards; released as a single 3/81
4:17 23. It’s No Game (Part 1) ; released as a single in Japan 1981
4:51 24. Because You’re Young; b-side of “Scary Monsters

Total: 80:21


I wasn’t able to include everything I wanted. A few singles like “Crystal Japan” and “Star” got axed cuz of room. Same with some of the b-sides like “Round and Round”, “Amsterdam”, “Move On”, “We Are the Dead”, “Speed of Life”, “Lady Grinning Soul”, “Cygnet Committee”, etc. I just couldn’t fit everything. But I think I struck a good balance between what’s important and having at least 6 tracks from each album/session. And a few like “Alabama Song” were left off cuz I can’t stand listening to them. I still haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to do my next set of four. I have the year’s divided up and I know which edits to use, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have major filler on my 80’s/Tin Machine discs.
[Edited 5/12/05 3:05am]

I have these really neato 4 disc cases that I ordered off of Ebay and I use them for all my multi-disc projects.

And the final results...


The front cover:




The back with tracklists:




What one of the discs looks like:




I'm a happy camper!

Great, great compilations!!!