This was the first Bowie CD I ever bought, and I consider myself lucky. The songs on this CD give a very good representation of the best of Bowie's early musical work, from his first hit with "Space Oddity" through the glamorous Ziggy Stardust persona to the haunting, post-apocalyptic dystopia of the Diamond Dogs album. Granted, it does focus more on the "Ziggy era" songs than anything else, and a few tracks (namely the alternate versions of "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "Let's Spend The Night Together," along with "Velvet Goldmine") could have been replaced with other, better ones, but there isn't a bad song on this album. Many have said that this album doesn't come close to capturing all the Bowie "classics" from 1969-74. But to do that would mean bundling half of the Hunky Dory album and most of the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane albums in with this collection. What this track list DOES manage to do, however, is feature a list of works which, through non-chronological order, show what an incredibly diverse collection of music Bowie managed to produce in just 6 years, from the hard-hitting classic rock sound of "The Jean Genie," to the tragic, pompous glam rock of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Rock'n'Roll Suicide" to the softly gliding piano tones of "Aladdin Sane," which is in my opinion the best song on the album.

If the music industry, like evolution, is about survival of the fittest, natural selection, and adaption to one's environment: then Bowie surely is the Master of Metamorphosis. However, many agree that he was at his best in the beginning, and here is great compilation of Bowie's work from the early years.

Bowie is not an artist who one would immediately fall in love with - however after a bit of listening his songs become more likeable. This album is a great introduction to the Ziggy Stardust years right until he turns into the Glam Rock era in the mid 70's.

Some noteworthy tracks on this album include: Space Oddity, Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Changes (the track that defines the artist himself) and The Man who Sold the World (later covered by Nirvana) to mention a few. However there is a feeling that not all of his BEST tracks of the period were included. However even if some of these tracks are not his "best", this is still a brilliant album.

This is a good introduction to his early years, unfortunately as Bowie has changed so much over the years, a complete compilation of 30+ years of work would perhaps lack continuity.

This is a timeless collection. A must for people interested/fascinated by Bowie or the music of this period.

This excellent compilation draws from the albums The Man Who Sold The World, Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, Pin-Ups, Aladdinsane, Diamond Dogs and his opus magnum Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars. It thus provides some of his best work with producer Tony Visconti plus a wide variety of different musical styles. There's the wistful pop of Space Oddity and Starman, the pre-punk aggro of Jean Genie (supposedly written about Iggy Pop), the anthemic rock of Rebel Rebel, the 60s pop of Sorrow and Oh You Pretty Things (This was a hit for Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits in 1971). There's also the heavy rock of Man Who Sold The World (a hit for Lulu in the late 1960s) and All The Young Dudes (a hit for Mott The Hoople in 1973), the bleak ballad Drive-In Saturday, his fast and aloof interpretation of Let's Spend The Night Together and the phenomenal and breathtaking Life On Mars with its gripping arrangement and poetic lyrics. Other favorites of mine include the catchy Prettiest Star and Changes with its interesting wordplay, plus the magnificent Diamond Dogs with its howling hound sounds. The choice of tracks is highly intelligent and although these things are always subjective, I do for once agree with the selection of the compilers. Of course, Bowie had a novelty hit in 1973, The Laughing Gnome, but it would have been out of place on this album so I won't complain of the omission, and it was recorded long before 1969. Bowie's early work has stood the test of time very well. These are all strong, melodic songs that still evoke vivid images and emotions. This album well and truly deserves its five stars.

This is not a bad introduction at all for people who want to dip their toes into the music of David Bowie's early period. Be warned, though; this disc tends to draw on the 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Aladdinsane' albums more than 'Diamond Dogs' and 'Hunky Dory' (it's a shame that Amazon doesn't stock the latter album, or other key Bowie releases like 'Heroes' and 'Station to Station' - these are available elsewhere on the Net, though). So you would miss out on some excellent material from these albums. If you're inspired by this taster, I would recommend getting 'Diamond Dogs', followed by 'Aladdinsane', and then (maybe - not as essential, IMHO) 'Ziggy Stardust'. But if you can, do track down 'Hunky Dory' - it's kooky, camp and thought-provoking all at once. Bowie dismissed it as 'lightweight' but you'll end up falling in love with it. And how could any early Bowie compilation be complete without 'The Laughing Gnome', a true work of art that inspired countless death metal bands?

Yes, it's missing a lot of great songs, but I think it does an excellent job of picking up the very best from this time period.

No regrets in buying this one, trust me. Especially if you're looking for a good intro to Bowie at his best.