I'm a big Bowie fan and overall this is a decent collection of his works. The two disc set has a better selection, but I liked that this single disc spanned his early to later hits. The sound quality is good.

HOWEVER, I was VERY disappointed to notice that several songs have been edited. They've been shortened to presumably include more songs on this single CD. A couple of instrumental parts within songs have been shortened (such as in Young Americans) and the endings of some songs have been truncated. This really bothers me.

If you're new to Bowie and don't know his music yet, this probably a good way to get a sample. If you know and love these songs, the edits might just drive you nuts. They sure bug me.

As a long time David Bowie fan, many of the titles I own are on vinyl or cassette--and my primary motive in purchasing this 2 CD "Best of Bowie" compilation was to have core favorites in a digital format. In some respects, I was very pleased with the collection--but I was annoyed to find several key recordings are given in the "single" versions that were popular on the radio rather than in the full length versions that appeared on the albums from which they are drawn.

The abbreviated selections are "Young Americans," "Golden Years," "TVC 15," and "Heroes"--ironically, four of Bowie's most significant releases. Even more annoying, this is not indicated anywhere on the visible CD notes; it wasn't until I had the thing at home and on my DVD player that I realized something was amiss, and a glance at the inside liner notes confirmed my fears.

That said, it would be easy to quibble over what should and should not be included in this collection. If I myself had been programming it, I would have likely included "Lady Stardust" and "Rock and Roll Suicide"--and dropped several other titles in order to present every selection at full length. But the collection does hit all the most obvious choices and then some, even including the full-length and hard-to-find original film version of "Cat People," one of Bowie's most seductive vocals.

All of this said, since he first gained attention Bowie has been quite unlike any other recording artist--a true original whose recordings are still advanced even in comparison to those who followed in his wake. While the abbreviated selections will annoy purists like myself, the collection as a whole is an ideal choice for some one first coming to Bowie. Recommended, but with the stated reservations.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The musical chameleon, a rock and roll legend...we've heard it all. David Bowie has probably had one of the most exciting careers in rock history. A career that has been anthologized quite a few times, so did Mr. Bowie really need ANOTHER compilation to cover his 70s years? His 70s years alone require 2 discs (as there are two compilations for them 'Best Of 1969-1974' and 'Best Of 1974-1979').

Signature hits like 'Rock 'N Roll Suicide' from 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Look Back In Anger' from his 'Lodger' album are left off of Disc 1. '"Heroes"' would've been a nice song to have in its entirety, as the single version does cut a lot out, but at least it is here. Besides the omissions; however, the songs on Disc 1 are deserving songs, and are admittedly among his best. The problem is that I already have these same songs on a compilation disc. Disc 2 has the same problem, its song selection. Four cuts from 'Let's Dance' is a little overboard, that is half of the album right there. It's good to have all three singles from 'Scary Monsters' on board, but it's not so good to have all those tracks from his mid-80's era. It would've been nice to have seen some of his later work get some recognition, like another song from 'Outside' or 'hours....' Even the 'Tin Machine' album is given a slot here, which some fans may find questionable. It is a plus that Virgin was able to license 'Slow Burn' from his new album which is on Sony (good job there). Overall, the song selection is spotty; however, catching most of his radio successes, but missing many of his more brilliant and lesser known songs (his Berlin trilogy material is under-represented, with only one cut from each album).

All in all though, this compilation is either for the avid collector or the relatively unacquainted with Bowie. Someone who hasn't heard too much David Bowie probably won't notice that a few lesser-appreciated fan favorites are missing, because just about all of the big radio hits are present. On a side note, the remastering is superb, and the packaging is fairly decent, despite not being too informative.

My advice to one who has an interest in David Bowie would be to get ahold of the 'Best Of 1969-1974' and 'Best Of 1974-1979' discs, as well as the 'Scary Monsters' album, but if you're hesitant to buy those three discs, then try this set out. The original albums, or at least most of them, are much more satisfying than this spotty collection (and you get the original, unedited songs).

As with any compilation of an artist with tons of material, people are bound to gripe about the song selection. Plenty of the reviews here illustrate that tendency. But if you are such a Bowie completist that you already have all or many of his original albums, you really have no reason to get this collection, and then to gripe about the song selection, except for a few rare soundtrack items. Meanwhile if you're just a casual fan looking for a few classic hit singles, you also don't need this big two-disc collection (I can't speak for the limited one-disc version of this particular set). If you're in between those two extremes, looking for both the Bowie classics and some less-known tracks from throughout his career to round out the collection, than this is the compilation for you. With a whopping 38 tracks there's room for all the different periods of Bowie's extensive career, from the very early "Space Oddity" to recent goodies like the great "I'm Afraid of Americans." There are no remixes and re-thinking like the problematic old compilation *ChangesOneBowie* (although there are a few single edits), plus you get some hard-to-find non-LP tracks like "Under Pressure" with Queen, and "Dancing in the Street" with Mick Jagger (even though that song is quite embarrassing for everyone involved). There's also one Tin Machine track, "Under the God." If you are more than a casual Bowie fan but not quite enthusiastic enough to tackle his dozens of original albums, then you can't go wrong with this set.

Another Bowie compilation is not what I needed but I am very pleased with this collection. The day I bought it, it became a staple in my car CD player.

Track listings are generous, totaling eighteen, and they include all of Bowie's biggest hits. Already owning "ChangesBowie" and "Best Of 1969-1974", I hesitated to buy yet another of his compilations, but am glad that I did. Since Amazon.com has not listed the tracks, here they are: "Absolute Beginners", "Ashes To Ashes", "Blue Jean", "Changes", "China Girl", "Fame", "Fashion", "Golden Years", "Heroes", "Let's Dance", "Modern Love", "Rebel Rebel", "Space Oddity", "Suffragette City", "Young Americans" and three duets I had not seen on a Bowie CD before, "This Is Not America" w/Pat Metheny, "Dancing In The Streets" w/Mick Jagger and "Under Pressure" w/Queen.

What pleases me the most about this collection is the stellar digitally-remastered sound quality. Exceptionally well done, there are separations in some of the songs I had never noticed before. Kudos to the producer. If you like Bowie, you will like this CD. Bowie aficionados still smarting from his overtly commercial product from the 1980s may find this package lacking, but if you like his hits, this is a CD you will enjoy.