Album Reviews

There's something deeply offensive to me about picking apart the sound on the David Bowie [Five Years 1969-1973] box set. The guy is gone, the sadness lingers and maybe it's time to just enjoy and celebrate the music.

On the other hand, what better time than now to obtain the best possible versions of these albums, especially since some of the box set albums have recently become individually available?

Bowie's first Philips album (with "Space Oddity") is a 2015 remaster and whatever the source, it is among the best sounding records in the box, though I don't have an original UK pressing with which to compare it.

Musically, it's an odd but fascinating mix of folky tunes, with an Anthony Newley-influenced feeling backed up with some fanciful Incredible String Band-like imagery. Tony Visconti produced at Trident Studios with Ken Scott, Malcolm Toft, and Barry Sheffield engineering. "Memory of a Free Festival" ends the album with the memorable melodic refrain "The Sun Machine is Coming Down, and We're Gonna Have a Party". It's not "prime Bowie" but it's all "prime Bowie" now, and the artist's evolution is worth considering in context.

The "unboxing" video I produced a while back which has had incredible traffic on my YouTube channel failed to mention that the box set's producers were kind enough to not put bar codes on the jackets and they did use high quality, accurate jacket material for each release.

Analogplanet posted audio of various versions of The Man Who Sold the World, which is definitely a "must have" Bowie album. Mick Ronson's guitar work and the heavy metal sound dominate but ethereal gems like "After All" and "The Man Who Sold the World"steal the show. The box edition's sonics are not as good as other AAA editions in my opinion, but the sound is still acceptable.

Hunky Dory is also listed as a 2015 remaster and it was a major disappointment sonically compared to a 1980's era Japanese pressing and especially compared to the 1997 EMI Centennial edition. It sounds "blah". Too bad.

The box set's ....Ziggy Stardust.... is not a remaster and shares inner groove forensics with the 40th anniversary issue (DBZSX 40), which was either cut from tape or from 96/24 files. All I care about is the sound. I don't care if it's analog, digital, or chocolate. This is a very good "....Ziggy..." but if you can find a UK original or even the Mobile Fidelity, which is a bit "hopped up" on top, you might be happier. Still, this is a good "...Ziggy...".

The 40th anniversary version included a bonus DVD containing a 96/24 version of the original mix, a 2003 Ken Scott stereo remix at 48k/24 bit, as well as 5.1 channel 48/24 mixes in DTS and Dolby Digital plus bonus tracks. The DVD was not included here.

However, the 2003 stereo re-mix is here in the box as a separate LP and it sounds very similar to the original, though Bowie's voice is subtly clarified while the mix generally is more refined yet smoother and more detailed. It's not available as a separate LP.

Now here's the "star" of this post: while Aladdin Sane is not listed as a 2015 remaster, it must have been cut from a digital file sourced from the original tape. So what I've done here is produce a "mash-up" of one song: "The Prettiest Star" that seamlessly integrates the original UK pressing, the 1997 EMI Centennial edition cut from the original analog tape and the box set version. You will not be able to hear the edits, but you should be able to hear the differences among the three versions. This is not a "science quiz" so I'll tell you it starts with the original, then switches to the 1997 reissue and concludes with the box set version. Please post in the comments section both the times when you think the switches occur and your impressions of the sonic differences. Guess correctly and win absolutely nothing!

You can listen to the 96/24 file here and you can watch and listen to the embedded YouTube video but of course the sound will be far better from the analogplanet stream.

I thought the new remaster of Pinups was pretty good, though it's a slight album, and the Live Santa Monica '72 similar sounding to the original separate release, which was sourced, I believe, from a radio station live broadcast recording.

I never did own the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack double LP set. It's not sonically spectacular but what a great selection of Bowie tunes dramatically played by The Spiders From Mars. It includes Jacques Brel's "My Death" (with a translation many found lacking in authenticity), which at the time was aimed at Bowie's "killing" of his Ziggy character, but today takes on a far more disturbing aura.

The double LP Re:Call 1 containing mono mixes, foreign language versions, the Arnold Corns "Mooncrest" singles of "Moorage Daydream" and "Hang on to Yourself" is certainly something Bowie completists will want (not available as a separate album at this time) as is the really nicely done hard covered full-sized book.

As a physical entity the David Bowie [Five Years 1969-1973] box set is superb. Sonically it's somewhat of a disappointment. On the other hand, if the price is right, it's a great set for many reasons and you can always add the better sounding originals of the ones you must have—but now be prepared to pay as much for a single album of some, as the cost of this entire box.

Enjoy the "mash-up".