Changesbowie - Bowie, David (CD 1990)

I remember, standing in Camelot music on that day in January 1997. I was going through the CDs and I came to the David Bowie ones. Now I had gotten into Mr. Bowie a few years ago, thanks to his Outside album and his association with Nine Inch Nails. As I looked through the albums, I came across one that featured many of his classic songs on it. I saw that it had "Changes", "Fame" and "Golden Years" on it. That was enough for me to snatch up the album and head for the counter.

So what we have here is "Changesbowie" an 18-song compilation that chronologically spans Bowie's career from 1969 to 1984. 18 songs in all, every one of them great. Now let's go into some of the highlights.

The first song on the album is the immortal "Space Oddity". Many people know this as "the Major Tom" song. The song is about an astronaut who literally gets lost in space. The song is driven by a slow acoustic guitar strum and has an eerie tension beneath the surface. This works well for the lyrics. "Ground control to Major Tom/Your circuit's dead/There's something wrong/Can you hear me Major Tom?"

"Changes" is probably the most pop-like song that Bowie ever did. The song has an upbeat piano sound to it. As for the lyrics, the most well-known part was quoted in the opening of the 1985 movie The Breakfast Club: "And these children that you spit on/As they try to change their world/Are immune to your consultations/They're quite aware of what they're going through/Ch Ch Ch Changes/Turn and face the strange".

"Ziggy Stardust" is one of Bowie's most famous songs. The song begins with an angry guitar riff. The lyrics are about a space alien who becomes a rock star along with his band The Spiders Of Mars. The song follows the bands progression, which is similar to that of many rock stars: Namely becoming conceited and driving the band apart. "Ziggy played guitar/Jamming good with Webb and Gilly/And the spiders from mars/He played it left hand/They went too far".

"Suffragette City", which Bowie initially wrote for Mott The Hoople, is a driving rocker. I'm not sure what the lyrics are about. But the song is good. "Don't lean on me man/Cause you can't afford a ticket/To Suffragette City".

"Diamond Dogs" opens with Bowie announcing to an audience "This ain't rock and roll. This is genocide!" before the electric guitar chords start. The song continues with the sci-fi themes previously explored in the Ziggy Stardust era. Musically, the song mixes guitars and keyboards. "Come out of the garden baby/You'll catch your death in the fog/They call them the diamond dogs".

"Rebel Rebel" has a musical sound that is similar to "Diamond Dogs" but somewhat more upbeat. The lyrics are about that classic rock and roll tale of teenage rebellion. "Rebel rebel/You've torn your dress/Rebel rebel/Your face is a mess/Rebel rebel/How could they know?/Hot tramp I love you so!"

"Fame (90 Remix)" is a remix of Bowie's mid 70s hit that was co-written by none other than John Lennon. The song has a synthesizer-driven dance feel to it. The lyrics are about the pratfalls of fame. "Fame/makes a man take things over/Fame/makes him loose hard to swallow"

"Golden Years" is one of my all-time favorite songs. The song begins with a carefully played guitar progression, mixed with bits of saxophone. The lyrics seem to be directed at young adults, telling them not to be depressed. "Don't let me hear you say life's taking you nowhere/Look at the sky/Life's begun/Nights are warm and the days are young".

"Heroes" may be my favorite David Bowie song. This song was one of the ones Bowie recorded in Berlin with Brian Eno and has that "Berlin" feel to it that U2 would try to get for their Achtung Baby album. The lyrics are very emotionally affecting. "I can remember/Standing by the wall/And the guns shot above our heads/And we kissed/As though nothing can fall...We can be heroes/Just for one day". Much better than the Wallflowers lame remake.

"Ashes To Ashes" is a poppy sequel to "Space Oddity". This song reveals, "Major Tom's a junkie".

"Let's Dance" was Bowie's biggest hit chart-wise. The song has a dance feel to it that announces that it was recorded in the early 80s. But it hasn't dated at all, unlike much of the stuff from that era. The song also features great guitar playing from a then-emerging Stevie Ray Vaughan.

"China Girl" is another upbeat pop song that Bowie originally wrote for Iggy Pop. The song is more upbeat than Pop's dark version. "I could escape the feeling/With my China girl/I'm a wreck without my little China girl/I hear her heart beating loud as thunder". One particularly memorable lyric is "I feel a tragic like I'm Marlon Brando".

Here's the full track listing.

1: Space Oddity
2: John I'm Only Dancing
3: Changes
4: Ziggy Stardust
5: Suffragette City
6: Jean Genie
7: Diamond Dogs
8: Rebel Rebel
9: Young Americans
10: Fame (90 Remix)
11: Golden Years
12: Heroes
13: Ashes to Ashes
14: Fashion
15: Let's Dance
16: China Girl
17: Modern Love
18: Blue Jean

David Bowie has given us loads of great music over the years and may give us even more. Definitely pick up this CD if you can find it.