David Bowie reissued (yet again)

David Bowie
Young Americans/Sight & Sound
(Virgin)

Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra might lead the field in amount of product on the market, but when it comes to reissuing the back catalog no one tops David Bowie. The near-chronic repackaging of older albums reaches comical proportions with another round of 1975’s Young Americans to go with the the ’80s-encapsulating Sight & Sound.

Bowie himself had fewer reinventions. It’d be easly to blame DVD technology, and in truth the first round of Bowie reissues by Ryko in the late ’80s were due to the artist’s combined business and tech acumen. Americans here captures a “Dick Cavett” appearance and Sight tallies 15 videos. Americans makes an appeal to audiophiles with 5.1 DVD Audio mixes by Tony Visconti, as well as with the three bonus tracks (“John, I’m Only Dancing,” “Who Can I Be Now?,” and “It’s Gonna Be Me” — it doesn’t, however, claim “After Today”). Sight & Sound is a track-for-track replica of Disc 3 from The Platinum Collection Virgin released last year.

If you have neither, are they worth the investment? As always with Bowie, that depends on what you’re after. Young Americans is not Ziggy Stardust; it’s perhaps the furthest thing. Bowie went kitchen-sink after American soul, squeezing between the iconic opening and closing tracks (the title cut and “Fame”) a slow jam (“Win”), dirty funk (“Fascination”), futuro Stax blues (“Somebody Up There Likes Me”), and, oddly, a cover of The Beatles’ “Across The Universe.” The bonus tracks underscore the soul theme, adding touches of disco, gospel, and a ridiculously over-the-top, Ray Charles-type version of “It’s Gonna Be Me.”

Sight & Sound, officially titled The Best Of David Bowie 1980/1987, is perhaps a merciful summation of the period pointed out in the title. Even though his hits in the era (“China Girl,” “Let’s Dance,” “Modern Love”) combined beautifully with MTV to secure his international superstar status, there’s a reason critics greet each new Bowie album with “his best since [1980’s] Scary Monsters.” It’s not to say some of the dated sonics and coked-up experiments don’t have their charm, but if you’re new to the artist there isn’t a bigger mistake than starting here.

Young Americans: 7
Sight & Sound: 5

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Spins, Weekly