Changesonebowie: 40th Anniversary Release

「YOU BLEW OUR MINDS」 1976年5月20日。デヴィッド・ボウイ初のコンピレーション・アルバムであり、ベスト・アルバムとなる『CHANGESONEBOWIE』がリリースされた。その日から40年――デヴィッド・ボウイの1969年から1976年の艶やかな変容を感じることができる自身初のポートレイト・ベスト・アルバムが、オリジナル・リリース40周年を迎えてアニヴァーサリー・エディションとなって蘇る。

David Bowie's first official compilation album, released in the wake of Station to Station and sharing that album's odd typography, Changesonebowie is a handy one-stop roundup of the last four years of hits, plus "Space Oddity" -- an American smash in 1973, but unavailable on a U.K. single since its first appearance in 1969. It soared to the top of the British chart, dragging Changesone with it -- the album eventually peaked at number two. The album's main charm for confirmed fans was the inclusion of "John, I'm Only Dancing." Never previously included on LP, the song was also making its American debut here, with the excitement soaring even higher when it was discovered that the "wrong" version had been included -- the regular 1972 U.K. single version was omitted in inadvertent favor of a 1973 re-recording. The error was corrected for subsequent pressings of the album. An unadventurous-looking track listing should not deter the keen fan. As with so many pre-CD age Bowie compilations, it's very easy to overlook Changesonebowie in favor of the more-bang-for-your-buck career-spanning collections that have since emerged. It remains, however, a charming time capsule, a reminder of the days when Bowie was as much a chart-topping pop star as an iconic idol. ~ Dave Thompson