Average Customer Review:
 ( 51 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 52 found the following review helpful:
 More than expectedNov 11, 2002
This is a Bowie DVD that is actually clear and of great quality. For those poor souls who bought the Glass Spider or Serious Moonlight DVD I'm sure you haven't noticed much difference from the VHS. This DVD is extra special because of the more recent videos that never made it to USA TV and the stunning clarity of the older material. Yes, LIFE ON MARS is supposed to look like that! We have all years represented here but we still have some of the more oscure stuff missing like DB's '80's soundtrack work with Pat Metheny or Raymond Briggs. Maybe those recordings are owned by someone else and will never see a real release. Now as far as Easter Eggs go...I won't say WHERE but I will say WHAT: full 20 minute Jazzin' For Blue Jean video promo, Russell Harty interview, MTV promo club version of Blue Jean (alternate video), Day In Day Out (extended dance mix video),Seven Years in Tibet (mandarin Version video), Survive (Live paris '99 and more to be discovered. Remember you have 2 discs here...there will be a lot!!
30 of 31 found the following review helpful:
 Fabulous collection - but why the easter eggs?Nov 21, 2002
By Kevin O'Conner
For the record, I hate easter eggs. Why hide stuff? I've already bought the disc. That said...Best of Bowie is a thoroughly decent collection of David Bowie videos, many of which will be unfamiliar to American audiences - especially if you tuned out after the mid-80's. The video quality is consistently good throughout, though some of the production values of the videos produced during the '70s ("Space Oddity" is a good example) seems downright quaint now. The late '70s/early '80s stuff (pretty much everything from "Be My Wife" through "Fashion", and, maybe, "Wild Is The Wind"), though, is a good reminder of how much Bowie brought to the then-fledgling art of music videos. The sound quality, unfortunately, is not as consistent. Most of this is due to the source material - much of the TV clips are in mono, for example, and the performance of "Young Americans" on the Dick Cavett Show is downright distorted in many places. Some of it, however, could have easily been corrected in the mastering - for example, "Fashion" appears to consist of one side of the stereo mix presented as a mono track. The easter eggs are a major annoyance - especially after having spent some [money] on the collection; their inclusion as such is - in my opinion - a remnant of the geek chic that surrounded the DVD format during its first two or three years of existence. Some, like the interview and the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture DVD promo on disc 1, can be easily accessed via the track listings; others (pretty much everything else - the Credits section on disc 2 lists all of the easter eggs contained within) involve more trickery and/or careful observation (or hit-and-miss searches) of title and chapter numbers. So far, I've managed to access all of them except the live performance of "Survive". I'm a little disappointed that neither "Golden Years" nor the original version of "Fame" are included, especially given the embarrassing performance (flubbed lines all over the place suggest either lack of rehearsal or the influence of certain illicit substances) of "Young Americans" that is included. Still, this collection is a fabulous reminder of why David Bowie remains such a vital presence. Even the less interesting songs (mostly from the late '80s) still have perfectly good videos to accompany them.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Folks here are the Easter EggsApr 23, 2004
By Oliver Donner
This Bowie DVD is very very fine...most of the videos I didnt even knew! I was very pleased of the I'm afraid of Americans Video with Trent Reznor making a cameo performance. And for all complaining about the easter eggs...here they are... Disc One:
Oh! You Pretty Things take 1 (Old Grey Whistle Test, alternate take, never broadcast) - Alternates with take 2 when you select "Play all" from the main menu.
Interview with David Bowie and Russell Harty (before Drive-In Saturday)
1. Go to Tracklisting
2. Select Drive-In Saturday without clicking on it. A dash - will appear.
3. Select the dash and click "Enter" on your remote.
Jazzin' For Blue Jean (complete 20-minute short film)
1. Go to Tracklisting.
2. Highlight 25 { Blue Jean but don't click on it! You'll see a ) symbol appear to the right on the title.
3. Select it and press "Enter" on your remote. The bottom left image in the grid of small images on the right will change.
4. Select 25 { Blue Jean and click "Enter" on your remote to play the video.
Blue Jean (MTV edit recorded at The Wag Club) - While you are playing the Jazzin' For Blue Jean video, when the girl goes to the jukebox, click on enter when you see the db image appear.
Disc Two:
Day In Day Out (Extended Mix) - Alternates with the regular video when you select "Play all" from the main menu.
Miracle Goodnight (Remix) - Play the Miracle Goodnight video by choosing it from the tracklisting. Once it plays through, leave the DVD player alone! The remix will play after five minutes of inactivity.
Seven Years In Tibet (Mandarin version) - Click on the Mandarin character on the subtitle page.
Survive (Live in Paris) - Alternates with the regular video when you select "Play all" from the main menu.
27 of 30 found the following review helpful:
worth every single penny!Nov 30, 2002
wow. what surprised me about this collection was how GOOD the quality of the videos were. i expected really grainy 1960's footage, but all of the music videos were SO CLEAR!!! so will people stop complaining about the fact this dvd lacks the Changes music video? if you've ever even seen Changes, you know you're not missing out on a whole lot. plus, that elusive 20 minute blue jean promo video is hidden as an easter egg in here. before this dvd came out, that video was so rare it was virtually nonexistent. This is a FABULOUS collection of bowie. you're getting 47 of bowie's best music videos... plus easter eggs! it's definetely worth every penny.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
The Definitive Bowie Video Collection!!Feb 15, 2005
By Louie Bourland
The "Best of Bowie" double-DVD is a Bowie fan's dream come true. Magnificiantly packaged and spanning nearly every corner of his long career, "Best Of Bowie" includes classic vintage footage of David Bowie from various BBC TV programs as well as music videos dating from 1971 to 1999.
Additionally, the are a number of hidden 'easter egg' features scattered throughout the collection including a short interview with Bowie from 1973, alternate videos for "Day-In Day Out", "Blue Jean", "Miracle Goodnight" and "Survive" as well as a Mandarin version of "Seven Years in Tibet" and the full 20-minute "Jazzin' For Blue Jean" mini-movie.
This collection highlights the many changes not only in David Bowie's music but in his style. From mod-rocker to glam-rocker to new wave superstar to soul singer and beyond, it's all here on the "Best of Bowie", the only questionable ommissions being the music videos for "Changes" and the Queen/David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure".
Hands down, this is a must for David Bowie fans. It offers an excellent chronology of Bowie's music as well as being just plain fun and entertaining. Definitely the best from one of the very best.
See all 51 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
based on 51 reviews
