World of David Bowie

When David Bowie became a superstar in the early '70s, some of the fans who were converted by Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust decided to check out collections of his pre-Space Oddity output of the '60s. One of those collections was The World of David Bowie, a 14-song LP that Decca released in the U.K. These 1966-67 recordings had their share of detractors, who were unnecessarily harsh in their criticism. Yes, it's true that Bowie was still finding his way in 1966-67, and he had yet to evolve into the visionary giant who gave us Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, but to call this material embarrassing is way off base -- in fact, much of it is decent. The LP's standout song is "The London Boys," a poignant tale of a down-and-out youth who tries to find happiness by joining a gang of other down-and-out youths. Also noteworthy are the charming, folk-like "Come and Buy My Toys," the quirky "Uncle Arthur" and the Beatlesque "Karma Man." Is this collection in a class with Young Americans? Absolutely not. Is it historically important and often enjoyable? Certainly. ~ Alex Henderson