Review Summary: Five years, that's all we've got.
In 1969, David Bowie rose to prominence with the hit single
"Space Oddity". Following said hit, he spent some time attempting to make a breakthrough with long-time associate Tony Visconti, Mick Ronson and company. By 1972, and various line-up changes, Bowie had reached stardom. Yet, at the peak of popularity, he retired his Ziggy Stardust persona that had brought him success. A bold move that would engrave itself in music history without a single doubt. Like the name of the box set implicates, the time span between his first commercial success and his retirement from the glam scene in 1973 was about five years in total. Celebrating the first of many creative periods in Bowie's 50+ year long career,
Five Years documents nearly everything Bowie had been involved in. All the albums in said box set have been remastered by Bowie's producer during the time period, Ken Scott. The task Scott undertook in breathing new life into these classic albums is nothing short of fantastic.
Exclusive to the box set is the 2003 mix of
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars; and a new compilation of outtakes, rare singles and alternative mixes, entitled
Re:Call 1. While the former is an entirely different mix, making the glam rock classic sound entirely like a new album, the new compilation is rather patchy. A good amount of the material has never been released or is rare
("All The Madmen 7" edit", the original "Holy Holy"), other tracks such as the Spiders remake of
"Holy Holy" and the cover of
"Round and Round" were unnecessary in their inclusion, for they had been released several times before this box set was even planned. Aside from the nonsensical additions of commonly heard Bowie (not-so) rarities, the true standout of this box set is the hardcover book that goes through all the albums, and includes excerpts from Kinks frontman Ray Davies, producer Ken Scott, and Tony Visconti. Never before has Bowie's music been so delicately handled with the respect it deserves. While being quite expensive,
Five Years is worth every single cent.
