David Bowie - Best Of K-tel Direct

Opinions vary from nostalgia for its curation to frustration over its technical flaws.

For many fans in the early '80s, this record was their first introduction to Bowie's diverse eras, from glam rock to the "Berlin Trilogy".

The album is split between Bowie’s early glam/rock years on Side A and his soul/experimental phases on Side B. Side A (1969–1973) Side B (1974–1979) 1. Space Oddity 9. Diamond Dogs (Edit) 2. Life on Mars? 10. Young Americans 3. Starman 11. Fame (Edit) 4. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide 12. Golden Years (Edit) 5. John, I’m Only Dancing 13. TVC 15 (Edit) 6. The Jean Genie 14. Sound and Vision 7. Breaking Glass (Live/Stage version) 15. "Heroes" (Edit) 16. Boys Keep Swinging David Bowie - Best of K-Tel

Critics and collectors often note that the high track count leads to "horrific sound quality" or a "thin" audio profile due to the narrower grooves required to fit nearly an hour of music on a single platter.

“This was the only K-Tel artist compilation that might appeal to me... it's lacking most of my absolute peak favorites, but this was still a very strong selection.” Post-Punk Monk · 3 years ago Opinions vary from nostalgia for its curation to

Unlike previous hits collections, this set covers everything from "Space Oddity" (1969) to "Boys Keep Swinging" (1979) in roughly chronological order. It even features tracks from albums often overlooked by other compilations, such as The Man Who Sold the World .

Released in late 1980 by K-Tel, was a budget-friendly compilation that became a massive success, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart. While it is praised for offering a comprehensive "gateway" to David Bowie's 1970–1980 period, it is equally notorious among audiophiles for technical compromises made to squeeze 16 tracks onto a single LP. Review Summary: The Good and the Bad Side A (1969–1973) Side B (1974–1979) 1

To fit 16 songs onto one disc, many tracks were significantly edited. For example, the K-Tel edit of "Diamond Dogs" removes the "Future Legend" intro and cuts nearly two minutes of the song.