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
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
was as much a chart-topping
pop
star as an iconic idol. ~ Dave Thompson