Back catalogue: All genres

Review: This special reissue of David Bowie's Young Americans album drops on the exact day of its Golden Jubilee. It was the late, great creative maverick's nine studio album and as always found him broadening his musical horizons. He embraced what he described "plastic soul" and it worked as this album gave him his first ever number one in the US with 'Fame' which was co-written with John Lennon and Carlos Alomar, who at the time played guitar with Bowie. It has been remastered for this reissue and cut at half speed so you can really luxuriate in the details.

Review: Everyone has their favourite Bowie, of course, but Ziggy Stardust has a special place for all and sundry as it marks a noticeable shift in Bowie's sound from Hunky Dory into the fabulous, glam rock 70s era. The classics are so iconic it's almost surreal to consider them in the context of their original presentation on this album, but from 'Starman' to 'Suffragette City' there's no end to the songwriting rock n' roll perfection Bowie achieved here. There's not much more that needs to be said about such an important record, but this newly half-speed remastered version is not to be sniffed at for those who like to hear the music with the best possible fidelity.

Review: It almost (almost) feels pointless to pitch why you should buy Moonage Daydream. After all, David Bowie was one of the 20th Century's best selling and most influential artists. And that legacy continued through the early-21st, when he represented an increasingly rare breed of visionary artist capable of building entire worlds. He straddled mainstream popularity and experimentalism with ease. So, you're probably going to pick up a copy of this on sight and spec alone.
Nevertheless, some context may help. 'Moonage Daydream' is, of course, the title of one of Bowie's most enigmatic and defining tracks, which would go on to form the basis for the concept album The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Now it's also the name of a new documentary about the life and times, and incredible work, of the man in question. In terms of soundtrack, that translates as two discs of rare and iconic material, from 'The Jean Genie/Love Me Do/The Jean Genie' medley (recorded at the final date of the Ziggy tour in 1973), to alternative mixes of tracks like 'Modern Love'.

Review: The late, great David Bowie's reputation only seems to grow and his legacy improve as the year following his death pass by. Buddha of Suburbia was his 19th album all the way back in 1993. It's one of his more rough around the edges affairs and was a soundtrack for Hanif Kureishi's exemplary dramatisation of his book. It finds Bowie exploring all sorts of sounds that go right back to his roots in partnership with Erdal Kizilcay with David Richards. 'South Horizon' is a dinner jazz cut, 'Strangers When We Meet' is classic Bowie pop and these are just two of the highlights.

Review: The more distance there is from Bowie's passing, the more his legacy seems to grow - not that it was ever in doubt in the first place. The creative maverick and musical chameleon had more different chapters than War & Peace and Like Some Cat From Japan captures one of them, namely his West Berlin period in the mid-70s. It spawned his cult Low and Heroes album and saw him work often as a prouder and musical director for Iggy Pop, before heading out on a frankly unbelievable 78 date tour across four continents over the course of the year. The final show was in Japan and was broadcast live across much of the world. This is a selection of the best cuts from that gig.

Review: This is one of the very many classic David Bowie broadcasts out there. It was recorded on his Hours tour to support his 21st studio album of the same name, and was the last he did for the EMI sub-label. It was the first full album to be made available by a major artist for full internet download, a full two weeks before the physical release. The album makes use of many instruments and took Bowie away from electronica. Guitarist Page Hamilton played in the tour as did Mark Plati on lead and rhythm guitars, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass guitar, Sterling Campbell on drums, and Mike Garson on keyboards. This set was recorded in December 1999 at the London Astoria for FM broadcast.

Review: This recording of the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Sergei Prokofiev's 1936 story and orchestral score Peter and the Wolf was recorded in 1977 and was originally released in 1978. The role of the narrator on the recording was initially offered to both Peter Ustinov and Alec Guinness who both turned it down, before David Bowie agreed to take on the role, supposedly as a Christmas present to his son. On the B-side is another equally as charming piece of recent classical history, Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra as narrated by Hugh Downs.

Review: Tin Machine II was first released by Victory Music in 1991. It was the second and last studio long player from Tin Machine and was followed by a tour. Once it was done, the band's legendary frontman David Bowie went back to his solo career and never looked back. Over the years, the album has take on cult status with Uncut magazine once calling it "extraordinary" and placing it in their list of 50 Great Lost Albums. It is a must-have record with plenty of pure-Bowie moments such as 'baby Universal' and singles like 'You Belong In Rock N Roll,' which did well in the charts at the time.