Album · Compilation
Best of Bowie
Best of Bowie is a David Bowie compilation released by EMI on 22 October 2002. It arrived a few months after Heathen, and its songs run from his second album, David Bowie (1969), right up to that newest record. A DVD of the same name was issued alongside it, so fans could take in the hits on screen as well as on disc.
It works as a broad sweep through a career that moved between art rock, pop rock and electronic experiment, which makes it a handy way in for newcomers and a tidy reminder for long-time listeners. Its chart story is the unusual part. It first peaked at number 11 in the UK, then reached number 1 in January 2016 after Bowie's death, his eleventh UK chart-topping album and the first to get there thanks to streaming. It has since been certified 4× Platinum by the BPI.
Best of Bowie: tracklist, credits and charts
19 tracks · 1:16:28Tracklist
- 1Space OddityDavid Bowie5:15
- 2ChangesDavid Bowie and Daniel Licht3:34
- 3Life on Mars?David Bowie3:51
- 4StarmanDavid Bowie4:14
- 5Ziggy StardustDavid Bowie3:14
- 6Rebel RebelDavid Bowie4:31
- 7Young AmericansDavid Bowie3:15
- 8FameAlomar, Bowie, Lennon4:17
- 9"Heroes"David Bowie and Brian Eno3:38
- 10Under PressureBowie, Deacon, May, Mercury, Taylor3:57
- 11Ashes to Ashes (single version)David Bowie3:37
- 12Fashion (single version)David Bowie3:27
- 13Let’s Dance (single version)David Bowie4:10
- 14China Girl (single version)David Bowie and Iggy Pop4:19
- 15Modern Love (single version)David Bowie3:58
- 16This Is Not AmericaMays, Metheny, Bowie3:52
- 17Absolute Beginners (single version)David Bowie5:37
- 18Little Wonder (edit)Bowie, Gabrels, Plati3:42
- 19Slow Burn (radio edit)David Bowie3:57
- Produced by
- Gus Dudgeon, David Bowie, Ken Scott, Tony Visconti, Harry Maslin, Harry Maslin, Brian May, Queen, Roger Taylor, Nile Rodgers, Pat Metheny, Clive Langer, Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley, Alan Winstanley, Reeves Gabrels, Mark Plati, Producer varies from track to track
- Recorded at
- Trident Studios, Basing Street Studios, Olympic Studios, Hansa Studios, Mountain Studios, Musicland Studios, Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Good Earth Studios, Looking Glass Studios
- Recorded
- 1969–2002
- Mixed by
- David Bowie, Keith Harwood, Tony Visconti, Harry Maslin, David Richards, Bob Clearmountain, Mark Plati
- Mixed at
- Trident Studios, Right Track Recording
- Engineered by
- Ken Scott, Keith Harwood, Mack, David Richards, Bob Clearmountain, Marcellus Frank, Mark Plati
- Mastered by
- Toby Mountain
- Labels
- EMI, Virgin
- Length
- 1:16:28
Line-up
- David Bowie · 12 string guitar, handclaps, Dubreq Stylophone, lead vocals, background vocals, saxophone, guitar, keyboard, synthesizer, finger snaps
- Paul Buckmaster · cello · guest
- Terry Cox · drums (drum set) · guest
- Herbie Flowers · bass · guest
- Rick Wakeman · mellotron, piano · guest
- Mick Wayne · electric guitar · guest
- Trevor Bolder · bass guitar · guest
- Mick Ronson · electric guitar, background vocals, mellotron, piano, acoustic guitar · guest
- Mick Woodmansey · drums (drum set), shakers · guest
- Aynsley Dunbar · drums (drum set) · guest
- Mike Garson · harpsichord, mellotron, piano, Moog · guest
- Tony Newman · drums (drum set) · guest
- Alan Parker · guitar · guest
- John Lennon · background vocals · guest
- Carlos Alomar · guitar · guest
- Dennis Davis · percussion · guest
- Brian Eno · keyboard, synthesizer · guest
- Robert Fripp · guitar · guest
- George Murray · bass · guest
- John Deacon · bass guitar, handclaps, finger snaps, guitar, keyboard · guest
- Brian May · electric guitar, handclaps, finger snaps · guest
- Freddie Mercury · piano, handclaps, finger snaps, keyboard, background vocals, lead vocals · guest
- Roger Taylor · drums (drum set), handclaps, finger snaps, background vocals · guest
- Stevie Ray Vaughan · guitar · guest
- Robert Aaron · flute, tenor saxophone · guest
- Steve Elson · baritone saxophone, flute, horn · guest
- Sammy Figueroa · percussion · guest
- Mac Gollehon · trumpet · guest
- Omar Hakim · drums (drum set) · guest
- Stan Harrison · flute, tenor saxophone, horn · guest
- Nile Rodgers · guitar · guest
- Carmine Rojas · bass · guest
- Rob Sabino · keyboard · guest
- Frank Simms · background vocals · guest
- George Simms · background vocals · guest
- David Spinner · background vocals · guest
- Lyle Mays · analog synthesizer, marimba, keyboard · guest
- Pat Metheny · electric guitar, guitar synthesizer, synclavier · guest
- Steve Rodby · electric bass guitar · guest
- Paul Wertico · drums (drum set) · guest
- Pat Metheny Group · guest
- Sterling Campbell · drums (drum set) · guest
- Lenny Pickett · horn · guest
- Pete Townshend · guitar · guest
- Tony Visconti · bass, background vocals · guest
- Kristeen Young · piano · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2002–2016 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2002–2016 | 4 |
| Scottish Albums · 2002–2016 | 1 |
| US Catalog Albums · 2002–2016 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2002–2016 | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2002–2016 | 4 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2002–2016 | 6 |
| Irish Albums · 2002–2016 | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2002–2016 | 6 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2002–2016 | 8 |
All 23 charts
| Swedish Albums · 2002–2016 | 9 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2002–2016 | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2002–2016 | 13 |
| Denmark 2 · 2002–2016 | 14 |
| Finnish Albums · 2002–2016 | 15 |
| Swiss Albums · 2002–2016 | 15 |
| German Albums · 2002–2016 | 16 |
| Dutch Albums · 2002–2016 | 19 |
| French Albums · 2002–2016 | 19 |
| Italian Albums · 2002–2016 | 23 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2002–2016 | 29 |
| Croatian Albums · 2002–2016 | 32 |
| Spanish Albums · 2002–2016 | 97 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2009 | 2× Platinum |
| Finland | Gold |
| Italy · 2016 | Platinum |
| New Zealand | 3× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2016 | 4× Platinum |
| United States | Platinum |
| Europe · 2011 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
66.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
496
ListenBrainz listeners
43k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
30k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from David Bowie
Full discography →
David Bowie
1967
David Bowie
1969
The World of David Bowie
1970
The Man Who Sold the World
1970
Hunky Dory
1971
Do Anything You Say
1972
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
1972
Rebel Rebel / Queen Bitch / Sorrow / Amsterdam
1973
Images 1966–1967
1973
Aladdin Sane
1973
Pin Ups
1973
Diamond Dogs
1974
David Live
1974
Young Americans
1975
Station to Station
1976
ChangesOneBowie
1976
Low
1977
“Heroes”
1977
David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf
1978
Stage
1978
Lodger
1979
David Bowie
1980
Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps
1980
The Best of Bowie
1980
Christiane F.: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo
1981
ChangesTwoBowie
1981
In Bertolt Brecht’s Baal
1982
Rare
1982
Supergroups
1983
Serious Moonlight
1983
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture Soundtrack
1983
Let’s Dance
1983
Golden Years
1983
Fame and Fashion (David Bowie’s All Time Greatest Hits)
1984
Love You Till Tuesday
1984
Tonight
1984
Labyrinth: From the Original Soundtrack of the Jim Henson Film
1986
Never Let Me Down
1987
Glass Spider
1988
Sound + Vision
1989
Changesbowie
1990
Early On (1964–1966)
1991
Black Tie White Noise
1993
The Singles Collection
1993
The Buddha of Suburbia
1993
Live Santa Monica ’72
1994
RarestOneBowie
1995
1.Outside: The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle
1995
Earthling
1997
The Deram Anthology 1966–1968
1997
The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974
1997
The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979
1998
‘hours…’
1999
Liveandwell.com
2000
Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions 68–72
2000
All Saints (Collected Instrumentals 1977–1999)
2001
Heathen
2002
Reality
2003
Club Bowie: Rare and Unreleased 12″ Mixes
2003
Live EP (live at Fashion Rocks)
2005
The Collection
2005
The Platinum Collection
2005
Bowie 1965!
2006
The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
2007
Outside / Earthling / Hours / Heathen / Reality
2007
iSELECT
2008
VH1 Storytellers
2009
Space Oddity
2009
A Reality Tour
2010
The Next Day
2013
Pin-Ups Radio Show
2013
The Next Day Extra EP
2013
Nothing has changed.
2014
Five Years 1969–1973
2015
★
2016
Who Can I Be Now? 1974–1976
2016
Lazarus
2016
Legacy
2016
No Plan
2017
Live Nassau Coliseum ’76
2017
Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles ’74)
2017
A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
2017
Welcome to the Blackout (live London ’78)
2018
Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
2018
Glastonbury 2000
2018
Conversation Piece
2019
Is It Any Wonder?
2020
ChangesNowBowie
2020
I’m Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
2020
The Width of a Circle
2021
Toy
2021
Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)
2021
Brilliant Adventure EP
2022
Toy E.P.
2022
Fun Mix
2022
Moonage Daydream: A Film by Brett Morgen
2022
Divine Symmetry
2022
Rock ’n’ Roll Star!
2024
Ready, Set, Go! (live, Riverside Studios ’03)
2025
I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002–2016)
2025
The Shel Talmy Recordings
2026
The best of 2002
All of 2002 →
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Heathen Chemistry
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Sea Change
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Untouchables
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Iron Maiden · 1982
Piece of Mind
Iron Maiden · 1983
Powerslave
Iron Maiden · 1984
Fear of the Dark
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Somewhere in Time
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Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Iron Maiden · 1988
A Night at the Opera
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13
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2002-10-18 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 October 2002 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 October 2002 | |
| Wikidata | 22 October 2002 | |
| US release | 22 October 2002 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 4 November 2002 | earliest UK or European date |
38 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | IT | EMI | 724354191527 | other |
| 2002 | US | EMI | 724354192920 | other |
| 2002 | AU | EMI | 724353982126 | other |
| 2002 | XE | EMI | 724349010390 | other |
| 2002 | US | EMI | 724354192920 | other |
| 2002 | BE | EMI | 724354189821 | other |
| 2002 | CA | Parlophone | 724354192920 | other |
| 2002 | XE | EMI | other | |
| 2002 | ZA | EMI | 6009509303517 | other |
| 2002 | XE | EMI | other | |
| October 2002 | SE | EMI | 724354191725 | other |
| October 2002 | AU | EMI | 724354207525 | other |
| October 2002 | NL | EMI | 724354191428 | other |
| 18 October 2002 | DE | EMI | 724354191220 | original |
| 21 October 2002 | FR | EMI | 724354190124 | other |
| 22 October 2002 | US | EMI | 724354193026 | other |
| 22 October 2002 | CA | EMI Music Canada | 724354224225 | other |
| 25 October 2002 | NO | EMI | 724354234620 | other |
| 30 October 2002 | JP | EMI | 4988006805651 | other |
| November 2002 | CL | EMI | 724354238321 | other |
| November 2002 | AR | EMI | 724354191626 | other |
| November 2002 | BR | EMI | 724354189920 | other |
| November 2002 | CA | EMI | 724354224423 | other |
| November 2002 | NZ | EMI | 724354192524 | other |
| November 2002 | DK | EMI | 724354191824 | other |
| 4 November 2002 | GB | EMI | 724353982126 | other |
| 2003 | US | EMI | 724359569208 | other |
| 2004 | XE | EMI | 724357794923 | other |
| 15 June 2004 | GB | Parlophone | deluxe | |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | EMI | 4988006824805 | other |
| 8 March 2006 | JP | — | 4988006840898 | other |
| 8 March 2006 | JP | — | 4943674174683 | other |
| 5 March 2007 | GB | EMI | 094638971191 | other |
| 27 October 2008 | GB | EMI | 5099924291224 | other |
| 10 December 2008 | JP | — | 4988006868540 | other |
| 7 December 2011 | JP | — | 4988006891159 | other |
| 2014 | US | Parlophone | 724354193026 | other |
| 2016 | XW | Parlophone | 724354190155 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |