Bowie Heard Them Here First in Bloomington, MN

An open secret in
David Bowie
's oeuvre is he, alone among superstars, never shies away from a well-selected cover version. This was as true at the dawn of his career as it is at the twilight and even many of his best-known albums --
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
,
Station to Station
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
-- are anchored by covers. This is a roundabout way of saying that
Ace
's 2014 compilation
Bowie Heard Them Here First
(another installment of their excellent ongoing series) is hardly a collection that showcases
Pin Ups
and nothing else. No, this 24-track set is ambitious, opening with
the Raiders
' "Louie - Go Home," which
Bowie
cut in 1964 as
Davie Jones
when he led
the King Bees
, and closing with
the Modern Lovers
' "Pablo Picasso," which appeared on 2003's
Reality
, and "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship," which is on 2002's
Heathen
. In between these points comes
's career, as the compilation proceeds in chronological order according to when the Thin White Duke sang a song. So, this opens with songs from
Hunky Dory
and
Ziggy Stardust
--
Biff Rose
's "Fill Your Heart" and
Ron Davies
' "It Ain't Easy," contemporary songs both -- and, halfway through, snaps back to 1957 for
Johnny Mathis
' "Wild Is the Wind" and
Lotte Lenya
's "Alabama Song," two versions that may not have been the inspirations for
's own interpretations (respectively,
Nina Simone
the Doors
are more likely). Such flaws don't hurt this compilation, nor does the absence of some fairly significant covers in
's catalog -- licensing likely prevented
the Beatles
' "Across the Universe," the handful of
Bruce Springsteen
songs
recorded in the mid-'70s, and
Morrissey
's "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday," while his take on
Iggy Pop
's "China Girl" is a staple of his hits collections -- because
emphasizes its idiosyncrasies as it flits between British beat, cabaret pop, and art rock. The biographical march doesn't make for the easiest listen -- the changes in era and style can give whiplash -- but it does go a long way in illustrating
's range, wit, and taste. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine