David Bowie

Capitalizing on the surprise success of Scumfrog's remix of "Loving the Alien," EMI sneaks out this collection of "Rare and Unreleased 12" Mixes." They could have remained "Rare and Unreleased" and no one but the Bowie completist would have minded, but as a little treat for the fanatic it does all right. Scumfrog's mix is inspired and worth having since he captures the original cut's dreaminess and runs with it, but with his midtempo remix of "This Is Not America," he takes Bowie out of the picture almost entirely, totally changing the track. Two totally different takes on "Let's Dance" (one straightforward, one totally Bollywood) are welcome, as are the slinky "Shout" (a thumping version of "Fashion") and the rough and minimal "Just for One Day (Heroes)." Lord knows why you'd ever need a remix of "Magic Dance" from the Labyrinth soundtrack, and the fact that a remix of "Starman" just missed being on the set is especially disappointing. Most of the mixes sound a bit dated and thump and bump along like the laptop never happened. As Bowie collections go this is as useful as the all-instrumental All Saints, but at least it'll keep the hardcore off eBay. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide