Pitchfork

If you're a die-hard Bowie fan, this collection of early recordings is not news to you. If you are not a big Bowie fan -- and please, read this part very carefully -- you should stay away from this album.

The liner notes talk about Bowie's penchant for wanting to create "theatrical" sounding songs, and if nothing else, he did. There's a reason he's pictured in a clown's outfit on the disc's tray. A lot of the songs have this spritely, circus- like feel and/or sound like candidates for heavy rotation on "Dr. Demento." Take, for example, "The Laughing Gnome", three minutes of Chipmunk giggling and fey vocals. Or, if you will, take "Please Mr. Gravedigger", an acapella croak-a-long with clock chimes, digging noises, and a sneeze. The disc ends, curiously enough, with an early version of "Space Oddity" that has more in common with "White Rabbit" than the classic we all know and love.

I look at the disc like a wound. David had to squeeze out some pus before he could tackle the classics. If you're a completist, head down to the music store and say, "I'd like some pus, please," and The Deram Anthology is yours.