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All The Songs
David Bowie All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
Album by album and track by track, this first-of-its-kind catalog of David Bowie's entire 50-year and 27-album career tells the story of one of rock's all-time greatest artists.
A lovingly thorough dissection of every album and every track ever released by David Bowie over the span of his nearly 50 year career, David Bowie All the Songs follows the musician from his self-titled debut album released in 1967 all the way through Blackstar , his final album.
Delving deep into Bowie's past and featuring new commentary and archival interviews with a wide range of models, actors, musicians, producers, and recording executives who all worked with and knew the so-called "Thin White Duke", David Bowie All the Songs charts the musician's course from a young upstart in 1960s London to a musical behemoth who collaborated with everyone from Queen Latifah and Bing Crosby, to Mick Jagger and Arcade Fire.
This one-of-a-kind book draws upon years of research in order to recount how each song was written, composed, and recorded, down to the instruments used and the people who played them. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of music's most visually arresting performers, David Bowie All the Songs is a must-have book for any true fan of classic rock.
A lovingly thorough dissection of every album and every track ever released by David Bowie over the span of his nearly 50 year career, David Bowie All the Songs follows the musician from his self-titled debut album released in 1967 all the way through Blackstar , his final album.
Delving deep into Bowie's past and featuring new commentary and archival interviews with a wide range of models, actors, musicians, producers, and recording executives who all worked with and knew the so-called "Thin White Duke", David Bowie All the Songs charts the musician's course from a young upstart in 1960s London to a musical behemoth who collaborated with everyone from Queen Latifah and Bing Crosby, to Mick Jagger and Arcade Fire.
This one-of-a-kind book draws upon years of research in order to recount how each song was written, composed, and recorded, down to the instruments used and the people who played them. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of music's most visually arresting performers, David Bowie All the Songs is a must-have book for any true fan of classic rock.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
624 pages, Hardcover
First published November 18, 2021
49 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 25, 2023
This is a monstrously large book (as was the Pink Floyd All The Songs book I read a few years back), but I absolutely loved it as, not only does it serve as a detailed biography of David Bowie, it's also an amazing trip through every single song the man ever did.
Just an incredible fan. Bowie's my second favourite musician to read about, second only to the Beatles, and this is probably my favourite Bowie book to date.
Just an incredible fan. Bowie's my second favourite musician to read about, second only to the Beatles, and this is probably my favourite Bowie book to date.
September 15, 2024
Ja Bowie eh ja wa moeje daar zelfs over gaan zeggen behalve: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
July 20, 2022
Fascinating read. I spread my read out a bit - not the sort you sit down and rifle all the way through. I also understand that I have some homework to do - there are a lot of Bowie's songs I'm unfamiliar with, and many more I haven't listened to since the 1980s.
Interesting how many support players (singers and musicians) who contributed and who recognize their work on the finished product were left off the liner notes. Maybe this is somewhat standard over such a long career, but this is the first time I've seen it spelled out so strikingly.
A worthy four-star effort.
Interesting how many support players (singers and musicians) who contributed and who recognize their work on the finished product were left off the liner notes. Maybe this is somewhat standard over such a long career, but this is the first time I've seen it spelled out so strikingly.
A worthy four-star effort.
December 25, 2023
Bijzonder veel informatie en wetenswaardigheden over deze rusteloze artiest.
Misschien heeft hij wel te veel geproduceerd….
Misschien heeft hij wel te veel geproduceerd….
January 29, 2023
A glimpse at how the sausage is made.
This hefty tome was gifted to me by a friend who really ‘gets’ me.
I have complained a number of times about Bowie biographies that focus only on his early years or only on laundry lists of sexual partners and other gossip while glossing over his career.
This is no gloss and no trailing off in the 90s. Here, his personal life is neatly and tastefully summarized and his musical career is combed through in astonishing detail. Clerc did miss a few details, botched a few spellings or dates and sometimes the narrative was rushed (because holy crap, Bowie was prolific and there’s only so much room in a book like this,) but this will be a companion for my next listen-through of my Bowie collection.
I was sad that it ended.
Recommend for the dedicated Bowie fan and anyone interested in the music industry and its icons and trailblazers.
#BowieForever
This hefty tome was gifted to me by a friend who really ‘gets’ me.
I have complained a number of times about Bowie biographies that focus only on his early years or only on laundry lists of sexual partners and other gossip while glossing over his career.
This is no gloss and no trailing off in the 90s. Here, his personal life is neatly and tastefully summarized and his musical career is combed through in astonishing detail. Clerc did miss a few details, botched a few spellings or dates and sometimes the narrative was rushed (because holy crap, Bowie was prolific and there’s only so much room in a book like this,) but this will be a companion for my next listen-through of my Bowie collection.
I was sad that it ended.
Recommend for the dedicated Bowie fan and anyone interested in the music industry and its icons and trailblazers.
#BowieForever
July 18, 2022
If you were to get one book about Bowie, this is probably a good choice. Certainly one for those who have the inclination to get into his deeper discography (which is most certainly a good choice). It provides historical context, some great quotes and a number of other such biographical analysis.
About the only thing the book is lacking is some analysis regarding the actual artistic content of the songs. While this is great biographical background and detail regarding the formation of each song, there isn't much critical analysis. Which is fine - that's obviously not what this book was going for. But as an ardent Bowie fan, that's the kind of thing that truly interests me. So while this is a truly fantastic book to have on the shelf, it's just missing that killer edge in my opinion to make it a five-star review. Still great, and well worth a read - again, especially for the big fans.
About the only thing the book is lacking is some analysis regarding the actual artistic content of the songs. While this is great biographical background and detail regarding the formation of each song, there isn't much critical analysis. Which is fine - that's obviously not what this book was going for. But as an ardent Bowie fan, that's the kind of thing that truly interests me. So while this is a truly fantastic book to have on the shelf, it's just missing that killer edge in my opinion to make it a five-star review. Still great, and well worth a read - again, especially for the big fans.
June 24, 2022
A compendium to Bowie's discography which gives context to each album and the period within which it was written before combing through each song, the outtakes and B sides. It's probably not for the more casual fans and (conversely) for the more ardent ones, it should be noted that you'll find greater insight into Bowie's life and a more thorough analyses of some of these songs elsewhere. However, this book covers it all and is beautifully presented with high quality photos, fun "did you know" facts, and more.
August 4, 2025
David Bowie is one of the most iconic musicians to ever have lived. I love him so much this book was amazing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews