David Bowie: The Shel Talmy Recordings review – these unheard 60s tunes are actually pretty flimsy — SkimNews
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- David Bowie is the subject of a new Parlophone compilation titled "The Shel Talmy Recordings," gathering unheard mid-60s material from his pre-fame Davie Jones era
- The review characterizes the recordings as "pretty flimsy," finding that Bowie fails to distinguish himself from other bands of the same era
- The reviewer notes that Bowie "hedges his bets" on the material, suggesting an unfocused artistic identity during this period
- The compilation draws from the same mid-60s landscape that Bowie revisited on his 1973 covers album "Pin Ups," framing these tracks as the originals behind his later homage
- Parlophone released the collection as previously unreleased archival material, though the review suggests the songs don't reward the excavation
Why it matters: For Bowie completists and crate-diggers, the release offers material from a frequently mythologized pre-Ziggy period, but the reviewer's verdict that these tracks are indistinguishable from era peers may dampen collector enthusiasm and reshape how this formative chapter of Bowie's career is evaluated.
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