Rock Reflections

Rock Reflections

David Bowie

Despite the reappearance, once again, of exactly the same material that the Decca group had been recycling so blithely since 1973, the Australian Rock Reflections actually ranks among the better of the label's offerings, in that its 21 tracks round up Bowie 's entire vinyl output of the time, plus the handful of recordings that were cut in the months following his debut album, but which never made it out at the time. Sadly there is no internal chronology at work here - the 14 songs that comrpised Bowie 's debut album, for example, are split across tracks one to five, and nine through 17. 1966's "London Boys" single then falls towards the end of the package, immediately prior to three songs cut during late 1967-early 1968, as it became apparent that the label had no intention of releasing any further Bowie material. Oh how quickly they changed their minds! Of course, that precise same diet also dignified the US compilation Images , which renders this nothing more than a straightforward reissue in a decidedly less eye-catching sleeve. But, with that earlier set becoming increasingly hard to find, and the Decca Anthology CD still some years away, Rock Reflections filled a genuine need within the collector community.