Nothing Has Changed

David Bowie released is Very Best Of, named Nothing Has Changed.

Now, is my mission, to tell you why this is one of the best compilation albums ever and why it is so relevant.

First of all, there are 4 editions of the album so far: 1CD, 2CDs, 3CDs and Vinyl.

Let's focus on the most popular and complete one, the triple album.

So, in this version we have 59 (!) songs. 

Back in 2002 Bowie released his most popular (until now): Best of Bowie that covers his career from Space Oddity to Heathen. Since that album, Bowie only released two original albums, Reality and The Next Day.

The biggest difference between this compilation and Nothing has Changed are the 90's and the 60's. In my opinion the first compilation didn't covered very well the 90's but, in the new one we have a lot of songs from that time. Songs from hours... and Buddha of Suburbia didn't appear there and, finally, they are here.Great moments on the album with Thursday's Child, Buddha of Suburbia, Seven or Strangers When We Meet.

Bowie's career in the 60's are not very popular, although there are there really good songs before he emerged has a solo artist. Liza Jane, You've Got a Habit of Leaving fit like a glove on Nothing has Changed, and shows an "oldies" Bowie, marvellous really.

He even choose two songs from is unreleased album Toy.

Well, obviously, on a best of like this, you have to pick mostly the hit singles. Bowie is such a musical genius that, there are hundreds of songs you can pick for a best of. It's a pity that moments like Rock n' Roll Suicide, Five Years, Time, Heathen, or If I'm Dreaming All My Life are not there, but understandable. But we have Moonage Daydream there, which is a song that impersonates very well the singer, but was never a hit or even a single.

Also, a nice curiosity, this compilation albums, normally have the tracklist in chronological order (from old to new) or like a concert, with the biggest hits first and a ballad to end. Well, Nothing has Changed has the tracklist in chronological order but from the new songs to the old songs!! I can't explain why, but I think that is amazing.

And the Cover Art of the album is, again, spectacular. Seems like a coincidence but David took photos in mirrors during almost all is career. So, you have photos of Bowie has Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, from the beginning of the 70's, from the 90's, and from today! It looks like he was planning this, since the 60's.

The title of the album came from the song Sunday but, as Bowie is often called the chameleon of music, because of his alter-egos and changes. So, call the album "Nothing has Changed". Priceless! But, then, open the 3CD box and you read, "Everything has Changed". Oh yeah, Bowie can play with your thoughts very easily.

The only thing I would change a little little bit, would be the Berlin years. Although the main songs are there, these era of Bowie is so good and different that he could have put one of his acclaimed instrumental on the album. And my choice would be, for sure, Warszawa.

Most of the songs are in their shorter single versions and some are the single remixes. Mostly of these remixes are actually worse than the album versions (Hallo Spaceboy, I'm Afraid of Americans or Love Is Lost) but, as the album versions are available on their respective LPs, makes sense to choose the single versions.

The album reached #9 on the UK album charts (but it deserved #1).

Listen to Nothing has Changed and you will listen to 50 years of amazing music, through a lot of different style and times. Best Christmas gift this year, by far and, probably, the best compilation album ever released. 

Leave U2 Alone

This expression "Leave [...] alone" became popular from a silly young girl and her obsession with pop singer Britney Spears, however it is a good euphemism from what I want to say.

First, U2 are a great band. Obviously, they were better in the 80's and 90's when they had the power to re-invent themselves during 20 years, creating wonderful albums.

Yes, we can't forget that they made brilliant songs. Achtung Baby is still one of the best albums I ever heard. Every single song is brilliant. Love Is Blindness, So Cruel, The Fly, Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, etc. And then, they created a completely different album with Zooropa, with Stay, The First Time, Lemon, between other songs. And then, they went again to a different and brilliant album with Pop.

I don't believe that they can do a decade like this again. They are getting old, they don't have the power to re-invent themselves for every album, so the last works follow some  more or less straight line.

Some think that their artistically is covered by speeches about poverty, sunglasses, guitar pedals or cowboy hats, and, sometimes I kinda agree with that.

But, they are still a great band. Their last album is good, it has some beautiful moments as well, great guitar riffs. Bono's voice is, naturally, a little bit aged (compared to his super powerful voice 20 years ago), their lyrics may not have the same "muse" as before but the songs are there, and it is good.

Today, it seems that the press (and a lot music critics) are tired of U2 and want to push them down as much as they can, which is not fair.

For example;

Songs of Innocence was given for free for iTunes users or whatever. Everyone now is saying that U2 are giving away their music because it is bad, because they devalued their own music, because no one wants to buy it.
But, when Radiohead did that with "In Rainbows" they were called revolutionaries, visionaries and it was the best and most spectacular thing someone did to music. Also, Thom Yorke, more or less at the same time that U2 released their last album, made his new solo album available via BitTorrent by a very very low price, but that is not devaluing music, it is a genius step.

Other example;
Someone says "U2 are shit, I hate them". And then "Did you heard the new song by Jack White? Love Is Blindness?" "Yes, it is brilliant I love it" "U2 wrote it" "Oh but I prefer much more this version, U2's version is shit, Jack White really added everything to it". I'm pretty sure White wrote the lyrics, the chords and the melodies for this song.

I don't remember seeing good news on a music website about U2 for ages. Every new is "U2 are going to split" "Bono is getting blind" "The grandfather of the guitarist of the band that had one hit song says that U2 are shit". It'tiring and boring.

So, everyone is trying to put U2 down, I don't know why. It's a pity and music industry should remember the huge influence that the band has on modern pop rock music.