David Bowie - Oh You Pretty Things

One of the best Bowie discs out there is "Bowie at the Beeb", a compilation of BBC live performances from 1968-1972. The material covers Bowie's early, unsuccessful Deram material through the Ziggy Stardust era. The former material is presented in a really sweet stripped down form. "Let Me Sleep Beside You" loses its goofy gloss to become amazingly sweet. The set as a whole highlights Bowie's songwriting. The Ziggy-era band is great, too, and I tend to prefer their cover of Waiting for the Man to the Velvet Underground original.

I know that Station to Station, Low, and Heroes are currently the most highly regarded of Bowie's albums. I like them, too, especially Station to Station and Heroes (side 2 of Low is a bit of a blur for me). But this BBC compilation is what I listen to most frequently - the songwriting just seems especially strong.