The soundtrack to
Brett Morgen
's
David Bowie
film
Moonage Daydream
essentially offers the audio component of his movie, a two-hour-and-50-minute tapestry of exclusive edits, remixes, live performances, interview snippets and other oddities.
Morgen
meant the mix to be blasted at top volume, but even without the power of IMAX speakers -- or visuals, for that matter --
manages to convey the feeling of a journey through space, floating with no particular direction but with memorable mile markers. Here, the
Buddah of Suburbia
instrumental "Ian Fish U.K. Heir" acts as a connective tissue that threads together slightly altered versions of familiar songs and melodies along with unearthed live performances. Occasionally, the particulars are interesting --
Jeff Beck
shreds on a live version of "The Jean Genie" where "Love Me Do" pops up during the jam -- but the emphasis is not on the individual tracks, it's on the whole, offering a specific and evocative (if not entirely thorough) portrait of
Bowie
that's enchanting and beguiling, especially for listeners already well-acquainted with the entirety of his catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine