Images 1966–1967

Images 1966–1967 is a compilation album by the British pop singer David Bowie. It comprises his first long player release as a solo artist for Deram Records, titled David Bowie, released in 1967, and various singles and B-sides recorded for Deram during 1966 and 1967.

Contents

• Track listing
• Songs
• References

The arrangements on this compilation are not reminiscent of the glam rock that broke Bowie through to success. They are mostly orchestral with sound effects created in the recording studio. The music was recorded very early in Bowie's career when he was still in obscurity from 1966 to 1967. At the time he was signed to Deram Records, who quickly dropped him due to poor sales in 1968 after which he created what fans deem his first hit, "Space Oddity." At the time of the music's recording, Bowie was influenced by the London cabaret scene and the song styles created therein, particularly the work of singers such as Anthony Newley.

In the UK, The World of David Bowie had never gone out of print, when Bowie finally had his breakthrough in 1972 with the album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and could still be obtained in British record shops at that time. In the US, where none of the Deram material was released since 1967, the original LP and singles were packaged into this double-album set and released in the US on Decca's American branded label, London Records. The release came at about the same time as Bowie's sixth studio album, Aladdin Sane, and was planned to cash in on Bowie's then-growing popularity in the US. American copies of the compilation featured a cartoon cover, depicting characters or situations from each song. Although the compilation gained Bowie a significant 1973 hit, "The Laughing Gnome," the album was either unheard or disregarded by most fans.

In 1975 the album was issued in the U.K. with a new front cover featuring a Young Americans promotional photo and the U.S. cartoon design relegated to the inner gatefold.