Recorded: 1969-2015
Producers: David Bowie, Tony Visconti, Brian Rawling, Gary Miller, Mark Plati, Reeves Gabrels, Nine Inch Nails, Brian Eno, Pet Shop Boys, David Richards, Nile Rodgers, Alan Winstanley, Clive Langer, Derek Bramble, Hugh Padgham, Pat Metheny, Queen, Harry Maslin, Ken Scott, Gus Dudgeon
Released: 11 November 2016
Tracklisting (2CD edition):
- ‘Space Oddity’
- ‘The Man Who Sold The World’
- ‘Changes’
- ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’
- ‘Life On Mars?’ (2016 mix)
- ‘Starman’ (original single mix)
- ‘Ziggy Stardust’
- ‘Moonage Daydream’
- ‘The Jean Genie’ (original single mix)
- ‘All The Young Dudes’
- ‘Drive-In Saturday’
- ‘Sorrow’
- ‘Rebel Rebel’
- ‘Young Americans’ (US single version)
- ‘Fame’
- ‘Golden Years’ (single version)
- ‘Sound And Vision’
- “Heroes” (single version)
- ‘Boys Keep Swinging’
- ‘Fashion’ (single version)
- ‘Ashes To Ashes’ (single version)
- ‘Under Pressure’ (with Queen)
- ‘Let’s Dance’ (single version)
- ‘China Girl’ (single version)
- ‘Modern Love’ (single version)
- ‘Blue Jean’
- ‘This Is Not America’ (with the Pat Metheny Group)
- ‘Dancing In The Street’ (with Mick Jagger)
- ‘Absolute Beginners’ (single version)
- ‘Jump They Say’ (radio edit)
- ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ (Pet Shop Boys remix)
- ‘Little Wonder’ (single version)
- ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’ (V1 Trent Reznor remix)
- ‘Thursday’s Child’ (radio edit)
- ‘Slow Burn’ (radio edit)
- ‘Everyone Says ‘Hi” (edit)
- ‘New Killer Star’ (radio edit)
- ‘Where Are We Now?’
- ‘Lazarus’ (single edit)
- ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ (single edit)
Legacy (The Very Best of David Bowie) was the first Bowie compilation to be released posthumously.
The tracklisting is broadly the same as the two-CD edition of the 2014 compilation Nothing Has Changed. However, Legacy included two songs from Bowie’s final album Blackstar: single edits of ‘Lazarus’ and ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’.
Three songs from Nothing Has Changed were dropped to make way for the new songs: ‘Slow Burn’ from Heathen; James Murphy’s remix of ‘Love Is Lost’ from The Next Day; and the Maria Schneider Orchestra version of ‘Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)’.
The newer compilation also included a new mix of ‘Life On Mars?’ by the song’s co-producer Ken Scott, which was issued as a single to promote the compilation. A new video by Mick Rock was also released, using Rock’s original footage of Bowie miming to the song in 1973.
In addition to the two-CD edition, a single disc version was made available. This was a non-chronological selection containing 20 tracks. There was also a vinyl version which contained broadly the same running order, with some exceptions: ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ and ‘Dancing In The Street’ were included on the CD, while the vinyl had ‘Young Americans’ and ‘Modern Love’.
Legacy topped the album chart in New Zealand, and went top ten in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It peaked at number 78 on the US Billboard 200.