Personnel includes: David Bowie (vocals, acoustic guitar, alto & tenor saxophones); John Watson (vocals, guitar, bass); George Underwood (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Roger Bluck, Johnny Flux, Jimmy Page, Denis Taylor, John Hutchinson (guitar); Woolf Byrne (harmonica, baritone saxophone); Nicky Hopkins (piano); Bob Solly, Derek Boyes (organ); Dave Howard, Graham Rivens, Derek Fearnley (bass); Bob Allen, Mick White, John Eager, Phil Lancaster (drums).

Producers: Leslie Conn, Shel Talmy, Tony Hatch.

Includes liner notes by Julie C. Stoller.

Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot & Ken Perry.

Before there was Ziggy, before there was the Thin White Duke, there was Davie Jones. Like many other future visionaries, Bowie cut his teeth on the reverb-soaked, unabashedly blues-influenced sound that was taking England, and the world, by storm in the early-to-mid sixties. EARLY ON (1964-1966) culls together the early studio work of Bowie, through various incarnations, during the days when Beatlemania was gushing over the Atlantic, and the Fab Four's influence is easy to hear.

Early singles ("Liza Jane," "Louie, Louie Go Home") take on the air of a slightly more serious "Twist And Shout," though, as this collection illustrates, Bowie quickly and assuredly took on his own identity. The thick horns and low vocal growl of "I Pity The Fool" foreshadow the talent Bowie would later show for flouting convention while remaining soulful and melodic. Bowie was soon working his way into the strident (and prophetically titled) "Can't Help Thinking About Me." His development over the two years covered by this collection is inspiring--1966's "I Dig Everything" and its b-side, "I'm Not Losing Sleep," are visible steps toward becoming the generation-defining artist who was to emerge.

Mojo (Publisher) (2/02, p.83) - "...You'll find no better intro to young Davy Jones, Bromley's keenest R&B obsessive, who modelled his style on Brian Jones and looked to Pete Townshend and Ray Davies for musical inspiration..."