Loving the Alien [1983-1988] [Box Set]

The fascinating thing about Loving the Alien is how it makes this period seem more interesting than the individual albums, and that's entirely due to the dance mixes, ephemera, and awkward live material. On these byways, it's possible to hear Bowie grapple with both his past and present in a hungry fashion and that desperation is alien to Bowie, so an immersion into this unease makes for compelling listening.

Loving the Alien--despite some truly cringe-inducing moments--is an enjoyable look back at when David Bowie put on his red shoes and danced the blues.

The Loving the Alien reissue displays Bowie's true showmanship in the studio and onstage--with live reworkings of album tracks, one can get a sense of how Bowie approached the storied performance component of his career.

Loving the Alien offers a reset for listeners--to hear these albums fresh, liberated from their composer’s dismissive opinions.

The LPs collected here lack the punch of his previous efforts. But they do have their charms. ... Most revealing are two live LPs, from '83 and '87, that show an artist reconsidering his old hits--and his old selves--for new fans. [Nov 2018, p.45]