Don’t know it. But Candidate (from Diamond Dogs, apparently the most under-appreciated Bowie album) is HUGE!
All of his work between The Man Who Sold the World and Scary Monsters is just so fucking good.
My list has Station to Station at 9. Now I LOVE Station to Station. Yet somehow he managed to put out 8 other albums even better. Love this guy.
Albums/ LPs, right?
Station to Station
Low
Young Americans
Diamond Dogs
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Aladdin Sane
Scary Monsters
Space Oddity
*OK, I’ll be the party pooper and pick these two –
Pin Ups
Let’s Dance
Yeah, just covers and disco tracks, whatever… the titles say it all without pretensions i.m.o. I guess I’ve played the cover band-dive bars circuit too long, enough to appreciate these two albums. Anyways, ain’t nothing wrong with dance music.
Let’s Dance is underrated. Considering artificial pop music seemed to be one of Bowie’s fascinations from early on, Bowie nerds don’t always seem so comfortable with his 80s pop stardom; I kind of see it as a Young Americans companion.
Let’s Dance is a good album actually despite what everyone says. As Noel mentioned, there’s a complete lack of pretension and is a good pop album that gives the majority of today’s pop albums a run for their money. I suppose there is a similarity in tone between it and Young Americans, that’s an interesting comparison, TJ.
Let’s Dance is perfectly good.
It’s not truly and utterly great, though, which is why it’s a let-down next to so much of his catalogue.
Let’s Dance probably would have 11 on my list of albums. Love “Modern Love” and “China Girl” — and what’s the one about “putting out fires with gasoline?” Is that one there? I like Pinups too.
That’s “Cat People”, Justin; I think Giorgio Moroder wrote it with Bowie. It’s on the soundtrack album and is a track I like very much (and compelled me to buy the soundtrack album to that fairly mediocre film – compared to Lewton’s original, at least).
A little hidden gem from the SCARY MONSTERS outtakes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1RzV3dn7kM
Oh, yeah, thanks Cooler. It’s been so long since I saw that film!
From PIN UPS Bowie’s cover of the The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” may be my fave cover ever.
I enjoy the song ‘life on mars’ so whatever album that song is on, i pick that album
It all depends what mood you are in – for each end of my emotional spectrum I would choose ‘Low’ and ‘Ziggy…’
Howabout 8:
1. “Low”
2. “Heroes”
3. “Station to Station”
4. “Ziggy Stardust”
5. “Hunky Dory”
6. “Scary Monsters”
7. “Aladdin Sane”
8. “Young Americans”
I got hunky dory in 6th grade. yesyesyes sooo fantastic
Honky Dory and Ziggy would be on my desert island list.
Low, because I’m a huge fan of experimental underground music and have a tremendous respect for any popular artist that won’t succumb to the record industry powers that be.
Scary Monsters because at the time of it’s release, punk and new wave was the beginning of a revolution in popular music and this album was relevant to that movement.
Ten songs is tougher than 10 albums, but I’ll give it a go.
1. Life On Mars?
2. Strangers When We Meet (2nd version)
3. Five Years
4. Heroes/Helden
5. Look Back In Anger
6. Ashes To Ashes
7. Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)
8. Sorrow
9. Dead Man Walking
10. Be My Wife
Oh man i’ll try ten songs, as hard as it is
(if you can’t tell i’m predominantly a fan of his ziggy days, but love all Bowie regardless)
1.Drive-In Saturday(the live acoustic version)
2.The Bewlay Brothers
3.Oh! You Pretty Things
4.Life on Mars?
5.Moonage Daydream
6.Lady Stardust
7.John, I’m Only Dancing
8.Time
9.The Prettiest Star
10.Eight Line Poem
That was extremely difficult, but I think the only way to narrow it down is to stick to one era at a time, impossible to narrow down as a whole.
I just listened to Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Sold the World and both blew my man. Why haven’t I been listening to this guy all of these years?
Hunky Dory hands down is the best one.
then Ziggy
Man Who Sold the World
Low
and finally Aladdin Sane
Bowie’s songs? hmmm…
Some of my favorite Bowie songs are the instrumentals on Low. Warszawa and Art Decade are amazing.
My top five with Bowie actually singing:
Heroes
Space Odyssey
Ashes to Ashes
Sound & Vision
Oh! You Pretty Things
top 10 albums (for me):
1. low
2. ziggy stardust
3. heathen
4. station to station
5. scary monsters
6. lodger
7. hunky dory
8. heroes
9. lets dance
10. outside
but it could change depending on mood, of course.
PinUps reminds me- Bowie clearly respects the Jacques Brel songbook, but I’ll forever consider his efforts there second to Scott Walker, at least as interpretations of Brel are concerned.
Though I just found this one. I think I like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfwbRWMuNS0
Ziggy Stardust – freak out in a moonage daydream
Low – you’re such a wonderful person but you got problems
Aladdin Sane – looked a lot like che guevara
Scary Monsters – now she’s stupid in the street and she can’t socialize
Hunky Dory – look at those cavemen go, it’s the freakiest show
“Heroes” – i i wish i could swim like dolphins like dolphins can swim
Diamond Dogs – someone to claim us someone to follow someone to shame us some brave apollo
Lodger – but the space in her eyes shows through
Pin Ups – something tells me you’re the devil’s daughter
Heathen – and your mom and dad and your big fat dog
banal- Everyone Says Hi has made me cry. Few songs have or can.
I thought heathen just a personal favorite, but it’s resonance to people who aren’t me may make it the late masterpiece I would call it.
God,
seeing this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBHP0zrTdH8
in some sold-out Texan Enormodrome would have been amazing.
Banal, you managed to single out some of my all time favorite cool-sing-along lines. Thanks.
The first 3 are in no order really as I love them equally:
1 – Ziggy Stardust
2 – Alladin Sane
3 – The man who sold the world
4- Space Oddity
6- Hunky Dory
7- Diamond Dogs
8- Low
9- David Bowie (recorded in 67’)
10. Station to station
I love a lot of David Bowie’s older songs (pre-Ziggy/Hunky Dory) like “Silly Boy Blue”, “Little Bombardier”, “There is a Happy Land” that are from 66’-68’. These three songs I would place as his greatest. But from that era, some of his songs were kind of silly like “We are hungry me” or “Uncle Arthur” but are still really fun. I find that he was most consitent in the early 70s with the “Spiders”. His work in the late 70s with Brian Eno I find intersting but less melodic.
did u know moon was directed by david bowie’s son
Bowie performing Five Years live on The Old Grey Whistle Test – Broadcast in 1972
“…drinking milkshakes cold and long…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=louXPUW7tHU&feature=related
Watching Bowie in 82 or 83 on the Serious Moonlight tour was probably one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.
deckard croix
(in order)
1. ‘Heroes’
2. Station to Station
3. Ziggy Stardust
4. Hunky Dory
5. Aladdin Sane
6. Outside
7. Low
8. Space Oddity
9. Scary Monsters
10. Heathen