Let me make this clear: David Bowie is one of my favorite artists, and his music changed my life forever. It's been 10 years since the cultural icon's death from cancer at 69. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the news broke on that fateful Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016.
Bowie was truly one of kind, and his work has influenced countless artists over the years. He changed what a pop star could be, and left an undeniable mark on the world. It’s hard to imagine a reality where Bowie’s image as Ziggy Stardust or his Thin White Duke persona never happened — the pop culture ether would be much less rich for it.
Bowie was a prolific musician, releasing 26 studio albums during his lifetime. Not only that, every one is worth a listen. I still think about Bowie weekly, and often revisit his back catalogue, a comforting and connective way for me to keep his work alive.
But it’s a daunting task to go through Bowie’s life's work, especially if you're less familiar with his music or personas. Not only is the sheer size of his work overwhelming, but each album has at least one hidden gem that you absolutely have to know. For every “Heroes” or “Starman” there's a track like “Kingdom Come” or “Wild Is the Wind” that you absolutely need to know.
To help you appreciate his greatness, I’ve chosen tracks from Bowie's many eras to revisit on this 10th anniversary of his death. Given the sheer volume of his work, not all albums are represented here — but that doesn't mean they're not worth a listen.
Early years
It's hard to imagine, but at one point David Bowie was a fledgling artist just getting his start in London, England. Bowie's first few records are the sound of an artist finding their style, and they're a great listen if you want to know his unadorned, natural (and youthful) voice.
Bowie's early years came at the end of the mod era and morphed into to the psychedelic '60s, and his style — both sonically and aesthetically — changed dramatically, seemingly in lock-step with the time.
“Uncle Arthur” — David Bowie (1967)
This is the first track on David Bowie’s first album (which he released when he was about 20). It’s a real time capsule of a song. Though it’s jarring to think that this is the same artist who would in just a couple of years write “Ziggy Stardust,” it's truly a fun piece of '60s nostalgia/early Brit pop.
Overall, the track has more in common with Herman's Hermits than David Bowie, and as I listen to it I can’t help but smile and think of how far he came as an artist.
“All the Madmen” — The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
Bowie was in full psychedelic mode with his third album, 1970's The Man Who Sold The World, and “All the Madmen” is a great example of that. This is also the first real evolution of Bowie’s overall sound from his first releases, and is laden with middle eastern vibes and a guitar tone that later became iconic on tracks like “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City.”
Comparing this record to Bowie’s self-titled from 1967, it’s almost impossible to believe it's the same musician. This was also the first example of Bowie’s uncanny ability to play in the cultural evolution space.
Breakthrough, Ziggy Stardust and the Glam Era
With the start of the 1970s came Bowie's explosion into superstardom. During this time he released more hit records than most bands do in their entire career. He was experimenting heavily with reinvention and gifted the world his now-infamous Ziggy Stardust persona.
The work he made during this period has influenced entire genres since — including punk rock and even '80s hair metal!
“Song for Bob Dylan” — Hunky Dory (1971)
Hunky Dory was Bowie’s breakthrough album.
Songs like “Changes” and “Life on Mars?,” both on this album, are still radio staples to this day. “Song for Bob Dylan” is an interesting track from the album, and it’s not clear if Bowie was poking fun at Dylan with the song or if it’s a tribute. Either way, this is a well-written tune, and you can hear the embryonic tones of what would become Mott The Hoople's "All The Young Dudes," which Bowie actually wrote for the group.
“Rock N Roll Suicide” — The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars (1972)
One year and one album later, Bowie was a full-blown rock star with an elaborate alter ego. In 1972 he conquered the world and released one of the most timeless rock records of all time: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars.
“Rock N Roll Suicide” closes the record, and is the epic end of the just-introduced character Ziggy Stardust. It's a slow burn of a track that eventually crescendos to an explosive finale, leaving you to sit and contemplate the story of Ziggy Stardust and his untimely demise.
Did Bowie believe he was an alien rock star?
Yes. Yes he did.
“1984” — Diamond Dogs (1974)
Disco, punk, rock, funk, soul extravaganza.
Bowie went full throttle with 1974's Diamond Dogs, and “1984” is the culmination of it all. This was the end of Bowie’s glam era, and the addition of funk and soul on a few songs was a tease of what was to come. Diamond Dogs is a wild album, just look at the cover!
The drug years, The Thin White Duke and experimentation
As so often happens in the music industry, especially to artists of worldwide fame, during this period Bowie slipped into excessive cocaine use. After creating and killing Ziggy Stardust and establishing himself as a glam rock god (all between '71 and '74), it was time for another reinvention.
The rock guitars morphed into horns and sax solos, which than completely evolved into the unknown world of electronic music. The change in sound and excessive drug use produced several records in a short amount of time and also created a new persona — The Thin White Duke.
Meet 1975 - '77 Bowie!
“Somebody Up There Likes Me” — Young Americans (1975)
1975's Young Americans was a smash hit record for Bowie, and fully embraced a new era and new sound elements, including soul and (more) funk. He even coined the term “plastic soul,” referencing his vibe at the time.
“Somebody Up There Likes Me” is an epic groove-based track with a ripping saxophone solo and some truly empowered vocals by Bowie. This was also the height of Bowie's cocaine use, when he birthed The Thin White Duke and produced some of his overall best music to date.
“Beauty and The Beast” — Heroes (1977)
By 1977 Bowie is embracing experimentation and electronics in his music like never before. During this time he also teamed up with Brian Eno, and the two of them created truly unique music.
“Beauty and The Beast,” from his twelfth studio album, is said to be about Bowie's split personalities, which would come out during his cocaine binges. It’s a futuristic sounding track, and has influenced later acts like The Talking Heads, New Order and The Cure.
Also, Heroes as an album is one of Bowie's strongest offerings, right up there with Ziggy Stardust and Let's Dance (which at this point in his career is still a few years out). If Bowie would have only ever written the title track from this album he would still hold an important place in rock history — it’s that good.
“Subterraneans” — Low (1977)
"Subterraneans," from his (also 1977) album Low, is a truly haunting piece of electronic music, and it sounds like what Bowie would have created if he was hired to soundtrack Blade Runner.
Low is arguably Bowie’s most creative album as well, and went on to influence the likes of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin.
“Look Back in Anger” — Lodger (1979)
Lodger is a bit of a forgotten Bowie album, which is too bad. Among its offerings is “Look Back in Anger,” which is a tremendous rock song that combines the experimentation of Low with the rock energy of Diamond Dogs.
This album dropped in an in-between period for Bowie, during which, among other things, he was working to pull back on his drug use.
Let's Dance, The '90s and '00s
To this point, Bowie had already built a prolific body of musical work across genres and personalities. But he had gained some doubters — in particular, those who listened to Station to Station and Low and just heard experimental sounds. This much longer period of his work is when he proved his doubters wrong — he wrote a massive radio smash and truly spent his time doing a lot of really cool stuff — because he could.
In 1983 he released Let's Dance, which is still one of his most popular albums. He also teamed up with Queen for the mega-hit "Under Pressure," performed at Live Aid and crossed over into feature films with Jim Henson's cult classic, Labyrinth, David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Christopher Nolan's The Prestige.
When the '90s arrived Bowie was done establishing his rank in the world of music, and life changes had a greater impact on his sound of this time. He married his love Iman and welcomed his daughter, Alexandria. And while he was a rock god, he allowed himself to become an aging one. His once-youthful voice started carrying the early edges of the heavier sound of a musician still very active, but with decades of accumulated observations.
“Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” — Let’s Dance (1983)
David Bowie wrote a song for the erotic horror thriller Cat People?
That’s right, and it was a hit.
This is a banger of a track and is included on his excellent Let’s Dance album. Inglorious Basterds fans will recognize it as part of that 2009 film's soundtrack as well.
While this was a hit song, it shared its album space with the much more popular “Let’s Dance,” “Modern Love” and “China Girl.” It's a surprising fly-under-the-radar song on a very high performing album, and is a great representation of Bowie's musical prowess.
“You’ve Been Around” — Black Tie White Noise (1993)
Back to experimentation, Black Tie White Noise was Bowie’s first album of the ’90s. After marrying his wife, model Iman, in 1992, Bowie moved to Los Angeles, where he witnessed the LA Riots. That experience inspired him to write a record focusing on racial harmony, thus Black Tie White Noise was born.
“You’ve Been Around” sounds like a ‘90s track. Elements of trip-hop are on display, it has a well-polished production sound, and one seriously funky bass line.
“Seven Years in Tibet” — Earthling (1997)
In my humble opinion, Earthling is Bowie’s most underrated album. His 21st studio recording is dynamic, exciting, weird and wonderful all at the same time. If this album came out today it would still sound fresh.
The track “Seven Years in Tibet” is like Bowie meeting Nine Inch Nails. It just so happens that during this time Bowie was collaborating with NIN front man Trent Reznor, so something must have rubbed off. This track is another reminder that Bowie could truly do anything — and play with whatever genre he pleased.
“Afraid” — Heathen (2002)
Bowie didn’t skip a beat when adapting to the musical sounds around him, and this track from 2002's Heathen is reminiscent of the garage rock revival of the period. Imagine Bowie collaborating with The Strokes and you kind of get the idea of what’s happening here.
It's another great underappreciated track — nothing more to be said, experience it for yourself!
The final years
Bowie's final years were populated by the releases of his critically acclaimed The Next Day and Black Star albums, both of which were some of his strongest work in decades. He proved once again that he was a force to be reckoned with, and Blackstar (his final record) is the one that topped the U.S. Billboard charts. Coincidentally it was released on his birthday, just two days before he died.
“The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” — The Next Day (2013)
Bowie’s first album of the 2010s was also his first record in ten years, following 2003's Reality. It was a critical success and further proof that no matter the decade, Bowie was on top of the game. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” is an upbeat rocker about celebrity and fame with dark undertones.
Most men in their late 60s are not rocking this hard.
Notably, by this point, that early preview of an elder statesman's vocal sound are more prominent as well. He's more Leonard Cohen, less rebellious youth.
The music video is particularly striking, and sees Bowie going toe to toe with actress Tilda Swinton — a must watch.
“I Can’t Give Everything Away” — Black Star (2016)
We started with the first song on Bowie's first studio album, and now we end with the final song on Bowie’s final studio album.
"I Can't Give Everything Away" is a melancholy, bittersweet piece of songwriting. Bowie repeats the line “I can’t give everything away” while the music adds to the mood of contemplativeness and self reflection. You have to believe he knew by this point that his music work — and his life on earth — was ending.
After the song ends it’s impossible not to think how Bowie died very shortly after its release, and thinking about his untimely death reframes just how he very much did give everything away at the end.
