Who am I to argue with that meme? Or with Rough Trade's resident Bowie expert David Perry?
He's an "expert."
Now I am no expert, but I do know a little about David Bowie's music.
We all know these album ranking lists are nothing but click bait, and I'll be the first to admit that I fall for them every time. Still, Perry's list really rubbed me the wrong way. No Bowie "expert" is going to dismiss Tin Machine as "as bad as it gets," and then include (and rave about) the soundtrack to "Labyrinth." Or, rank the mostly dreadful "Tonight" higher than "Toy," or "Hours," or...
Damn experts! What do they know?
I had considered commentary like Perry's for each of the albums on my list, or at least replying to each of Perry's comments, but no one is paying me and quite frankly it is too much work.
I did add a comment or three when I felt inspired to do so.
My list is right below Rough Trade's.
Thank you Paul In DK for the link and inadvertantly giving me an assignment.
Rough Trade's List Of Bowie Albums Ranked:
30. Tin Machine- I
29. Toy
28. Hours
27. David Bowie
26. Labyrinth
25. Never Let Me Down
24. The Buddha Of Suburbia
23. Reality
22. Black Tie, White Noise
21. Tin Machine - II
20. Tonight
19. Pin Ups
18. Earthling
17. Heathen
16. The Next Day
15. Outside
14. Space Oddity
13. The Man Who Sold The World
12. Lodger
11. Let's Dance
10. Aladdin Sane
09. Young Americans
08. Blackstar
07. Low
06. Station To Station
05. Hunky Dory
04. Diamond Dogs
03. Heroes
02. Ziggy Stardust
01. Scary Monsters
Burning Wood's List Of Bowie Albums Ranked:
30. Labyrinth
29. David Bowie
28. Tonight
"Blue Jean" was great. The reggae infuenced Iggy covers were not. And neither was the misguided cover of "God Only Knows." Almost 40 years later and I am still not over that one. Still, there are a few songs that save this from being complete garbage, though the production doesn't help. I have Rudy Vallee records that sound less dated.
"Blue Jean" was great. The reggae infuenced Iggy covers were not. And neither was the misguided cover of "God Only Knows." Almost 40 years later and I am still not over that one. Still, there are a few songs that save this from being complete garbage, though the production doesn't help. I have Rudy Vallee records that sound less dated.
27. Outside
Bowie and Eno reunite! What could go wrong? How about everything. This record has a few moments of brilliance, but it is mostly a boring, amelodic slog. It's 75 minutes long, for Pete's sake. If it wasn't for the handful of truly strong tracks, this might have been #30 on my list. I could edit "Outside" down to a nice, tidy 34 minutes---a proper album length---and it would shoot up to the Top 20.
"Outside" (BW's Edit)
Side One
Outside
The Heart's Filthy Lesson
Hallo Spaceboy
I Have Not Been To Oxford Town
Outside
The Heart's Filthy Lesson
Hallo Spaceboy
I Have Not Been To Oxford Town
Side Two
We Prick You
I'm Deranged
Strangers When We Meet
We Prick You
I'm Deranged
Strangers When We Meet
26. Never Let Me Down (Mario McNulty Remix)
This was always my least favorite Bowie record and it is definitely not all Mickey Rourke's fault, who happens to lend his voice to one track. But thanks to the genius work of Mario McNulty, so much of what was wrong has now been made right, including replacing Rourke with Laurie Anderson, all completed with Bowie's approval. I now not only don't hate it, I truly like it.
25. Scary Monsters
24. Tin Machine- II
This
album is what I imagine Bowie haters think all Bowie records sound
like. You can hear him posing on every track. His affected vocals even
give me the twitch. But there is enough on it to like, even though it has always been one of my least played Bowie albums. That it ended up
as Rough Trade's #1, is another reason to not pay attention to that
list, says the non-expert. They say, "...his voice, a jagged weapon
tearing restlessly into classic after classic and it sounds great." No, it doesn't. Not on all of it. It's actually his voice that ruins half of it.
24. Tin Machine- II
23. Tin Machine- I
These two records are filled with punk rock nastiness, arena rock riffs, and even a few catchy melodies. The playing almost always goes off the rails in the best possible ways, even if some of the songs have awfully embarassing lyrics. Tin Machine is not "as bad as it gets." Tin Machine were misunderstood and deserve another chance.
22. Let's Dance
21. The Buddha Of Suburbia
I've
warmed up to this record in the last 40 years. At the time, and for
many years after, I saw right through it. It wanted to be soul music,
but it just wasn't. Time and a different set of ears has softened me and
now I can listen to this record and think, "Nice job, David" instead of
thinking "Play Ziggy!"
19. Space Oddity
18. Pin Ups
17. Hours
16. Earthling
15. Reality
14. Toy
Bowie wasn't very popular during this stretch of records. He was barely selling out clubs and theatres. But those who hadn't given up were rewarded with some of the best records of his career. The frenetic drum and bass rhythms of "Earthling" are admittedly not for everyone, but underneath those sounds were some incredible melodies. "Hours," "Toy," (see yesterday's post), "Heathen," which I will get to later," and "Reality" were almost basic compared to previous left turns in Bowie's career. Any dyed in the wool Bowie fan who dimissed these records, wasn't really listening.
13. Blackstar
I know "Blackstar" is beloved by many. Who else but David Bowie could orchestrate his own death? But I can't help believe if Bowie had survived, "Blackstar" would have been just another notch in his belt. It's fair to say nothing in Bowie's catalogue sounds like "Blackstar." It wouldn't be a stretch to say "Blackstar" doesn't sound like much else in anyone's catalogue. For that alone, it is a masterwork. But I'd be fooling myself if I didn't say, I think this record became an instant classic because of Bowie's death. I believe that. This is a demanding listen, but ultimately worth every second.
12. Lodger
"Lodger," at the time, felt even stranger than "Low" and "Heroes" before it. Like those two records, there were obvious attempts at singles--"DJ," "Boys Keep Swinging"---but unlike the two instrumental sides on the previous records, "Lodger" offered some of Bowie's most bizarre rhythms and vocals--"African Night Flight," "Yassassin." In 1979, I didn't really know what the hell I was listening to. In 2022, "Lodger" is nothing short of brilliant. "Lodger" speaks to the older me much better than it spoke to the younger me.
"Lodger," at the time, felt even stranger than "Low" and "Heroes" before it. Like those two records, there were obvious attempts at singles--"DJ," "Boys Keep Swinging"---but unlike the two instrumental sides on the previous records, "Lodger" offered some of Bowie's most bizarre rhythms and vocals--"African Night Flight," "Yassassin." In 1979, I didn't really know what the hell I was listening to. In 2022, "Lodger" is nothing short of brilliant. "Lodger" speaks to the older me much better than it spoke to the younger me.
11. Black Tie White Noise
It was a coup. Indie label Savage Records signs David Bowie for a $3.4 million, three record deal, leaving the company $7.26 and a few Paper Mate pens to promote "Black Tie, White Noise." The company folded weeks later and Bowie's comeback reunion with Nile Rodgers and Mick Ronson was nothing short of a disaster. The music found on "BTWN" was not. It was brilliant. Funky, glammy and groovy, and reminiscent of the man's best work. But, no one cared. This record holds up better than ever.
It was a coup. Indie label Savage Records signs David Bowie for a $3.4 million, three record deal, leaving the company $7.26 and a few Paper Mate pens to promote "Black Tie, White Noise." The company folded weeks later and Bowie's comeback reunion with Nile Rodgers and Mick Ronson was nothing short of a disaster. The music found on "BTWN" was not. It was brilliant. Funky, glammy and groovy, and reminiscent of the man's best work. But, no one cared. This record holds up better than ever.
10. The Next Day
09. Aladdin Sane
"Hot glam, I love you so!" This was the first Bowie record I bought upon its release. Picked it up at Sugar Mountain Records on Sheepshead Bay Road. There was no turning back.
08. Heathen
07. The Man Who Sold The World
06. Heroes
05. Diamond Dogs
04. Ziggy Stardust
To be straight, "Ziggy" could fall anywhere in the Top 5, including #1 all depending on the day. It's #4 right now, because the Top 3 still sound fresh to me. If I hadn't played "Ziggy Stardust" three times a day for almost all of the 70's, it might have been a no-brainer #1.
To be straight, "Ziggy" could fall anywhere in the Top 5, including #1 all depending on the day. It's #4 right now, because the Top 3 still sound fresh to me. If I hadn't played "Ziggy Stardust" three times a day for almost all of the 70's, it might have been a no-brainer #1.
03. Low
02. Hunky Dory
01. Station To Station
I imagine few would question most of this Top Ten. Maybe you'd raise a brow to "Station To Station" at #1. But eight of the ten are pretty obvious choices, even if some of you would tweak the ranking a bit.
Speaking of "eight" and "ten," you might ask yourself, "Heathen? The Next Day? Really?" Yes, really. If "Heathen" was a modern version of all the best parts of "The Berlin Trilogy" with a poppier edge, then "The Next Day" was a greatest hits of everything Bowie had recorded up to that point. There are days when I'd put both in the Top 5, that is how much I adore those two records. But I imagine including them in the Top Ten is controversial enough.
Just like the Stones fans who stopped listening after "Exile," or the Zep fans who gave up after "Zep 2," or those who think Todd Rundgren recorded "Hello It's Me" and then retired, I imagine there are those who think Bowie stopped making records after "Let's Dance." Before you judge, listen to "Heathen" and "The Next Day," and also the brand new, brilliant "Brilliant Adventures" box, especially if you are a) not a Bowie hater and b) can't recall hearing a note of any of those records.
15 comments:
So what about those Utopia album rankings, Sal? (I kid, I kid...)
Shriner,
I know. I know!
You have righted a Rough Trade wrong. Thanks.
The albums in your top 7 would also make my top 7; in a slightly different order: Hunky,Heroes,Station,DD,TMWSTW,Ziggy,Low. The first 6 are 5 star records; and the ranking could change on any day. I love them all. I would rank Blackstar higher. I remember I listened to it the day of its release and loved it; before Bowie died. Scary would probably make my top 10; so I do like it a bit more than you. I'm glad you both rank Diamond Dogs high; I think that's his most underrated record
Sorry to divert you from vital Utopia work, Sal. :-)
The vocals on It’s No Game put me off Scary Monsters for a while, but other tracks on that I enjoy a lot, so I’d put it in the middle third, just a bit above Young Americans, which is less interesting musically. I listen to Blackstar a lot. The musical sound is unique, a real return of the trailblazing DB. Overall, your rankings are closer to mine. Lately, I’ve been exploring Brilliant Adventures but have a while to go before I can fully assess. Bar Earthling, it’s been rewarding.
- Paul in DK
No argument on the top 3. And I must be the only person in the world who liked Tin Machine.
"And I must be the only person in the world who liked Tin Machine."
I liked Tin Machine!
Any list that ranks "Scary Monsters" #1 can't be taken seriously.
OK, cool, I can work with your list. And parts of theirs.
But I'd like to plunk for the lowly "Tonight". I kinda love it - but mostly because it was the first new Bowie LP that I bought at the time it came out. So it impacted me.
And "Never Let Me Down" does of course suck, but contains one of my Top 15 Bowie tunes, "Time Will Crawl." Crank that one if you haven't in a while. 80s production, yes, but very cool song.
Great list. I'm not a Bowie completist by any means, but I stayed with him for his whole career and really loved his 90s stuff (I probably listen to "I'm Afraid of Americans" as much as I listen to "Ziggy Stardust") and LOVED "The Next Day". I can't argue with this list at all!
Although I do kinda love Tin Machine
"Although I do kinda love Tin Machine"
So do I!
I love the cuss words in "Crack City"
I was way off on Tin Machine! And I actually like the reggae-tinged title track from Tonight with Bowie duetting alongside Tina Turner. Fun list, though you've ALREADY spurred me on to listening to more Bowie over the years. As soon as I finish my best of the year list for 2021, I know it will get me re-listening with pleasure.
Actually, I need to revisit Station To Station, which I only saw as practically perfect while you have it at #1. (The albums I have ranked as a perfect four stars are Hunky Dory and the Berlin Trilogy.
Excellent work, sir.
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