Well groovers having played Aladdin a great deal of late I am reminded how much I loved his work. I have around 17 of his albums, mainly in the early days up to Scary Monsters. I've bought a couple of later works but to me, they just don't stack up.

I was brought up on a diet of Diamond Dogs, Ziggy ( the first thing I ever heard in stereo, courtesy of one John Allum at Hampton School ), Aladdin, MWSTW, Hunky Dory etc.

So, whaddyafink was the last truly *great* Bowie album?

Did it stop at Heroes? Low? Lodger?

I reckon Heroes was on the cusp...

Regards

Mike

Similar Bowie background to you Mike. Lodger would be my last true classic. However I really enjoyed Reality.

Cheers
Rich

Me too chaps. `cept i stopped at Station to Station, could not get my head around anything later.

A guy I respect a lot musically says some of the "new" stuff is back on form though, although I have not heard any of it.

Saw him live as Ziggy .... what a show probably my the "best" I have ever attended.

Hey Rich, the kan speaker stands worked a treat on my little Klipsch standmount speakers.

Regards

Andy

He never made a great album IMO, too much filler on all of them. Space Oddity is the best, although not for the title track.

-- Ian

Ian

Its not often I disagree with you on music. But, for one, where is the filler on Hunky Dory?

Cheers

Rich

All of it apart from Life on Mars :-)

I think I should probably withdraw from this thread before I upset anyone, I'm not a Bowie fan it must be said...

-- Ian

That's why I stay out of Bowie threads altogether. I just can't see the attraction and never could, not even when I was in the relevant age group.

Heroes and The Idiot, both top drawer stuff

DS

I like everything up until he left RCA, i.e. Scary Monsters is the last good one IMHO. I've got the lot to that point and don't want any more.

Tony.

Scary Monsters for me too, though even that has some dodgy tracks on it.

I've got Space Oddity, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Station to Station, Low, Heroes, Scary Monsters, and erm... Let's Dance, and Tonight. (Gave up on him after those last two!)

Mike, can I ask which of the earlier ones that I'm missing are 'great' Bowie albums that I need to have?

Nicholas

Nicholas

Butting in - you need Diamond Dogs.
Cheers
Rich

Rich -just realised I missed that one from my list of ones I've got.

Thanks anyway!

Nicholas

Nicholas

Man Who Sold The World has some very good tracks on it; the track Width Of A Circle is, in parts, amazing IMO.

Regards

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll look out for it.

At the moment I only know MWSTW from Nirvana's Unplugged!

Nicholas

That's why I stay out of Bowie threads altogether. I just can't see the attraction and never could, not even when I was in the relevant age group.

markus.

i'm a touch too young and i don't see the attraction either, although i like that major tom song quite a bit. in general, i'm not fond of musicians who have to make a visual spectacle of themsleves to gain popularity.

vuk.

Funnily enough I'm cleaning my copy of 'The Man Who Sold The World' at this very moment. I have a few Bowie albums stopping at Scary Monsters. I've always felt Low and Heroes to be overrated. Sorry to be obvious but I would have to say that Ziggy is the only great album that he's done.

Peter

My most played Bowie is Young Americans, but I'd say "Low" was the last great record. When was that, '76? That's a long time ago....

Kevin

Nah, plenty of good stuff after Low! Heroes & Lodger (which is a woefully overlooked album and actually one of my favs - very reliant on Eno's Oblique Strategies cards and it really works) and Scary Monsters has some magic too.

Tony.

Scary Monsters didn't really do it for me but I have to confess that I loved "Lets Dance" at the time. Haven't played it for years and some intuitive sense tells me I should leave it that way.

Might go and put on Nick Lowe's "Bowi" ep though!

Kevin

Never a huge fan of Bowie but I'd agree with Scary Monsters being the last one of his that I'd play much these days.

The last two, with Tony Visconti doing the production, whilst not being classic, do at least sound like Bowie was enjoying making music again and have some catchy songs on them. They occasionally pop up on the ipod and I never feel like skipping on to the next track.

A while ago I was with a group of friends in a local pub to see an excellent American Hendrix wannabe (Carvin Jones) and we were discussing which was our favourite Bowie album was - we all named different ones. I suppose that is the chameleon like nature of Bowie. Did I ever mention I like the Chameleons?

I like Lori and The Chameleons.

Cheers

Rich

In Virgin on Picadilly Circus last week they were playing Scary Monsters LOUD. I hung around for ages enjoying it. I reckon there's no filler if you play it loud enough.

A while ago I was with a group of friends in a local pub to see an excellent American Hendrix wannabe (Carvin Jones)
I saw him a little while back in the Zoo Bar, St Helens. He was worth the money, but he needs a better shirt!

Mull

I don't think any of his prime period albums have any great degree of filler on them, only tracks that, in comparison with the best, may not be quite so good. Scary Monsters for me marks the beginning of the end of that.

As mentioned by Andy there have been quite a few subsequent albums that have been touted as him back at his best, but though they feature genuinely good stuff like 1. Outside they generally haven't reached the heights of originality or style of that 70s sequence.

I will offer up one exception though, and that's Heathen. It's very consistent and very good. As inspirational as any of the top stuff? No, if I'm being honest, but I do believe it's good enough that if it had been by anyone other than Bowie, with such a back catalogue to compare everything to, it would hev madwe a bigger splash. Very good.

Ziggy Stardust is the best Bowie album of all, but Heathen is the best of the recent ones and definitely worth getting IMO.

I once (age 12) had a very bad experience with a borrowed copy of TMHSTW and the parcel shelf of a parked car.

Because of this thread, I dug out my forgotten, almost mint copy of 'Tonight' err, last night.

I discovered why it is still near mint!

The only bowie I can listen all the way through on is Hours.

I agree with Patrick, Heathen's excellent, if not great.

Heroes.

And Station to Station was his masterpiece.

Because of this thread, I dug out my forgotten, almost mint copy of 'Tonight' err, last night.

I discovered why it is still near mint!

Tee hee. It can't be as bad as "Never let me down" though... I thought I'd got a bargain when I got a copy off a colleague for £2 on original late 80s CD, but it was total s***!

Barring that one, I've got both Changes albums and Hunky Dory, and that's it. I want a few of the others though.

I had a listen to 'Ashes to Ashes' last night. It's as good as anything else Bowie's done (not meant as damning by faint praise, BTW) but the rest of Scary Monsters doesn't really come up to the same high standards. I say Bowie was at his best just before Eno got involved; Station to Station is probably my favourite.

Of course Bowie must always bear the cross of having climbed to the highest tops at an early age, but I own all of his later albums, and at least "1. Outside" and "Heathen" are very, very good IMO.

Thom

Of course Bowie must always bear the cross of having climbed to the highest tops at an early age, but I own all of his later albums, and at least "1. Outside" and "Heathen" are very, very good IMO.

Thom

Seconded Thom.

To me the albums from David Bowie (a.k.a Space Oddity) on to Scary monsters are essential.

80´s production incl tin machine is not worth having really.
Black tie White noise and Earthling is more for the completist.

None the less he has made some very good albums later on. Such as: Hours , Buddha of suburbia, 1. Outside and Heathen.

Heathen, dare I say, is on par with his some of his 70´s production.
Buddha of suburbia is vastly underrated IMO, same goes with 1.Outside.

Reality is somewhat interrim but it would´nt surprise me if the next one is something extra.

There has been mentioned the Bowie at the BEEB. If you have the opportunity to get hold of the Limited Edition 3Cd edition there is also a live performance from 2000 wich is excellent.

Gunnar

Thanks Mike, I'll look out for it.

At the moment I only know MWSTW from Nirvana's Unplugged!

Nicholas


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSLMJKA23Ws


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uzVkfaFa0k



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOQdZdSPzuk

nirvana-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJOgMjG-60k

There are a few Bowie albums worth owning:

Hunky Dory
Station to Station
Lodger
Changesbowieone

Station to Station is the only one that approaches greatness because he had the good sense to imitate American Soul.


ET