the buff who fell to earthThis year for my annual Bowie vigil, I'll be listening to his studio albums in chronological order, from his bday (aka Bowiemas, Jan 8) until however long it takes to listen to 1 album/day, plus Blackstar on the anniversary of him leaving us (Bowienalia, Jan 10). We have 4 Bowie albums still to spotlight on the @1001otheralbums.com blog and I'm not planning on doing parallel posts like I did for Tom Waits week. BUT, if anyone wants to do a guest spotlight, hmu!
For anyone wanting to join us listening through all of Bowie's studio albums, we're doing one a day in chronological order, starting tomorrow (January 8) until we're done (February 2). I've posted a listening schedule on the @1001otheralbums.com blog complete with Songlink links, along with some bonus suggestions if you want moar Bowie. Feel free to use the hashtag #BowieADay to toot your thoughts.
Happy Bowiemas to all who celebrate! Up on today's #BowieADay schedule is Bowie's first LP, the 1967 s/t. Like a lot of first albums, it's quite different from what comes afterwards, but is an important glimpse at where this amazing artist came from. And this wasn't Bowie's first recording! I've added links to a few other releases that compile earlier singles going back to 1964, on the blog post with our listening schedule. 
Who am I kidding, there's no way I can only listen to one Bowie album a day. I'm currently already on the 4th LP, Hunky Dory, lol, and it's not even lunch. I'll probably just restart my playlist at the scheduled album each morning and end up relistening to all of them multiple times. 🤓
Ending my first 2025 #BowieADay with my 8th Bowie of the day: Blackstar, released OTD 9 years ago, on Bowie's 69th birthday. I literally have never listened to this without crying, why break tradition now. I've seen a few people asking others what their top album of the first quarter of the 21st century is. Picking one album would be absolutely impossible if Blackstar didn't exist, but it does, so, yeah, final answer.
Today's #BowieADay album is Bowie's second LP, the 1969 s/t aka Space Oddity. The first/title track is of course one of the most-known/played Bowie tracks (and was his first hit), but I always feel like it doesn't fit the rest of the album, which is more hippy/folk. I find the whole thing rather charming, particularly both of the long, almost prog-like side-closing tracks, Cygnet Committee and Memory of a Free Festival. May have spun this album 3x in the last 2 days. 🤓
Just added this link to the blog post - the posthumously released 'Mercury Demos' is a bedroom tape from 1969 featuring Bowie and his friend John Hutchinson as a folk duo. Sounds REALLY great, has some fun banter, and includes a demo of Space Oddity along with a couple other tunes that make the LP recorded later the same year once Bowie snagged a contract with Mercury.
Today's #BowieADay album is his 3rd LP, The Man Who Sold the World (1970), which had no singles but is best known for featuring the song by Nirvana, apparently. The US release came before the UK release, with artwork depicting the asylum Bowie's half-brother Terry was in instead of the photo of Bowie in a dress. (We'll hear about Terry again in Black Tie White Noise's "Jump They Say".) The 50th anniversary reissue reinstates the original US cover and original title, Metrobolist.
TMWSTW is a mood, very much hitting the spot today (on my 3rd spin this morning). There's a lot going on in the lyrics, with references inspired by Bowie's half-brother Terry who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and Bowie's belief that he would also one day inherit a mental iIlness, as well as a bunch of references to Nietzsche and sci-fi. In Chris O'Leary's entry in his book "Rebel Rebel" on the final track, "The Supermen", he writes:
Today’s #BowieADay album is his 4th, Hunky Dory (1971). Everything seems to have clicked into place with this album, and sets the stage for what is to come - it’s the first glimpse of the glam rock of Ziggy Stardust, foretells the piano-forward Aladdin Sane (and general heavy lifting of Mike Garson from then on), and is the first we hear of Bowie on sax. Almost every track is a favorite, including the often ignored closing track Bewlay Brothers, again inspired by his brother Terry.
Thomas@buffyleigh
I won't be able to listen to anything this weekend, but I'll catch up on Monday.
And you know, after Bowie, we need to do Queen. Yes, I am serious.
@derthomas Sure, I'm in!