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.
Just realizing that the closing track on a Bowie album tends to be the standout track for me. The man knew how to end an album!
Today’s #BowieADay album is his 5th, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). I'm probably one of the few who wouldn't put this in their top 5 Bowie albums. I do love it but, even though I have a crate dedicated to Bowie records, I don't even own a physical copy. I more often listen to the soundtrack to the film that documents the final Ziggy show, with its stunning cover of Jacques Brel's "My Death" being one of my most played Bowie tracks.
David Bowie - My Death (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London 1973) [4K Upgrade]
Today's #BowieADay album is his 6th, Aladdin Sane (1973), aka "Ziggy Stardust goes to America" (to produce Lou Reed and The Stooges), aka "Haaaaave you met Mike Garson?" Garson's piano playing is a goddamned delight, and happily he'll be a frequent collaborator with Bowie up to his final tour.
Random observation: the title track ends the same way the title track on Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) ends, including lines from the tune "On Broadway".
Today's #BowieADay album is his 7th, Pin Ups (1973), all covers of songs from 45s he had in his hotel room at the time. This is my least listened to Bowie album. Fun fact: news that this album was in the works caused a kerfuffle between Bowie and Bryan Ferry, who had just finished his covers album, These Foolish Things. While he's a bit more polite in a revisit of this entry, I love how Chris O'Leary gets to the point in his original post on the album's single "Sorrow":
Today's #BowieADay album is his 8th, Diamond Dogs (1974). This is when Bowie's discography really starts to grab me, perhaps because it is "jaundiced and cynical" as Chris O'Leary says. Also, this is the album where Bowie really starts to get into the "cut-up" method of writing lyrics, i.e., cutting a page of lines into strips and randomly rearranging them, often with batshit results.
A lot of standout tracks for me, but I really love the "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)" triptych.
Today's #BowieADay album is his 9th, Young Americans (1975). Going through chronologically, 50 years removed, it's sort of natural to assume Bowie's abrupt persona/genre changes were announced via album release, or at least the first single. But imagine catching the so-called "Soul Dogs" tour, still part of the Diamond Dogs tour but in the middle of the YA sessions. It included only 4 DD songs and these 5 new very much not glam songs - 5 SOUL songs, AND with a backing chorus! Like, I can't even.
Just added this link to our #BowieADay listening schedule on the blog - recordings from a couple stops on the so-called Soul Dogs portion of the Diamond Dogs tour. Bowie's voice sounds like total shit here due to his drug use. Apparently this is one of the reasons why he wanted a backing chorus for Young Americans, to help smooth over where his voice failed. Good call, since it gave us Luther Vandross!
Today's #BowieADay album is his 10th, Station to Station (1976), the beginning of my favourite run of Bowie albums. When I first heard this album, I played TVC 15 (i.e., Iggy Pop's batshit dream in song form) on repeat, but the long-term standout for me is Bowie's take on Nina Simone's take on "Wild is the Wind". His live performance of this track in 2000 is one of my favourite things ever. Also love that his outfit in the liner notes reappears in the "Lazarus" video.
David Bowie – Wild Is The Wind (Live BBC Radio Theatre 2000)
Yesterday's #BowieADay album was the 1st of the so-called Berlin trilogy, Low, which means today is the 2nd, "Heroes" (both 1977). I frequently listen to Low on its own but rarely listen to Heroes without first listening to Low, so I have both on today. I especially dig the Sound+Vision reissues from the early 90s, as they each have a few additional songs. Also, the Tao Jones Index version of "V-2 Schneider" (i.e., the Earthling tour band doing a drum’n’bass version)!
V-2 Schneider (TAO Jones Index)
Today's #BowieADay album is his 13th (of 26 - halfway done!) and the last of the Berlin trilogy, Lodger (1979). I swear the universe has been conspiring to keep me from enjoying this album. The 1st copy I bought ended up being a bootleg, after my local record shop owner assured me it was fine (it wasn't, was a total shit pressing and cover), and literally 2 seconds ago I realized my playlist with the entire Bowie discography plus extras WAS MISSING 2 SONGS FROM LODGER. WTF. Digital media blows.
Look Back In Anger!!!!! I feel like I haven't heard this song in forever because I literally haven't!!! Stupid Apple Music gremlins stealing my Bowie away from me for who knows how many gorram years, grumble grumble. Clearly I need to get back into listening to my vinyl.
ANYWAY, I flipping love this song and am VERY happy to be reunited with it.
Should say, I've at least had live versions of "Look Back In Anger" in my ear holes, most recently this one from the Dissonance co-headlining tour with NIN in 1995.
Nine Inch Nails & David Bowie 17 Look Back In Anger 1995 Live Remastered
Today's #BowieADay album is his 14th, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980). There are some who consider this the last great Bowie album, and those people are wrong. But it is definitely a great album, with some of my favourite Bowie tracks and lines (e.g., "Those midwives to history put on their bloody robes"). I also find the album's beginning and end noises charming - it opens with Tony Visconti rewinding a 24-track tape machine and pressing play, and it ends with the tape running out.
Today's #BowieADay album is his 15th, Let's Dance (1983), the beginning of my least favourite Bowie period. I do rather enjoy a few songs though, probably "Ricochet" most. In his book "Ashes to Ashes", Chris O'Leary compares its inclusion to Genesis including a prog track 'for old times' sake' on each new album: "...the only song on Let's Dance to suggest Bowie's art rock past. It's a 'previously on' recap: 'Hi, I'm David Bowie. Do you remember me? I wrote Joe the Lion and Subterraneans.'"
Today's #BowieADay album is his 16th, Tonight (1984). Just as Bowie regretted making this album, I regretted buying it. So instead I'll flag 2 of my favourite Bowie tracks that were released between this and the next album: "This Is Not America", recorded in '85 with the Pat Metheny Group for The Falcon and the Snowman soundtrack; and "Absolute Beginners", recorded in '86 for the movie of the same name. I LOVE the performances of these tracks in this 2000 show:
David Bowie - Live BBC Radio Theatre 2000
Today's #BowieADay album is his 17th, Never Let Me Down (1987). I - who have been obsessively listening to Bowie for 9 years straight - am all like "I have no memory of this place" with this album, still. So, I spun it 2x today, and I was surprised that there are actually a few good tracks. I've heard a lot of shit-talking about the tour, but the "Glass Spider" track on its own at least packs a LOT into 5 1/2 minutes - I would've loved to see it live! Paves the way for Tin Machine, at any rate.
ErgonWolf@buffyleigh I saw the Glass Spider Tour, the only time I've seen Bowie. live. His musical performances were fine but the entire production was messy and unfocussed in a way that even I at the age of 20 knew wasn't really working very well.
C Puffer@ErgonWolf @buffyleigh I remember seeing some of it, including the finale, on video, 1990ish and it struck me as bloated and overlit. Still if it had been my only chance to see Bowie I would cherish that memory.
@puffer @buffyleigh I cherish having breathed the same air molecules as David Bowie within an arena. The show itself wasn't one of those "wow I will never forget this" productions except for the opening where he descended from the upper lighting rig on basically a throne singing into what was basically a telephone handset. I remember very little else from the show, which tells you how amazing the show was.