Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Hunky Dory (1971)Hunky Dory (1971)Released Dec 17, 1971For piano and a good lyric The piano gives “Life on Mars?” room to rise from a quiet verse to a huge chorus. Go on to “Quicksand” and the stranger, quieter “The Bewlay Brothers” to hear what Bowie does when the tune leads you toward words you can’t pin down on one listen.0
  2. 2The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)Released Jan 1, 1972For a rock show in your headphones “Five Years” gives the record a sense of impending disaster. Mick Ronson’s guitar and the Spiders make the middle feel like a band you’ve come to see, and “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” sends you out with an appeal straight to the listener. It’s a good first choice if…0
  3. 3Aladdin Sane (1973)Aladdin Sane (1973)Released Jan 1, 1973For rock with a pianist who won’t sit still The title song is the quickest way in. Mike Garson’s piano solo scrambles the footing of a rock band that’s already in full stride. Hear him again in the cabaret of “Time” and the closing “Lady Grinning Soul,” where he gives Bowie very different kinds of…0
  4. 4Diamond Dogs (1974)Diamond Dogs (1974)Released Jan 1, 1974For a city you can hear The spoken opener, “Future Legend,” drops you into the ruined world of Hunger City. Then “Sweet Thing,” “Candidate,” and “Sweet Thing (Reprise)” make a continuous stretch of music that grows rougher as it goes. Bowie drew on his abandoned plans for an Orwell adaptation, so…0
  5. 5Young Americans (1975)Young Americans (1975)Released Jan 1, 1975For soul singing and a supple band Listen to how the backing singers answer Bowie and how Carlos Alomar’s guitar leaves space for them. “Fascination,” adapted from a song Luther Vandross wrote, gives the singers a groove to push against. “Win” shows how gently the same album can move.0
  6. 6Station to Station (1976)Station to Station (1976)Released Jan 1, 1976For a slow build with a payoff A train-like sound starts the title track, which takes its time before turning into a much faster groove. That change makes a good introduction to an album that can hold the tension of “Stay” and the long, exposed vocal of “Wild Is the Wind” together.0
  7. 7Low (1977)Low (1977)Released Jan 1, 1977For a record with two very different sides “Sound and Vision” makes you wait for Bowie’s lead vocal while the rhythm section and backing singers establish the song. On the second side, “Warszawa,” co-written with Brian Eno, gives slow-moving chords and Bowie singing in an invented language room to…0
  8. 8“Heroes” (1977)“Heroes” (1977)Released Jan 1, 1977For guitars that can fill a room Robert Fripp’s guitar stretches out around Bowie’s rising vocal on the title song. The second half gives you another use of that space, as the offbeat saxophone of “V-2 Schneider” makes way for the heavy piano figure in “Sense of Doubt.” This is a way into Bowie’s…0
  9. 9Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)For pop songs with sharp edges The first “It’s No Game” throws Michi Hirota’s spoken Japanese and Robert Fripp’s guitar against Bowie’s strained vocal. The second version closes the record at a slower pace. Between them, “Ashes to Ashes” shows how much strangeness can fit inside a hook you…0
  10. 10Let’s Dance (1983)Let’s Dance (1983)Released Apr 14, 1983For dance-floor polish and blues guitar Nile Rodgers co-produced the record, and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s lead guitar cuts through the title track’s groove. Stay for the uneven, percussive feel of “Ricochet” and the rerecorded “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” to hear where the album takes that bright…0