David Bowie OP10

1. "Diamond Dogs"
2. "Teenage Wildlife"
3. "Station to Station (Live0"
4. "1984"
5. "Helden" (German version of "Heroes" from Sound + Vision)
6. "Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)"
7. "Wild is the Wind"
8. "It's No Game (pt.1)"
9. "Andy Warhol"
10. "Stay"

....and I could cite about twenty more.

- Sense of Doubt
- Always Crashing In The Same Car
- Blackout
- Station to Station
- Red Sails
- Suffragette City
- All The Madman
- Subterraneans
- Ashes to Ashes
- Look Back In Anger

Starman
Suffragette City
Drive-In Saturday
Changes
TVC 15
Ashes to Ashes
Fashion
DJ
Let's Dance
Absolute Beginners

"Always Crashing in the Same Car"
"Teenage Wildlife"
"I'm Deranged"
"Joe the Lion"
"Aladdin Sane"
"Station to Station"
"It's No Game (Part 1)
"Jump They Say"
"Cracked Actor"
"Ashes to Ashes"

And I didn't even get to Earthling, Hours, Heathen, Man who Sold the World, Ziggy Stardust... no one should ask for a best of David Bowie without allowing for at least twenty or thirty selections. Hmph.

TVC15
Golden Years
Scary Monsters
China Girl
Ashes To Ashes
Sound And Vision
Fashion
Rebel Rebel
Suffragette City
DJ

Oh! You Pretty Things
Starman
Heroes
Station to Station
Space Oddity
Nightclubbing (I know, it's supposed to be an "Iggy Pop song" but COME ON!)
Breaking Glass
Yassassin
Joe the Lion
The Man Who Sold the World

• "Seven" (Marius De Vries Mix)
• "This Is Not America" w/Pat Metheny Group
• "You've Been Around"
• "Loving The Alien"
• "The Motel"
• "Baal's Hymn"
• "Dead Man Walking"
• "Slip Away"
• "Criminal World"
• "The Voyeur Of Utter Destrustion (As Beauty)"

And for most pretentious title, "Voyeur" wins hands-down.

I was actually thinking of starting two threads: Bowie pre-1980 PO10 and Bowie ScaryMonsters-Heathen PO10. Might do that some other time when this one has 'slipped away'.

Actually, there have been a lot of great stuff from him during the 90s (and 00s), but not good enough for the Top 10.

These listings are hard because it's hard not to list just like 10 really good singles from artists like this, but you'll have 10 really good album traxx that are just as viable.

-Yassasin [turkish for: long live]
-life on mars?
-sweet head
-panic in detroit
-scary monsters [and super creeps]
-starman
-station to staion
-everyone says 'hi'
-modern love
-funtime [technically an iggy track, but a co-write and BVs make it count in my book]

"RED SAILS! Ponderosa!" (or whatever the line is)

on a slightly connected note in reviews-
upon release earthling great [groundbreaking, teaches those kids a thing or two], better than 1.outside
upon release ...hours great, better than earthling [what was he playing at/ 50 yr old trying to be down with the kids. what crap]
upon realase heathen great, better than ...hours [too maudlin. trying to hard to recapture the past]
what has this got to do with anything? don't know but felt good to get it off my chest.

Earthling: very good, Bowie enters the techno world and conquers it as far as I'm concerned.
Hours: upon release, I thought it was fantastic. As if he took the best out of his past and merged it into one album. But somehow it quickly bored me so much that by now I think it's his WORST! It goes nowhere and has a weary feeling all over it.
Heathen: Only have it since a week, at first I hesitated to buy it as I was afraid it was another Hours. Luckily it's not, it's quality stuff with several highlights as Slip Away, Afraid, I Would Be Your Slave.

Something I need to get off my chest is that Never Let Me Down is quite alright, and Tonight has a nice mood. No real highlights (save for Loving The Alien) but I don't think these two albums are as bad as many would say they are, I like them.

(I like Tin Machine II a lot, by the way)

Rebel Rebel, damnit!

1.Panic in Detroit
2.Sound And Vision
3.Starman
4.She Shook Me Cold
5.TVC15
6.Suffragette City
7.Fame
8.Width Of A Circle
9.Cracked Actor
10.Moonage Daydream

"Heroes"
Life On Mars?
Five Years
Station To Station
Ashes To Ashes
Breaking Glass
Fashion
Lady Stardust
Warszawa
China Girl

1. Suffagette City
2. Blue Jean
3. Heroes
4. Ashes to Ashes
5. Reble Reble
6. Changes
7. Let's Dance
8. Fashion
9. Fame
10. Modern Love

Sad, I'm listening to "Young American" right now and I just took it off the list.

Song for BD is my least favourite track on Hunky Dory, sorry. It's still very listenable.

1.Be my Wife
2."Heroes"
3.Joe the Lion
4.Look Back in Anger
5.Lady Grinning Soul
6.The Secret Life of Arabia
7.Station to Station
8.Life on Mars?
9.Moonage Daydream
1o.Criminal World

nearly included i'm deranged <3

Off the top of my head, in no order:

"'Heroes'"
"Life on Mars?"
"Slip away"
"Repetition"
"Sound and vision"
"Looking for satellites"
"Station to station"
"Ashes to ashes"
"Young Americans"
"Beauty and the beast"

POX is faintly ridiculous, obviously. These are the songs that have been buzzing through my head / that I've been enjoying most since Monday.

"Heroes"
Under Pressure
A New Career In A New Town
Stay
Moonage Daydream
Black Country Rock
Red Sails
Teenage Wildlife
Let's Dance
Lazarus

A New Career In A New Town is perfect

"Fantastic Voyage"
"Up the Hill Backwards"
"Golden Years"
"Sons of the Silent Age"
"Ashes to Ashes"
"Moonage Daydream"
"Time"
"Sweet Thing"
"I Can't Explain"
"Sound and Vision"

I never really paid attention to A New Career in a New Town until I re-listened to Low this week and now I think it's maybe the best thing he did.

Teenage Wildlife
Sound and Vision
Rebel Rebel
Life on Mars
Heroes
Modern Love
Ashes to Ashes
Warszawa
Five Years
Starman

Surely "Chilly Down" belongs in someone's list

heroes
ashes to ashes
sound and vision
ziggy stardust
tvc15
modern love
station to station
you've been around
strangers when we meet
i can't give everything away

Memory Of A Free Festival Parts 1 & 2 (7" single)
"Heroes"
Blackstar
Station To Station
Five Years
Lady Stardust
Sound And Vision
Ashes To Ashes
Quicksand
(20-way tie for 10th place)

I love how songs from Blackstar are making people's lists here.

TVC15
What In the World
Beauty and the Beast
Black Country Rock
Breaking Glass
Look Back in Anger
Oh You Pretty Things
Always Crashing in the Same Car
Fashion
Sound and Vision

Jump They Say
Beauty & The Beast
It's No Game Pt.1
Breaking Glass
The Bewlay Brothers
Fashion
Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
Cracked Actor
Little Wonder
The Heart's Filthy Lesson

The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (As Beauty)
Golden Years
Station to Station
Sound and Vision
A New Career In a New Town
The Motel
Warszawa
V-2 Schneider
Suffragette City
Strangers When We Meet

TVC15
Five Years
Move On
Watch That Man
Station To Station
Panic In Detroit
Modern Love
Black Country Rock
What In the World
Life On Mars?

all the madmen
memory of a free festival
modern love
"heroes"
ziggy stardust
sound & vision
golden years
life on mars?
rebel rebel
suffragette city
(can't do ten)
starman
oh you pretty things
soul love
the man who sold the world
moonage daydream -- oh yeah!

my brain hurts a lot just trying to keep it to 15

roughly in order of favor

"Heroes"
Life on Mars?
Ashes to Ashes
Sound and Vision
Starman
Changes
Moonage Daydream
Rebel Rebel
Young Americans
Space Oddity

Life on Mars?
drive in saturday
moonage daydream
suffragette city
jean genie
modern love
ziggy stardust
golden years
rock n roll suicide
diamond dogs

roughly chronologically

the supermen
moonage daydream
aladdin sane
1984
station to station
warszawa
"heroes"
it's no game, part i
uncle floyd
tis a pity she was a whore

I'd be very interested to see a POX covering 1984-2004. Anyone?

young americans
"heroes"
ashes to ashes
life on mars
sound and vision
always crashing in the same car
kooks
blackstar
golden years
subterraneans

POX

Queen Bitch
Five Years
Drive-In Saturday
Station To Station
It's No Game (pt. 1)
The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)
I'm Deranged
Dead Man Walking
Heat
Blackstar

Edged off: 1984, Width Of A Circle, A Small Plot Of Land

I'm v much of the opinion that DB's 90s-onward aping-of-"Nite Flights" is better than Actual "Nite Flights" and even actual latter-day Scott Walker (as much as I <3 latter-day Scott Walker)

Hang Onto Yourself
Queen Bitch
All The Madmen
Station To Station
Neuköln
Speed of Life
It's No Game (pt. 1)
Jump They Say
Red Money
Starman

Young Americans
African Night Flight
I'm Afraid of Americans
Word on a Wing
Queen Bitch
Ashes to Ashes
Be My Wife
Speed of Life
Be My Wife
Sound and Vision

That's two wives

POO wife

Fascination
Station to Station
Move On
It's No Game (Part 1)
Absolute Beginners
Jump They Say
Dead Against It
Dead Man Walking
Strangers When We Meet
I Can't Give Everything Away

i'm contrarian enough to not really need pre-young americans bowie in my life anymore and that was still impossible

I need to do a lot of late-era DB listening. FGTI, you mentioned "A Small Plot of Land" and I went back and looked at your Bowie ballot from the ILM poll and it was there too, so I'm putting Outside at the top of my to-listen stack.

Subterraneans
Never Let Me Down
Miracle Goodnight
Golden Years
I Can't Read
Loving the Alien
Yassassin
Modern Love
A Small Plot of Land
Blackstar

..absolutely bloody impossible to do this! these are just some of my all-time favourites by him off the top of my head.

Small Plot of Land is brilliant. That could have gone on my list too.

Yeah it's great, there's a version on the Basquiat soundtrack that iirc some 90s Bowie websites that ran polls preferred, but the Outside version is so beautiful, anticipates the final two albums

Prob my favourite Garson track fwiw

Also the way it enters in like a whirlwind after The Heart's Filthy Lesson has overstayed its welcome by a minute or two

Ziggy Stardust
Station to Station
Move On
Stay
'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore
"Heroes"
Ashes to Ashes
Sons of the Silent Age
What in the World (Live 1978)
Fascination

fuck me running that was hard

The Man Who Sold The World
Life on Mars
Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
Cracked Actor
Panic In Detroit
Oh You Pretty Things
Station to Station
Subterraneans
Heroes
Blackstar

Very hard and this might change in a couple weeks

Quicksand
Life on Mars?
Five Years
Rock n Roll Suicide
Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)
Win
Fame
Station to Station
Be My Wife
Blackout

Memories of a free festival
Oh you pretty things
Win
Breaking glass
Ashes to ashes
Modern love
No control
Buddha of suburbia
This is not America
Everyone says hi

I made a list and now I'll share it:

44. The Laughing Gnome
43. Janine
42. Sense of Doubt
41. Speed of Life
40. TVC15
39. Jean Genie
38. Sons of the Silent Age
37. Slow Burn
36. China Girl
35. Moonage Daydream
34. Absolute Beginners
33. Beauty and the Beast
32. Subterraneans
31. Boys Keep Swinging
30. Ziggy Stardust
29. Word on a Wing
28. Queen Bitch
27. Modern Love
26. The Bewlay Brothers
25. Drive-In Saturday
24. Where Are We Now?
23. Diamond Dogs
22. Warszawa
21. Space Oddity
20. Starman
19. Under Pressure
18. Lady Stardust
17. Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
16. Fame
15. Blackstar
14. Golden Years
13. Sound and Vision
12. Win
11. A New Career in a New Town
10. Ashes to Ashes
9. Let's Dance
8. Life on Mars?
7. Sweet Thing - Candidate - Sweet Thing (Reprise)
6. Young Americans
5. Station to Station
4. Breaking Glass
3. Five Years
2. "Heroes"
1. Changes

Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing is incredible

sons of the silent age
moonage daydream
'tis a pity she was a whore
ziggy stardust
station to station
"heroes"
blackstar
move on
fascination
stay

ziggy stardust
soul love
young americans
win
golden years
under pressure
jean genie
ashes to ashes
all the young dudes

drive-in saturday
young americans
win
fame
station to station
always crashing in the same car
a new career in a new town
it's no game (no. 1)
ashes to ashes
modern love

fantastic voyage
golden years
width of a circle
fashion
crystal japan
station to station
weeping wall
heathen (the rays)
sweet thing
sound & vision

Ashes to Ashes
Let's Dance
Station to Station
Life on Mars?
Rock N Roll Suicide
Sound and Vision
Yassassin
Fantastic Voyage
Five Years
Lazarus

Lady Grinning Soul, Golden Years, African Night Flight, Sweet Thing, Blackstar and Bewlay Brothers were particularly painful cuts.

My list from two years ago, I think I was subconsciously being obtuse:

Queen Bitch
Five Years
Drive-In Saturday
Station To Station
It's No Game (pt. 1)
The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)
I'm Deranged
Dead Man Walking
Heat
Blackstar

Edged off: 1984, Width Of A Circle, A Small Plot Of Land

My revised list, less obtuse:

Station To Station
Queen Bitch
Drive-In Saturday
I'm Deranged
The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)
Breaking Glass
The Man Who Sold The World
A Small Plot Of Land
Five Years
Young Americans

Edged off: Sound + Vision, Golden Years, Dead Man Walking

Wrestling with Bowie's enormous catalogue is difficult. I sometimes am drawn to his more "perfect" moments-- Ziggy-as-an-album, Quicksand-as-a-song. Like, the things that you can hold up to the established canon and say "THIS is a terrific album. THIS is a terrific song."

But ultimately what makes Bowie so essential to me is the square pegs. "Station To Station" is way too long and mixed terribly and the vocals are awful but it's the best song I've ever heard. The convoluted gender/sexuality narrative of "Queen Bitch". The awkward marriage of doo-wop pastiche and convoluted sci-fi lyrics of "Drive-In". He's at his best when it's not really entirely working.

All the songs I've listed here I can remember exactly where I was when I first listened to them, and the emotional response that the song elicited in me. The first time I heard that diminished synth stab on "Breaking Glass" and then was appalled that the song was already over. The first time his voice enters on "I'm Deranged" and I'm blown away by the accuracy of his Scott Walker impression. The first time I ground my teeth at the ridiculousness of "your face, your race, the way that you talk, I kiss you you're beautiful, I want you to walk". The first time my eyebrows hit the ceiling at "you ain't a pimp and you ain't a hustler, pimp's got a Caddy and the lady's got a Chrysler".

The most important lyric to my life, also, it should be noted, is "she's uncertain if she likes him, but she knows she really loves him"

I can't think of a single other line that encapsulates my feelings about pretty much everything in the world