The Conclusion Of David Bowie Week: Top Ten Albums Ranked (Amity Tracks #59)

Subscribe for more great content just like this coming every Tuesday and Thursday:
/ @amitytracks
Welcome to Amity Tracks. This is a channel where we discuss a wide range of music related topics. The focus will be on music from the 1960’s through the 1990’s, but not exclusively. Classic rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, jazz, blues, folk, country, soul…all genres are fair game. From time to time we may dabble in other popular culture, such as film, history or sports. But music is primarily what we do here. The focus is on the music and the artists. We hope to encourage an open and dynamic community with fun and informative discussions not only in the videos, but also in the comments section. Please note that, while disagreement and discussion is welcome, no personal attacks or out of bounds comments will be tolerated. We want to be a part of the positive larger vinyl community and other like-minded, music focused communities.
#vinylcommunity #davidbowie #albumrankings #vinylcollection #recordcollection #vinyltag2023

[@michaelsweenie-lane359]

As a Bowie fan since I first saw him live in 1976 and never missing a concert after I cannot rank his albums as I love all of them

[@rogersongster3967]

Agreed, Ziggy is a perfect album. True work of art in absolutely every sense.

[@antalantal2366]

Let's Dance is a killer album, poppish and "commercial", if we want, but so well sounding and so well produced!

[@stevec7372]

Great picks, love your love for Outside, perfect often overlooked album. No Scary Monsters in top 10 though!

[@jakehudson7118]

Blackstar is the album that impresses me the most, nearly 50 years after his first album and whilst he was dying to make a masterpiece puts him in the top 10 all time artists in my opinion. Rest in Peace David.

[@slumdogjay]

Great top ten. Diamond Dogs is in my top 3 if I ever made a list. I love Outside too.

[@jimmyjarrett-ws2iz]

This might not be what I'd pick for my tip ten but if someone had never heard Bowie before (I know, had to believe), I think this would be the perfect list of LPs to suggest, basically a great example of how he changed over the years, always evolving. Great list. Thanks mate, really enjoyed your thoughts on each album. Subbed👍

[@amitytracks]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@chadczternastek]

I knew understanding the diversity of Bowie was gonna take some real time and deep stuff, I put off getting into the groove till now (I'm almost 50). I think he's just a epic legend who had this beautiful, raw, spontaneous energy that separated him from anyone else. I never been rewarded so rich and deep in my life. He just left this huge void, this huge hole of nothingness and it's so sad. I often cry when I hear him put his soul into his songs. I love the jazz Bowie the best. Young Americans just a great album.

[@aaronmarshall8557]

Here’s an oddity for you: There’s a recording of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” with David Bowie narrating. A really interesting listen!

[@amitytracks]

I have seen that but never listened to it. I bet it is interesting.

[@massimosaffioti8798]

I love it. I've always considered it the phantom step brother of the Berlin Trilogy.

[@thejoin4687]

@@massimosaffioti8798 We should also consider Elephant Man a phantom relative to Scary Monsters.

[@massimosaffioti8798]

@@thejoin4687 Yes. I can see that... but does that make The Hunger an Undead Cousin of Let's Dance? :o

[@thejoin4687]

@@massimosaffioti8798 Yeah, along with second half wotsit of Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence

[@mordecaicarroll]

Good list. Hunky Dory might just be my favorite DB record, and i would have rated Lodger higher up than you did. But a good runthrough of his albums all the same

[@palacerevolution2000]

Thanks for your great work. I like your dedicated clips the best. Like Bowie week, or Bruce week etc. ( Need a Lou Reed week). The best parts of each album's review IMO are always the personal, heartfelt words. Ranking wise, it's hard to argue. His best albums are his best. Th only one I do not agree with is 'Let's Dance'. It is making me want to go listen to 'Outside', and "Buddha' though.

[@amitytracks]

Thanks, I really appreciate that. In the right mood, 'Outside' can really hit you.

[@zsatsfm]

Great list, my top 3 would be the same. Great to see Outside in the top ten. In my top ten, I would have to have The Man Who Sold the World and Scary Monsters, so I would lose Lets Dance and Black Star - both great records, but we all have our favourites. Btw, I don't think you mentioned my favourite live album, Ziggy Stardust Motion Picture Soundtrack, the 1973 Hammersmith "retirement" show, a similar tracklist to Santa Monica, which is also great.

[@daledavidson8242]

At the time, the Bowie/Ronson produced Transformer felt part and parcel with Rise and Fall. Used to rotate the two right regular, along with Honky Dory. Bowie’s legendary live performances of Ziggy at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby has got to be why it’s where he recorded his first official Live release, along with a good chunk of Stage. (His surprising Philly connection.)

[@massimosaffioti8798]

I feel the same, but I extend that to All the Young Dudes and Weren't Born a Man as well.

[@daledavidson8242]

@@massimosaffioti8798 I wasn’t familiar with Dana Gillespie. Nice.

[@massimosaffioti8798]

@@daledavidson8242 Bowie and Ronson produced 2 tracks (Andy Warhol and Mother Don't Be Frightened) All in all not a bad album with Rick Wakeman, Bobby Keyes, Mike Moran, Liza Strike, John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Dave Wintour and Ray Cooper playing on various tracks. Also check out Lulu's versions of The Man Who Sold the World and Watch That Man both recorded with The Spiders less than 2 weeks after Ziggy's farewell show.

[@cebusapella9125]

Hi, I've very much enjoyed Bowie week; Bowie being my all-time favourite artist, and I've been a big fan since 1972, seen him twice, once in 1973 and again in '83. Your list is interesting and broadly similar to mine except for a couple of big differences. I'd definitely put Man Who Sold the World a lot lot higher, and Let's dance quite a bit lower - some great songs but just too commercial for me. I've always liked MWSTW, but my love of it went up a notch when it was recently released as the Metrobolist, remixed by Tony Visconti, it's fantastic, Ronson sounds amazing on Width of a Circle, and other tracks come alive like never before, especially Black Country Rock, with bowie doing his Bolan impersonations at the end. His glam period albums have always been my favourites, but more recently my interest in his later stuff has been sparked by the VC and videos such as yours, and I've been listening a lot especially to Earthling, Outside and Blackstar, and really getting into them. Many thanks for the videos, just one question: why does Mini David Bowie have that weird Australian accent?

[@amitytracks]

Thanks! We appreciate you watching. Quite a few people have also said they'd put Man Who Sold the World higher, so I am clearly in the minority there. And on the accent, I'm from Texas. Was doing the best I could! LOL.

[@massimosaffioti8798]

Nice list! My Top 10 is gonna be Glam Era-centric so it should be mostly predictable. I love The Spiders. Out of all of Bowie's backing bands, they were definitely my favorite. I say they belong in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame... but that's a rant for another day... My Top Ten: 10) *The Man Who Sold the World* This album is as raw as an exposed nerve in a cavity ridden wisdom tooth. Ronson just lets loose and Visconti's bass playing sounds like a cross between Felix Pappalardi and Mel Schacher. This is the closest Bowie got to capturing the spirit of The Velvet Underground's chaos. Favorite songs: *She Shook Me Cold* *Width of a Circle* *All the Madmen* 09) *Let's Dance* I had a gig the day the single came out and I bought it without hearing it. I got to the club for soundcheck and when I was done I asked the DJ to spin it. He was as excited as I was to hear it for the first time. When it started everyone hit the dance floor (me included)… For the next year or so anytime I heard it at a club, there I was, sweating it out dancing amongst a sea of sweaty strangers. Those were the days! Favorite songs: *Let's Dance* *Cat People (Putting Out Fire)* 08) *"Heroes"* One of my favorite prog albums… There, I've said it. "Heroes" is prog! Favorite songs: *Black Out* *Joe the Lion* *Beauty and the Beast* *Sons of the Silent Age* 07) *Station to Station* Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar shine brightly on this disc and Bowie's version of Wild Is the Wind rivals Johnny Mathis' original. Favorite songs: *Stay* *Wild Is the Wind* *Station to Station* 06) *Tin Machine* The Chameleon strikes again! Bowie's foray into grunge. Favorite songs: *Amazing* *Under the God* *Working Class Hero* 05) *Hunky Dory* Some great gems amongst some quirky oddities. Kooks and Fill Your Heart hanging on stubbornly to Man of Words/Man of Music as Life on Mars? and Oh! You Pretty Things herald the advent of Ziggy with some wondferful tributes in between… and then there's The Bewlay Brothers harkening back to The Man Who Sold the World, but so much better. Favorite songs: *Quicksand* *Life on Mars?* *Oh! You Pretty Things* *Queen Bitch* *Andy Warhol* *The Bewlay Brothers* 04) *Diamond Dogs* One foot on the dying beast of glam and the other stepping into the role of plastic soul crooner…Leaving Mike Garson as the only Spider left standing. Favorite songs: *1984* *We Are the Dead* *Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise)* *Rock 'n' Roll with Me* *Rebel Rebel* 03) *Aladdin Sane* Ronson and Garson explode as Bowie offers up the beautiful carnage that is Aladdin Sane. Favorite songs: *Let's Spend the Night Together* *Lady Grinning Soul* *Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)* *Time* *The Jean Genie* *Cracked Actor* 02) *The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars* A brilliant masterpiece almost achieving the excellence of The Slider by T.Rex. Maybe id he'd pushed Ronno's guitar a little forward in the mix and gotten Flo and Eddie on Backing Vocals... Favorite songs: *Ziggy Stardust* *Moonage Daydream* *Suffragette City* *Starman* *Rock 'n' Roll Suicide* 01) *Pin-Ups* Yeah, I know, everyone dismisses this as "just a covers album" and everyone just misses the point. This final album featuring The Spiders sees Woody replaced by Aynsley Dunbar. The band is simultaneously at their tightest and their most untethered. Ronson, Garson and Dunbar are the stars of this album, achieving a sense of abandon reminiscent of The Who in their heyday. Favorite songs: *Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow* *I Wish You Would* *Rosalyn* *I Can't Explain* *Shapes of Things* *Where Have All the Good Times Gone* And now for the post-script... Favorite live recordings: *Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture* *Bowie at the Beeb* *David Live* *Live Nassau Coliseum '76* *Serious Moonlight* *Glass Spider Live* *VH1 Storytellers* I'm hoping for… *Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture* expanded to feature: *Mike Garson's Medley Intro* *The Wild-eyed Boy from Freecloud/All the Young Dudes/Oh! You Pretty Things Medley* presented as one single track. *Round and Round* featuring Jeff Beck *The Jean Genie/Love Me Do* featuring Jeff Beck *Live at Festival Hall 1972*. Utilizing this wonderful new fangled seperation technology and finally give us a clean recording of The Spiders performing their encore of Cream's *I Feel Free*. An official *Sound and Vision Tour* live album. *The 1980 Floor Show* from October 1973. Favorite collections: The *Sound and Vision* boxset Other than Bowie and the Beeb, this is the only collection with any meat to it. I'm hoping for… *Singles A's and B's 1969-1974* *Anthology 1969-1974* a Beatles Anthology style treatment of the Ziggy era. I'm not asking for much… am I? Cheers!

[@amitytracks]

Great analysis. You have convinced me to go back and give 'Pin-Ups' another spin.

[@massimosaffioti8798]

@@amitytracks That's all I ask. Thanks.

[@suartgilmour4540]

Cool list. I have no problem with where you put Lets Dance as its a great pop record, and theres nothing wrong with that! My personal fav is Scary Monsters. I feel its the perfect combination of his songwriting excellence and his desire to experiment. And as you mention, the guitar work on it is phenomenal. The rest of my top five would be: 2. Aladdin Sane 3. Ziggy Stardust 4. Low 5. Hunky Dory Personally i think you underrated The Next Day. Some killer tunes on there. Otherwise I broadly agree with you. Stuart

[@ThePeaceableKingdom]

I enjoyed this discussion very much. Of course I or anyone else would juggle the positions a bit - for personal reasons one just likes something more, a memory of when you first heard it, what your life was then, who you were with, etc. Plus there are still a few Bowie albums I'm not familiar with so I can't judge them. I would bump Diamond Dogs a bit higher, and Man Who Sold the World could be my 12, 11, or even 10. But glad to see Low getting some respect. It's often overlooked. Its songs are ambiguous and slippery, open to interpretations or defying them. And glad to see Hunky Dory rated so well. It's another that gets forgotten with its Crowley imagery and folkier guitar rock. I've always liked it, from way back.

[@jimbarton1608]

This was great! I didn't watch your other Bowie video yet. But here's our big divergence... Scary Monsters is #1 for me, and Ziggy doesn't even make the top 10! I got spoiled on the amazing live versions of those songs from Stage. The studio versions could never live up. David Live was also an early exposure for me, while those versions did not ruin the studio versions from Aladdin Sane once I got that album, so Aladdin Sane ranks high for me too. Unlike most of my friends, Let's Dance did not disappoint me after Scary Monsters. It is an amazing album. Here is our only other divergence... I did not think of Black Star or Outside right away for my list. But did include Black Tie White Noise and Reality. I spend a lot of time with those great records.

[@cardinalsin5419]

My number one favorite is the self titled debut 1967 Low my second favorite

[@johnphilliphatledal3098]

Here are my 25 studioalbum best to worst. 1 Low 2 Scary Monsters 3 Station To Station 4 Heroes 5 Lodger 6 Blackstar 7 Diamond Dogs 8 Ziggy Stardust 9 Honky Dory 10 Aladdin Sane 11 The Next Day 12 Heathen 13 Young Americans 14 The Man Who Sold The World 15 Reality 16 Pinups 17 Hours 18 Outside 19 Space Oddity 20 Black Tie White Noise 21 Lets Dance 22 Tonight 23 Never Let Me Down 24 David Bowie 25 Earthling

[@tinmachine693]

Watch out for the villagers! You're gonna have to talk them down in the town square😅

[@francoispitre6292]

Why Bowie fan's do not love Man who sold the world ? Ronson and Visconti are pure killers , a true influence for heavy metal / stoner rock

[@jellobiafra9361]

It’s my favorite record. Running gun blues, all the madmen,

[@antalantal2366]

Akward question: could somebody suggest the Bowie's album which is, music-wise, as close as possible to "let's dance" ?

[@amitytracks]

I guess Tonight would be, but it is not nearly as good.

[@antalantal2366]

@@amitytracks Thank You!

[@ZionForman]

Lodger

[@Wayner71]

In a way, Bowie was the 70's Beatles. He provided a run of exciting albums that provided the kind of evolution that the Beatles provided years earlier but in a 1970's context. Cheers.