What were Bowie’s best vocal performances?
I’ve been thinking about Bowie specifically as a singer — not necessarily his best songs, favorite albums, or most iconic performances, but the recordings where his voice itself is the standout.
I think Bowie sometimes gets underrated as a vocalist because so much attention goes to the songwriting, personas, production, etc. He obviously wasn’t a conventional “great singer” in the Freddie Mercury/George Michael kind of sense, but his range, phrasing, dynamics, and ability to completely change the character of his voice were pretty remarkable.
My personal list would probably be:
Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide
Lady Grinning Soul
Life on Mars?
Wild Is the Wind
Word on a Wing
“Wild Is the Wind” might be the one I’d choose if I had to demonstrate that Bowie could just flat-out sing, while “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” is probably my favorite example of how dramatically he could use his voice.
What would you put on the list? And are there any less obvious/deep-cut performances you think belong among his best vocals?