r/davidbowiecirclejerk

As someone who has been a fan since around November last year and listened to most of his discography, this is my top 10 albums list:

#1: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Hey man! Call me basic but this is the best album of all time. Period. I don't care if it's a fake fan album, it changed my brain chemistry and is my comfort album. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide is my top song ever, which comes from this magnum opus. That build to "oh no, love, you're not alone" is pure cinema. Hits me hard every time. And Lady Stardust? Thank you Mick Ronson for the incredible piano and the vocals fit perfectly. Five Years is THE ultimate opener and the outro.... Just wow. My love for this album is beyond words.

#2: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

A real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold. Even though this was released in 1980, I count it as a 70s album because it's stylistically closer to Lodger. I will defend Teenage Wildlife forever. All over the album, Robert Fripp doesn't just play the guitar, he attacks it, and I am here for it. As a 33 year old heavy smoker who'd done lots of touring, Bowie shouldn't have been able to reach 1.5 to 2 octaves on Teenage Wildlife. And when he did it on the Outside tour 15 years later? HOLY SHIT. Also Scream Like a Baby is infinitely slept on. The Japanese vocals on It's No Game (Part 1) are ELITE and Bowie's yelling? Felt that. The vocals on that album overall are satisfying on a cellular level. No other notes.

#3: Lodger

First off: Lodger is way too slept on. It deserves way more recognition than it gets. Second off: I get that it's stuck between Heroes and Scary Monsters, but that doesn't mean it's "lesser". This whole paragraph is about why. Fantastic Voyage is the perfect opener. African Night Flight is like induced anxiety on steroids. Move On is meh, but still great. Yassassin speaks to me personally as a half Turkish person. The chaos of Red Sails is wow. The paranoid drawl on DJ is immaculate. The single edit should be avoided at all costs. The urgency in the choruses of Look Back in Anger is a masterpiece. Boys Keep Swinging is genuinely so fun. The way the musicians switched instruments? Genius. Carlos Alomar isn't actually a horrible drummer. Repetition gives me chills. The emotionless almost speaking? Disturbing. And Red Money? The bass and drums are spot on. Recycling the groove from Iggy Pop's Sister Midnight had no right to work this well. Perfect closer, yet again. This album is my weird little gremlin baby and I will defend it forever.

#4: Diamond Dogs

This ain't rock 'n' roll, this is GENOCIDE! Future Legend is creepy in the best way possible. Great way to open a fantabulous album. The transition between that and Diamond Dogs and the transitions in the Sweet Thing sequence are almost imperceptible. Almost too smooth. And Rebel Rebel? Absolute classic. Speaking to trans people from 1974. He really was ahead of his time. As per usual. All the songs intended for an aborted soundtrack for a stage version of Nineteen Eighty Four are perfectly theatrical. Halloween Jack IS a real cool cat. Always has been, always will be.

#5: 1. Outside (The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle)

Oh, Ramona. I need to start off by saying thank you Brian Eno. His production on this art crime case file is spot on. He knew what to do and where. Thank the heavens he had been at DB's wedding or this would not have come to be. And DB's vocals on The Hearts Filthy Lesson and Hallo Spaceboy? Absolute cinema. I love how each song is supposed to be sung from a different perspective. Makes it feel like a real alt universe. The names of the characters are perfect in their own ways. Nathan Adler actually sounds like he could be a detective. The segues are essential and should not be skipped. However, the retread of Strangers When We Meet seems unnecessary and I always skip it.

#6: Station to Station

What a troubled time. Surviving on cocaine, milk, peppers and cigarettes. So, David, it was in fact the side effects of the cocaine. Not love. Continue being delusional if you want. Golden Years is impossible to not dance to. That groove. Word on a Wing is so beautiful it's almost painful. You can hear his desperation for some kind of help. TVC15 is a masterpiece, but what the actual hell is he on about? Same goes for the title track. But props to the Alomar/Murray/Davis trio for immaculate funkiness, and the lead guitar line on Stay is slick as hell (no pun intended as Earl Slick is lead guitarist). Wild is the Wind is also stunning. A stunning song from a stunning album. Shame he didn't remember making it.

#7: Black Tie White Noise

This is me putting on the black tie and cranking out the white noise. This is the album he wrote as a wedding gift for Iman. How sweet is that? Jump They Say is an immediate energy boost, but with a sad undertone when you learn what it's about. The title track is a brilliant way of addressing the LA race riots and a desire for interracial harmony overall. You can hear how much he loves Iman in Miracle Goodnight. Classic love song, but not too cheesy. Nite Flights really is a dramatic highlight with his vocals really out there. Perfect comeback after Tin Machine.

#8: Reality

Ready, set, GO! Reality is something else. In a great way. New Killer Star is perfect as the opener. Bring Me the Disco King is impeccable. The half spoken lyric is amazing. And Mike Garson on piano? Underrated. That piano line weaves in and out of the lyric without taking over. Perfect balance. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon may be DB's most devastating song. He called it "an ugly song sung by an ugly man" and there could not be a better description. One of the best late era Bowie songs. Full stop.

#9: Never Let Me Down

Now, this ain't the right thing to do, so let's.... so let's go! Yes, really. I have the "worst" Bowie album in my top 10. This isn't for shock factor. It is totally unironic. I actually really enjoy it. If you listen past the aggressively 1987 production choices, there's some great songwriting in there. Day-In Day-Out paints the perfect picture of poverty and inequality and the music video matches it impeccably. His voice on Time Will Crawl has a real, detectable sense of urgency in the aftermath of Chernobyl. Zeroes is so nostalgic. The almost narrating of the start of Glass Spider is part brilliant, part chilling. Hate on my putting this here, I could not care less. This is my enjoyment. Also, feel free to check the 2018 revamp on the Loving The Alien (1983-1988) box set before you really come at me.

#10: The Next Day

He really meant it when he said "here I am, not quite dying". What. A. Comeback. Only Bowie could get away with something like this. Everyone thought he'd retired, but then he dropped Where Are We Now? on his 66th and proved everyone wrong. Not even the record company knew there was an album in process. They made every musician/collaborator sign something saying they wouldn't tell anyone. It was this whole operation. The Next Day the song is pure defiance, and I am here for it. The sleaziness of Dirty Boys is like if Cracked Actor and The Jean Genie had a child. The video for The Stars (Are Out Tonight) is one of the best late Bowie promos. Thank you Bowie, Tilda Swinton and Floria Sigismondi for this mini nightmare. Valentine's Day is so so so devastating. It gets sadder every listen. The way it starts almost upbeat is so brilliantly deceptive. The almost childlike chants in How Does The Grass Grow? are creepy as hell. And the first verse and chorus of (You Will) Set The World On Fire are immaculate. Best comeback he could have done.

Just out of top 10 are:

#11: Aladdin Sane

Who will love Aladdin Sane? Loads of people would have it permanent top 10. But not me. Don't get me wrong, there is some immaculate songwriting there. The softness of The Prettiest Star is a jarring contrast to the sneering on Cracked Actor. But it just isn't up there for me anymore. It was for a while, but no longer. It has been dethroned by the comeback album. I do not regret that at all

#12: Earthling

You little wonder, little wonder, you. This is NOT pure drum 'n' bass or pure jungle. More adjacent and Bowiesque. He always did know how to take something and make it his own. Little Wonder is a sensory assault I will gladly endure. The beat of Seven Years In Tibet is perfect for walking and the chorus is brilliant. And the paranoia in I'm Afraid Of Americans can be felt before the lyrics start. Thank you Trent Reznor. We are forever in your debt. Bowie knew when to collaborate with anyone, and this is proof.

Yes, I know most of the "classic canon" albums like Low and "Heroes" aren't there, but, yet again, this is my opinion. Feel free to disagree, but don't be obnoxious about it.