Top 10 David Bowie Albums

David Bowie Albums

Photo credits at end of article

Our Top 10 David Bowie Albums presents what we believe were the ten most fabulous albums that David Bowie released throughout his career. Of course, there are so many more than just ten. However, our top 10 lists are always written to serve as a starting point for fans unfamiliar with most selections of an artists catalog and of course as a place to debate which ones were the favorites among longtime fans. Sometimes we try to choose albums that define different periods of an artist’s career to give a better overall survey of their music. Other times we just pick what we think are the best ten records even if they are all from the same time period. With our David Bowie albums list we did a little of both.

All musical artists go through changes over time. David Bowie took those changes to an extreme by creating characters that defined particular albums. Characters such as Ziggy Stardust were given life and then death. Ziggy Stardust was not the only character or album persona David Bowie took on. There was also The Thin White Duke, Major Tom, Aladdin Sane and of course, one could not forget his movie role as Jareth the Goblin King in the film Labyrinth or his other awesome movie roles such as Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man Who Fell to Earth.

When we lost David Bowie a few years ago in 2016, we all lost a part of our past. For those of us who grew up in the 60s 70s and 80s David Bowie’s music was a part of our lives whether we were a fan or not. David Bowie influenced pop culture in so many ways. Our top 10 David Bowie albums list is a tribute to one of our favorite musical artists of all time.

# 10 – Let’s Dance

David Bowie Albums Let's Dance

We open up our top 10 David Bowie albums list with a great David Bowie album released in the early 80s in 1983. It was an album that was met with mixed reviews at the time as some did not like the album’s supposed intent on delivering big time pop singles, as if writing a hit single is an easy thing to do. Regardless of the jealousy that some critics displayed in their album reviews, David Bowie’s Let’s Dance was as fun as an album he had ever released. How could you not want to dance and grove to the album’s title track? It was an incredibly infectious groove that was realized so well because David Bowie chose Nile Rogers of Chic fame to produce the album.

Over the years David Bowie proved that he knew how to find talent to work with him. Asking Nile Rodgers to produce the island was a brilliant move. Even more brilliant was David Bowie’s instinct to get Stevie Ray Vaughan on board the record. After David Bowie had caught a Stevie Ray Vaughan show, Bowie was so blown away by the guitarist he not only invited him to record on the record he asked him to join his band for the following tour. Sadly, Stevie Ray Vaughan quit the band before the tour began, but he did do the record. And of course, the entire reason he left the band was that his own career was just starting to take off.

David Bowie’s Let’s Dance is an album I can just listen to over and over again. Songs like the title track “Let’s Dance,” “Modern Love,” and our favorite song on the album; “China Girl,” are some of David Bowie’s most memorable songs. And let’s not forget the great re-recorded version of “Cat People,” from the film Cat People. That was a real keeper.

# 9 – Blackstar

David Bowie Albums Blackstar

Blackstar was David Bowie’s final album he released before he passed away. His impending death fueled the album’s lyrics and melodies in the most haunting fashion. The album was hailed universally by critics as one of the best David Bowie albums ever released. Even here on Classicrockhistory.com, writer Brett Stewart tagged the song “Blackstar,” as the best David Bowie song ever released on our top 10 David Bowie songs list.

If I was writing this article five years from now, chances are maybe I would list the album Blackstar as Bowie’s best. It certainly is an incredible record. But it’s difficult to place now because it has only been out for a few years which is not a long time for an artist who was releasing records for almost fifty years. And of course, there are the emotional ties to the record being David Bowie’s last. There is no doubt that Blackstar is a spectacular album. Maybe it’s too good. And maybe that is one of the reasons it’s so hard to write about. But there is no doubt that it belongs on this list of the best David Bowie albums.   

# 8 – Scary Monsters

David Bowie Albums Scary Monsters

David Bowie’s Scary Monsters album is the last David Bowie album on this list that was not released in the 1970s. Although being released in 1980 it’s still pretty close. David Bowie released many great records from 1980 onward. However, his catalog from the 1970s is so legendary there is just not enough room on this list for many records outside of the decade of the seventies if we are only picking ten.

Scary Monsters was released just before the arrival of MTV. However a few of the album’s singles such as “Ashes To Ashes,” and “Fashion,” were put into heavy rotation on MTV when the channel began airing. The album also featured guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen’s pianist Roy Bittan and The Who’s Pete Townshend.

# 7 – The Berlin Trilogy:   Low / Heroes / Lodger

David Bowie Albums Low

David Bowie Albums Heroes

David Bowie Albums Lodger

In the seventh spot of our top 10 David Bowie albums list we have actually placed three albums. The records, Low, Heroes, and Lodger are recorded as almost a set. It’s hard to really separate any one of the three David Bowie albums from each other, so we placed them as one entry. They also stand as David Bowie’s last three albums of the 1970s. Low was the first of the three. It was released on January 14th, 1977. Heroes came out the same year as Low was released on October 14th, 1977. The third and final installment of the Berlin trilogy entitled Lodger was released two years later on May 18th, 1979.

The three albums are usually regarded as a set for various reasons. One of the most significant reasons was the production team behind the albums. All three records were produced by Brian Eno and Tony Visconti. The three producers and musical artists that David Bowie had chosen to work with on these three albums were significant because they all shared the same vision of what David Bowie was trying to achieve with these records. David Bowie had moved to Berlin to basically just be himself and hide in anonymity. It gave him a chance to explore various musical styles without defining himself as a particular character as he had done on his previous albums. The trilogy series was awash in experimentation and stands as a fascinating chapter in the life of David Bowie. Don’t miss these three great David Bowie albums.

# 6 – Aladdin Sane

David Bowie Albums Aladdin Sane

The next six David Bowie albums including this one define the true David Bowie classic albums period of the 1970s. These were outstanding records that stand as some of the best rock albums released in Classic Rock History. David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album was released in the spring of 1973. An amazing year in rock and roll history when classic albums such as Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, Led Zeppelin’s Houses Of The Holy, and The Who’s Quadrophenia. were also released. It was an outstanding year and David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane added to its greatness.

David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album served as the follow-up to the great David Bowie album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsIf there ever was an album that would be tough to follow it would be The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Nonetheless, David Bowie followed up that album in spectacular fashion. The Aladdin Sane album featured soon-to-be hits “The Jean Genie,” “Panic in Detroit,” and a great cover of The Rolling Stones’ classic song “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

# 5 – Diamond Dogs

David Bowie Albums Diamond Dogs

David Bowie’s album Diamond Dogs was released in the Spring of 1974 just about a year after the release of the Aladdin Sane album. In our opinion, it is just a bit stronger than the Aladdin Sane album. The Diamond Dogs record contained one of the biggest songs of David Bowie’s career like the track “Rebel Rebel.” The album also contained other soon-to-be David Bowie classics such as “Sweet Thing,” and the dark piece “1984.” The album’s original cover art had to be edited as it displayed Bowie’s private parts in the half-human, half-dog painting. There are not many of those original covers out there.

# 4 – Young Americans

David Bowie Albums Young Americans

In 1975, David Bowie took a giant leap away from the glam-type music he had been writing and recording to focus on a record that was inspired by American soul music. David Bowie called his version of American Soul music “plastic soul in reference to his standing as a white man from England attempting to do American soul music. It was a reference that was not needed because pretty much anything David Bowie composed and recorded stood as brilliant original material regardless of its inspiration. This was also incredibly evident on the fantastic Young Americans album.

One of the most consistent attributes of David Bowie’s 1970’s albums were hit singles. Young Americans continued that pattern. The Young Americans album spawned two major hit singles with the songs “Young Americans,” and “Fame.” The single “Fame,” became one of the biggest hits of David Bowie’s career as it hit number one in both the United States and Canadian music charts. The song also featured John Lennon on backing vocals. David Bowie, John Lennon, and guitarist Carlos Alomar are all featured as songwriters on the song.

# 3 – Hunky Dory

David Bowie Albums Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory is the oldest David Bowie album to be placed on this top 10 David Bowie albums list. The record was released in 1971. The album was released before David Bowie had achieved the mass fame he accumulated after the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsThe album’s opening number and lead-off single entitled “Changes,” would prove to become one of David Bowie’s signature songs. His greatest hits album was even titled ChangesOneBowie. Our favorite song from the record and also its second single was the great track “Life On Mars.” 

# 2 – Station to Station

David Bowie Albums Station to Station

As we arrive at the top two positions on this top ten David Bowie albums list we had considerable difficulty choosing between the top two David Bowie albums. Both records are completely different works which is very reflective of the comparisons between most David Bowie albums. Station To Station was one of David Bowie’s most spectacular albums if not the best. It may not have been as groundbreaking or culturally significant as The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars but song for song it is off the charts great.

Five singles were released from the Station To Station album. There were only six songs on the record so just about every song on the album was released as a single. The album’s lead-off single “Golden Years,” was a huge hit. The subsequent singles released from the record such as “TVC 15,” ” Stay,” “Wild Is The Wind,” and the edited version of “Station To Station,” all charted but did not have the same success as the single “Golden Years.”

# 1 – Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie Albums Ziggy Stardust

Coming in at the number one spot on our top 10 David Bowie albums list is the masterpiece The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The album was released on June 16th 1972. The record is a concept album that focuses on a character named Ziggy Stardust who is a rock star who communicates with aliens. This is what we were told and how the album was described. In essence as fans what we found was a record of great rock and roll songs recorded by an artist wanting to stretch the boundaries of music and art in exploring themes that were often defined as taboo. Its was a significant album in terms of spreading the popularity of the genre of glam across musical genres while stretching the format itself deeper with meaning.

In the end, it’s always about the songs, and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars had plenty of great ones. It was not an album full of hit singles as there was only two singles released from the record. “Starman” and its b-side “Suffragette City” were released as the first single from the record. “Rock and Roll Suicide,” was the album’s second and last single. Nonetheless, it was an album filled with amazing songs all tied together loosely in a career-defining moment for a man who had many of them.

David Bowie Images in Feature Photo

David Bowie with eye patch -AVRO / CC BY-SA 3.0 NL (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en)

Thin White Duke in vest – Jean-Luc Ourlin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Article Updated May 27, 2023

Top 10 David Bowie Albums published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain creative commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at end of the article.

DMCA.com Protection Status

One Response

  1. Avatar Gail February 13, 2022

Add Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

10 Perfect Songs To Annoy Your Neighbors
10 Perfect Songs To Annoy Your Neighbors
Judas Priest Songs
10 Judas Priest Songs That Are Among Their Best
Steve Howe Songs
10 Essential Steve Howe Songs From His Solo Albums
Pink Martini Songs
Top 10 Pink Martini Songs You Need To Hear
Electric Light Orchestra Albums
10 Electric Light Orchestra Albums Everyone Should Own
Stevie Nicks Albums
Top 10 Stevie Nicks Albums
Our Ten Most Listened To Albums Of All Time
Our Ten Most Listened To Albums Of All Time
Thin Lizzy Albums
Top 10 Thin Lizzy Albums
Monsters Of Rock Cruise Day 1 Review
Monsters Of Rock Cruise 2024: Day One Review
Classic Rock Radio 104.3 FM Becomes New Home of NY JETS
Classic Rock Radio 104.3 FM Becomes New Home of The NY JETS
Ronnie Montrose Remembered 2024 Tribute Concert Review
Ronnie Montrose Remembered 2024 Tribute Concert Review
The Forgotten Pioneer: Bob Welch's Role in Fleetwood Mac
The Forgotten Pioneer: Bob Welch’s Role in Fleetwood Mac
Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society Interview
An Interview With Jeff Fabb of Black Label Society
Joey Vera of Armored Saint: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Mel Gaynor Interview
An Interview With Mel Gaynor, Formerly Of Simple Minds
George Collins Interview
George Collins: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
Status Quo Albums
Complete List Of Status Quo Studio Albums And Discography
Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Complete List Of Phantom, Rocker & Slick Albums
Paul Young Albums
Complete List Of Paul Young Albums And Discography
Steeleye Span Albums
Complete List Of Steeleye Span Albums And Discography
Music CDs Comeback
Why Music CDs Have No Chance Of Making A Comeback
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
Classic Rock Bands Still Together But Overdue For A New Album
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
When Glam Bands Went Grunge In The 1990s
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
25 Most Famous Female American Singers Now!
Sammy Hagar Album Review
Why Sammy Hagar’s 1977 ‘Sammy Hagar’ LP Was One Of His Best
Grand Funk On Time Album Review
Looking Back At Grand Funk Railroad’s Debut Album ‘On Time’
Ghost Writer Album Review
How ‘Ghost Writer’ Turned Us On To The Music Of Garland Jeffreys
Four Wheel Drive Album Review
Why We Loved Bachman–Turner Overdrive’s Four Wheel Drive LP