Top 200 Bowie Recordings - #1 - Heroes (1 Viewer)

[Anarchy99]

#77 - David Bowie - Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (Blackstar Video Version - 2016), (Album Version), (Extended Version), (Nothing Has Changed - 2014)
Covers: Evan Ziporyn, Aladdin Insane, BlackStarWhiteDuke Band, portBOWIE, Milton Man Gogh, PMAC Jazz Faculty, Soap & Skin, Noah Mickens, Valtteri Nieminen

The more I listen to The Next Day and Blackstar, the more I wonder what Bowie was up to for A) the prior 10 years (as in, literally, what was he doing?), and B) the prior 30 years (musically speaking). Between those two albums, there is so much material that is reminiscent of his 70's hey day.  IMO, the worst song between these two albums is better than the best track on Black Tie White Noise. Some of Bowie's individual songs may have been decent in the late 80's / 90's / early 00's, but I found most of his albums in that huge stretch to be inconsistent / mixed bags / hit or miss. 

Across Next Day and Blackstar, I do find it a little odd that DB would have different versions for the videos than the albums, but I guess when you are Bowie you can do whatever the heck you want. Technically, Sue (In A Season Of Crime) was first released on the 2014 compilation album Nothing Has Changed. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, and Vocals.

 

[Anarchy99]

#76 - David Bowie - Telling Lies (Earthling - 1997), (Paradox Mix - 1996), (Feelgood Mix - 1996), (Adam F Mix - 1996), (Live - 1996), (Live - 1997)
Covers: The Ludvico Treatment, Buttress O'Kneel, SPAENK
Back to the techno / electronica/ club style Bowie. One of the issues I have with Bowie is my mood will determine what I have a tendency to listen to, and I would be more inclined to want to listen to this than say Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) . . . even if Telling Lies is an inferior song.

Telling Lies was way ahead of the game, as it was the first release from a major artist to be available for download. The three mixes I linked above were released once a week for download. That was 24 years ago. That's how pretty much any song is made available these days, but it was far from a thing back then. The download was available in November of '96 . . . while the Earthling album came out in February of '97.

 

[Anarchy99]

#75 - David Bowie - The Next Day (The Next Day - 2013), (Video - 2013)
Covers: PLeaSureDomE, Piano Tribute Players, Alonzo Garbanzo

The title track to Bowie's first album in 9 years, the song and the video caused controversy for taking shots at religion. The video depicts clergymen in all sorts of less than angelic and accepted practices and was banned from YouTube within 2 hours of its release. It has since been reinstated, but at the time it caused a lot of waves and a lot of folks became disgruntled. If you watch the video, you can see why it rubbed some people the wrong way.

The album was Bowie's first chart topping album in the UK in 20 years (since Black Tie White Noise). It was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rock album category (losing out to Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin). IIRC, there are three versions of the album / CD . . . and combining all the songs and B sides there are a total of 24 tracks and over an hour and a half of music.

 

[Anarchy99]

#74 - David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday (Aladdin Sane - 1973), (Live - 1973), (Live - 1999)
Covers: Morrisey, Def Leppard, Nik Kershaw, Max Lorentz, Babylon Berlin, Reekashade, Ameritz, Game Theory, Hagearty, The Phantoms, DeafboyOne Bowie, Stewart Agnew, Vincent Konrad, Twilight Clone, Julian Maile, Ian Shaw & Clifford Slapper, Steve Barton
A Bowie song that I don't really love and don't really hate. I guess that makes me neutral. I will listen to it when I run into it or the spirit moves me. It just seems a little too whimsical and would have benefitted with a little more substance. Maybe it's just me, but I am not a huge fan of 50's doo-***. Maybe it's sneaky good. Lots of people liked it at the time . . . it hit the Top 3 in the UK. Several Bowie historians think the song is one of his all time bests. Bowie started performing Drive-In Saturday in 1972 before it was even recorded and long before Aladdin Sane was released the following year. He offered it to Mott the Hoople, who turned it down. Bowie performed it from '72-'74 and then resurrected it for a dozen shows in 1999.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

#74 - David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday (Aladdin Sane - 1973), (Live - 1973), (Live - 1999)
Covers: Morrisey, Def Leppard, Nik Kershaw, Max Lorentz, Babylon Berlin, Reekashade, Ameritz, Game Theory, Hagearty, The Phantoms, DeafboyOne Bowie, Stewart Agnew, Vincent Konrad, Twilight Clone, Julian Maile, Ian Shaw & Clifford Slapper, Steve Barton

A Bowie song that I don't really love and don't really hate. I guess that makes me neutral. I will listen to it when I run into it or the spirit moves me.

What am I missing here? If you don't like this song why is it in your top 75? Personally I like the two (non-cover) songs, Aladdin Sane and Watch That Man, from this album that you ranked lower than it already better.

 

[Anarchy99]

What am I missing here? If you don't like this song why is it in your top 75? Personally I like the two (non-cover) songs, Aladdin Sane and Watch That Man, from this album that you ranked lower than it already better.

I probably misspoke. I like the song more than I let on, but not as much as some of the pundits that rank it in their all-time Top 5 Bowie songs. I do think that it is more complex a song than the way I described it. IMO, similar ranking wise to Aladdin Sane for me . . . but I like both of those a little more than Watch That Man. Put another way, I want to like Drive-In Saturday to the point where it is a Top 25 song . . . but I don't. So maybe some of the brilliance or shine never rubbed off on me. That's what I meant when I said I didn't totally love it.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I probably misspoke. I like the song more than I let on, but not as much as some of the pundits that rank it in their all-time Top 5 Bowie songs. I do think that it is more complex a song than the way I described it. IMO, similar ranking wise to Aladdin Sane for me . . . but I like both of those a little more than Watch That Man. Put another way, I want to like Drive-In Saturday to the point where it is a Top 25 song . . . but I don't. So maybe some of the brilliance or shine never rubbed off on me. That's what I meant when I said I didn't totally love it.

Makes sense now. 

 

[Anarchy99]

#73 - Tin Machine - Crack City (Tin Machine - 1989), (Live - 1989), (Live - 1992)
Covers: Spacehog, Super Duper

What can I say? I like Tin Machine. There are probably worse bands to like. This makes the 11th Tin Machine song on the list (and many people will say that's too many). Hopefully there are other fans, as we are not done with TM songs.

This one starts off like Black Sabbath and then switches to a similar beat and cadence as Wild Thing. I am a fan of loud and screeching guitar, and this is another example of that type of sound. The first Tin Machine album was popular in England, as it cracked the Top 3 on the British album chart. It don't not have the same success in the States, as it stalled at #28 on the Billboard album chart. I don't quite understand why they weren't bigger in the U.S.

 

[timschochet]

Too low: 

Velvet Goldmine (top 20) 

Andy Warhol (top 20) 

Kooks (top 40) 

 

[timschochet]

Oh and “Rock and Roll With Me” from Aladdin Sane. Love that. 

 

[Anarchy99]

#72 - David Bowie - Lazarus (Blackstar - 2016), (Video Version - 2016)
Covers: Michael C. Hall Studio Version, Michael C. Hall Live Version, Alice Price, Holly Henderson, PelleK, Anna Calvi, Oveck, Lena Hall, Carbon Mirage, Jonathan Edwards, Ugly Kings, Aaron Fleming, Stoned Jesus, Jaz Sebastian, Doveman, António Mão De Ferro, David Fonseca, Andrea Chimenti, Colborn Harris Project, MAN EATING TIGER, The Foundries, Ryogo Kobata, Alek Novak, eatcolorsdrinkvibes

Bowie's 14th (and final) song to hit the Top 40 in the U.S. (barely sneaking in at #40). It was his first Top 40 song in the U.S. in 28 years (since Never Let Me Down). Pitchfork Magazine and the Village Voice each had it in their Top 10 songs list for 2016. It was Bowie's final single to be released while he was still alive. The video was released three days before he died. According to Bowie's producer Tony Visconti, the lyrics and video of Lazarus were intended to be a self-epitaph, a commentary on Bowie's own impending death.

Like a lot of Bowie's catalog, it depends on the mood and the moment for where to rank a lot of his songs. Too low? Too high? You be the judge. His repertoire is so vastly different, it's like asking someone to pick their favorite between wheat bread, The Flintstones, a yellow highlighter, and a socket wrench.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

#72 - David Bowie - Lazarus (Blackstar - 2016), (Video Version - 2016)
Covers: Michael C. Hall Studio Version, Michael C. Hall Live Version, Alice Price, Holly Henderson, PelleK, Anna Calvi, Oveck, Lena Hall, Carbon Mirage, Jonathan Edwards, Ugly Kings, Aaron Fleming, Stoned Jesus, Jaz Sebastian, Doveman, António Mão De Ferro, David Fonseca, Andrea Chimenti, Colborn Harris Project, MAN EATING TIGER, The Foundries, Ryogo Kobata, Alek Novak, eatcolorsdrinkvibes

Bowie's 14th (and final) song to hit the Top 40 in the U.S. (barely sneaking in at #40). It was his first Top 40 song in the U.S. in 28 years (since Never Let Me Down). Pitchfork Magazine and the Village Voice each had it in their Top 10 songs list for 2016. It was Bowie's final single to be released while he was still alive. The video was released three days before he died. According to Bowie's producer Tony Visconti, the lyrics and video of Lazarus were intended to be a self-epitaph, a commentary on Bowie's own impending death.

Like a lot of Bowie's catalog, it depends on the mood and the moment for where to rank a lot of his songs. Too low? Too high? You be the judge. His repertoire is so vastly different, it's like asking someone to pick their favorite between wheat bread, The Flintstones, a yellow highlighter, and a socket wrench.

Pretty amazing how relevant he still was at close to 70s years of age. He was still putting out great new music when contemporaries like the Stones, McCartney and Elton were putting out dreck records. 

 

[Anarchy99]

Oh and “Rock and Roll With Me” from Aladdin Sane. Love that. 

#71 - David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Diamond Dogs - 1974), (Live - 1974), (Rehearsal - 1974), (Remixed Live Version - 1974)
Covers: Donovan, Killers, Aaron David Gleason, Puddles Pity Party, Ryan Billingsley, David Other, John Vanderslice, Eric & Jeff Clayton, Annie Mok, Fragile Crayons
Bowie the balladeer on display here from the Diamond Dogs album. Mike Garson on piano and organ. Probably ahead as it's time as a power ballad. Diamond Dogs and the subsequent tour is said to have been conceived as a musical / stage version of Ziggy Stardust (but that idea never really gained a lot of steam).

Bowie opted to release the song as a single after Donovan covered the song and released it as a single. Like many of Bowie's singles, it did not sell a lick. He only performed the song on his 1974 Diamond Dogs tour.

 

[timschochet]

#71 - David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Diamond Dogs - 1974), (Live - 1974), (Rehearsal - 1974), (Remixed Live Version - 1974)
Covers: Donovan, Killers, Aaron David Gleason, Puddles Pity Party, Ryan Billingsley, David Other, John Vanderslice, Eric & Jeff Clayton, Annie Mok, Fragile Crayons
Bowie the balladeer on display here from the Diamond Dogs album. Mike Garson on piano and organ. Probably ahead as it's time as a power ballad. Diamond Dogs and the subsequent tour is said to have been conceived as a musical / stage version of Ziggy Stardust (but that idea never really gained a lot of steam).

Bowie opted to release the song as a single after Donovan covered the song and released it as a single. Like many of Bowie's singles, it did not sell a lick. He only performed the song on his 1974 Diamond Dogs tour.

I know, I meant too low. Not as wrong a ranking as Velvet Goldmine or Andy Warhol, but top 50 for me. 

 

[Anarchy99]

#70 - David Bowie - Lady Stardust - (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Demo - 1972), (Live - 1972), (Acoustic - 1997)
Covers: Chris Cornell, Midge Ure, Caoimhe Ashley, Major Major Major, Kenneth Andrew & Rei Atsumi, Kloe Revel, The Facades, Throw Me Some Bowie, John Corabi, William Duvall, Capsula, El Vez, Danny Michel, Dee Madden, Cinzia Bavelloni, Camilla Fascina, Uncle Rock & Tracy Bonham, Bird Mancini, Bari Watts, Andrea Chimenti, The Victor Dog, Louisville Is For Lovers, Zackery, Ben Erickson, Marissa Nadler, The Bed Band, Black Market (Reggae Mix), Brigette, 

We finally dip our toe into the official waters of the Ziggy Stardust album. It was the first CD I ever bought . . . and I bought a new $1,000+ stereo in the 80's to be able to play it properly. To explain how much I like this album, if we were doing a deserted island draft and you could only take only 3 albums, I would take two copies of Ziggy Stardust in case something happened to the first one. I am old school and still play CD's (either purchased or home made). I have the equivalent of three copies in my car (the original CD, a CDR of the fleshed out expanded anniversary release, and all the songs from the album on a Bowie mix collection). And when I go on road trips by myself, I crank it up and sing along to every song.

I briefly considered just listing the songs of the official ZS album as the Top 11 on this list (but that probably wouldn't be a true representation). Trying to rank the songs just on that one album is next to impossible. It's like trying to pick your favorite child. Bowie only performed the song 18 times . . . 16 times in 1972 and twice in 1997. The song is said to be a tribute and homage to Marc Bolan.

 

[Anarchy99]

#69 - David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas - 1977), (Single - 1982)
Covers: Terry Wogan & Aled Jones, GMCLA, The Favourite Bench, Chad Mitchel, Hens Hensen, Orchard Enterprises, Washboard Union, Elisabeth Andreassen & Rein Alexander, Heide-Steen, Fristorp & Stokke, Jann Arden, Gregorian, Celtic Angels, Michel Bérubé & Jennifer Warnes, The Priests, 

Another song that is very difficult to rank. Love the song, but not really a song many people will listen to 11 months out of the year. Some will probably say it is too low. The duo recorded the song on 9-11-77. Crosby died on 10-14-77. The segment aired for the first time 11-30-77. It was Bing's last show and last recording. It remains one of the most unexpected and unusual pairings ever.

Bowie is said to have hated Little Drummer Boy and didn't want to sing it. He asked to sing something else instead. To appease him, they added in the Peace On Earth segment. Bowie is said to only have agreed to appear because his mother watched Bing Crosby's show. Bowie had already transformed from Ziggy Stardut to Thin White Duke and had had his run-ins with drugs and alcohol. But he (briefly) had a stretch where he was trying to clean up his act. Crosby said after taping the show that was a nice clean-cut kid. Some people questioned if he knew who Bowie was.

The single shot to #3 in the UK singles chart and sold over 400,000 copies in England alone. The Wogan and Jones remake (as part of the BBC Children in Need Appeal 2008) also peaked at #3 on the British charts.

 

[Anarchy99]

#68 - David Bowie - Sense Of Doubt (Heroes - 1977), (Live - 1978)
Covers: Rob Gould, Nick Morfitt , American Composers Orchestra, Phillip Glass, Flock Of Dimes, Magdiel Aguilar

The best of the Bowie instrumentals, IMO. This dark, foreboding track could have been on a wide range of movie soundtracks. It's easy to image it appearing in a sci-fi, bad guy, horror, alternative, post-apocalyptical, or war movie. To me, it is the definition of mood music. Back in the day, I used to play Heroes and Low at night when I was doing homework. Another collaboration with Brian Eno, this one was only performed live in 1978. People looking for popular Bowie songs with him singing will say there are better options to slot here, but I am shooting for a broad brush and covering lots of material for the entirety of the list.

 

[Anarchy99]

#67 - David Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight) - (The Next Day - 2014), (Video - 2014)
Covers: Drew Piller, Stoned Jesus, Blackbird Ensemble, Momus, Echo Bowie, Pop Orchestral Academy Of Los Angeles, Piano Tribute Players, Max

Bowie being Bowie again with different versions of a song in the video than on the album. The video starts with a raucous, repeated guitar chord intro before kicking into the regular song. Some folks think this track would have fit perfectly on Scary Monsters. It was released as a single and cracked the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. It was nominated for a Best Rock Performance Grammy (losing to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons). Gerry Leonard plays guitar on this one.

The wide range of musicians (22 played on the album) were all curious and excited to be able to perform the songs live. Some of them observed how complex the songs were and openly asked Bowie how they would be able to perform them live. Bowie had to repeat himself over and over that they would not be performing them live and he would not be performing in public again.

 

[Ghost Rider]

No way does Bowie have 69 songs better than Lady Stardust.

That seems pretty low for Drive-In Saturday as well, but yay for personal tastes.

 

[Anarchy99]

No way does Bowie have 69 songs better than Lady Stardust.

That seems pretty low for Drive-In Saturday as well, but yay for personal tastes.

It's pretty clear (at least to me anyway) that you could ask 100 somewhat knowledgeable people to list their Top 20 Bowie songs and the chances of people having even 10 songs the same on those lists would be minimal . . . as in probably like 10-15%. Each person's Top 20 list would likely have 5 songs or more that probably wouldn't even be in the Top 50 for other people making out the lists. Bowie is such an all over the place musically speaking kind of an artist that there is literally NO WAY that everyone will like the same things.

I also suspect that most people will phase out and exclude certain Bowie styles or personas. Some will like or won't like his Tin Machine, 00's electronica / industrial, 70's instrumentals, 90's pop, ballads, covers, etc. As I alluded to earlier, we might as well try to list our favorite foods . . . as that list would probably have more commonality among people making the shopping lists than this one will.

 

[timschochet]

#70 - David Bowie - Lady Stardust - 

Oh no you didnt

 

[timschochet]

No way does Anyone  have 69 songs better than Lady Stardust.

Fyp 

 

[timschochet]

#69 - David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas - 1977), (Single - 1982)
Covers: Terry Wogan & Aled Jones, GMCLA, The Favourite Bench, Chad Mitchel, Hens Hensen, Orchard Enterprises, Washboard Union, Elisabeth Andreassen & Rein Alexander, Heide-Steen, Fristorp & Stokke, Jann Arden, Gregorian, Celtic Angels, Michel Bérubé & Jennifer Warnes, The Priests, 

Another song that is very difficult to rank. Love the song, but not really a song many people will listen to 11 months out of the year. Some will probably say it is too low. The duo recorded the song on 9-11-77. Crosby died on 10-14-77. The segment aired for the first time 11-30-77. It was Bing's last show and last recording. It remains one of the most unexpected and unusual pairings ever.

Bowie is said to have hated Little Drummer Boy and didn't want to sing it. He asked to sing something else instead. To appease him, they added in the Peace On Earth segment. Bowie is said to only have agreed to appear because his mother watched Bing Crosby's show. Bowie had already transformed from Ziggy Stardut to Thin White Duke and had had his run-ins with drugs and alcohol. But he (briefly) had a stretch where he was trying to clean up his act. Crosby said after taping the show that was a nice clean-cut kid. Some people questioned if he knew who Bowie was.

The single shot to #3 in the UK singles chart and sold over 400,000 copies in England alone. The Wogan and Jones remake (as part of the BBC Children in Need Appeal 2008) also peaked at #3 on the British charts.

Don’t mind the ranking but my dad, who just passed away at 83 and never listened to a Bowie song in his life, loved this. At the mention of David Bowie he’d always say, “oh yeah that’s one ‘new’ singer I really like! What’s that Christmas song he sings with Bing Crosby? I love that!” (For my dad anyone who recorded after 1965 or so was a ‘new’ singer.) 

 

[Anarchy99]

Oh no you didnt

Can't wait to see what sort of feedback I get for where I rank Modern Love . . .

 

[timschochet]

Can't wait to see what sort of feedback I get for where I rank Modern Love . . .

I love that song. But I would have already ranked the other hits on that album...

 

[Anarchy99]

#66 - David Bowie - Boys Keep Swinging (Lodger - 1979), (TV Appearance - 1979), (Live - 1995)
Covers: Duran Duran, Shearwater, Susanna Hoffs, Hirsute Pursuit, The Associates, Gudrun Gut, A Camp, Garden Barbecue, Mr Russia, Screamfeeder, Hetalia, BLEETCH, Dambuilders, The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, Lorette Velvette, AFX, Keanan Duffty, In Tua Nua, 

To keep things fresh and mix things up, some of the band swapped instruments to record this one. The single reached #7 on the UK charts. Bowie has since come out and said he has no real favorite qualities for either gender.

Bowie first played this one live on Saturday Night Live in 1979. I guess they are strict about posting it online as I couldn't really find it. The version I linked above is more of a playback / lip synch version. Bowie only played this one live across his 95/96 tour.
 

 

[Anarchy99]

To further explain the rankings, it's important to understand that I first got into Bowie with Let's Dance in 1983. Obviously I got into his earlier efforts going backwards from there (but clearly was not a Bowie fan when those albums first came out). I stayed a huge fan up until Black Tie White Noise came out and started losing interest when his sound went in a direction I wasn't thrilled with and when I started transitioning from being in high school / college to adult life (and being married to wives that couldn't stand his music). The point being, I have an attachment to songs that came out from his albums I bought the day they came out. I don't have real life attachment to his albums from the 70's / 90's / 00's. That bias will shine through here moving forward. That doesn't mean his songs from those eras aren't good (or many times better), it just means I am more attached (and have memories) that relate 

As a sidebar example, I was part of the original Star Wars wave when the original trilogy came out in the 70's and 80's. Our town had three screens to play movies on and Star Wars took up one of them for months. People would go see it and immediately jump back in line to see it again. It was showing on one screen at a time and it was a national phenomenon. I've seen the other Star Wars trilogies, but mostly with a don't care attitude. The "first three" were the real movies and the rest were just window dressing.

Now lets visit my older kids. They went to the middle trilogy when they were at an age and interest level that the middle three Star Wars movies were magical to them. They didn't much care for the first three movies or the next three movies. They weren't pot committed. They felt the original three were dated and had laughably bad acting. And they thought the new ones were nothing to write home about. My youngest missed the first three and the second three movies. His time would be the last trilogy. Except he wasn't into any of the Star Wars movies and thought they were all stupid and a waste of his time.

So in my house, my wife and I would rave about the first three movies, my older kids would rave about the middle three movies, and my youngest would say all the movies were a giant waste of time. Overlaying the Star Wars films to Bowie, I would fall more in that middle range of Star Wars movies . . . ie, I liked his middle of his career songs that in reality weren't his best work. So with that in mind . . .

#65 - David Bowie - Day-In Day-Out (Never Let Me Down - 1987), (Single Version - 1987), (Video - 1987), (Live - 1987), (Extended Dance Mix - 1987)
Covers: Studio Union, Bowie Knives, Dropouts, Files On The Square Egg, 

As I just explained, I wholeheartedly agree that on no planet should a song like Day-In Day-Out be considered a better song than Lady Stardust. But I was enmeshed in this song when it came out. I was into it (in spite of its flaws and blemishes). But even to this day I would still rather hear Day-In Day-Out over Lady Stardust. That may not resonate with most sane people, but as a stand alone song, I would rather hear this one song than Lady Stardust. CLEARLY, I would listen to the ZS album 100 times over 100 compared to Never Let Me Down. Bottom line, I grew attached to Day-In Day-Out in real time . . . I could not say that about Lady Stardust.

Day-In Day-Out was written and recorded in Switzerland. I never really researched or counted them up, but there are probably 8 or 10 mixes or remixes of this song. It featured long-time Bowie crony Carlos Alomar and David Letterman Band member Sid McGinnis on guitar. The song hit #3 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and #21 on the Billboard singles chart. This was another case of a Bowie video getting banned as being too intense (adult content and potential rape being the explanation). Even so, the video was nominated for an MTV VMA in the category "Best Male Video", but lost to Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. The song was only performed live on the 1987 Glass Spider tour.

We will go back to Ziggy Stardust next so I can perhaps redeem myself some.

 

[Anarchy99]

#64 - David Bowie - Soul Love (The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Live - 1978), (Rehearsal - 1983)
Covers: Mick Ronson, Robyn Hitchcock, Roger McGuinn, Lyndsay Kancher, Ritch Kids, Milky Edwards & The Chamberlings, Fini Bearman, 8-Bit Arcade, Surf Harp, Cida Moreira, Austra & CFCF , Capsula, Luca Prodan, Marti Jones, Chef Andre, Genuflex, Adrien Reju, Winston K., Zack Walters, Maria Ahn, Julie Meckler, IScope, Mat Kerekes, The Bed Band, Juan.I, 

Track 2 from ZS, and IIRC, one of the later entries into the mix. Bowie plays the sax solo. Within the framework of the Ziggy Stardust album, the song deals with loving the dearly departed from the pending world apocalypse and the end of the world. He played it live on  his 1978 tour dates but hardly any other times (twice in 72, twice in 73, and three times in 1983).

 

[Anarchy99]

#63 - David Bowie - The Prettiest Star (Aladdin Sane - 1973), (Original Version - 1970), (Live - 1970)
Covers: Ian McCulloch, Simon Turner, Alain Delon, Lawyer & Draper, Tommy Firefly, Christian Hyun, David Morrison, The Psychedelic Cherry, MXYM, Uke-Hunt, Tony Ferraro, Hector, Andrew McCubbin, Sally Timms · Jon Langford, Paul Roland, Goldbach Jensen Project, Julia K. Mars, Marc Hartley

The Prettiest Star was said to be written about model Angela Barnett, whom Bowie would go on to marry in 1970. The 1970 version was recorded as a single and featured Marc Bolan on guitar. A more glam version appeared on the Aladdin Sane album, and Bolan was replaced with Mick Ronson and also featured David Sanborn on saxophone. Bowie only played it twice in 1970 and 10 times in 1973. Unlike other songs from early in his career, there wasn't a revival of the song much later in his career.

 

[Anarchy99]

#62 - David Bowie - 1984 (Diamond Dogs - 1974), (**** Cavett Show - 1974), (David Live - 1974), (1984 / Dodo Version - 1973), (Live - 1973)
Covers: Tina Turner, Kev Seeley, Gamma, Marionette, Holyan, Lumpp, Cinzia Bavelloni, John Vanderslice, The Wee Trio, Connie Petruk

I vividly remember this one from elementary school. We had started a theme on farms and society and had talked about Charlotte's Web and Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Diamond Dogs had just come out, and our teacher actually played Bowie's 1984 to try to add another element to the discussion.

As I mentioned earlier, there were plans to make a Ziggy Stardust the stage musical with the Diamond Dogs material, but the widow of George Orwell refused to give permission and the project never materialized. The wah-wah guitar sound is similar to the Theme from Shaft by Isaac Hayes.

The 1973 version was the last song recorded with Mark Ronson on guitar. That version was unreleased until it appeared on the Sound + Vision box set in 1989. Alan Parker played guitar on the Diamond Dogs version. Earl Slick played on the David Live version. Bowie started playing the song live before the album came out, but he never played it beyond the 1974 Diamond Dogs tour.

 

[Anarchy99]

#61 - David Bowie - Afraid (Heathen - 2002), (Live - 2002), (Live - 2003), (A Reality Tour - 2003), (Toy - 2001)
Covers: Pandamonium, dascoverman, BenZik, Mari Dangerfield, Barry Gonen, Elkanah Cohen, KQ, The Jenn Beast Band, Major Tom & The Moonboys

Bowie was living and recording a new album in NYC when 9/11 happened. There has been a lot of talk over the years how much of the album was completed before the twin towers fell and how much of it was completed afterward. Bowie always maintained he did not alter any lyrics after the attack, but this song perfectly reflects the post 9/11 atmosphere in New York at the time. The lyrics of the song ("I wish I was taller.") always reminds me of the New Yorker cartoon scene in Seinfeld.

The brief Heathen tour (37 dates across 4 months) saw Bowie perform all 12 songs from the Heathen album . . . and from way out of leftfield . . . all 11 songs from Low. On a few dates, he started with all of Low followed by all of Heathen (followed with 4 other tracks as an encore). Bowie set aside to play a show in all 5 boroughs of New York City (or as Bowie would dub it his "New York City Marathon"), including a show with a full 23 song set at Jimmy's Bronx Café (to the best of my knowledge, the only concert held there).

Definitely a song that rings true today in NYC . . . where healthcare workers have been saying it's like 9/11 happening again but day after day for the last few weeks.

I wish I was smarter
I got so lost on the shore
I wish I was taller
Things really matter to me

But I put my face in tomorrow
I believe we're not alone
I believe in Beatles
I believe my little soul has grown
And I'm still so afraid

Yes, I'm still so afraid
Yea, I'm still so afraid on my own
On my own
What made my life so wonderful?
What made me feel so bad?
I used to wake up the ocean
I used to walk on clouds
If I put faith in medication
If I can smile a crooked smile
If I can talk on television
If I can walk an empty mile
Then I won't feel afraid
No, I won't feel afraid
I won't be afraid
Anymore
Anymore
Anymore

 

[Anarchy99]

#60 - David Bowie - Hallo Spaceboy - (Outside - 1995), (Pet Shop Boys Remix - 1996), (Double Click Mix - 1995), (Live - 1995), (Live - 1996), (W/Foo Fighters - 1997), (Live - 2000), (Live - 2002), (Live - 2003)
Covers: Pagan's Mind, Bottled In England, Aladdin Insane, Sven Ratzke, Behemoth, VLADIVOJSKO, Lock The Basement, Jeff Duff, Voodoo Idol, Joe Ladyboy, Totem Terrors, slave voltage, tasH, Winterhart, Dorian Wood, JETAstudio, Aurora, She's Excited, First Of July, Harrington, Chipset, Atari, Sky Children, King Of The Opera, portBOWIE, Stellar Temple, Tupla Effect, DAIMONION, Robin Hood, Kelerchian, Nathan Adler, D-DCoffee

Bowie moved on from whatever sound he had on Black Tie White Noise to the various styles on Outside. He brought back guitarist Reeves Gabrels from Tin Machine, who who stick around until 1999. Carlos Alomar is listed as lead guitarist on the studio version (although Gabrels was usually the lead dog whenever he was involved). Another in the ever running series of Bowie space related songs. Most of the song was improvised in the studio. Bowie called it a metal version of The Doors. Like many other 90's / 00's Bowie songs, there are numerous official and unofficial remixes.

 

[Anarchy99]

#59 - David Bowie - Breaking Glass (Low - 1977), (Extended Version - 1977), (Live - 1978), (Live - 1983), (Rehearsals - 1995), (Live - 1996), (Live - 2002)
Covers: Live On Mars, Mark Moffre, Knifight, Sara Lescano Antonelli, Troy Zarb, The Singularity, Dyslexic Fudgicle, Two Seconds To Midnight, Melvins, Walter Martin, Disappears, Butane Brothers, Mickey Blurr, Sabertooth Rodeo

A song about Bowie's drug-filled time spend in America the previous two years before he moved to Berlin. The line "Don't look at the carpet; I drew something awful on it" refers to when a heavily under the influenced Bowie would draw on carpets. Carlos Alomar gets lead guitar duties on this one too. 

 

[Anarchy99]

#58 - David Bowie & Pat Metheny Group - This Is Not America (The Falcon & The Snowman Soundtrack - 1985), (Video - 1985), (Live - 2000)
Covers: P. Diddy - American Dream, Juliette Lewis, Claudia Brucken, Ahn Trio, Julia Hülsmann Quartet, KEPLER, Louie Lucchesi, The Penelopes, Charlie Haden, Souldiers, Kartagon, Bardo State, Seagulls, Kate Band Project, David Fonseca & Márcia, Silje Nergaard, Lana Lane, Possible(s) Quartet, Hype, Djabe, Toti Panzanelli, Jerry Daley, Yellow Prophet, Petra Haden, Esther Kaiser

Bowie without any of his band with the Pat Metheny Group. I never saw the movie, but it was a spy drama featuring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn.

The song hit the Billboard Top 40. It was the only charting single in the 43 year history of Pat Metheny Group. Metheny is said to be the only artist to have won Grammy Awards in 10 different categories. Bowie only performed the song 3 times (all in 2000).

This Is Not America and Dancing In The Streets were the only Bowie releases in 1985.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Can't wait to see what sort of feedback I get for where I rank Modern Love . . .

Modern Love is a damn fine song.  Granted, it's my least favorite of the three big hits from Let's Dance, but I won't quibble with its placement unless you put it at number 1.

#64 - David Bowie - Soul Love (The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Live - 1978), (Rehearsal - 1983)
Covers: Mick Ronson, Robyn Hitchcock, Roger McGuinn, Lyndsay Kancher, Ritch Kids, Milky Edwards & The Chamberlings, Fini Bearman, 8-Bit Arcade, Surf Harp, Cida Moreira, Austra & CFCF , Capsula, Luca Prodan, Marti Jones, Chef Andre, Genuflex, Adrien Reju, Winston K., Zack Walters, Maria Ahn, Julie Meckler, IScope, Mat Kerekes, The Bed Band, Juan.I, 

Track 2 from ZS, and IIRC, one of the later entries into the mix. Bowie plays the sax solo. Within the framework of the Ziggy Stardust album, the song deals with loving the dearly departed from the pending world apocalypse and the end of the world. He played it live on  his 1978 tour dates but hardly any other times (twice in 72, twice in 73, and three times in 1983).

Hard to believe this song wasn't played more live.  Great song.

 

[wikkidpissah]

#70 - David Bowie - Lady Stardust - (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972), (Demo - 1972), (Live - 1972), (Acoustic - 1997)
Covers: Chris Cornell, Midge Ure, Caoimhe Ashley, Major Major Major, Kenneth Andrew & Rei Atsumi, Kloe Revel, The Facades, Throw Me Some Bowie, John Corabi, William Duvall, Capsula, El Vez, Danny Michel, Dee Madden, Cinzia Bavelloni, Camilla Fascina, Uncle Rock & Tracy Bonham, Bird Mancini, Bari Watts, Andrea Chimenti, The Victor Dog, Louisville Is For Lovers, Zackery, Ben Erickson, Marissa Nadler, The Bed Band, Black Market (Reggae Mix), Brigette, 

We finally dip our toe into the official waters of the Ziggy Stardust album. It was the first CD I ever bought . . . and I bought a new $1,000+ stereo in the 80's to be able to play it properly. To explain how much I like this album, if we were doing a deserted island draft and you could only take only 3 albums, I would take two copies of Ziggy Stardust in case something happened to the first one. I am old school and still play CD's (either purchased or home made). I have the equivalent of three copies in my car (the original CD, a CDR of the fleshed out expanded anniversary release, and all the songs from the album on a Bowie mix collection). And when I go on road trips by myself, I crank it up and sing along to every song.

I briefly considered just listing the songs of the official ZS album as the Top 11 on this list (but that probably wouldn't be a true representation). Trying to rank the songs just on that one album is next to impossible. It's like trying to pick your favorite child. Bowie only performed the song 18 times . . . 16 times in 1972 and twice in 1997. The song is said to be a tribute and homage to Marc Bolan.

top ten for me. my favorite writing project the last few years has been a sequel to the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, which i treat as a hobby because i could never possibly get clearances/licensing to officially attempt it. nevertheless, once i came to the idea of continuing the Holly Golightly saga thru a daughter & a grandaughter, i placed Tiffany Varjak's entree to Manhattan occurring in 1983, (the year i moved away from NYC) the brownstone on E71st having been bought by her father with the proceeds of his novelette on his romance w his late wife (she would, of course, have offed herself not long after Tiffany was born, rather than live in Connecticut any longer) and given to his daughter as a college graduation gift.

with that timing, Tiff would have missed punk, glam, Studio 54 & Mudd Club disco and most of the Chelsea Hotel rock scene, so i have her playing solo piano versions of British Invasion classics like Manic Depression, Let's Spend the Night Together in cabarets. because she kinda wanted to be Mick Jagger as long as she knew, she 's also fascinated with gender-bending themes, and Lady Stardust worked really well as one of her songs, even though her main intent was to turn guitar songs into piano songs. i appreciate all those covers listed because my current LS arrangement isn't different enough from the original and i've been looking at adding some flavor for a while. great song, tho -

 

[Anarchy99]

#57 - David Bowie - White Light / White Heat (Serious Moonlight Tour - 1983), (Live - 1972), (BBC Live - 1972),(Live - 1987), (Live - 1990), (Live - 1996), (Mostly Acoustic - 1996), (Live - 2003),(Live - 2004)
Original Velvet Underground Version: (Studio - 1968), (Live - 1969)
Mick Ronson Version: (Studio - 1975)

Bowie loved this song. He started performing it live in 1972 and other than a 10 year gap from 73-83, he performed it pretty regularly. He played it 389 times, making it his 12th most performed song. I used the 1983 version for where to rank it (with Earl Slick providing the guitar work).

DB recorded the song for inclusion on his 1973 Pin Ups album. However, for whatever reason, it did not make it on the album. Or as a single. Or as a B side. Or on an import. Or on an anniversary release. Or on a box set. Or on any rarities collection. In fact, the studio version with Bowie singing has never been released. I have no idea why.

That being said, the studio version of the band's performance as it was set to have been released on Pin Ups WAS released in 1975 with Bowie's vocals removed and replaced with Mick Ronson singing. Again, how and why that happened remains a mystery.

WL/WH was used to close out the first set of the Serious Moonlight tour. Slick had a rollicking and extended guitar solo to close out the first half of the show. At the time, there wasn't an official release of the song. It would appear on the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture soundtrack / album that would be released at the end of the year. So unless fans had been around to see Bowie's 72 or 73 tours, they would not have been familiar with Bowie performing the song live. The Ziggy version was released as a single and broke the UK Top 50.

 

[rockaction]

There are the Velvets! 

 

[Anarchy99]

There are the Velvets! 

Hmmm . . . I wonder if there will be another VU track.

 

[Anarchy99]

#56 - David Bowie - Time Will Crawl (Never Let Me Down - 1987), (Live - 1987), (Rehearsal - 1987), (Top Of The Pops - 1987), (Remix - 2008), (Remix - 2018)
Covers: Sarah Christina Harper, Burning Gates, Dalton Deschain, Electric Dawn, Miguel Varela, Mr. Woo, Todd Perkins

A song written and recorded in Switzerland and said to be Bowie's response to hearing about the Chernoybl disaster. The song was released as a single and hit #7 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The song was recorded to appear on the Top Of The Pops TV show but was never aired, as the song had already fallen off the charts by the time his performance was due to air.

Bowie was never really satisfied with how the Never Let Me Down album turned out and almost immediately wanted to re-record it. Time Will Crawl got a fresh coat of paint in 2008, and after his death a retooled version of Never Let Me Down was released in 2018.

This one was strictly a Glass Spider tour entry, as it was performed on everyone of his 1987 dates but never after that.

 

[Anarchy99]

#55 - David Bowie - Sound + Vision (Low - 1977), (Live Debut - 1978), (Live - 1990), (Dave Richards Mix - 1991), (808 Gift Mix - 1991), (808 'lectric Blue Remix Instrumental - 1991), (Live - 2002), (Stripped Down Version - 2013)
THE Cover: Beck

The first of three singles from the Low album in 1977, S+V did the best sales wise but barely broke into the Top 70 in the States. Ricky Gardiner made his only appearance as lead guitarist on a handful of tracks on the Low album and then moved on.

Even though the Low album came out in 1977, Bowie only performed the song on the final show of his 1978 tour. It was a staple on his 1990 Sound + Vision tour and was mixed in occasionally on his 2002 / 2003 / 2004 tour dates.

There are other covers of Sound and Vision by other artists. But Beck WENT ALL OUT on his version. It's definitely on the things-you-have-to-experience-at-least-once-in-your-life list. And if I may be so bold . . . BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL. Spoiler alert: Beck performed with a 157-piece orchestra at a one-off event in L.A. in 2013.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Sound and Vision makes my personal top 20 list for Bowie.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

It's pretty clear (at least to me anyway) that you could ask 100 somewhat knowledgeable people to list their Top 20 Bowie songs and the chances of people having even 10 songs the same on those lists would be minimal . . .

I'm sure a bunch of us will do this at the end - you're right in that there are no "right" answers.

 

[Anarchy99]

#54 - David Bowie - TVC 15 (Station To Station - 1976), (Live - 1976), (Live - 1978), (SNL - 1979), (Live - 1983), (Live Aid - 1985), (Live - 1990), (Harry Maslin Mix - 2010)
Covers: Anōmy, Happy Medium, Comateens, Hector, Tomás Ford, Mikey James, Chris Warren, Bowie Knives, Red Appendix

This song evolved from an incident involving Iggy Pop. During a drug-fueled period at Bowie's LA home, Pop hallucinated and believed the television set was swallowing his girlfriend. Clearly drugs were pretty good back in the day to instill such a vivid reaction. In the song, the narrator's girlfriend crawls into the television and afterwards, the narrator desires to crawl in himself to find her. It's great to be young and insane. I always liked the rolling piano intro by Roy Bittan that then kicks into the main song. Alomar and Slick trade the guitar licks on this one.

I always felt the studio version was a little too slow paced, which is generally why I prefer the live version more. For the Live Aid impaired, Bowie was the act that followed Queen and TVC 15 was the song that kicked off his set. Any other act would probably have been dead in the water to have to follow what many people have called the greatest performance in rock history. At a minimum, Bowie at least held his own. And I will go to the grave asking why on earth did they not have Bowie and Queen play Under Pressure together. They were right there . . . together . . . just raring to go! Bowie wasn't touring, so he put together a new band just for the event. Kevin Armstrong was the lead guitarist. He would go on to dabble on some Bowie songs in the 80's and 90's. Also in Bowie's Live Aid band was Thomas Dolby on keyboards (Mr. Blinded Me With Science himself). The tempo on the Live Aid performance is a lot brisker. I vividly remember watching Live Aid . . . but I am older than dirt.

 

[Anarchy99]

#53 - David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things (Hunky Dory - 1971), (Live - 1972)
Covers: Harvey Danger, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lisa Hannigan, Peter Noone, MMODE, Jeff K, Abigail Nichole, Honeydogs, Au Revoir Simone, Seu Jorge, Jun Jun Clinic, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Dylan Roth, Kelly Dolan, Turner, David Gray, Jason Weiber, The Use (Featuring Rachel Mason), BENBENEK, DVSTT, Jason Robertson, Peter Kirsch, Gene Ryman

A gem of a song from the early 70's. Bowie first performed it in 1970. The piano has been compared to Martha My Dear by the Beatles. The song was first released as a single by Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, on which Bowie played piano. The chorus and guitar halfway through the song get me every time. I really thought I would rank this one higher (and really wanted to) . . . but there are just so many other songs to get to still.

Sadly, this one didn't get played live very often . . . only 35 times, and never past 1972. Most of the 1972 appearances were partial versions of the song tacked on to a medley.

 

[Nipsey]

Oh! You Pretty Things

https://clyp.it/utqnlvtb

 

[Anarchy99]

#52 - David Bowie - The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Outside - 1995), (Letterman - 1995), (Trent Reznor Mix - 1995), (Live - 1996), (Live - 1997)
Covers: Lunasect, Sean Fairchild, Dorian Wood & Ensemble Crush, Victoria Real, Blooding Mask, Black Pill, Dorian Wood, Bowie Reloaded, Ahab Rex, Fear Not Want

For fans of the traditional 70's Bowie sound, this ain't it. I can see how many folks won't care for his industrial / techno / 90's era sound, and that's fair. There really is no way to put this on a list with Oh! You Pretty Things, as they are completely different musical styles. It's likely a tribute to Bowie that he wrote both songs. And like many other songs of this era, there are a good 6 to 8 remixes out there. Alomar and Gabrels trade guitar licks. Mike Garson adds his signature piano doodling. Brian Eno chips in on synthesizers.

Hearts Filthy Lesson was a 90's only live sort of a deal. Only performed in 95-96-97. And for fans of the movie Se7en ("What's in the box?), this is the song that plays over the end credits. One of my 90's movie films in the crime thriller category. It was also featured in the 1997 television movie House of Frankenstein.

 

[Anarchy99]

#51 - David Bowie - Never Let Me Down (Never Let Me Down - 1987), (Extended Dance Mix - 1987), (Rehearsal - 1987), (Live - 1987), (Remix - 2018)
Covers: Craig Hood, Birth Marc, Files On The Square Egg, Steve Cooper, Bernhard Eder, Wirekid

I always enjoyed the song, and there aren't many Bowie songs that fall under the pop love song genre. This would fall under the living-in-the-moment-as-it-happened category, as I doubt most people now would rate this as almost a Top 50 Bowie song. But I loved it at the time.

Never Let Me Down the song hit #27 on the Billboard Top 40 and would be Bowie's second to last Top 40 single. He would go nearly 29 years between Top 40 songs, waiting until Lazarus hit #40 in 2016. Never Let Me Down the album was the first of Bowie's albums to have an initial release available on CD. It was one of 26 Bowie albums to rank on the Top 40 of Billboard's top selling album chart.

Never Let Me Down was only performed on the Glass Spider tour. It has been estimated that the tour drew a total of 6 million fans. And we're on to the Top 50.

 

[Anarchy99]

#50 - David Bowie - Round And Round (B-Side - 1973), (Sound + Vision - 1989), (With Jeff Beck - 1973)
Cover: Germs

Bowie takes a rocking stab at Chuck Berry's Around And Around. The song was recorded in 1971 and like many other songs was considered for the Ziggy Stardust album. Ultimately, it didn't make the cut and appeared as the B-Side of the Drive-In Saturday single. A remixed version showed up on the 1989 Sound + Vision box set. The song was performed live 21 times in 71 / 72 / 73 and died with the Ziggy Stardust persona. I always enjoyed it, as it had some giddy-up. I had it in a music mix for work outs for years. Ronson's guitar licks put this one over the top for me, earning it an entry in the Top 50. 

 

[Anarchy99]

#49 - Tin Machine - Under The God (Tin Machine - 1989), (Live - 1989), (Live - 1991)
Covers: Junk Dealers, Mrmoth, Dieter Stenzel, Ciaron Marlow, Stage Bowie, Tyra Penn, Jack Stockley, Rebel Priest, 8-Bit Arcade

We last heard from Bowie on his worldwide Glass Spider tour in 1987. His last release was the Never Let Me Down album, and no one was prepared for this bombastic release from the newly formed Tin Machine. The first single from the self-entitled Tin Machine album, this one was the complete opposite of Never Let Me Down. Loud, obnoxious, distorted, frenetic, chaotic, and musically dissonant.

I was a college DJ at the time, and the promo CD showed up when I was having my radio show. An outfit called the College Media Journal (CMJ) would send out compilation CD's to college radio stations of new or undiscovered artists, and this track was on it. I played it sight unseen and unheard on my radio show and was floored that this was the new sound of Bowie. Both of my listeners called in and asked what the song was. Any memory of hedonistic times in college gets bonus points. Those were the days my friend, I thought they'd never end.

Bowie purists will assuredly say this one is ranked too high. Perhaps my memories trump what the actual ranking should be . . . who knows? Tin Machine played this one on both their tours in 89 and 91 and then it fell of the Bowie radar. The song hit #4 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Don't ask how the same song could be both alternative and mainstream.