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

After much consideration on how best to proceed, I am opting to list my Top 200 favorite David Bowie recordings. To be clear, they are "favorite recordings", not necessarily a ranking of his best songs. The list is intended to be more of a career retrospective for one of the most diverse and influential musicians of all time. In reality, things will turn out to be 100 songs that many people don't know and most likely not care about . . . and then another hundred songs that some people will have heard before. So the first 100 songs will be best suited for hardcore fans, and others can check back in downstream when we get to the more popular tunes.

#200 - Davie Jones With The King Bees - Liza Jane (Single - 1964, Toy - 2000)
#199 - David Bowie - Killing A Little Time (No Plan EP - 2017)
#198 - Adrian Belew (Featuring David Bowie) - Gunman (Young Lions - 1990)
#197 - Reeves Gabrels (Featuring David Bowie) - You've Been Around (The Sacred Squall Of Now - 1995)
#196 - Earl Slick (Featuring David Bowie) - Isn't It Evening (The Revolutionary) (Zig Zag - 2003)
#195 - Mick Ronson (Featuring David Bowie) - Like A Rolling Stone (Heaven And Hull - 1994)
#194 - David Bowie - Shapes Of Things (Pin Ups - 1973)
#193 - David Bowie - It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (Sound + Vision - 1989)
#192 - Tin Machine - Maggie's Farm (B-Side - 1989)
#191 - David Bowie - I Can't Explain (Pin Ups - 1973)
#190 - David Bowie - Waterloo Sunset (Reality Bonus Track - 2003)
#189 - David Bowie - Sorrow (Pin Ups - 1973)
#188 - David Bowie - Let's Spend The Night Together (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#187 - David Bowie - Imagine (Live 1983)
#186 - David Bowie - America (The Concert For New York City - 2001)
#185 - David Bowie - I Feel Free (Black Tie White Noise - 1993)
#184 - Tin Machine - Shakin' All Over (CD Single - 1991)
#183 - David Bowie With Arcade Fire - Wake Up - (Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks) - 2005)
#182 - Kristeen Young (Featuring David Bowie) - Saviour (Breasticles - 2003)
#181 - Placebo (Featuring David Bowie) - Without You I'm Nothing (Without You I'm Nothing - 1999)
#180 - Goldie (Featuring David Bowie) - Truth (Saturnz Return - 1998)
#179 - Kashmir (Featuring David Bowie) - The Cynic (No Balance Please - 2005)
#178 - Rustic Overtones (Featuring David Bowie) - Sector Z (¡Viva Nueva! - 2001)
#177 - David Bowie & BT - [She Can] Do That (Stealth Soundtrack - 2005)
#176 - David Bowie With Ricky Gervais - The Little Fat Man With The Pug Nosed Face (Extras - 2007)
#175 - David Bowie With Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (Live Dissonance Tour DVD - 1995)
#174 - Tin Machine - It's Tough (C'est La Vie Ultimate Rare Tracks - 1991)
#173 - David Bowie - How Lucky You Are (Miss Peculiar) (C'est La Vie Ultimate Rare Tracks - 1971)
#172 - David Bowie - Bombers (Hunky Dory Expanded Edition - 1971)
#171 - David Bowie - The Supermen (Alternate Version) (Ziggy Stardust Expanded Edition - 1971)
#170 - David Bowie - Atomica (The Next Day Extra - 2013)
#169 - David Bowie - Plan (The Next Day Extra - 2013)
#168 - David Bowie - Tumble And Twirl (Tonight - 1984)
#167 - David Bowie - Neighborhood Threat (Tonight - 1984)
#166 - David Bowie (With Tina Turner) - Tonight (Tonight - 1984)
#165 - David Bowie - Sister Midnight (A Reality Tour - 2003)
#164 - David Bowie - Bang Bang (Never Let Me Down - 1987),
#163 - David Bowie - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Glass Spider Tour DVD - 1987)
#162 - David Bowie - Lust For Life (Live - 1996)
#161 - David Bowie - Footstompin' / I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (RarestOneBowie - 1974)
#160 - David Bowie - Looking For A Friend (BBC Sessions - 1971)
#159 - David Bowie - The Laughing Gnome (Single - 1967)
#158 - David Bowie - Silly Boy Blue (Toy - 2001)
#157 - David Bowie - You've Got A Habit Of Leaving (Toy - 2001)
#156 - David Bowie - Life Is A Circus (Clareville Grove Demos - 1969)
#155 - David Bowie - Criminal World (Let's Dance - 1983)
#154 - David Bowie - Wild Is The Wind: (Station To Station - 1976)
#153 - David Bowie - I've Been Waiting For You (Heathen - 2002)
#152 - David Bowie - Pablo Picasso (Reality - 2003)
#151 - David Bowie - Cactus (Heathen - 2002)
#150 - David Bowie - Because You're Young (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#149 - David Bowie - It's No Game (Part 1) (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#148 - David Bowie - Without You (Let's Dance - 1983)
#147 - David Bowie - Shake It (Let's Dance - 1983)
#146 - David Bowie - Ricochet (Let's Dance - 1983)
#145 - David Bowie - Underground (Labyrinth Soundtrack - 1986)
#144 - David Bowie - When The Wind Blows (When The Wind Blows Soundtrack - 1986)
#143 - David Bowie -  '87 And Cry (Never Let Me Down - 1987)
#142 - Tin Machine - Prisoner Of Love (Tin Machine - 1989)
#141 - Tin Machine - I Can't Read (Tin Machine - 1989)
#140 - Tin Machine - Tin Machine (Tin Machine - 1989)
#139 - Tin Machine - One Shot (Tin Machine II - 1991)
#138 - Tin Machine - You Belong In Rock & Roll (Tin Machine II - 1991)
#137 - David Bowie - Real Cool World (Songs From The Cool World Soundtrack - 1992)
#136 - David Bowie Featuring Al B. Sure! - Black Tie White Noise (Black Tie White Noise - 1993)
#135 - David Bowie Featuring Lenny Kravitz - Buddha Of Suburbia (The Buddha Of Suburbia Soundtrack - 1993)
#134 - David Bowie - Dead Man Walking (Earthling - 1997)
#133 - David Bowie - Seven Years In Tibet (Earthling - 1997)
#132 - David Bowie With Gail Ann Dorsey - Planet Of Dreams (Long Live Tibet - 1997)
#131 - David Bowie - Fun (Version 4.0) (Remix - 1997)
#130 - David Bowie - Thursday's Child (Hours - 1999)
#129 - David Bowie - Sunday (Heathen - 2002)
#128 - David Bowie Everyone Says "Hi" (Heathen - 2002)
#127 - David Bowie - Days (Reality - 2003)
#126 - David Bowie - Love Is Lost (The Next Day - 2013)
#125 - David Bowie - Where Are We Now? (The Next Day - 2013)
#124 - David Bowie - Valentine's Day (The Next Day - 2013)
#123 - David Bowie -  'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore (Blackstar - 2016)
#122 - David Bowie With The Lower Third - Can't Help Thinking About Me (Single - 1966)
#121 - David Bowie - Memory Of A Free Festival (David Bowie - 1969)
#120 - David Bowie - All The Madmen - (The Man Who Sold The World - 1970)
#119 - David Bowie - Lady Grinning Soul (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#118 - David Bowie - Sweet Thing / Candidate (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#117 - David Bowie - It's Gonna Be Me (Unreleased - 1974)
#116 - David Bowie - Speed Of Life (Low - 1977)
#115 - David Bowie - What In The World (Low - 1977)
#114 - David Bowie - Blackout (Heroes - 1977)
#113 - David Bowie - Red Sails (Lodger - 1979)
#112 - David Bowie - Lightning Frightening (The Man Who Sold The World Expanded Edition - 1971)
#111 - David Bowie - Wild Eyed Boy From Free Cloud (David Bowie - 1969)
#110 - David Bowie - Sons Of The Silent Age (Heroes - 1977)
#109 - David Bowie - Kooks (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#108 - David Bowie - Seven (Hours - 1999)
#107 - David Bowie - Survive (Hours - 1999)
#106 - David Bowie - I'll Take You There (The Next Day Extra - 2013)
#105  - David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#104 - David Bowie - Dirty Boys (The Next Day - 2013)
#103 - David Bowie - Battle For Britain (The Letter) (Earthling - 1997)
#102 - David Bowie - Reality (Reality - 2003)
#101 - David Bowie - Time (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#100 - David Bowie - Black Country Rock (The Man Who Sold The World - 1970)
#99 - David Bowie - Jump They Say (Rock Mix) - (Black Tie White Noise Bonus Track - 1993)
#98 - David Bowie - Joe The Lion (Heroes - 1977)
#97 - David Bowie - New Killer Star (Reality - 2003)
#96 - David Bowie - Little Wonder (Earthling - 1997)
#95 - David Bowie - The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (Hours - 1999)
#94 - David Bowie - Be My Wife (Low - 1977)
#93 - David Bowie - Sweet Head (Ziggy Stardust Expanded Edition - 1972)
#92 - Tin Machine - Baby Universal (Tin Machine II - 1991)
#91 - David Bowie - Watch That Man (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#90 - David Bowie And Mick Jagger - Dancing In The Street (Single - 1985)
#89 - David Bowie - Up The Hill Backwards (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#88 - David Bowie - Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy Stardust Expanded - 1972)
#87 - David Bowie - Warzawa (Low - 1977)
#86 - David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away (Blackstar - 2016)
#85 - David Bowie - The Width Of A Circle (The Man Who Sold The World - 1970)
#84 - David Bowie - Word On A Wing (Station To Station - 1976)
#83 - David Bowie - Beauty And The Beast (Heroes - 1977)
#82 - David Bowie - Look Back In Anger (Lodger - 1979)
#81 - David Bowie - Always Crashing In The Same Car (Low - 1977)
#80 - Tin Machine - Baby Can Dance (Tin Machine - 1989)
#79 - David Bowie - Andy Warhol (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#78 - David Bowie - Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?) (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#77 - David Bowie - Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (Blackstar - 2016)
#76 - David Bowie - Telling Lies (Earthling - 1997)
#75 - David Bowie - The Next Day (The Next Day - 2013)
#74 - David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#73 - Tin Machine - Crack City (Tin Machine - 1989)
#72 - David Bowie - Lazarus (Blackstar - 2016)
#71 - David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll With Me (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#70 - David Bowie - Lady Stardust (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#69 - David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas - 1977)
#68 - David Bowie - Sense Of Doubt (Heroes - 1977)
#67 - David Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight) - (The Next Day - 2014)
#66 - David Bowie - Boys Keep Swinging (Lodger - 1979)
#65 - David Bowie - Day-In Day-Out (Never Let Me Down - 1987)
#64 - David Bowie - Soul Love (The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#63 - David Bowie - The Prettiest Star (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#62 - David Bowie - 1984 (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#61 - David Bowie - Afraid (Heathen - 2002)
#60 - David Bowie - Hallo Spaceboy - (Outside - 1995)
#59 - David Bowie - Breaking Glass (Low - 1977)
#58 - David Bowie & Pat Metheny Group - This Is Not America (The Falcon & The Snowman Soundtrack - 1985)
#57 - David Bowie - White Light / White Heat (Serious Moonlight Tour - 1983)
#56 - David Bowie - Time Will Crawl (Never Let Me Down - 1987)
#55 - David Bowie - Sound + Vision (Low - 1977)
#54 - David Bowie - TVC 15 (Station To Station - 1976)
#53 - David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#52 - David Bowie - The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Outside - 1995)
#51 - David Bowie - Never Let Me Down (Never Let Me Down - 1987)
#50 - David Bowie - Round And Round (B-Side - 1973)
#49 - Tin Machine - Under The God (Tin Machine - 1989)
#48 - David Bowie - I'm Afraid Of Americans (Earthling - 1997)
#47 - David Bowie - Holy Holy (B-Side - 1974)
#46 - David Bowie - Cracked Actor (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#45 - David Bowie - Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#44 - David Bowie - I'm Waiting For The Man (Unreleased Live - 1970)
#43 - David Bowie - It Ain't Easy (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#42 - David Bowie - Queen B!tch (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#41 - David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing (Single - 1972)
#40 - David Bowie - Young Americans (Young Americans - 1975)
#39 - David Bowie - Golden Years (Station To Station - 1976)
#38 - David Bowie - D.J. (Lodger - 1979)
#37 - David Bowie - Hang On To Yourself (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#36 - David Bowie - Panic In Detroit (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#35 - David Bowie - Modern Love (Let's Dance - 1983)
#34 - David Bowie - Fame (Young Americans - 1975)
#33 - David Bowie - Blackstar (★ - 2016)
#32 - David Bowie - Absolute Beginners (Absolute Beginners Soundtrack - 1986)
#31 - David Bowie - Diamond Dogs (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#30 - David Bowie - Star (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#29 - David Gilmour Featuring David Bowie - Comfortably Numb (Remember That Night DVD - 2006)
#28 - David Bowie - All The Young Dudes (Unreleased - 1972)
#27 - Tin Machine - Heaven's In Here (Tin Machine - 1989)
#26 - David Bowie - Blue Jean (Tonight - 1984)
#25 - David Bowie - Loving The Alien (A Reality Tour - 2003)
#24 - David Bowie - Starman (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#23 - David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World (The Man Who Sold The World - 1970)
#22 - David Bowie - China Girl (Let's Dance - 1983)
#21 - David Bowie - Rebel Rebel (Diamond Dogs - 1974)
#20 - David Bowie - Suffragette City (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#19 - David Bowie - Station To Station (Station To Station - 1976)
#18 - David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire)(Cat People Soundtrack - 1982)
#17 - David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#16 - David Bowie - The Jean Genie (Aladdin Sane - 1973)
#15 - David Bowie - Fashion (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#14 - David Bowie - Quicksand (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#13 - David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Freaks) (Scary Monsters - 1980)
#12 - David Bowie - Changes (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#11 - Adrian Belew With David Bowie - Pretty Pink Rose (Young Lions - 1990)
#10 - David Bowie - Slow Burn (Heathen - 2002)
#9 - David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#8 - Queen With David Bowie - Under Pressure (Hot Space - 1982)
#7 - David Bowie - Stay (Station To Station - 1976)
#6 - David Bowie - Let's Dance (Let's Dance - 1983)
#5 - David Bowie - Moonage Daydream (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#4 - David Bowie - Space Oddity (David Bowie - 1969)
#3 - David Bowie - Life On Mars? (Hunky Dory - 1971)
#2 - David Bowie - Five Years (The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars - 1972)
#1 - David Bowie - Heroes (Heroes - 1977)

#200 - Liza Jane - Davie Jones With The King Bees - (Single - 1964) (Toy version - 2000)
Other recordings: Nina Jones, Vince Gill, Fats Domino, Dr. John

Where else could we possibly start than at the beginning? The song was a traditional song from many years back but this version and arrangement was credited to Leslie Conn. The King Bees were formed with Bowie going under his given surname of Jones. He would later change his stage name to Bowie to avoid confusion with the lead singer of The Monkees. Conn booked the King Bees for a gig with other artists (who were R&B performers). Their performance lasted 10 minutes. 

This was the first known recording of Bowie. The single received some airplay but did not sell very well. Hundreds of copies of the single went unsold and were thrown away. Bowie would go on to sell over 100,000,000 records and get inducted in to the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. But you would never guess that would be how things would turn out based off of this single.

For those unaware, Toy was an album Bowie recorded in 2000 for a 2001 release. Somehow the tracks got leaked on the Internet and the album was never officially released. The Toy version sounds a lot more polishes and produced and Bowie sounds like Bowie. The 1964 version sounds like a Beatles wannabee recording.

As the saying goes . . . AND WE'RE OFF.

It's happening!

i've been plucking & painting & preening & posing all day to prepare for my Bowie200 persona - Fat White Duck

The return of the fat white duck, throwing darts in lovers' eyes....

wikkidpissah said:

i've been plucking & painting & moussing & posing all day to prepare for my Bowie200 persona - Fat White Duck

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Selling yourself a little short. I think of you as The Diamond Duck.

wikkidpissah said:

i've been plucking & painting & moussing & posing all day to prepare for my Bowie200 persona - Fat White Duck

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it's not the side effects of the chow mein ...

Thanks for doing this - going to learn a lot more material here to add to my library.

#199 - David Bowie - Killing A Little Time (From No Plan EP - 2017)
Other Recordings: Michael C. Hall from the Lazarus soundtrack

This song deserves to be higher up, but in the interest of symmetry I am slotting it here. It is rumored to be the last song Bowie ever recorded. In the last year of his life, Bowie secretly recorded his 25th album, Blackstar, and released it on his 69th birthday completely unannounced in the first few days of 2016. It literally dropped with no marketing, no notice, and no one knowing about it (save for the musicians that played on it). Two days later, Bowie died after an 18-month battle with liver cancer.

In 2015, Bowie was involved in the development of a Broadway musical featuring his music entitled Lazarus. Bowie wrote several new songs for the stage production, which initially were sung and recorded by the cast of the show. A year after Bowie died, the No Plan EP was released with Bowie's recordings of the songs from the play.

Like Freddie Mercury, Bowie knew the end was near and put together one last album for his fans. No one knew at the time, but Bowie was too sick to participate in the preparation and development of the Lazarus play. The songs on No Plan were recorded around the time of Blackstar and completed several months after . . . meaning Bowie was a shell of his former self. For a guy on death's door, Killing A Little Time is a rocking way to go out and his vocals are fantastic for someone that was really sick. The song features Ben Monder on guitar.

Love that you’re doing this. 

#198 - Adrian Belew (Featuring David Bowie) - Gunman (From Young Lions - 1990)

One of Bowie's claims to fame is that he always worked virtuoso guitar players, so I figured I would include some songs he recorded as a featured vocalist. Most older, long-time fans will already know a lot of the info I will post, but I will post some tidbits of info to attract a generation of new fans (or old timers who really haven't gotten into Bowie's music). Bowie was instrumental in getting Stevie Ray Vaughan's career off the ground (he played on the Let's Dance album). Bowie was childhood friends with Peter Frampton (who played on the Never Let Me Down album), and he worked with King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp (who is a legend in the progressive and electronic music scene).

Adrian Belew played on Bowie's Lodger album in 1979 and was lead guitarist on his 1978 and 1990 tours. He was also in King Crimson and worked with many other famous artists including Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, and Frank Zappa.

as i've written in this forum before, i was in a home studio with an old friend working on some of my own music when word came that Bowie had died. we immediately set about writing a tribute song called Electric Eye (from Moonage Daydream), about how Bowie was the patron saint of anybody who felt different inside. for those of you too young to remember a time when most of society felt God punished anything weird, getting permission to consider that the things inside you that set you apart might not be mortal or venal but quite possibly wonderful was a huge burden lifted, even for those not called to lifestyles beyond the norm.

usually, i'm pretty good at remembering my lyrics and melodies, but part of this Reilly's MO kept us prodigiously stoned throughout the sessions and, unfortunately, i found out the week after i left Boston that this guy had sold some of my work as his own (long story) and our work relationship ended in instant acrimony, most of the work beyond my access in his studio files.

any who've tried re-creating a lost song idea know how frustrating it is, but it ended in me thinking a LOT about Bowie, trying to redicover the avenues i went down to come up with the original ideas. through doing so, i became convinced that Bowie and not Elvis, Little Richard, Lennon or McCartney or Jagger or Richard or Page or Plant or Waters or Gilmour or Wonder or Prince or whatever was the most important artist of the Rock era. the great variety of genres he touched, the avatars his personae created and that patron saint aspect made Bowie, if not the Icon of icons, at least the fulcrum upon which culture turned into what it is now - where the individual trusts his, her or its insides as not only a curse but a gift. quite something -

thing is, the 70s were a time where even a year of age made a great difference in cultural orientation. Beatles and Stones fans never entirely glommed onto Who and Zep, or Doors and Sabbath, Yes & Tull, Bolen & Bowie etc etc. i was about 5 yrs too "old" for glam and he was so greatly embraced by his fans that i let them have him. so, important as he is, i never followed him elementally, so there's a lot of holes in my Bowie appreciation. all i got is the hazy memory of my tribute song, the memory of having made out once in the 80s with a girl who'd made out w Bowie and wondering if that made me a little gay and decades of appreciation of his work. am totally looking forward to @Anarchy99 fleshing that out here. thx for that. let all the children boooogayyyy!

#197 - Reeves Gabrels (Featuring David Bowie) - You've Been Around (From The Sacred Squall Of Now - 1995)
Other Gabrels / Bowie Collaborations: The King Of Stamford Hill - 1995, Jewel (With Dave Grohl) - 1999

Reeves Gabrels first started working as a guitarist for Bowie in the late 80's. He became the guitarist in Bowie's side project Tin Machine (who put out 2 studio albums and a live album) of most rock to hard rock songs. He went on to play on the 90's Bowie albums Outside, Earthing, and Hours (and on 4 tours in that timeframe). Gabrels definitely has a harder edge sound, and the 90's live performances of Bowie classics definitely have a more rocking vibe than on other tours.

I saw some comments in the New Wave thread about a couple of folks not enthralled with an entire Bowie thread. Bowie has so many songs in so many genres that there will be songs that people will like in their favorite style of music. He's got pop songs, new wave songs, instrumentals, dance songs, avante-gard pieces, and even songs with elements of metal and hard rock. That's kind of the thing with Bowie. He is unique in that he checks off so many boxes in so many categories.

Oh, forgot to mention, Gabrels is currently a guitarist for The Cure.

Anarchy99 said:

#198 - Adrian Belew (Featuring David Bowie) - Gunman (From Young Lions - 1990)

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Anarchy99 said:

#197 - Reeves Gabrels (Featuring David Bowie) - You've Been Around (From The Sacred Squall Of Now - 1995)

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like a great Shakespearean actor did Bowie give hammy heft to the work of others...

#196 - Earl Slick (Featuring David Bowie) - Isn't It Evening (The Revolutionary) (From Zig Zag - 2003)

Slick first showed up on Bowie's 1974 Diamond Dogs tour. He played lead guitar on the Young Americans and Station to Station albums. Something happened and there was a falling out between Slick and Bowie just before the 1976 tour and he was dropped without much explanation. Jumping ahead to the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour, Stevie Ray Vaughan was set to tour and bailed at the last second to further develop his own career. Slick stepped in as a last second replacement for the entire tour. He reappeared for Bowie's Heathen and Reality albums in 2003 and 2004 and was one of the guitarists on Bowie's final tour. He also played on 2013's The Next Day.

Slick released several solo albums over the years but besides teaming with Bowie is also known for playing on John Lennon's last two albums and for being in the 80's band Phantom, Rocker, and Slick.

 interested to see if a certain collaboration with a relatively unknown artist will make the list.

Thorn said:

 interested to see if a certain collaboration with a relatively unknown artist will make the list.

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Magic 8 Ball answers: Signs point to yes. 

#195 - Mick Ronson (Featuring David Bowie) - Like A Rolling Stone (Heaven And Hull - 1994)

The guitar player that gave Bowie his distinctive early glam sound was Mick Ronson, who joined forces with DB in 1970. He recorded 5 studio albums with Bowie from 1970-1973 and was one of the Spiders From Mars. The famous last performance of the 1973 tour when Bowie announced that "Not only is it the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do"  (from the film and album Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture) really WAS the last performance of The Spiders From Mars band. The band was shocked, as was the band . . . even they didn't know and were stunned when Bowie announced it. (SPOILER ALERT: Rock 'N' Roll Suicide may end up showing up later on.)

Heaven And Hull was a tribute album that was put together featuring various singers and performers after Ronson died at age 46 of liver cancer (which would also do Bowie in many years later). After Ronson was forced to move on after working with Bowie, he recorded many solo albums and appeared on albums with other noted musicians including Lou Reed, Mott The Hoople, Pure Prarie League, Bob Dylan, Ian Hunter, and Elton John. 

Mick Ronson had one of the great all time guitar tones.

Ronson's Slaughter on 10th Avenue was a damned fine rock album

Anarchy99 said:

To be clear, they are "favorite recordings", not necessarily a ranking of his best songs. 

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What's the distinction?

Dr. Octopus said:

What's the distinction?

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I am listing things by how much I like them, which will likely be in contrast to how others would rank them. I am sure down the road I will hear that SONG X should have been way higher than SONG Y.  I am also trying to cover a 50 year career, so there undoubtedly will be songs that not may not rank the same if this were a true BEST OF list. I am also including B sides, bonus tracks, live songs, collaborations, TV appearances, etc. so that’s why I said RECORDINGS.

Anarchy99 said:

I am listing things by how much I like them, which will likely be in contrast to how others would rank them. I am sure down the road I will hear that SONG X should have been way higher than SONG Y.  I am also trying to cover a 50 year career, so there undoubtedly will be songs that not may not rank the same if this were a true BEST OF list. I am also including B sides, bonus tracks, live songs, collaborations, TV appearances, etc. so that’s why I said RECORDINGS.

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Thanks. I figured you would be ranking them by how much you liked them and not "consensus" much like Krista did with her Beatles thread and I did with my Stones thread - and the bolded clears it up.

Looking forward to it.

Let me be the first to post THIS when a debate arises over any tune on this list:

"Oh baby just you shut your mouth."

Bracie Smathers said:

Let me be the first to post THIS when a debate arises over any tune on this list:

"Oh baby just you shut your mouth."

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China Girl has been excluded due to coronavirus contamination. 

Anarchy99 said:

China Girl has been excluded due to coronavirus contamination. 

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I'm sorry but Interpol and the CDC has determined China Girl has to be included due to THAT line.

Let's bang out some more covers, as Bowie had quite a few of them.

#194 - David Bowie - Shapes Of Things (From Pin Ups -1973)
Another Yardbirds Cover: I Wish You Would (Pin Ups - 1973)
Yardbirds Versions: (Single - 1966), (Single - 1964)

Bowie had great respect for Jeff Beck (and he joined him on stage for a couple of numbers on his final Spiders Of Mars show). As someone else already mentioned, Ronson's tone fit the timeframe and works well on Shapes Of Things.

Pin Ups was an album entirely of cover songs. While they are mostly pretty good, many of them are very similar to the original versions. 

#193 - David Bowie - It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (From Sound + Vision box set - 1989)
Original Bruce Springsteen Version: (Greetings From Ashbury Park, N.J. - 1973)

Another Bruce Cover: Growin Up' (Pin Ups - 1973)
Orignal Springsteen Version: Growin' Up (Greetings From Ashbury Park, N.J. - 1973)

Bowie was so transfixed with Saint In The City that he recorded it in 1975 for his Young Americans album. He planned on including it in his sets for his upcoming 1976 world tour. Springsteen showed up at the studio Bowie was recording his album at in Philadelphia and was impressed in meeting with the Boss.  Bowie was so proud of his version that he played it for Springsteen, who showed no expression or emotion and had no comments or feedback. Bowie and Springsteen reconvened to another room with just the two of them. No one knows what was discussed, but the recording went into mothballs and the song was scratched off the set list for the tour. It finally emerged almost 25 years later. 

Bracie Smathers said:

I'm sorry but Interpol and the CDC has determined China Girl has to be included due to THAT line.

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WHO let the china girl out.

#192 - Tin Machine - Maggie's Farm (B-Side - 1989)
Original Bob Dylan Version: (Bringing It All Back Home - 1965)

Here's another Dylan cover, this time from Tin Machine. Tin Machine was the start of DB's transformation from his 80's pop sound to a much harder rock band sound. Lots of bands have covered Maggie's Farm including Rage Against The Machine, U2, The Specials, Richie Havens, and the Grateful Dead. They all sound different with a different vibe.

Bowie wrote Song For Bob Dylan that appeared on his Hunky Dory album in 1971.

Anarchy99 said:

#193 - David Bowie - It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (From Sound + Vision box set - 1989)
Original Bruce Springsteen Version: (Greetings From Ashbury Park, N.J. - 1973)

Another Bruce Cover: Growin Up' (Pin Ups - 1973)
Orignal Springsteen Version: Growin' Up (Greetings From Ashbury Park, N.J. - 1973)

Bowie was so transfixed with Saint In The City that he recorded it in 1975 for his Young Americans album. He planned on including it in his sets for his upcoming 1976 world tour. Springsteen showed up at the studio Bowie was recording his album at in Pliladelphia and was impressed in meeting with the Boss.  Bowie was so proud of his version that he played it for Springsteen, who showed no expression or emotion and had no comments or feedback. Bowie and Springsteen reconvened to another room with just the two of them. No one knows what was discussed, but the recording went into mothballs and the song was scratched off the set list for the tour. It finally emerged almost 25 years later. 

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i can see why Bowie would have liked Springteen's stuff. he saw what Jon Landau saw - that the Boss really had the soap of moments DOWN. Bowie would have been the reigning king of that metier in '75/76, so i'm sure he saw these songs as a natural source. Boss/Landau were the first really brand-conscious American rock act, though, and i'm guessing they wouldnt have wanted to be upstaged before Springsteen's full ascendancy, which was just in progress at that time.

ETA: actually like the Growin Up cover better

#191 - David Bowie - I Can't Explain (Pin Ups - 1973), (Live - 1973), (Live - 1983)
Other The Who Covers: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Pin Ups - 1973), Pictures Of Lily (Substitute: The Songs of The Who - 2001)
The Who Original Versions: I Can't Explain (Single - 1965), Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Single - 1965), Pictures Of Lily (Single - 1967)

Over the years, Bowie recorded or performed covers that were either well known (predominantly 60's hits) or relatively obscure songs that many people would not even know were covers. Bowie revived I Can't Explain for a dozen of his shows on his '83 Serious Moonlight tour. Since he played it at the show I went to, it makes the list.

I think I’ve narrowed the Top 10 down to 30 songs. Man, did this guy create some great music. 

Anarchy99 said:

I think I’ve narrowed the Top 10 down to 30 songs. Man, did this guy create some great music. 

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A true talent that never settled in one spot.

#190 - David Bowie - Waterloo Sunset (Reality Bonus Track - 2003)
Another Kinks Cover: Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Pin Ups - 1973)
Kinks Originals: (Something Else by the Kinks - 1967), (The Kink Kontroversy - 1965)
Bowie & Ray Davies Version: (Tibet House Benefit - 2003)

It helps to be a Kinks fan. If you like Waterloo Sunset, Bowie gives it a fresh coat of paint. It both holds true to the original version but also sounds updated at the same time. This version seems a little peppier and with a little more electric guitar. Bowie and Ray Davies performed the song together early in 2003 (linked above), which would leave me to believe that's what prompted Bowie to want to record it in a studio. But it's odd his version never really made it onto an album (it's on the Japanese version of Reality and also on a limited release CD with a bonus CD). 

Bowie was one generation before me, but I have become a huge fan over the years.  Really looking forward to this list.

#189 - David Bowie - Sorrow (Pin Ups - 1973), (Video - 1974), (Live - 1983)
Original Version by The McCoys: (Hang On Sloopy - 1965)

Bowie recorded his version of this song for his 1973 cover album Pin Ups. It was a regular on his Diamond Dogs tour in 1974 and Serious Moonlight tour in 1983 (but not played on his other tours). Bowie typically picked songs for specific tours and then left them off others. He didn't really mix things up night to night. But he did switch up songs pretty dramatically from tour to tour.

#188 - David Bowie - Let's Spend The Night Together (Aladdin Sane - 1973), (Live - 1973)
Rolling Stones Original Version: (Single - 1967)

Bowie glammed up this Stones track in his Spiders From Mars phase. From the opening guitar chord, his version certainly has way more guitar effects and has a faster tempo. Completely different vibe and feel even though it's the same song. The studio version was released as a single and mostly did nothing (but was Top 20 in the Netherlands). He only performed it live on his 72-73 tour.

#187 - David Bowie - Imagine (Live 1983)

This is the one and only time Bowie played Imagine, which was the final show of his 1983 Serious Moonlight tour and the 3rd anniversary of the day John Lennon was shot. I think he did a pretty good job for a one off performance, and at some points his voice sounds similar to Lennon's.

Here are some other Beatles related covers . . .
Across The Universe (Young Americans - 1975) (Beatles)
Try Some, Buy Some (Reality - 2003) (George Harrison)
Mother (Unreleased -1998 from a planned tribute album that never got released) (John Lennon)
Working Class Hero (Tin Machine - 1989) (Live Version) (John Lennon)

Back in the day, Bowie would sometimes add snippets or verses of Love Me Do in his performances of The Jean Genie (1973-74).

 

Anarchy99 said:

#187 - David Bowie - Imagine (Live 1983)

This is the one and only time Bowie played Imagine, which was the final show of his 1983 Serious Moonlight tour and the 3rd anniversary of the day John Lennon was shot. I think he did a pretty good job for a one off performance, and at some points his voice sounds similar to Lennon's.

Here are some other Beatles related covers . . .
Across The Universe (Young Americans - 1975) (Beatles)
Try Some, Buy Some (Reality - 2003) (George Harrison)
Mother (Unreleased -1998 from a planned tribute album that never got released) (John Lennon)
Working Class Hero (Tin Machine - 1989) (Live Version) (John Lennon)

Back in the day, Bowie would sometimes add snippets or verses of Love Me Do in his performances of The Jean Genie (1973-74).

 

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like it was written for him...

#186 - David Bowie - America (The Concert For New York City - 2001)
Simon & Garfunkel Original Version: (Bookends - 1968)

Another song Bowie played only one time, and a song and a situation that fits the state of affairs in the country just as much today. Back the last time the country was in a major crisis (9/11), Bowie opened The Concert For New York City with his cover of America. People need just as much healing and something to enjoy now as they did back then. Bowie makes the song his own in an almost circus- like delivery.

For those that never saw or heard of the concert, other performers on the bill included Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, The Who, Jagger & Richards, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Janet Jackson, Elton John, and Paul McCartney.

i remember Pin-ups, but i had no idea Bowie was so cover-y. me like -

Let's do a couple more covers and then move on to some collaborations.

#185 - David Bowie - I Feel Free (Black Tie White Noise - 1993), (Video - 1993), (Live - 1972)
Original Cream Version: (Music Video - 1966)

The 1993 album version is a heavily processed and more dance / club version of the Cream classic. The whole album has a slick, heavily produced, almost artificially engineered sound to it, which is why it's one of my least favorite Bowie albums. IMO, Bowie and drum machines and pre-recorded drum tracks doesn't do it for me. The studio version of I Feel Free is not bad per say, but it completely changes the vibe and presentation of the song. The 1972 version sticks much closer to the original (sorry for the crappy sound quality but that's all their is). Although hard to believe, Mick Ronson plays guitar in both versions. Tin Machine played I Feel Free a couple of times, which would be interesting to hear, but I haven't been able to track down a recording of it.

#184 - Tin Machine - Shakin' All Over (CD Single - 1991)
Original Johnny & The Pirates Version: (Single - 1960)

To me, Tin Machine gets a bad rap. They were a diversion for Bowie to try to be more of a collaborative band member and had a hard rock, at times light metal, and bluesy feel. It was another phase for Bowie and a sound he hadn't really had before. I thought they were a fun band and came across as a typical college / garage band that a bunch of kids would have put together. Not a lot of effects, not a lot of production, no obscure instruments, just grip it and rip it. It set up Bowie for some of the edgier songs he would put out in the future (although those would be a lot more fleshed out and high tech). Their version of Shakin' All Over seems to fit right in if people went out to a local bar and there was a band you never heard of playing.

The Man Who Fell to Earth is now streaming on Amazon Prime.  I haven't seen it for decades but I remember it as being more interesting than good.

Anarchy99 said:

Let's do a couple more covers and then move on to some collaborations.

#185 - David Bowie - I Feel Free (Black Tie White Noise - 1993), (Video - 1993), (Live - 1972)

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PERFECT song for Bowie. Ungodly bad arrangement, right down to the dolphin guitar solo at the end. Nile Rodgers was the producer, but i bet Bowie was hella bad to talk down from any perch

Eephus said:

The Man Who Fell to Earth is now streaming on Amazon Prime.  I haven't seen it for decades but I remember it as being more interesting than good.

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The movie that made/ruined Tesuque, NM (my first western home)

For the purposes of collaborations, I am only including songs in which Bowie participated in singing all / most / half of the vocals. Songs he either co-wrote, helped produce, played an instrument, or sang back up vocals won't be on the list. So fans of Scarlett Johansson, the songs Bowie sang back up vocals on are out. (There were be other collaborations along the way further on the list.)

#183 - David Bowie With Arcade Fire - Wake Up - (Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks) - 2005)

I am not sure how Bowie ever got together with Arcade Fire and there doesn't seem to be a lot out there to explain how it ever came to be. This is from his performance at Condé Nast Fashion Rocks 2005 in September of that year. Bowie was last seen performing in June 2004 and suffered a heart attack in that show. He never performed a full concert again. IIRC, he only performed anywhere after that 2004 gig 5 times . . . and 2 of them were with Arcade Fire. The other Arcade Fire show was a week after this performance, where Bowie came out for their encore at their show in Central Park. In 2013, Bowie snag bang up vocals on a track on Arcade Fire's Reflektor album. By all accounts, Bowie only performed in public 4 times after this Fashion Rocks appearance.

I am following this thread, and will probably comment more once favorites of mine are featured rather than touching on each one.  Bowie's music tends to be very hit or miss for me, but the good ones are so damn good.

Anarchy99 said:

For the purposes of collaborations, I am only including songs in which Bowie participated in singing all / most / half of the vocals. Songs he either co-wrote, helped produce, played an instrument, or sang back up vocals won't be on the list. So fans of Scarlett Johansson, the songs Bowie sang back up vocals on are out. (There were be other collaborations along the way further on the list.)

#183 - David Bowie With Arcade Fire - Wake Up - (Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks) - 2005)

I am not sure how Bowie ever got together with Arcade Fire and there doesn't seem to be a lot out there to explain how it ever came to be. This is from his performance at Condé Nast Fashion Rocks 2005 in September of that year. Bowie was last seen performing in June 2004 and suffered a heart attack in that show. He never performed a full concert again. IIRC, he only performed anywhere after that 2004 gig 5 times . . . and 2 of them were with Arcade Fire. The other Arcade Fire show was a week after this performance, where Bowie came out for their encore at their show in Central Park. In 2013, Bowie snag bang up vocals on a track on Arcade Fire's Reflektor album. By all accounts, Bowie only performed in public 4 times after this Fashion Rocks appearance.

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i'm an old man w a bad heart - i know that look. Fearfocus. I'm still able to do some things, but i cant do anything full-bore. Wanting to enjoy something that one fears might make them explode gives one that deep stare of tentativity. He must have been a lot sicker than we knew.

#182 - Kristeen Young (Featuring David Bowie) - Saviour (Breasticles - 2003)

Bowie and Young shared the same producer (Tony Visconti). Visconti produced Bowie's first and last solo albums and 14 altogether. He's producer 125+ albums overall including releases from T-Rex, The Moody Blues, Morrisey, Thin Lizzy, Badfinger, and Iggy Pop. Bowie had Young work on some demos for him in the early 2000's and wanted to return the favor by appearing on one of her albums. He did not write the song and only sings vocals.