The No. 1 Greatest David Bowie Album of All Time
In honor of this great musical talent, Audio Ink Radio presents its pick for the No. 1 David Bowie album of all time. – Author: Cat Badra, Photo by Jimmy King
Celebrated English musician David Bowie was truly one of a kind. He dabbled in pretty much every genre, from pop to art rock to electronic and glam, and in the process, created his own stound and style, and it’s one that nobody could every copy or emulate.
Bowie was a prolific songwriter and released more than two dozen solo albums during his time on Earth. His first solo album was a self-titled release that dropped in 1967, featuring a very unique Baroque pop music sound. Then, his last album that was released while he was alive was 2016’s “Blackstar,” which offered a mix of art rock, jazz and experimental rock. Bowie passed away in January of 2016.
“Blackstar” got stellar reviews all around, which isn’t always the case for a classic rock legend releasing music late in their career. “The arty, unsettling ‘Blackstar’ is Bowie’s best anti-pop masterpiece since the Seventies,” David Fricke of Rolling Stone said in a review at the time. “On his 69th birthday early in January, David Bowie releases the most extreme album of his entire career: ‘Blackstar’ is as far as he’s strayed from pop,” added Andy Gill of the Independent.
With so many classic albums to his name, it’s nearly impossible to pick a No. 1 best, but that’s what we’re doing in this Audio Ink Radio feature. In honor of this great musical talent, Audio Ink Radio presents its pick for the No. 1 David Bowie album of all time.
The Best David Bowie Album Ever
We almost went with “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” as our pick for No. 1 on this tally, because that album is so fantastic, passionate and intense. So, it goes without saying that “Scary Monsters” was a career high for Bowie and showed off his most experimental work. It’s a classic and fresh sound, no matter how many times it’s played. “Teenage Wildlife” and “Kingdom Come” are must-listens off the collection.
But, edging out “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” for the No. 1 David Bowie album of all time is 1972’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” This album really made Bowie into the artist that he was destined to become. It seems like a no-brainer to be his No. 1 greatest album of all time.
“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” has incredible, descriptive lyrics, huge melodies and catchy hooks, all laced in a dramatic delivery from Ziggy himself. While Bowie’s other albums are also very strong, this one stands above the rest because it’s simply an opus of his work. Every single song on here is perfect, and there are no fillers. The album tells a wild story of the end of the world, when all hope is lost until an alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust enters the body of a man and rekindles humanity. It’s a story that people want to hear again and again. It’s pretty much the best glam-rock release ever. As Rolling Stone notes, “The songs on Ziggy Stardust represent the high point of the entire glam movement.”
So, without a doubt, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” is the greatest Bowie album of all time. Find more great classic rock albums in this Audio Ink Radio feature.
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