Tracks:
1. Life On Mars? : A virtually perfect song, on the candidate list for greatest song ever. It shows off his weird lyricism, epic flair and pop aesthetic.
2. Five Years : A wonderful ballad that has a compelling urgency and soaring melody.
3. An Occasional Dream : Another great, early ballad that has a dreamy (appropriate!) melody and a chiming sound.
4. Space Oddity : One of his most famous songs, it hinted at the dramatic nature that would become his trademark, while also capturing a contemplative mood about the space race.
5. Lady Grinning Soul : Exotic and gorgeous. This is the very definition of lush pop melody, yet it has a surreal, swirling element. Just very compelling.
Album:
Space Oddity
While one of the triumverate of Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust tends to be selected for best Bowie album, I think Space Oddity has become overlooked and under-appreciated. I've lately been listening to it more, and it's packed with brilliance.
Similar Artists:
Jobriath
T-Rex
Thoughts
I like Bowie a great deal because he combined a fusion of different rock and pop sounds with tremendous theatrics and showmanship. His albums are potpourri of epic productions, dirty blues and even McCartney-esque Vaudeville ditties. He's a lot of fun to listen to, he's rarely boring.
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"Blow your tuneless trumpet, the choice is yours / We don't want the glamour, the pomp and the drums / The Dublin messiah scattering crumbs"
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