Has anyone reshaped popular music as consistently – or as boldly – as David Bowie?
Across the 1970s alone, he delivered an astonishing run of albums, each one a reinvention: the glam spectacle of Ziggy Stardust, the soulful swagger of Young Americans, the Berlin Trilogy’s icy experimentation, and the jagged art-rock of Scary Monsters. Bowie seemed to inhabit a new persona and sound with every record, leaving defining moments in glam, funk, New Wave, and beyond.
Yet his creativity didn’t fade with age. Decades later, he reemerged with The Next Day, a confident, mature statement, and culminated his career with the haunting, extraordinary Blackstar, recorded while he knew his time was near. This list ranks every Bowie album, from groundbreaking triumphs to intriguing experiments, charting the evolution of a restless, fearless and endlessly inventive artist.
26. Never Let Me Down (1987)
Quite a few 1970s icons hit a weak patch in the 1980s, and Bowie certainly wasn't immune from this. 1987's Never Let Me Down is perhaps his weakest LP – because it buries his creativity under glossy ’80s production, cluttered arrangements, and unfocused songwriting. The adventurous spirit that defined his best work feels muted, replaced by overproduced bombast and half-formed ideas. The latter include awkward Lennon and Neil Young pastiches, a strange concept about a glass spider, and a baffling mid-song 'rap' from Mickey Rourke. Despite a few bright moments, the album lacks the sharp vision and innovation that made Bowie Bowie.
25. David Bowie (1967)
Bowie’s 1967 debut is charming but clearly the work of an artist still searching for his true voice. Its music-hall whimsy, character sketches, and twee arrangements feel far removed from the visionary force he would soon become. While the album has period charm and flashes of personality, it lacks the stylistic conviction and emotional depth that later defined him. It’s Bowie in embryo – talented, curious, but not yet transformed.
24. Tonight (1984)
After the shot in the arm was 1983's Let's Dance, Tonight feels largely coasting and unfocused. The ill-advised cover of The Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' veers into overwrought schmaltz, while several tracks lean heavily on lightweight reggae-pop that lacks his usual bite. Yet it’s not without highlights: 'Blue Jean' delivers effortless charisma, and 'Loving the Alien' is a haunting gem. Overall, flashes of brilliance can’t quite rescue an otherwise uneven record.
23. Hours... (1999)
After the ground-breaking sonic adventures of 1. Outside and Earthling, Hours… feels like Bowie dialing in rather than breaking new ground. Its mid-tempo, polished sound often drifts into tired, subdued territory, lacking the energy or invention fans expect. While tracks like 'Thursday’s Child' showcase his melodic touch and lyrical warmth, much of the album feels overly safe and introspective, making it one of his less memorable late-career efforts despite occasional sparks of brilliance.
22. Black Tie White Noise (1993)
Black Tie White Noise is far from a vintage Bowie album, but it marks a tentative return to adventurousness after the unevenness of Never Let Me Down and the missteps of Tin Machine. While the songwriting occasionally feels tentative, the record brims with intriguing jazz, soul, and funk textures, from the slick horn arrangements to the elastic grooves.
Bowie experiments with contemporary sounds without fully losing his signature style, and tracks like 'Miracle Goodnight' and 'Jump They Say' hint at the melodic and lyrical sophistication he still commands. Then there's the dark, techno-fuelled meditation on religion and control that is 'Pallas Athena'. It’s an album of contrasts: some moments feel dated or overproduced, but others reveal Bowie reconnecting with the exploratory spirit that has always defined him.
21. Pin Ups (1973)
Pin Ups is Bowie indulging his love of 1960s mod and psychedelic hits, delivering glam-rock reinterpretations with style and flair. The concept is intriguing but doesn’t always succeed, as some covers feel uneven or overly theatrical. Still, Bowie’s charisma and the band’s energy make it a surprisingly enjoyable listen – a playful, if imperfect, tribute to his musical influences.
20. The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia is often mistaken for a soundtrack, but apart from the title track, it’s an inspired studio album reflecting Bowie’s work on the show. Blending ambient textures with electro-pop experimentation, it captures his restless creativity in the mid-1990s. Lush, inventive, and surprisingly accessible, it rewards listeners willing to look past the soundtrack misconception, offering a unique glimpse of Bowie exploring modern sounds while retaining his signature melodic and lyrical flair.
19. Heathen (2002)
Reuniting with Bowie with producer Tony Visconti (Low, "Heroes", Scary Monsters) and featuring Dave Grohl and Pete Townshend, Heathen offers a confident late-career reset: rich, atmospheric production, strong melodies, and a reflective tone that suits Bowie’s maturing voice. Its blend of art-rock, electronics, and stately pop feels assured without straining for reinvention. Still, a few tracks drift toward mid-tempo sameness, and the album occasionally plays things safe. Even so, it stands as one of his most consistent and quietly affecting 2000s releases.
Key track: Slip Away
18. 1. Outside (1995)
Outside finds Bowie reuniting with Brian Eno (his collaborator for the hallowed 'Berlin Trilogy') to build a dense, unsettling world of 'art crimes', ritual murder, and dystopian performance pieces. Instead of classic hooks, the album leans into fragmented narratives, spoken-word characters, and a murky atmosphere that borrows from industrial, ambient, and avant-rock textures. It’s challenging, imaginative, and often brilliantly bizarre (it features in our rundown of the most captivating concept albums). Less a traditional Bowie album, more a sprawling conceptual experiment that rewards patient listeners.
Key track: Hallo Spaceboy
17. Earthling (1997)
Outside's follow-up sees Bowie diving headlong into drum and bass with admirable gusto, embracing rapid-fire beats, dense textures, and a cyber-industrial sheen. At times, the album seems to prioritise frenetic soundscapes over fully formed songs, but its best moments cut through the stylistic blitz. 'Seven Years in Tibet' delivers brooding power beneath the chaos, while “I’m Afraid of Americans” sharpens the experiment into something punchy, paranoid, and genuinely unforgettable.
Key track: I'm Afraid of Americans
16. Space Oddity (1969)
David Bowie’s second album is an intriguing transitional document – an earnest collection of folk-tinged, Dylan-adjacent songs that reveal a young artist still searching for a distinct voice. Much of the material is pleasant but unremarkable, leaning on acoustic strums, wide-eyed storytelling, and a slightly self-conscious sense of seriousness. Yet two moments elevate the record far beyond its reputation.
'Memory of a Free Festival' blossoms from gentle nostalgia into a communal, cosmic chant that hints at Bowie’s future ambition. And then there is 'Space Oddity', the career-defining masterpiece whose cinematic sweep, extraterrestrial melancholy, and pioneering production launched him from earnest folkie to visionary icon. Even if the album around it wavers, those flashes of brilliance illuminate everything to come.
15. Reality (2003)
Look beyond the terrible cover and you'll find a fine late Bowie album, blending hard-edged rock with reflective, late-career introspection. Guitar-driven tracks sit alongside thoughtful, mid-tempo songs, creating an album that’s both immediate and contemplative. While not as groundbreaking as his most celebrated work, Reality is cohesive, confident, and infused with Bowie’s trademark wit and melodic sensibility. Standout tracks like the post-9/11 New York portrait 'New Killer Star' demonstrate he can still surprise, proving he remains creatively vital well into his later years.
Key track: New Killer Star
14. The Next Day (2013)
By 2013, Bowie had been silent for ten years, giving the impression retirement was final. The Next Day shattered that notion, announcing his return with bracing confidence. The album pairs sharp, reflective songwriting – exploring fame, mortality, and love – with full-bodied rock arrangements that feel immediate and alive. It doesn’t reinvent his legacy, but it delivers a thrilling, no-nonsense reminder of Bowie’s enduring talent and knack for compelling, emotionally resonant music. A bold cover, too.
Key track: Where Are We Now?
13. Young Americans (1975)
And now we hit the classic 1970s run, one of the greatest album runs in rock history. Come 1975, Bowie had done his glam-rock phase, set sail for America, and turned his attention to Philadelphia soul (or his own particular take, which he labelled 'plastic soul'. His enigmatic vocals glide over wah-wah guitars, fluid basslines, and David Sanborn’s incisive sax, creating a seductive, slightly alien R&B sound. While much of Young Americans experiments with this new style, the album-closer 'Fame' transcends it, merging funk, bitterness, and cosmic ambition into a timeless, groundbreaking hit co-written with John Lennon.
Key track: Young Americans
12. Diamond Dogs (1974)
Diamond Dogs may wander conceptually, but it brims with energy and invention. Sitting at the crossroads of glam rock and soul, Bowie delivers thrilling riffs, theatrical arrangements, and vividly painted moods. The album is a kaleidoscope of colour, adventure, and emotion, from the swaggering opener to the cinematic closer. Despite its occasional narrative looseness, it remains a fun, daring, and musically rich statement in Bowie’s early ’70s catalogue.
Key track: Sweet Thing
11. Let's Dance (1983)
By 1983, Bowie had entered a decade that would prove uneven for him, but Let’s Dance finds him still at near-peak form, combining irresistible energy with a sharp pop sensibility. Less experimental than Lodger or Scary Monsters, the album embraces mainstream accessibility without sacrificing excitement. The title track, featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan’s blistering guitar, kicks off a set of hook-laden songs, while 'Modern Love' delivers a buoyant, danceable critique of organised religion.
Across its glossy, radio-ready production, Let’s Dance balances sophistication and fun, proving Bowie could still innovate within the pop arena and capture the zeitgeist, crafting one of his most enduringly vibrant and instantly enjoyable ’80s albums.
Key track: Let's Dance
10. The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
The nearest Bowie got to Led Zeppelin. The Man Who Sold the World sees Bowie shedding the folk-rock of Space Oddity for a darker, heavier sound. Tracks like 'Width of a Circle' push toward near-prog grandeur, while 'All the Madmen' is haunting and intensely personal, with its references to Bowie's brother Terry, incarcerated in a mental asylum nearby. The title track combines sinister riffs with enigmatic lyrics, creating a compelling centrepiece. Across the album, Bowie explores weighty themes and rock textures, marking a bold, adventurous step forward in his early career.
Key track: All the Madmen
9. Blackstar (2016)
Blackstar carries a haunting weight, now amplified by the knowledge that Bowie was aware of his impending death while creating it. Released on his 69th birthday, just two days before he passed, the album is his most experimental in years, echoing some of the innovative spirit of his fabled Berlin Trilogy. Dark, intricate, and challenging, it’s perhaps less immediately accessible than The Next Day. A few listens, however, and you come to appreciate what a profoundly emotional, audacious, and unforgettable farewell Blackstar truly was.
Key track: Blackstar
8. Lodger (1979)
Often overshadowed as the 'least' of the Berlin Trilogy, Lodger is nonetheless a fascinating, adventurous album. Bowie and Eno blend funk, rock, and global musical influences, creating a rich, eclectic soundscape. Tracks like 'Look Back in Anger' and 'DJ' showcase some of Bowie’s finest vocal performances, balancing playfulness, attitude, and intensity. Its experimentation and global textures make it a compelling, underappreciated gem in one of Bowie’s most innovative periods.
Key track: Boys Keep Swinging
7. Aladdin Sane (1973)
The follow-up to the iconic Ziggy Stardust has more of an American soundworld, influenced by Bowie's 1972 Stateside Ziggy tour. This is harder, more glam, more riff-centred than Ziggy. And there are some incredible moments: the taut paranoia of 'Panic in Detroit', 'The Jean Genie's seamy looping groove. Then there's the brilliantly futuristic cover of the Stones' 'Let's Spend the Night Together', the imperiously theatrical 'Time' and of course the title track with Mike Garson's extraordinary, mercurial piano flourishes. This is glam rock, yes: but it's glam going further and bolder than it had ever expected to go.
Key track: Aladdin Sane
6. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) marks the conclusion of David Bowie’s incredible run of shape-shifting, endlessly fascinating 1970s albums. And what a sign-off it is, blending adventurous, funky music with sharp ruminations on fame and identity.
Side one is particularly extraordinary, often cited as one of the finest sides in his entire career. 'Ashes to Ashes' revisits the world of 'Space Oddity' with innovative production and surreal lyrics (and an iconic video), while tracks like 'Fashion' and 'Teenage Wildlife' showcase Bowie's ability to effortlessly fuse pop accessibility with experimental edge.
Across the album, Bowie balances playfulness, sophistication, and incisive commentary, making Scary Monsters both a thrilling listen and a fitting culmination of his groundbreaking work in the late ’70s, bridging art-rock, funk, and the avant-garde with effortless style.
Key track: Ashes to Ashes
5. Station to Station (1976)
Station to Station captures Bowie at a fascinating moment, pivoting between the two defining identities of his career: the camp, sexualised glamour of Ziggy, Aladdin Sane and Diamong Dogs, and the captivating adventures in texture of Low and Heroes. Beyond that, it's just a brilliant album, fusing the soul swagger of Young Americans with the icy experimentation that would define the Berlin era. Hypnotic grooves, towering vocals, and the emergence of the Thin White Duke: so much to love.
Key track: Station to Station
4. "Heroes" (1977)
Everyone talks about the 'Berlin Trilogy', but this is undoubtedly Bowie's 'Berlin album': – the only album fully recorded in the city itself. "Heroes"' legendary title track, inspired by lovers embracing by the Berlin Wall, channels hope and defiance into a soaring anthem. Like Cold War Berlin, the album feels split in two: one side full of hard-edged, nervy New Wave; the other drifting into gorgeous, haunted ambient soundscapes. It’s beauty and darkness intertwined – Bowie at his most human and transcendent.
Key track: "Heroes", of course – though we're also tempted by the amazing Secret Life of Arabia
3. Ziggy Stardust (1972)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, to give it its full title, stands as one of Bowie’s greatest triumphs and one of rock’s most iconic albums. It may not push boundaries with the radical innovation of Hunky Dory, the Berlin Trilogy, or even the experimental edges of Aladdin Sane, and its concept is more loosely sketched than tightly constructed.
Yet Ziggy Stardust's power lies elsewhere: in unforgettable riffs, irresistible melodies, and the electrifying presence of Ziggy himself. The album bottles the sheer thrill of early ’70s rock, capturing Bowie’s charisma at the precise moment it went supernova. Part glam spectacle, part cosmic myth, and part swaggering rock ’n’ roll, Ziggy Stardust remains a thrilling, era-defining document of a star becoming a legend.
Key track: Moonage Daydream. A wild, sensual surge of glam rock with one of Ronson’s most electrifying guitar solos.
2. Hunky Dory (1971)
Bowie's breakthrough moment, and the album that signals the captivating, multifaceted phenomenon he was becoming. Hunky Dory captures the moment he fully discovers – and revels in – his limitless creative potential.
It’s an album of dazzling range: gleaming pop brilliance on 'Changes', eerie, philosophical folk on 'Quicksand', homespun hippy whimsy on 'Kooks', boisterous, winking cabaret on 'Oh! You Pretty Things'. And then there’s 'Life on Mars?', a genre-defying masterpiece that feels beamed in from a parallel universe.
Bowie also salutes his artistic heroes: Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed. And miraculously, it all coheres into a single, vibrant identity. Hunky Dory is the record where Bowie proves he can be a pop craftsman, a poet, a glam provocateur, and an art-rock visionary all at once. No wonder he came away believing he could do anything: on Hunky Dory, he did just that.
Key track: Life on Mars?
1. Low (1977)
Reinvention of the most radical and fascinating kind: and a massive influence on the sounds of the next decade
Recorded mostly in France but very much the first instalment of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, Low captures a man at a crossroads: battling addiction, shedding old habits, and opening himself to radical artistic experimentation. Side One combines stripped-back, sharp-edged songs like 'Sound and Vision', 'Always Crashing in the Same Car', and the somehow chilling-yet-euphoric 'New Career in a New Town'. Then, Side Two gives us four absolutely gripping ambient pieces, crafted with Brian Eno and evoking Bowie's experience of life in Cold War Berlin and the Eastern Bloc.
Producer Tony Visconti’s inventive techniques included the introduction of the extraordinary Eventide Harmonizer, which heightens the album’s otherworldly feel. Essentially a pitch-shifting and delay device, it allowed Visconti to detune, thicken, and manipulate drum and guitar sounds in ways previously unheard of. Most famously, it gives the drums that deep, 'splatting' quality – suddenly weighty, almost otherworldly, yet punchy.
Bowie also experimented with cut-up lyrics and non-linear narrative, giving even his simplest lines weight and mystery. Low is more than a collection of songs; it’s a universe unto itself, a 40-minute immersion in mood, innovation, and daring. Few albums invite you in so completely, and few mark a reinvention so brilliantly.
Key track: Warszawa
Bowie pics: Getty Images
