Yesterday was David Bowie's birthday, and tomorrow is his death anniversary. There is a lot that can be said about someone whom I am not entire sure was really human, who irrevocably changed my entire life for the better. He knew he was dying and created until his last breath. He was an inspiration, and an icon, and his work literally saved my life.
Tomorrow, he will have been gone from this plane of existence for 8 years. I still cannot believe I was so lucky to get to live in the same time on earth as him.
I've thought about how much I love his work, and I made a very difficult list of my five favourite albums of his, in no particular order. This is not a best of list, and it's not tiered in any way. These are just 5 bodies of work of his that have moved me in some way.
Let's Dance (1983)
I remember the first time I heard the song "Modern Love," it struck me like a bolt of lightening. I listened to it over and over and over again. And then the next song on the album, and then the next. The whole album was like that, where I couldn't get past one song for the next, because I had to absorb it into my body like osmosis. "Cat People" is one of the greatest songs of all time, full stop.
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)(1980)
I don't know why more people don't regard this album as one of his best. On top of having multiple huge hits, the other tracks on here are unbelievable. "Teenage Wildlife" and "Scream Like a Baby" are career highlights. I absolutely reject the idea that this was his last great album.
Heathen (2002)
This was the first album of his I bought with my own money. What I like the most about Bowie is that the quality of the music didn't change, but what he made changed. I remember watching his concert on tv that was a request live show and in support of this album when I was a teenager. I couldn't believe how good he was live--better than the album. Heathen is such a spooky, moody album, and one that really stuck with me as a young teen in a post 9/11 world.
The Labyrinth Soundtrack (1986)
Do I even need to touch on this one? LOL. I know a lot of Bowie fans hate this one, which I don't understand at all!!! Music fans can be so toxic and annoying. "Underground" is one of his best works.
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (film)(but it HAS to be the film)
The final choice was very hard because he has so much material and all of his albums are so vastly different from the next! I love the album version of this, but the FILM version is better and I think gives you a true sense of his artistry.
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