David Bowie

[11B4V]

Other: All the Young Dudes.

Bowie gets credit for writing it, but Mott the Hoople made it famous. Bowie essentially covered it after that.

I don't see why that's relevant.

I take it as a dig against DB.

[DontSayBanana]

Toss up for me between Pressure and Heroes.

[Capetan Mihali]

Sound & Vision

[Capetan Mihali]

"Panic in Detroit," of course. 

Actually that's one of my faves of that period.

"Station to Station" is, in my opinion, his best work (though the album as a whole isn't one of his better ones.  It's obvious that the drugs were *really* starting to take over at that point.)

Yes.   I've got to agree about the song "Station to Station." 

Though I disagree a bit about the album; the fact that he was hitting his high point of excess in both cocaine and Christianity made for an awesomely weird collection of song.

Fun fact:  During the 74/75 Young Americans/Station to Station era, people said Bowie subsisted almost exclusively on a diet of cocaine, milk, and red bell peppers. :brit:  There's a grainy video clip on youtube somewhere of him in his dressing room snuffing cocaine from a big sack, with one of those little school-lunch half-pint milk cartons in hand, so I'm inclined to believe it.  In the Dick Cavett interview from that era, also online, he comes off pretty, pretty damn wigged out and ill.

[Capetan Mihali]

Besides "Station to Station" (and that whole album):

"Ashes to Ashes," off Scary Monsters (lots of good ones on that album too -- "Teenage Wildlife," "Scream Like A Baby," "Because You're Young")

"Look Back in Anger," off Lodger (another good album -- "Fantastic Voyage," "Red Sails," and the very funny "Boys Keep Swinging" are all very good)

"Young Americans" is an undisputed classic, and yet another good album (I think I might like "Fascination" a little better than the title track).

The first side of Low is great plus the first song on the second side ("A New Career In A New Town": great highway driving song, like the contemporary Kraftwerk he was cribbing from).

[And the first two Iggy Pop solo albums weren't bad Bowie material either...]
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So my tendency is for mid-late 70s Bowie.  Of his earlier stuff:

"John, I'm Only Dancing" is great and deserves honorable mention for the coy, plausibly-deniable bisexual message.

"All The Young Dudes" is a consummate early 70s Bowie song (even though Mott The Hoople performed it better than the later Bowie renditions) and an anthem for that little moment in time that was glam rock.

Others from 1972-73: "Hang Onto Yourself," "Cracked Actor," "The Jean Genie," "Rebel Rebel."  Oh and "Panic In Detroit," of course.

Before, and mostly during, the Ziggy Stardust album, he doesn't do much for me.  Same holds for after 1980; similarly to "All The Young Dudes," Iggy did "China Girl" so much better the first time around.

[Ideologue]

Though The Next Day is overall a little weak, I would like to put in an honorable mention for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)."  That's a pretty rad song.

As far as Bowie doing actual covers, the Pixies cover from Heathen, "Cactus," is 1)100% better than the Pixies version and 2)great.

[Savonarola]

"Young Americans" is an undisputed classic, and yet another good album (I think I might like "Fascination" a little better than the title track).

I wish he would have let Luther Vandross sing lead on a couple songs from the album.  His song writing is strong and his band is great; but he sounds like a white limey trying to do an O'Jays impression.  I still chuckle when I hear his "Sho' nuff" on "Fascination."

[Liep]

Though The Next Day is overall a little weak, I would like to put in an honorable mention for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)."  That's a pretty rad song.

Just heard it on the radio and I liked it a lot.