Do you have a preferred Bowie era?

I would separate that last option into BTWN-Earthling (more experimental) and Hours-Reality (more conventional).

Given that, my preferences are the Eno Trilogy/Scary Monsters and BTWN-Earthling. I actually really don't care for much outside of those albums (and Blackstar). I prefer my Bowie to be a little experimental.

 

Station to Station for me, but I love pretty much anything and everything. Almost.

What I don't get is (dare I say it!) the adoration of the Berlin period. I have tried and tried to listen to those albums and (apart from a few select songs) I just don't find them appealing at all. I find them to be a) poorly recorded, b) poorly produced, c) and sloppy arrangements and musicianship in some areas. Maybe I just need to force feed them into my brain, but I just can't seem to lock into them for some reason. I do enjoy some Lodger, but for the most part, Low and Heroes leave me wondering what the heck it is everyone else thinks is so great about them.

Blasphemy...I know...

 

You're right. Blasphemy.

 

I would rank all my favourite Bowie phases a little bit like this, fwiw:

1. Berlin/Eno (Low-Lodger)
2. Thin White Duke/White Light (Station to Station)
3. Glam Bowie (Ziggy - Aladdin - Pin Ups)
4. New Romantic Bowie (Scary Monsters)
5. Halloween Jack/Philly Dogs (Diamond Dogs)
6. Songsmith Bowie (Hunky Dory)
7. Plastic Soul (Young Americans)
8. Mid-80s pop era (Let's Dance -Tonight - Never Let Me Down)
9. Hippy Bowie (Space Oddity)
10. Metal Bowie (The Man Who Sold the World)
11. Renaissance Bowie (The Next Day - Blackstar)
12. Electronic artistic recovery (BTWN - Buddha - Outside - Earthling)
13. Neoclassicist Bowie (Hours - Heathen - Reality)
14. Tin Machine era (I & II)
15. Baroque mod/pop/Decca (David Bowie)

 

1966

 

Just wanted to mention Bowie in 1966. His mod/soul period sounds convincing and exciting. Otherwise, too many great periods to have an overall answer. I also think that Let's Dance is underrated.

 

It goes without saying each album has highlights (or in some cases, a highlight). But it is all about the Berlin Trilogy and Scary Monsters for me.

 

+1 Berlin
Or Diamond Dogs>"Heroes." Can i do that?

 

Station To Station to Scary Monsters

 

Ziggy Stardust, for me.

 

Trilogy schmilogy. These five albums go together.

 

All the ones with Ronson on them.

 

1976-1982
and
1994-2002
___

Station to Station
Isolar
Low
"Heroes"
Lodger
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps
Under Pressure
Baal
___

The Buddha of Suburbia
1: Outside
Live 1995
Earthling
Live 1997
..hours
Live BBC Radio Theatre 2000
Toy
Heathen
Live 2002, especially the complete Low/complete Heathen concerts.

 

The era I love most of Bowie is The Man Who Sold The World to Aladdin Sane. I'm also a fan of his Berlin Era aswell as his Thin Duke era. I do however feel that Low is a little overrated, but Heroes is fantastic and Station To Station is great too (this doesn't mean I hate Low it's just that it's a little too much praised around these parts). I would include Diamond Dogs in my preffered era but sadly it came after the album PinUps which I don't consider to be that great at all.

 

'Pin Ups', I feel, is one of his finest. I wish it would have been a double (as originally intended).

 

I voted early era. Never really been a fan, only liked the odd song or two, I have tried, bought a few of his albums "Hunky Dory, Aladin Sane, Ziggy Stardust, listened to many of his other albums, I just can't/don't get him at all, don't like his voice for the most part, never got the chameleon thing, The Ziggy look, man you'd need bottle to dress like that..

 

Well I don't think it's considered one of his finest because I've never heard that is the case. It's no classic by any means. Might be underrated if anything (if I end up liking it that is).

 

It's IMO far better recorded and played than Ziggy. Not that Ziggy is that bad, of course, apart from the drums. But compare the feeble drums on Ziggy to the power of the drums and whole band on Pin-Ups. I wish the Ziggy album had been played and recorded like that.

 

1. 1971 - 1973
2. 1977 - 1980
3. 2013 - 2016

 

Ziggy, Alladin Sane with Ronson. PinUps was great too, cant remember if Ronson was on that or not.

I also really like the Station To Station era.

 

When he was alive.

 

IMHO,
Artists like David Bowie, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, etc that always seemed to experiment and explore various musical paths have that additional appeal - it's as if you're witnessing their creative talents seeking other venues of expression.

 

Early-mid 1970s era.

 

I love it all really. Only era I find a little weak is Lets Dance through Tin Machine. I voted for BTWN-Blackstar.

 

Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Diamond Dogs, Station to Station....
but I picked the 90s. That's when I discovered him, first on Earthling. Loved it. Still do. Everything from there forward I've experienced in real time. I still love the old stuff, but the 90's are what's closest to me.