Which David Bowie album got you into him?

Ziggy Motion Picture in 8th/9th grade—loved the live & all the styles.

 

Aladdin Sane, actually. After my Sophomore year of high school I went to a summer arts program at a state college, and one of the guys there was a big Bowie fan, and he turned me on to Aladdin Sane. I particularly remember that "Cracked Actor" was the song that I glommed on to because it was the hardest-rocking thing on the album. My roots were Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath, and I kinda held Bowie at arm's length for a while, I thought he took himself too seriously. But the quality of the music was not to be denied, and the breadth of style and sheer originality to that album is hard to resist. It was after that that I realized that I'd heard several Ziggy tracks before and just hadn't twigged that it was Bowie.

As a footnote, I also remember that a few years earlier in 1975, I bought the "Fame"single when it was released because I'd heard it on the radio and thought it was really cool. I was 11 at the time and had no idea who Bowie was, I just liked the song. This was a good three years before I really got into rock music though, so I count my enjoyment of "Fame" as experienced in ignorance, but when I heard Aladdin Sane, I really became aware of who and what Bowie was.

 

Changesonebowie. I was a kid, it had songs on it that I'd heard on the radio and liked - Fame, Space Oddity, Changes.... But I think that it was Golden Years that opened the door and ushered me into The Bowie Universe. The sheer, shiny, detached, rolling sleekness of it. It put me in the back of a dream car twenty-foot long. You know how we've sent samples of our music into outer space ? Golden Years was like me finding a sample of music that outer space sent to us...

D.D.

 

Earthling. Heard "Little Wonder" and it had sort of a NIN way about it, so I picked up ChangesOne and it went from there.

Also had a cassette recording of Serious Moonlight (HBO) when I was 8, but that was mostly because I dug the drummer's playing. Tony Thompson, I think. Power Station dude.

 

I first heard Bowie when I took summer vacation trip to Portugal with my parents to their home country back in 1971, Queen Bitch came on the radio I would listen to in the afternoons, it blew me away. I didn’t know anything about him until the following year when he released The Spiders from Mars. I didn’t buy Hunky Dory until 73 and rediscovered Queen Bitch.

 

Ryko ChangesBowie in 1990.

Ziggy and Hunky followed shortly after.

 

For me it was Let's Dance. I was just at that age (11) when he was seemingly releasing all these great songs.

I think it was actually China Girl that actually got me on the hook, I had no idea that he had such a large and varied past musically.

As an aside after buying the cassette of Let's Dance and then saving pocket money to buy another cassette a week or two later I went with my parents and picked up another tape (I think it was Rare, a RCA Bowie compilation).

As I proudly present this latest item to my parents to pay for they wouldn't allow me to have it saying "all the songs are old, you wouldn't know any of them, pick another", of course this makes no sense but I picked another cassette. That day I became the owner of Malcolm McLaren Duck Rock.

I think I have proven my point to both parents as having just checked my discogs account I now own 419 David Bowie items, take that mum and dad.

 

Aladdin Sane. I was 12 years old and “Watch that Man” has that glam-rock groove I love. Not as good as the album that preceded it, but, like Goats Head Soup, The Hoople, Muscle of Love, Houses of the Holy and Shinin On, it’s got a special place in my heart.

 

Outside was the album that really got me into Bowie. I still think it's his best album.

 

Same here. Had a gf who was into Bowie at the time. Didn't realize that's also why she was into me.

My next after 'Diamond Dogs' was 'Young Americans', then 'Aladdin', then an avalanche.

 

I think you should now start "which Malcolm McLaren album got you into him?"

 

I was in high school and the hype/hoopla surrounding Ziggy Stardust was inescapable. I believe Circus magazine had a spread on Bowie. I'm glad I was paying attention . It's still one of my all-time favorite albums.

 

LOL that did sound funny. The album got me interested in Bowie but didn't do much for my interest in college.

 

The single led me to Space oddity

 

Sometime in 1973. A neighbour liked him, and he played me a couple of singles. The two which stood out were Amsterdam and The Man Who Sold The World, both B sides of UK singles. From then on, I was hooked. Still am.

Just realised you’re asking which album got me interested in him. None, it was actually a couple of singles; Sorrow and Life On Mars?

 

The first Bowie album I bought was David Live but I was into his music already via his hits. The album left me underwhelmed but the next one I bought, Ziggy Stardust, most certainly did not.

 

First one I heard

 

Heathen

 

In 1974, during Christmas vacation, my friend bought “David Live” at a local record store (1812 Overture for those of you in the Milwaukee area).

We went to my house to listen to it and I recorded it on my 8 track as it spun for the first time.

For the rest of the break, I listened to that tape start to finish every night before falling asleep. I was hooked.

Shortly afterwards, I bought Ziggy and was off and running.

 

Diamond Dogs, closely followed with Hunky Dory. Still me two favourite Bowie albums.

 

Summer of 1973 at my best friends house.......Aladdin Sane.

 

had to think about this for a second because philly was an early bowie hot bed! i am guessing hook line and sinker ziggy stardust but it could have been hunky dory or space oddity. first concert was ziggy and the spiders on the aladdin sane tour.no need to say it was life altering for me.

 

Probably 'Aladdin Sane'. I was 12 going on 13 at the time but I was blown away by the single 'Gene Genie' back in 1973. I remember saving up my pocket money to get the album.

 

My first Bowie album was Hunky Dory at age 12 and, while I could tell it was good and I loved some of the songs, it wasn't until about 6 months later when I got Ziggy Stardust and my mind was blown. Loved him ever since.