David Bowie: Discography

Never Let Me Down 1987 EMI

Track Listing:

1. "Day-In Day-Out" – 4:38
2. "Time Will Crawl" – 4:18
3. "Beat of Your Drum" – 4:32
4. "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Carlos Alomar) – 4:03
5. "Zeroes" – 5:46
6. "Glass Spider" – 4:56
7. "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" – 4:05
8. "New York's in Love" – 3:55
9. "'87 and Cry" – 3:53
10. "Too Dizzy" (Bowie, Erdal Kizilcay) – 3:58
11. "Bang Bang" (Iggy Pop, Ivan Kral) – 4:02

It drew some of the harshest criticism of Bowie's career, condemned by critics as a faceless piece of product and ignored by the public — Bowie himself said that the album featured good songwriting that was ruined by overly commercial and dull production. However, it featured more of Bowie's own compositions than its predecessor, Tonight.

Tracks from Never Let Me Down formed the backbone of Bowie's highly theatrical Glass Spider world tour in 1987 (an official "video album" was released from this tour which was also called Glass Spider). The album's second track, "Time Will Crawl", was also used in the French arthouse movie Les Amants du Pont Neuf (The Lovers on the Pont Neuf).

Quote from Bowie on Never Let Me Down
“ [The great public esteem at that time] meant absolutely nothing to me. It didn't make me feel good. I felt dissatisfied with everything I was doing, and eventually it started showing in my work. Let's Dance was an excellent album in a certain genre, but the next two albums after that [Tonight and Never Let Me Down] showed that my lack of interest in my own work was really becoming transparent. My nadir was Never Let Me Down. It was such an awful album. I've gotten to a place now where I'm not very judgmental about myself. I put out what I do, whether it's in visual arts or in music, because I know that everything I do is really heartfelt. Even if it's a failure artistically, it doesn't bother me in the same way that Never Let Me Down bothers me. I really shouldn't have even bothered going into the studio to record it. [laughs] In fact, when I play it, I wonder if I did sometimes.


Day in Day Out


Never Let Me Down


Beat of Your Drum

It is funny he feels this way and I remember all the harsh criticizem this album received when it was first released, personally I enjoyed it but maybe it is because I saw David Bowie live for the first time during this time period.


I did not care for 'Tonight' too much but this album I do like and I like that it is a 100% pop album, I am glad he went back to following his own muse shortly after this album's release but it was an interesting detour plus the lyrics on this album are interesting.

I think Bowie is unduly harsh on an album filled with some great catchy songs and it is not as artistic vapid as the last studio album, I would not recommend this album to a newbie to Bowie but it is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

I remember asking myself when I first heard this album, Why was this considered a flop because like you Manny I like this album too, I think its got some great songwriting I really like this album in fact the youtube links are all my fav songs from that album, It's been a while since Ive spun this I should give it some more spins just because its Bowie heh

Tonight was alright there were a few songs i like from that album

The album may have been a flop but the tour was huge. Funny, they played Day In Day Out incessantly on the radio at the time, I would've thought it'd have more sales.

Tin Machine 1989 EMI

Track Listing:

1. "Heaven's in Here" (Bowie) – 6:01
2. "Tin Machine" (Bowie, Gabrels, Sales, Sales) – 3:34
3. "Prisoner of Love" (Bowie, Gabrels, Sales, Sales) – 4:50
4. "Crack City" (Bowie) – 4:36
5. "I Can't Read" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 4:54
6. "Under the God" (Bowie) – 4:06
7. "Amazing" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 3:06
8. "Working Class Hero" (Lennon) – 4:38
9. "Bus Stop" (Bowie, Gabrels) – 1:41
10. "Pretty Thing" (Bowie) – 4:39
11. "Video Crime" (Bowie, Sales, Sales) – 3:52
12. "Run" (Armstrong, Bowie) – 3:20 (Not on vinyl version)
13. "Sacrifice Yourself" (Bowie, Sales, Sales) – 2:08 (Not on vinyl version)
14. "Baby Can Dance" (Bowie) – 4:57


Tin Machine is the debut album of Tin Machine originally released by EMI in 1989. The group was the latest venture of David Bowie, inspired by sessions with guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Hunt Sales (drums) and Tony Sales (bass) formed the rest of the band, with "fifth member" Kevin Armstrong providing rhythm guitar.

The project was intended as a back-to-basics album by Bowie, with a hard rock sound and simple production, as opposed to his past two solo albums. Unlike previous Bowie bands (such as The Spiders from Mars), Tin Machine acted as a democratic unit.

At the time of release, Tin Machine met with some success, winning generally positive reviews and reaching #3 in the UK album charts. However, long-term sales were not as good.

This is my review from my website www.rockcityonline.net I gave it a 5/10

Quote :

This actually was a hard album to find, the lineup is definitly cut down from the typical Bowie albums, this feels more like a band than a man with a backing band. Which is true, it was inspired by sessions with Guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Tin Machine was to be a back to basics album for David Bowie, with a hard rock guitar driven sound. It was an alright album, I'll be honest it hadn't grown on me like I had hoped it would. Though Bowie or I should say Tin Machine covers one of my favorite John Lennon songs "Working Class Hero" it was a decent version. For me this is more of a filler for my collection of Bowie. Something tells me that I am going to have to spend some time giving this album and it's follow-up more spins.

Working Class Hero


Prisoner of Love


Under The God

I liked the Tin Machine album alot and was slightly ahead of the curve sound wise, this the type of sound that the so called alternative nation would explore as the 90's progressed.

The songs were good, simple, hard hitting songs and for an album associated with David Bowie a dry as bone production.

I was happy that Bowie was rocking out again and the first single 'Under the God' was a great single with interesting lyrics regarding skinheads living in condos, and songs addressing social concerns in straight forward lyrics.

I have to take this CD out of my archives and give it a spin.

I've had nothin' to say in this thread cuz I'm not much more than a casual (if that) Bowie fan. Basically I know his stuff that gets played on radio and that's about it.

However, this morning I woke up a little earlier than normal and put on VH1 Classic to while away the time before the rest of the family got up, and Bowie's video for "Ashes to Ashes" came on. Maaaaaaaan, I forgot how weird that video is! Disturbing and vaguely creepy. I'm gonna have that damn song stuck in my head all day now too.

As you were.

I plan to resume this soon....

Addy wrote:

Station to Station 1976 RCA

Track Listing:

1. "Station to Station" – 10:14
2. "Golden Years" – 4:00
3. "Word on a Wing" – 6:03
4. "TVC 15" – 5:33
5. "Stay" – 6:15
6. "Wild Is the Wind" (Ned Washington, Dimitri Tiomkin) – 6:02

regarded as one of his most significant works, Station to Station is also notable as the vehicle for Bowie's last great 'character', The Thin White Duke. The album was recorded after he completed shooting Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the cover featured a still from the movie. During the sessions Bowie was heavily dependent on drugs, especially cocaine, and recalls almost nothing of the production.

Musically, Station to Station was a transitional album for Bowie, developing the funk and soul music of his previous release, Young Americans, while presenting a new direction towards synthesizers and motorik rhythms that was influenced by German electronic bands such as Kraftwerk and Neu!. This trend would culminate in some of his most acclaimed work, the so-called Berlin Trilogy, recorded with Brian Eno in 1977–79. Bowie himself has said that Station to Station was "a plea to come back to Europe for me". The album’s lyrics, meanwhile, reflected his preoccupations with Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, mythology and religion.

According to biographer David Buckley, the Los Angeles-based Bowie, fuelled by an "astronomic" cocaine habit and subsisting on a diet of peppers and milk, spent much of 1975–76 "in a state of psychic terror".Stories—mostly from one interview, pieces of which found their way into Playboy and Rolling Stone—circulated of the singer living in a house full of ancient-Egyptian artefacts, burning black candles, seeing bodies fall past his window, having his semen stolen by witches, receiving secret messages from The Rolling Stones, and living in morbid fear of fellow Aleister Crowley aficionado Jimmy Page. Bowie would later say of L.A., "The "explicitly deleted" place should be wiped off the face of the earth".

It was on the set of his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth, that Bowie began writing a pseudo-autobiography called The Return of the Thin White Duke.He was also composing music on the understanding that he was to provide the picture's soundtrack, though this would not come to fruition. Director Nicolas Roeg warned the star that the part of Thomas Jerome Newton would likely remain with him for some time after production completed. With Roeg's agreement, Bowie developed his own look for the film, and this carried through to his public image and onto two album covers over the next twelve months, as did Newton's air of fragility and aloofness

The Thin White Duke became the mouthpiece for Station to Station and, as often as not during the next six months, for Bowie himself. Impeccably dressed in white shirt, black trousers and waistcoat, The Duke was a hollow man who sang songs of romance with an agonised intensity while feeling nothing, "ice masquerading as fire". The persona has been described as "a mad aristocrat", "an amoral zombie", and "an emotionless Aryan superman". For Bowie himself, The Duke was "a nasty character indeed"

Bowie himself has been quoted in saying he does not remember even making this album. But I do like it, Word on a Wing and Golden Years are awesome

I love this album, the first Bowie I really sunk my teeth into, a truly great record! TVC15 is one of the coolest songs put to record, and the sprawling title track is just awesome. There's a couple other albums I like, but this is definately the top.

DC I am sort of surprised that you and detuned are not bigger fans of Bowie, since both of you guys like music that is left of center.

Addy will still contribute to this thread due to circumstances in Addy's I will be taking over this thread, hopefully I will be able to do the job as well as Addy has.

Released in 1991 the album was not exactly meet with great anticipation despite the critical kudos that was heaped on their first self titled album. I have to admit that I myself have not spun the album in awhile.

Unlike the previous Tin Machine album, the lyrics on this album do not for the most part address social and political issues, if anything it is a return to David Bowie's egocentric lyrics that one has to dig deeper to decipher their inner meaning.

Musically the album plays it more straight forward then their previous album, not as much sonic experimentation nor does the album seem to be a statement of intent, unlike the last Tin Machine that seemed to want to announce that Bowie is back on the loud cutting edge.

This album sounds more like a heavier version of R.E.M. Also this album's main difference is that this album seems to be more of a group effort with David Bowie relinquishing the spotlight to guitarist Reeves Gabrels who colors the songs with sonic sculptures.

Bowie even lets Hunt Sales handle the vocal duties on two songs, the more stand out song is 'Stateside' an original bluesy number that makes references to Kennedy convertibles and Marilyn inflatables. As far as I can remember this is only blues type song Bowie has ever attempted.

'Shopping for Girls' is the best song on the album, who's music matches the sense of anger and disconnect that song's lyrics allude to:

'These Children riding naked on their tourist pals
While the Hollows that pass for Eyes
Swell from Withdrawl'

A great album and an underrate attempt by David Bowie. If you are not already a David Bowie fan I suspect this album will not change your mind, but if you like your rock n roll a little left of center then you have come to the right place.

In 1992 Tin Machine released their live album and what turned out to be their swan song. The live album was recorded over several dates in support of Tin Machine II.

The album captures Tin Machine in full flight, even stretching their 'Heaven's In Here' to 12 minute mark.

Not much to say on the album except that was a very good album but fans where not supporting Bowie has being part of a band and the album was such a commercial flop that the band split up shortly after the album's release. Bowie would resume his solo career taking guitarist Reeves Gabrels with him for his solo band.

I know this is going to be a lonely thread especially since Addy is currently going to be out taking care of personal matters but I am going to go ahead and finish it for Addy, so this I will be continuing to the next album soon.

After the demise of Tin Machine, Bowie went back to his solo career.

'Black Tie, White Noise' released in 1993 reunited him with producer Nile Rodgers but if fans where excepting a sequel to 'Let's Dance' then they were in for a major disappointment. This album is nothing like that album, as a matter a fact this album singles in once again another stylistic change in David Bowie's career.

The band is Bowie's entrance into the modern age or at least that is what the critics tell me. The album combines Bowie's eccentric songwriting style with what seems to be influenced by the European dance music of its time, R & B music, and the album is anchored by the great bass playing of John Reagan, with Reeves Gabrielle coloring the music over the top the dance like rhythms,

The album's title track features a duet with now forgotten R & B singer Al B Sure inspired by the events of the L.A. riots, 'Jump they Say' the first single from the album is one of the best tracks on the album and is the first to feature his cut and paste lyric technique since the Berlin trilogy albums.

There is also a cover of Cream's I Feel Free which is a very different take on the original and the moody dark song 'Pallas Athena' which is another one of my favorite tunes on the album.

The album is rich of saxophones, bass lead music where for once in Bowie's career the guitarist takes a backseat with the exception of the song Cream tune that reunited Bowie to his old Spiders from Mars guitarist Mick Ronson

Not an album for the causal Bowie fan.

manny wrote:

DC I am sort of surprised that you and detuned are not bigger fans of Bowie, since both of you guys like music that is left of center.

I dig Bowie, I just have to be in the right mood for it. At the moment I just have a best-of collection and Let's Dance on LP.

My favorite era is the mid-70's.


P.S. - Tin Machine ROCKS!

Great thread Manny!!!! I have been reading it to get your take - Ive never been a big Bowie fan, but enjoy reading your take

David Bowie has almost as many comps as he does studio albums and live albums, but if you are going to buy one David Bowie and only one, or you just causal fan that wants a quick overview of his career from the 60's to the 90's, then this is the best comp out there.

This album wastes no time and only gives you his biggest hits and best known songs spread over two discs. You want rarietes? Get out of here, this is as title suggest singles.

The album omits his first two albums (which were commerical flops) and goes straight to 1969's Space Oddity and ends with at the time of this release, his latest single 'Jump They Say'

What is amazing listening to this album is how varied and different his music is, but this comp flows smoothly, the music despite all the changes sounds natural, the man knows his way around a song.

Disc 2 does have his duet with Mick Jagger, 'Dancing in the Streets' which was so horrid, but it is included here for any completist.
Disc 2 also contains what maybe Bowie's creative decline in the 80's with songs such as 'Blue Jean' and 'Day In and Day Out' but the collection ends on a high note a hint Bowie's creative renaissance that was just around the corner.

Black Tie White Noise surprised me I really liked that album of course it was one of the 2 albums I lost in the divorce the other being Tin Machine II

Oh wait also dont have Never Let Me Down anymore either ugh

Anyways BTWN is a great album

I've been following. I haven't kept up wtih Bowie much after the 80's stuff but I do have a greatest hits. Good words guys.

This vintage live recording finally saw the light of day in 1995, this was originally an FM broadcast and has been available as a bootleg for years but was finally issued officially in 1995.

This live album was recorded during the Ziggy Stardust era and as a result most of these songs come from that iconic album. Surprisingly the band sounds raw and it is not slick professional unit as the future Bowie bands would be after this line up.

Mick Ronson nonsense working man riffing works well with this songs and captures the hunger and newness of this songs. David Bowie sounds comfortable and this performance is certainly better then the one captured on the other live album from this era 'Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture'

I have no idea if they used the original master tapes or what source Bowie provided to the label in order to release this album but the sound levels do drop and rise up a few times in the recording, this may annoy some fans but I find it charming and like it because it adds to real live feel to the album, the album is so raw you could almost smell the pot smoke from your CD player.

A few highlights are 'Space Oddity that is done as an unplugged performance and 'Life on Mars' which is again stripped down/

This album was out of print for years but was recently reissued last year with a new cover:

In 1993 David Bowie was hired to do the soundtrack to the BBC mini series 'Buddah of Suburia', after the shows where aired, Bowie went back and tinkered some more with the music, so much so that the music heard in the series and the album that was released did not contain the same music, with the exception of the title track.

The album features two instrumentals that were in the same mold as the Berlin period of the mid 70's and the rest of the album is more or less Bowie working with saxophones, piano and very little emphasis on the guitar which was very different then what he was doing with Tin Machine.

Very good album that was not released in the States til 1995.

Boy, I went and listened to that and a lot of that is very different for even him.

It is very different and I was not sure how to describe the music on this disc, interesting and atmospheric album from Mr Bowie

In 1995 David Bowie released 'Outside' which reunited him with producer Brian Eno. This album was a concept album, dealing with a cyber-detective dealing with 'art crimes' and the only reason I even knew what this story was about was due to the fact that there is a big booklet with what the plot is in between songs.

The album is what you would except from the men who created 'Low' and 'Lodger' a dark moody album that is quiet and subdued in places, with lots of industrial type touches and atmospheric sounds.

The album has some strong songs but it seems somewhat stifled trying to fit into the concept of the album itself. The album's two singles 'The Heart's Filthy Lesson' would have been right at home on a Nine Inch Nails album and 'Halo Spaceboy' is another stand out track that also became a minor hit for Bowie.

I do enjoy the album even if it is a bit long and while it may not be a perfect album I admire the fact that Bowie refuses to coast on his reputation and is unafraid to try something new.