The Next Day

I give it a 2 I’m not sure I love his voice; the background is funky, and kind of unsettling. I like the cymbal… This first songs gs a kind of anticipation/anxiety about it that doesn’t feel like easy listening I do like the “ungh” in his voice occasionally though …. Second song still has angsty feel Still don’t love the third song. I like the background and the musicality, but it feels like he’s just talking over it without much musicality in his voice, which I don’t love.

I will be the first to admit that I don't "get" Bowie so I might not know or understand how this album fits into his incredible career. I can only base it off the music, and I generally like it. I don't know that I would come back to it again and again, but this is a record of solid music with a nice balance of the introspective and the upbeat.

bleh

It is fine...like a 6-7/10 or so, but without Bowie's name I'm not sure this album would carry any relevance.

I found this hard to get into. I prefer the older albums of Bowie. I won’t go back to this one.

I love 70s Bowie but this ain’t it

I don’t get this one. It’s not special or wonderful or even weird. Nothing stands out other than its Bowie

It was fine. I think the only people who would love this were people who already were Bowie fans because it’s not really doing anything special. And I don’t think any musicians are doing anything special on their 25th album. (Though I’ve heard his last one is better) From what I’ve read, there are nearly double-digit Bowie albums on this list. Not only does that seem completely unnecessary, but I also think it’s especially unnecessary to have a Bowie album from 2013 on the list when his prime was before the turn of the century. Not only that, but this was from the expanded version of the list. That means they had 1001 albums already, many of which were Bowie albums, and then they decided to add YET ANOTHER ONE. Because of that, artists who were doing cool stuff in the 21st century were left off the list. 2.5 rounded down to 2 because of everything I just mentioned.

Okay. Not much into David Bowie newer stuff. This was better than some of his other newer stuff.

I don’t think it is a terrible album. It’s fine I guess. I just see me ever listening to it again

Bowie does millennial rock

Of all the Bowie albums, The Next Day? My first experience with this album was laughing at the fact that the album cover is literally "Heroes" with a big white square on it. Admittedly, that's the absolute worst part of the album. Past that it's a totally fine and serviceable record, but it's just that and not much past it. Not quite "You should listen to this before you die."

meh kind of a random album. somewhat interesting.

none of things I enjoy about Bowie are in this album

The creator of this list was definitely laughing at me when I was complaining my last album about having another Bowie album, and then giving me this one back-to-back with it. This is my 6th? 7th? Bowie album? I’ve lost count. And I know there will be more lol. This one unfortunately I will say had more flops than good songs. As much as I’ve listened to him at this point I still can’t get a grasp on his vibe. Maybe that’s what makes him good? I’m not sure. Until next time Bowie.

Not for me.

I hope for an epiphany when it comes to Bowie one day. I’ve just never really enjoyed his music outside of the hits so this was a whole load of meh for me. There are so many Bowie albums on this list and I’ve never even heard of this one before! just didn’t connect for me unfortunately 2/5

mid

Curious he should compare this to Heroes, which although I’m not a giant Bowie fan, was for sure more adventurous of an album. This just all sort of felt meandering to me.

Never got Dave Bowie of the Dave Bowie Band

No songs really stood out for me

God no. Bowie is improtant but we don’t need every single brain fart he churns out. It’s ok as an album. If you’re a Bowie fan you want to hear every single squeak he did. But for a general list, a couple of the early albums. One of the middle and his last one. This is inessential for such a list. 2 stars.

Honestly was bored by this album, it doesn't have any of that David Bowie shine I've come to expect.

It comes down to auteur theory: is a mediocre late era Bowie album note worthy because of its place in the artists career? I don’t even care that much for Bowies classic albums. So for me it is a hard no. I had no appetite at all for this. As a stand alone record/art piece it is of slight interest. And this project ha made me realize I don’t really like Bowies voice and singing style. He has a pretty weak voice no? He got pretty good lyrics though. But the theme of aging and looming death was much more powerfully realized on blackstar.

Honestly a little confused about the albums on this list. You can hear early Bowie in this one but he is far away. This is clearly far away from anything legendary that he put out. 4.7/10

Not Bowie’s best, and not that interesting otherwise.

Pretty depressing

Good but I prefer the young DB 🙂‍↕️ 2,5/5 🌈

david bowie in his prime was so good that now everything else will never compare 2/5 😔

Eh.

Fairly dull. Much of this album's reputation stems from the secrecy of its recording and subsequent hype upon release. Whilst it's solid enough, there's nothing that really stands out.

Yeah Idk I don’t get the hype.

Not much of a fan of the sound.

Not rly my favorite with the vocals and lyrics, instrumentation is good tho.

Pretty underwhelming, but loved the sax

Not a bad album Just no need to have an 9th Bowie Album when there is plenty of great artist out there 12 years later and it's not remembered that much

Not for me, it could not thrill me although i like other bowie albums a lot

This is a bit crap. Disappointing from such a brilliant artist. Very boring album. Nothing remotely interesting on it.

I think Bowie was a great artist but after listening to a few of his albums, I just don’t think Bowie is for me. I like a couple of his song but I just can’t get into the rest. This album was pretty average tbh and I wasn’t the biggest fan.

An ok Bowie album. Some good songs and some not so good ones. None were great though which is to bad. I didn't get pulled in enough to listen again I think.

Première fois que j'écoutais du Bowie c'était : pas ouf.

Another Bowie album, I think this is the fourth I have heard so far. I understand that a lot of people love him and his work, but I'm starting to resent being presented with album after album from him. Are they really all that different, that influential, that representative of their eras? I see that this is his twenty-fifth album (!), so I suppose I am being spared some of them, but I still think he is overrepresented. The Next Day is a strong opener, a fun tune and evocative lyrics, very Nick Cave. If You Can See Me was the next track to catch my attention, but for the wrong reasons, sadly - all the percussion sounded really dissonant, and the vocals don't seem to match the time signature, and the (deliberate I'm sure) effects on the vocals are unpleasant to hear. A tough listen. All the rest of the tracks sound pretty much like I expect from latter-day Bowie. They are fine, but they just washed over me. Also, I rarely comment on album art, but this might be the worst so far, it's certainly the laziest. It literally looks like something I would knock up in 60 seconds in Microsoft Paint.

Was never into Bowie, still not into Bowie.

Not my favorite. Felt like a lot of dad rock. Felt like Bowie was trying to return to form but the songs were not very inspired.

I had never listened to a Bowie album before. From reading other reviews, this should not have been my first. There was nothing special about this album. The music was good, and I could tell he's very talented, but nothing grabbed me and made me want to listen to it again.

I remember waking at 6.30 and, unusually, checking the news before I left the house. I got to listen to Where Are We Now? once, knowing I would have to wait all day, through work, before I could hear it again and work out the very obvious meanings of the lyrics and video. The song lingered that whole time. It was a magical moment. The Next Day is weighted with context and historicism then. Not only in the surprise of its release, but in the self-consciousness with which Bowie plays with his past. It is all about past, which is subtly different to legacy. Follow-up, Black Star is about legacy, because it knows what is to come. But The Next Day, despite its forward-looking title, has no clue what's coming. The Next Day is a response to a brush with death; Black Star faces death down. As a result, The Next Day doesn't really know what to do. Where Are We Now? harks back to Berlin, with some of the cod grandiosity of "Heroes." I'd Rather Be High could be an outtake from Toy. If You Can See Me sounds very nineties. Heat is a powerful tribute to Scott Walker. Most of the rest is an extension of Reality. This pose of elderly reflection works well, in the record's historical context, the latest Bowie identity: super old man. But it's a fool's pose, looking backwards - the crucial step is forward into oblivion, where Bowie becomes pure identity, free from materiality, free from personal life, family, friends, etc. He will then be only the thing he created, an image. On The Stars, he sings of himself and other celebrities "we live closer to the earth, never to the heavens." But, only three years later, his spirit "rose a metre and stepped aside." Look up there, he's in heaven! The Next Day is a material record, the result of historical factors that I don't think one can ignore. It is about those historical factors, in as much as it is about anything. For Bowie's awareness of these things and his playfulness with them, it is clear that he hadn't yet grasped the material, mortal reality of aging and death. Perhaps he had in private, but he didn't have the artistic vision in place yet. An ahistorical listening of The Next Day is probably unfair to this small, doting record. It is not one of 1001 albums you should listen to before you die, but it is an illustrative point in the twenty-five albums David Bowie made before he died. Even if that point is only he was only an old man. 2 The drums are brash - dry, compressed, almost aggressively four-square at times (Love is Lost, Valentine’s Day, Dancing Out in Space, How Does the Grass Grow?, Set the World on Fire) the bass is often bouncing quavers on root notes, the guitar work defined by short, bluesy riffs and stabbed half chords with no more sonic dressing than a light distortion. The songs are majority hook-laden, up-beat 3-4 minute guitar pop sometimes with arch ooos and las and saxophones honking. So what is there here to set The Next Day apart from the work of, say, the Kaiser Chiefs? Well there are a few things but nothing that properly redeems The Next Day from the suspicion that at least a few of these tracks would suffer no artistic injury from the inclusion of multitracked Ricky Wilsons howling “uuuuggghhhhhEeehhhhhhhhhAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” to a crescendo in the pre-chorus. This is a bad David Bowie album. Whatever flattering light was cast at the time because of Bowie’s long absence or what pathos it can claim since Bowie’s death is all falsity. This album stakes everything on the quality of the songs because, as observed above, there is almost no sonic or structural interest here at all (although there is a game of spot-the-Bowie-song-reference). Well the songs aren’t much good. Occasionally they are excruciating - ‘I’d Rather Be High’ is a rancid stew of Kula Shaker and…something far, far worse than Kula Shaker. The lyrics are rarely comprehensible as much beyond randomly collated obscurities - no risk is taken with the personal or the poetic. If that was, to Bowie, by no means a new method of composing his lyrics that hardly excuses the lack of inspiration in lines like: “Kennedy would kill/ For the lines that you’ve written/ Van Ronk says to Bobby/ She’s the next real thing/ Crouched in the half light/ Screaming like a banshee/ You’re in the boat babe/ We’re in the water” Forget the meaning; these words just _sound_ like shit; which sets them apart from a good deal of Bowie’s work whether we’re talking about The Bewlay Brothers or New Killer Star. And The Next Day is full of stuff like this. If ‘Where Are We Now?’ seemed poetically profound to me and plenty of other listeners at the time because it had German places in it, time (and visits to Germany where this kind of poetry is to be had everywhere) has shown this advantage to be superficial: “Sitting in the Dschungel/ On Nürnberger Straße/ A man lost in time/ Near KaDeWe” What absolute rubbish. But to be fair to WAWN - it is also one of the best things on the album (along with ‘Heat’ and ‘If You Can See Me’) because here is a sense of Bowie’s carefully crafting a melody instead of just vibing one in a couple of notes over a rock groove (the title track, Stars, Love is Lost). The careful crafting thing is very risky of course - for a man of Bowie’s age it could easily have made him seem like an old man scornful that young people can’t write like Bacharach. Well I wish Bowie had old-manned more. Here is one of the greatest writers there has ever been in pop music and the overwhelming sense I get from The Next Day (a sense I don’t get from Heathen or Reality, of which this album is the musical sibling) is of a man (men possibly - hello to Tony Visconti, Earl Slick et al) working in fear of his own artistic irrelevance and his waning energy. 2/5

Boring. I liked some of his earlier albums, but this album was just filler. I made it all the way through so it gets 2 stars by default.

I haven't ever been much of a fan of David Bowie's music, and this album doesn't change my mind at all. If anything, it just provides more evidence that I don't much care his music. This album wasn't hard to listen to, but hard to like. I feel relatively certain I won't be listening to this album again.

Our second Bowie album in a week. This one isn’t as experimental, but I still fail to see the fuss.

Please no more David Bowie.

Not his best album, I must say.

Favorite Track: Basically any of his not from this album

It's okay. I respect his legacy, but I found this album a bit bland. 2 stars

Meh. It's third-rate Bowie and there are too many songs.

I'm sure there will be better Bowie albums on this list, and I'm sure I've probably been given one of the lesser choices for my first of this project. Just felt a bit like it was a laborious vanity project that didn't achieve anything.

Mijn eerste gedachte was: 'Niet élk Bowie-album hoeft in deze lijst te staan..'. Ik kende wel wat outtakes, maar had het album nooit in één zit geluisterd. Mijn eindconclusie is dat ik het nog steeds een overbodige toevoeging vindt aan de lijst. Dat je je licht wil laten schijnen op de verfijnde kunst die de beste man zo laat in z'n carrière nog produceerde begrijp ik, maar die lading dek je met 'Blackstar' al wel lijkt me. Het is wel geinig hoe deze plaat je langs verschillende fases van zijn kameleonistische (bij een artiest als Bowie mag je gewoon woorden bedenken vind ik) loopbaan leidt. Late 70s Iggy Pop-esque art rock, ambient tinten, glamrock, en z'n latere onheilspellende artpop, alles komt wel langs. Maar los van 'Where Are We Now?', 'Valentine's Day' en You Feel So Lonely You Could Die' heeft het niet heel veel om het lijf. Heb me best vermaakt, en albums als deze zijn echt wel noemenswaardig in zijn repertoire, maar hij is niet eigenzinnig genoeg om zelf op te vallen. 6,5/10 Highlights: Where Are We Now? You Feel So Lonely You Could Die

My opinion on David Bowie's music is highly variable, and I didn't like this album at all. A bit of a snoozefest that actually tipped into irritating. Rating: 2

My favourite artist of all time, but one of my least favourite albums of his. Valentine's Day is a superb tune though!

sounds like a U2 album, unfortunately. a flop from a musician i really do admire. not musically interesting and the lyrics felt so redundant and vaguely empty.

unfortunately not for me, i enjoyed "where are we now?" and "heat" but i dont see myself re-listening in the near future.

This wasn’t my favourite Bowie album

Had some moments I enjoyed but ultimately didnt really capture my attention. Definitely not as strong an album as previous Bowie albums ive heard

Not one for me.

This is an interesting choice. I listened to and love many classic Bowie albums like Ziggy Stardust, Low, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, Heroes and so on. Never heard this one. I do have to say I usually dislike "back to form" albums. I’m having a hard time rating this one. It’s a good album, it just sounds like David Bowie. Is it as good as Aladdin Sane or Scary Monsters? Not by a long shot. Does it have some very good songs? Yeah. I mean, the songwriting is great and the singing is great and the instrumentation is great. This would be the best album on the discography of many artists. I just expect more of Bowie. I expect some new sound, some unique brash weirdness, and this is ordinary. I’m going to give it two stars. It’s a fine album and it’s entirely possible I’ll listen to it again in the future, but it doesn’t even crack Bowie’s top ten so how can it be on the top 1000 ever.

Bailed on it.

Not a great album , it really shouldn't be on this list. Sounds like Bowie trying to copy Paul Weller and failing miserably. Two good tracks. I'll let other people decide what they are.

meh, ich hoffe das war eins seiner schlechten Alben und es wird nur noch besser ab jetzt. 2 Sterne

Bowie released what, 20 albums? This isn't even top 15.

..

Mid.

4/10

Better than Ziggy but still not for me.

This is just not my taste

Hei AI, tekisitkö minulle 2010-luvulle sopivan Bowie-levyn? Lisää vain modernin tasainen tuotanto ja tumma, vähän progemainen alavire. Lopputulos: LP, joka pitää mielenkiinnon yllä suurimman osan ajasta, mutta jonka parhaita ideoita ei ole sovitettu kovinkaan iskevästi.

Another Bowie, so soon? I know he has a ton of albums on this list so I'm not too surprised he's popped up again already, I guess. Bowie recorded this after a hiatus from music. He definitely didn't lose his edge in that time, or his knack for making interesting music. But interesting doesn't always equate to good, at least to me. I can appreciate an album for the ideas it attempted and expressed, and still not find them to be particularly listenable or subjectively "good." And that's kind of how I feel about this album. While the ideas and interesting, and the experimentation is appreciated, I generally find it be...bleak. And I hate to say that because I love Bowie, and I don't think he'd enter the studio without feeling as though he had what he believed to be genuinely good ideas that were worth pursuing. But the overall sound doesn't come across as comforting Bowie, or funny Bowie, or playful Bowie, or melodramatic Bowie, but just as sad and bleak Bowie. And there's space for that version of him (as there is for all Bowie eras), but I didn't love this one. Bowie can and has done better and I know that there's better on this list that I both have and haven't heard. Two stars. Hurts, man. Standout Tracks: The Next Day, Dirty Boys, Valentine's Day, If You Can See Me, Dancing Out in Space, (You Will) Set the World on Fire

Hadn’t heard this (didn’t know it existed). His voice has changed into something deeply smoky and even more beautiful than before - I could see his age as I listened. Having said that, his songwriting doesn’t seem inspired, a far cry from his ‘cant miss’ 60-70s genius period. If it wasn’t Bowie, I expect this is an album no one would listen to.

Liked songs: Love is lost Valentines day Overall just ok

Another day, another Bowie... I wasn't sure how to rate this one. Instrumentally - I enjoyed this one a lot more than his other stuff. Loved the guitar. And also no weird spaceship noises on this one But on the other hand, his voice was not good here. You could tell it was a later album. It just kinda grated on me? And some of the lyrics made me cringe at one point I guess it was alright on the whole, not something I would choose to listen to again. But I rated Hunky Dory a 3 which was way better than this one in comparison. So... 2 ⭐️

Oh, darn, it's David Bowie and all, but I just don't dig this album. Too bad, because I believe it's a good one.

stan is banger

This was disappointing for Bowie. Like another review said, just because someone is one of the most successful musicians of all time, it doesn’t mean every single one of their albums needs to be on this list. There are many other artists deserving of a spot over this album that I will probably never listen to again.

Album #5 - 2/5 I just don't get this one. I've never been a huge Bowie fan (I like his hits, but the appreciation hasn't gone much deeper than that) so I do think I'd probably appreciate this album more if I knew Bowie better. I will say the story around the surprise release after his health issues is absolutely badass. There were several songs that had cool elements (that crazy spacey guitar rift and the funky brass in "Dirty Boys," hello ORGANS in "Love is Lost," emotional vocals & guitar in the chorus of "Valentine's Day," time signature shenanigans in "If you can See Me," etc.) but none of the songs' sounds felt very comprehensive. Even the "standout" songs for me were just okay "How Does the Grass Grow" & "(You Will) Set the World on Fire." I really reaaalllly want to like "Dirty Boys," because I like many individual elements, but the song just doesn't come together for me. I'm looking forward to reviewing other Bowie albums throughout these 1001!

I love David Bowie, but I found this album uninteresting.

Not a fan of this one unfortunately!

This one doesn’t need to be on any 1001 list.

Not a big Bowie fan. This one didn't hot any good notes with me. Pretty boring

Apparently I'm very up and down on Bowie, with this one being in the down column. A couple decent tracks but no real standouts here for me.

Love Bowie but this ain’t it, not unlistenable but not essential in the slightest, he has 8 other albums on the list, this one doesn’t need to be here

Bowie sucks

Pretty weak, there was some good things but nothing I have an interest in coming back to

Not my thing

It seems Bowie didn't age like fine wine.

This album is very mid, not great but not bad either, overall listenable but no real stand-outs (although I will play "Valentine's Day" on Feb. 14th now). Hadn't heard of anything from this album prior, didn't really like "If You Can See Me Now" but the next two and "The Stars are Out" are decent. I'm glad Black Star was better. Weak finish near the tail end so 2.15.

Never heard of this album. Not sure it's a must listen but it wasn't too bad. I hadn't ventured out of the early Bowie years so it was nice to see he didn't be stray very far from his roots. A little over produced as I am more a fan his simpler, grungier work. "I'd Rather be High" was top track with a few other supporters. Makes the list I think more for being so secret and released after the health scare...2.1.

I can't imagine many people expected Bowie had much left in the tank after a notorious lifetime of the rock star lifestyle and ongoing heart problems after a retreat from the public eye. I went in with admittedly low expectations and was treated to a relatively middle of the road album. It's really nothing special and doesn't do anything flashy. Bowie has clearly aged and doesn't have a lot of his Bowie flair that made him stand out and so special through his career. The best case I can argue for The Next Day is that it is consistently mediocre with little to no high or low points. I guess that is an accomplishment as this very easily could have been a huge miss after a long hiatus away from music for an aging rock star. Bowie is bigger than his music at this point and while I'll always be a fan I don't have much attachment to the end of his career. 2.14 stars

Not Bowie’s best.

Not my type.

Zat een prima flow in, variatie tussen nummers, maar als ik eerlijk ben is alleen love is lost me bijgebleven, en ook alleen maar omdat ik de outro wel vet vond 😅 Gewoon een bijzonder onboeiend album

Not my cuppa. Bit dreary

This album was fine. The highs were highs and the lows were....eh. Many other Bowie albums I'd rather listen to and I hope are in this list we are going through. Prob a 2.5 album. Favorite songs: Valentine's Day, (You Will) Set the World on Fire, The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

Not bad, but I struggle to get into Bowie.

Late stage Bowie just feels sad, not as sad as Black Star being his deathbed release, but this is an artist in decline literally trying to gloam on the better times by reinterpreting the Heroes album cover for purpose. Nothing here stood out, nothing felt "you must listen to this before you die" worthy. It's just there.

This was such a mundane album. Just because it was written by Bowie at the end of his career doesn't mean this is one of the best albums of all time. This list is increasingly pissing me off with albums from the same hand full of artists that are saturating this list.

2 Stars (5/15)

I can tell you right now that is not one of the Best 1001 albums of all time. It annoys me that anything Bowie did is automatically taken as great, when this is clearly not. Humph.

2.5

I like a lot of David Bowie's earlier music, but this album didn't grab me.

não gostei de absolutamente nada desse álbum, deus que me perdoe

4.5/10

I didn't like it

I can’t fathom why this Bowie album would be on this list. The best songs are when Bowie does a Bowie impression and the others just seem to happen. The one really interesting track is If You Can See Me where he goes into the territory of drum n bass and I am here for that but otherwise it was a slog

The Stars (Are Out Tonight) Love Is Lost Where Are We Now?

ok but not great.

What treat this was to Bowie fans in 2013. Easily his best work in decades. This also doesn't belong on this list. I need to hear David Bowie before I die, yes. This isn't the album to sell me on his genius in David Bowie released 26 studio albums and this ranks about 15. I liked this album and enjoyed my listen but I'm scoring low because more deserving albums from 2013 belong here. 4/10 Average from greatness is still pretty great.

just not up to his earlier standards.

Am i a bad gay person?

Who is OK, but did not enjoy.

This was fine. Bowie might be my all time favorite artist, but have to honest, if these songs weren’t by him I don’t think any of them would pique my interest. It’s impressive to still make music 25 albums in, but nothing on here was more than fine.

Honestly if it wasn't Bowie it might be 1/5 territory.

not the biggest fan of the newer ones

I wanted to like it. I didn't.

Disappointing

Respect him a ton as an innovator but Bowie’s music really struggles to land for me. It just sounds…dated. Best part of this for me were the electric guitar ballads. His flat voice just ain’t it though. Definitely improved in the second half both sonically and with the focus on darker subject matter. Listened to: walking to volunteer. Favorite tracks: Valentine’s Day, Dancing Out in Space, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die

I think you have to be neck-deep invested in a very blinkered orthodoxy of Bowie's supposed genius to think this is much good at all, let alone some kind of swan-song masterstroke. This and 'Black Star' are the 2 Bowie albums I can remember being recommended to me on here and frankly their quality has been hugely exaggerated. Dull and irrelevant. You can't deny Bowie's place in music history, but this album has no place on this list. Still no Isley Brothers.

A few good songs, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

I do rate Bowie but this is not his best.

This kind of sucks. His voice is bad.

happy i listened to it but not my fav

2,5

Не люблю Боуи

Pretty good, not up to his earlier work though

not great. I'm not sure how this made it on to the list. I think this is a "Another record by David Bowie?!!" addition haha Not being a huge Bowie fan in general I didn't find much to love here. I didn't hate it but I think if it wasn't made by old David Bowie no one would have noticed... thus prob not a great addition to a list like this IMHO

It was alright, apparently it was his 25th studio album. Do we need so many albums from one man?

This does not belong on this list. It's Bowie so I was tempted to give it a 3 but this was a slog.

Just not a fan of his music

Meh

Bowie post-Blur; coming out the gates like Damon Albarn or however you spell it rapidly aged fresh off Parklife. Love the album cover - won’t take the bait of calling it meta, though now I have. Notes of Springsteen. Think it would be unfair to judge this on the basis of his best, even if diamond dogs would present a, sadly, very damning comparison. After the first four songs, Where are we now brings me a hopeful familiarity - glam stardom floating between a career that embedded unrivalledly bright diamonds on top a middling period of forgetability. I think the track may precisely be an understanding of this strange progression. If you can see me definitely feeling like a necessary stepping stone before black star - think this album is slightly hesitant to fully delve into its forebearer’s experimental fervor. You feel so lonely you could die is strangely reminiscent of Black Pumas, and the theatricality of the rise and fall… perhaps I’m not as swain by the lack of character imbued. Don’t mind the guitar playing on heat, but space oddity but don’t think it fits the vocals that well. 1.8

It's okay, but this really isn't Bowies best work at all and I'm surprised by its inclusion on this list.

No hits! What’s up?

Decided I don’t like Bowies voice. Was always digging the music til he started singing..

whiny. not his best work

Two songs...

Reminded me a bit of Ghosteen by Nick Cave. Slow, sad, dramatic, and not something I really enjoyed listening to. Perhaps if I had more time to synthesize the lyrics I'd feel differently, but the few times through I gave it didn't resonate with me and I don't see myself listening to this again.

Where are we now? Boss of me

Of all the music that Bowie has recorded, this piece of AOR / Middle of the road / play it safe / elevator muzak is what you send me? It's not bad. It's just not his best work by a country mile.

Alright album. Most songs are pretty forgettable and will only revisit a few if any

This was pretty meh, I can't say I'm a fan of this Bowie era.

Very average

🎧Decent, but not my kind of Bowie. Love Is Lost is a highlight. Album is overlong.

Overly busy nasal monotony.

Nothing great on here.

A little dark and over-polished for my tastes. Set The World On Fire got my attention; felt more spontaneous and raw. But otherwise probably not an album I'll return to (which I'm disappointed by).

I wish I liked David Bowie more. I can't really engage. Base lines were nice in a couple of places. It felt innocuous and backgroundy. Won't pick up again. Disappointed actually. 2 stars because it's not horrible. Just uninteresting to me.

Meh. I’ve gotten most of the Bowie records on the list and this is my least favorite so far. Felt like he was trying to call back to his glam era and it fell flat.

Ich mag David Bowie nicht genug um einen deep dive in seine neueren Alben zu machen wenn ich nicht mal die 3 die ich gut kenne regelmäßig höre. Aber hab hier die ersten paar Lieder gehört, ist halt Bowie

Mediocre indie rock album

I liked the first song

Think I’d rather go back to the day before.

Not his best, but it's still Bowie. Not sure it needs to be on the list with the many other, better Bowie albums though.

By all accounts, this is just a worse version of Blackstar. And I know it's cliche, but the writing is so bad that he even rhymes "sad" with "bad." A lot of the instrumentation is all over the place, and it just ends up sounding like a jumble of all kinds of genres without really being anyone of them. The only thing they have in common is that I don't really want to listen to them.

joa, irgendwie nix dabei

#213. This album just kind of sucks. The dude that made this list must have had a crush on Bowie or something. That's the only way this many of his shit albums could have made it on this list. 2/5: I'd rather not.

Meh

Disappointing really

ground control to major stinker

Absurd that this is included.

Dont like his vocals. Never liked Bowies music

I still don’t really get the deal with Bowie. And this album just seems overlong and a bit tedious. Perhaps if I loved his music I’d have listened to this hundreds of times and I’d think much more of it. But I don’t.

2/5 just kind fucking boring lol

Was pretty meh about this one actually

Jeg synes sådan set at numrene er 3/5, helt fine med nogle enkelte bangers, men den er simpelthen så uessentiel at det trækker lidt ned. Ikke en af Bowies værste (han har lavet nogle stinkers!!), men et af hans mest forglemmelige

Jeg mindes at den her blev kaldt en "return to form" at the time, hvilket vist mest bare var fordi det var den var åbenlyst bedre end de foregående par plader. Det er en helt fint plade, men det er virkelig ikke noget særligt! James Murphys remix af Love Is Lost er mærkbart bedre end noget som helst på pladen

I like Where are we Now? And that’s about it. I like David Bowie, but don’t need to like everything he’s done.

old man tries to reclaim youthful energy and fails

I normally lament the 2010s albums that make the list only to get removed in the next edition. But not here. “The Next Day” is terrible. “Blackstar” came out three years after this, has stuck around on the list, and is so much more deserving. I’m not sure I really like “Blackstar” that much, but it was a fitting reinvention of Bowie’s sound, and actually worked much better with his voice. On the other hand, “The Next Day” feels like it was added only because it was a new Bowie album, but when hindsight judged it to be an utterly unmemorable Bowie album, the rare good removal decision was made.

If this didn’t have Bowie’s name attached to it, I’m not sure anyone would notice it exists.

I don't know much Bowie, except a couple songs. I think this album is on here because of his return after a long hiatus, but I'm not sure any of it is super outstanding to me. This list needs to be more discerning with artists with multiple great albums; we don't need every entry of their catalogue. 2*

Sorry, not giving it a bloated rating because BOWIE. This album is weak.

I just don't get Bowie

A couple good ones but otherwise can be skipped. I’m assuming the the better Bowie albums are still to come

I'm just too predisposed to disliking Bowie to hear this without bias, but even then I still think it was pretty bad.

Why is this album here?

Hmmmm, vond de andere Bowie albums die ik tot nu toe heb gehoord een flink stuk vermakelijker dan deze. Ik kan me er niet aan onttrekken dat de enige reden dat dit album in de lijst staat "David Bowie" is, anders zou dit echt totaal niet in de buurt komen van de 1001 beste albums ooit. De teksten zijn niet zo steerk, muzikaal is het minder spannend en gewoon an sich word ik hier niet echt warm of koud van. FAVO: Dancing out in space, You will set the world on fire

Cool album by an amazing musician. Nothing on this album was catchy. It was very different and experimental. Not bad but also I will probably not listen to this one again. I couldn’t tell you one song on the album that I loved.

Never got the appeal of Bowie, yeah theres some excellent tracks in his career but nothing after Ziggy grabbed my interest and even then I always thought he was inferior to bolan. Guess this is ok but is it deserving of a place on this list? Not in my opinion

Honestly didn't like it. I do like some Bowie but this wasnt it for me. Didn't hit any high notes. Was mediocre.

It’s okay but there’s like better Bowie no?

meh

Obviously Bowie is a musical savant; a creative genius who stands out in a field of creative geniuses. The guy is a legend. I'd be a cunt to pass comment on his music, let alone criticize it. However.... This isn't his best work. "Where Are We Now?" is quite beautiful and "Valentine's Day" had a good vibe, but the rest of this album is forgettable. Not bad, just bland. I think when you get to Bowie's level of fame, success, & prestige, you inadvertently find yourself surrounded by a lot of "Yes Men". Who would question David Fucking Bowie? He's most likely the smartest person in every recording studio. That being said, I think these kind of superstars would be wise to employee a few "Nope Men" as well. Have an arsehole like me hanging around to offer an honest opinion when a song isn't up to scratch. A dummy that keeps the genius from sliding into madness. For example: *Bowie:* "What do you think of "Dancing Out In Space"?" *Me:* "Nope." *Bowie:* "Not good?" *Me:* "Nope." Simple. The biggest problem with this album is the music. It's just boring and uninspiring. It's a credit to Bowie's incredible vocal talent that this album is a decent listen at all, which it is - to be fair. I love Bowie, but once was enough for "The Next Day". Such a shame. ✌️❤️

2.42 per track. Bowie has to be the most over rated.

I know it might be a sin, but I just don't care for Bowie outside a couple of his big hits

I always want to like Bowie but it just doesn't vibe with me

Listen to "Valentine's Day" and then listen to "Distance Voices" by Bush (on razorblade suitcase). crazy similar.

This felt like a retread of Bowie. Recognizable melodies and themes but nothing super unique

Fine but not essential. Probably didn’t need to be on this list.

Not even a top 10 Bowie album

Good but frankly Bowie himself has much better.....

Not the best from the white duke. Spin magazine rated this album 17 out of his total of 29 albums. Can't disagree.

listened 2x. 2.4/5

Muuten pidän Bowiesta mut tähän en päässy ihan kyytiin. 2.5/5 tos how does the grass gwo biissi laivan torvi mitö vittua 2/5 :DD

More David Bowie.. It's music. But it isn't good, and I didn't like it. Hopefully this is the last of this..

he's not my fav

Classic Bowie, though I have always thought his style too random.

Not a big Bowie fan.

Not bad but not memorable either

I think Bowie has albums that are a lot better and I also refuse to believe that this deserves to be in a list with the best 1001 albums...

RIP Bowie, but I did not care for this very much. I almost gave up on this album completely until track 8: I'd Rather Be High. That & a couple more towards the end were OK. -----Side Note: I'm 40 albums into this experiment & only have 9 albums @ 4 or 5 stars. So, less then 25%... I don't know how many more bad albums I can handle before I give up on this. 😫😫😫

I feel like an album on this list by Bowie should be something more representative of his career, like Ziggy Stardust or Heroes. This is fine, but I don't think it's Bowie's best material.

Very old - school artist trying to be down with the modern times vibe around this. Loved the music, however Bowie using autotune and incomprehensible rambling says to me he had loads of talented musicians working with him but no one who was prepared to say "really? don't do that."

Not for me

Not one of his best.

Opening track sounds like Bowie meets the b52s. Dirty boys sounds like David Bowie meets the doors. I prefer Bowie sounding like Bowie.

I find it cool that he take the same cover of Heroes and kind of ruin it with a big white square with the title of the album, in classic Bowie way he changes all the times. I'm a crazy big fan fo Bowie's glam era but i'm less used to all of his work after and he as a lot of great stuff. It is his first album in ten years up until that moment I'm not used to his material after the 70's so i'm not sure to apreciate this album in particuliar, but its Bowie so i respect it a lot.

Pardon me, but I am not a huge fan of Bowie.

i dont fw bowie

Nah.

I didn’t know David Bowie sounded like that

I like his older stuff

Not in my top list of favorite Bowie albums.

Bowie is good of course but the older stuff is better

The person who made this list must be paid by Bowie. Granted, he made many good albums, but this is certainly not one of them. So much modern music from same time that is so much better than this. Can’t see this having made it if it wasn’t for it being Bowie.

It’s comforting to know that even a legend like Bowie had his off-days, most of them while making this album.

good

alternates between sounding weirdly formulaic and uninteresting and taking interesting risks that also sound incredibly weird. so, final review: it's weird.

All due respect or whatever but if *this one* made it just how many Bowie albums are on this list lol

sorry bowie this one’s a clusterfuck

i am nothing but bored. only gets a 2 because it didn't make me physically recoil

Is this Bowie? Yes, but it's a tired sounding incarnation and sad to hear.

Bored too long man

Bowie was better than this. Before, and after.

I kept thinking of Bowie in that episode of Extras when he spontaneously comes with a song about Gervais' character, "little fat man, who sold his soul".

not his best

He has a dark tone which is kinda cool, but nothing stuck out to me.

Just not a fan. I always heard knew David Bowie was an icon, but this album did not resonate with me on a first listen. Maybe I need to hear it again, but I won't put myself through that.

Great production, weird songs.

Bowie has a such an iconic voice and when he's leaning into more pop/dance structures I really love it. But there's a lot that I just don't enjoy listening too when it comes to most of the songs and lyrical delivery.

An dieser Stelle möchte ich eine sehr inspirierende Person meines Lebens zitieren, die eine ganz frische und gut durchdachte Kritik über das Album von sich gegeben hat: "Wenn ich ganz ehrlich bin, finde ich das Album heute [11.12.23 Anm.d.R.] sogar noch weniger gut als... ich wollte nicht beschissener sagen... noch weniger gut als Aladdin Sane. Also wirklich, ich habe vorher schon mal so ein richtig gutes Bild von dem gehabt. Also ich finde ihn auch immer noch ultra sympathisch und total cool und irgendwie ist es so ikonisch auch. Habe mich aber ehrlich gesagt nie so intensiv mit seiner Musik beschäftigt, außer halt den Hits, die man so kennt. Aber irgendwie, jetzt nach diesen zwei Alben, muss ich sagen, da ist so was so den Respekt gegenüber seinem Werk angeht, einiges verloren gegangen. Ich weiß nicht.. holt mich jetzt so Zero ab." Ich gehe nicht komplett mit, weil ich Aladdin Sane nicht gehört habe und aus Unwissenheit David Bowie weder "ultra sympathisch", "total cool" oder "ikonisch" finde. Wer David Bowie hört, stellt hohe Erwartungen an das jeweilige Werk. Mich holt "The Next Day" (leider) auch ohne hohe Erwartungen nicht ab. Fürs Nebenbei-hören ist es aber okay, hängen geblieben ist allerdings gar nichts. Wirklich nichts ist hängengeblieben. NICHTS. LG

Not really my vibe

His arhythmic vocal style works pretty well on this, but there isn't anything on the album to get your attention

This is indeed a David Bowie album, performed by David Bowie, full of David Bowie songs, written and sung by David Bowie. Two David Bowies out of five

2/5 sorry davie not my fav

Poor. Not a hint for me of his former genius. Disappointing.

44/100

This sucked.

Maybe not even a top 20 Bowie album

Looked through the tracklist like I normally do and for such a "big" artist I was expecting to know at least one of the songs on the album. I haven't heard of any of them which is a bad sign. I then noticed the album release date, newer Bowie. Oh no!!! Not one song on here grabbed my attention. Feel like it's only been put on here because it Bowie, it's a shame, really, because I'm sure there are some banging albums from around this time that didn't get into this list. I would set the world on fire if I was made to listen to this again

Bowie album number 8, second one in three days. Listen, I love this dude, but you can't tell me that THIS album of his is a must listen. It was included in the 2014 edition of the book only because big man Robert Dimery got really excited at the Bowie comeback, but I haven't heard anybody talk about this after "Blackstar" came out. A few good songs, but mostly boring. Kind of a lackluster experience.

I did not enjoy this album. While it wasn't offensive, it was wholly forgettable. Nothing sounded new, or better than what it was trying to emulate. Best Songs: N/A Listen Again: No

This was sort of medium to me. I liked some facets of this but as a whole it didn’t really grab me. Didn’t really have a big stand out song on the album. Need to listen again to see if there’s something to this warbley voiced guy.

I like some of David Bowie's earlier stuff, but this album was not for me. It sounded off somehow.

Oude man

Some parts were good and had a good bowie sound, but no big highlights

I feel very intimidated with this music. I dont like it...

I am a huge Bowie fan. And he deserves a rake of albums in the 1001 list. However, he does not deserve automatic entry just because he released an album in 2014. I think entries like this do a disservice to the list and new artists, there are artists who remain relevant in old age, but he wasn’t one of them and that wasn’t a problem because he was a genius at his height PS this is his worst album cover

why didn't i like this

Besser als das letzte, trotzdem nicht meine Lieblingsmusik

Not feeling it at all. Bowie should have stayed in the 70s

I adore David but this falls flat.

Wasn’t a great album, not one I would listen to on my own

It's not for me.

I like some older David Bowie stuff like the Ziggy stardust album. This just didnt have the magic in it for me. Kinda sounded like an old guy singing

Yawn

It's not you, it's me.

If you didn't like "classic" Bowie, then this probably isn't going to change your mind.

Thought David Bowie would be something more

did not do full listen through, not for me

2,5 Es ist gute Musik, Bowie ist ein Garant dafür. Fühlt sich aber an wie eine B-Side Compilation, es gibt wenig noteworthy Tracks. Highlights : Love is lost, I'd rather be high, Heat

Where Are We Now? // (You Will) Set The World On Fire // 2.5/5

Mediocre at best

Still not a Bowie fan.

Bowie is a legend but I can't get behind everything he does. This was just kinda meh for me.

just ok, 2*

Not much is standing out to me

Leider nur Hälfte des Albums gehört, hatte n bisschen wenig Kopf dafür heute ☺️. Aber auf keinen Fall ein Bowie-Favorite

Don’t love this album. Feels soulless and uninspired. Where Are We Now? Was a bright spot, but there wasn’t much else. 4/10.

idk anything about music so this review is gonna sound dumb, but man this album sucks. the instrumentals were so stupid sounding, some songs sound like they were put together by a kid. the whole album felt like it was haphazardly slapped together. his vocals were also underwhelming, but he is old so im not sure i can critique that much

i've listened to a number of david bowie albums as part of this project. i don't exactly agree about the choice to include this album. his other albums definitely broke barriers and had influence, but the next day seems just okay. while i wouldn't call myself a bowie expert, i don't think he did much of anything new here. i did say this album was just okay; by itself, it's fine, but i suppose i was expecting more from david bowie. for what it's worth, the artistic choice to use an adapted version of the heroes album cover is fascinating. and what went into bowie's inspiration for the creation of this album is fascinating, too.

First listen Saved 5/14 Top track: Love Is Lost

I did not need to hear this album before I died. There are probably 10 albums more significant in Bowie’s career, and it gives me this? The vocals are obviously not great but he gets a pass here. I vaguely slipped through the album, and it sounds rather plain and something I am not going to sit through for an hour. Favourites: ~

Not the best Bowie album. Didn't really feel that it had any highlights. 2/5

I wasn’t a big fan of this one. It was pretty rocking and more upbeat than I thought it would be, but it was not memorable at all. There are some terrible songs here too such as If You Can See Me, and no real standout tracks. Again, the best songs on here are just ok and nothing special. I think if this wasn’t such a highly regarded artist this album would not even be close on this list.

Not the best Bowie

More mad shit

Ugh. My heart sank when I saw this. Another Bowie album. I accept he was an inspiration to lots of people, but for me, just...I feel like I know exactly what I am going to get, so I listened with a closed mind. Sorry. But it doesn't feel poignant or powerful to me, I don't like his voice, his lyrics annoy me, the songs aren't funky or fun but dreary and dull. Just not for me. I am annoyed about all of the assumed greatness all his work has, when it bores me. I didn't listen properly in the end, I just skipped through the tracks searching for surprises. "If you can see me" is the least Bowie-sounding. Still him though. "(You will) set the world on fire" is a song I would listen to again. Two stars.

I'm not a huge Bowie fan, I'm not gonna separate the art from the artist and as far as I'm aware there were quite a few bad things in his private life. Record was fine, nothing stood out on the first listen, but like I said, I'm not familiar with Bowies work. Really liked the outro tho.

Not my favourite Bowie album

Meh this didn't do a whole lot for me. Musically it was OK but Bowie's age really shows itself and makes it hard to get into. Standout for me was "Love Is Lost."

Weer zo'n zeikerig theateralbum waarop Bowie klinkt als een oude man die een spook nadoet in een kinderserie. Dit is aan mij echt niet besteed. Oersaai ook, met vrijwel geen afwisseling. Ik kan me ook niet voorstellen dat de echte Bowie fans dit een van zijn beste albums vinden.

As a fan of Bowie, this album does not deserve to be on this list, it's a mediocre re-tread of his great work in the late 70s. Apart from the title track, nothing stood out at all. Do 5-6 Bowie albums have a spot on this list-absolutely, just not this one.

Older Bowie is better Bowie.

Wouldn't listen to it again.

Did not enjoy really. Sounded like b tracks pulled out of an old notebook

Not my favorite Bowie. The first half of the album sounded a lot like Nick Cave, which I like. But something about this album wasn't clicking with me.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Not really Favourite song: didn’t have one

I've always found this album rather bland and uninspiring, and that hasn't changed after listening to it yet again. What a stark contrast between this album and the super innovative Bowie album, Blackstar!

Iedereen kent wel de nummers van Bowie, maar hoe vaak heb je een heel album geluisterd? Ik nog nooit eerder. Heb ik ook niet heel veel aan gemist. Dit album heeft ook niet echt bekende nummers. **

First Bowie album I’ve listened to all the way through. Felt like not his best, knowing almost nothing about Bowie.

Not really my vibe

Meh. Never been a big Bowie fan, but also never actively hated his music. This kinda all felt the same.

Okay lets do this. I first knew of David Bowie from Labrynth. Then from Se7en. (Heart's filthy lesson). Then Moulin Rouge (Nature Boy). Other than that I don't know too much about his music.