The Next Day

Not an essential Bowie album but still pretty great. Arty, edgy songs like "The Stars Are Out Tonight" make for a satisfying late career album for him.

Exceedingly rare for an artist to continue to make such compelling, inventive music at the end of their career. Doesn't reach the heights of Blackstar but some really good tracks here, I even liked it more than some 80s Bowie albums (and of course more than all the 90s stuff). Love is Lost is a standout track

Not a massive fan of Bowie but enjoyed the vibe of this album.

Não conhecia e adorei!!

bleh

I was happy to receive this selection and expected to enjoy but not as much as I did. Highlights: Love is Lost, Where Are We Now and You Feel So Lonely You Could Die. Lowlights: Dancing In Space. Portions of this album will find their way into rotation, particularly for road trips. 4/5

I enjoyed this album. At times a little broody, but more fun than Joy Division.

Some of these tracks are haunting and powerful, can't believe I've never heard this album before.

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.

3.5

Only got 4 songs in however lovely sound!

Fine

The first half hits hard but it has a second half slump

Ouais c'est bon mais on dirait j'ai pas plus accroché que ça en travaillant

Not as adventurous as some of his earlier work, but still a very good album from a rock legend late in his career. Band seems really solid and the songs are strong.

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

Not an entirely bad album but far from the best he’s ever done

Otlichno

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

I just can't get into David Bowie. I think this might be the first time I listened to an album all the way through. It was...fine. Sounded forgettable. I don't see myself going back to this album.

I didn’t think there was a David Bowie album that I wouldn’t have a strong opinion of.

horrible... not a good song on it... and i love Bowie....

I really liked almost every song on this album. It has Bowie’s usual flair and sound but it’s better than his music had been for decades by that point. His voice also aged incredibly well and he sounds fantastic on this record. It does make me sad that “Dancing Out In Space” isn’t a better song because that name is wonderful but, overall I’d say this was a good album. Though, I’d say it is the least essential of Bowie’s 9 albums on this list and I’d argue not essential to hear before you die. But, this was still a good time.

I realize that Bowie almost certainly has better things, but still he just has an immediately great sound. This may be first album bias, but hey. It's pretty good

There were a few tracks on here that I thought were lovely but I'm having trouble feeling particularly locked in. I'd rate this one a 3.5 if I could. Definitely need to return to it!

A hell of a return to form for Bowie after a string of decent-to-middling albums and a 10-year break from the studio! It's juuuust shy of a 4/5 for me, owing to its 53-minute length being a touch too long, but it stands as a very strong 3.5/5 regardless (sadly rounded down to 3 for the rules of this challenge).

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.

First Bowie experience. He has an uniquely theatrical vocal style. The accompanying instrumentals are very layered, very fun. Dirty Boys has a sax and guitar combo that goes pretty hard. It would probably take more than a few listens to really get this album. Nothing has me immediately coming back to it, though I doubt that an album this late in his career is an appropriate entry point for a first time listener. Still some solid music tho

Love the hallmarks of Bowie on this. The theatrical vocals, the weird chords, the discordant sounds, and the energy. It's a shame to hear how his voice started to degrade, but I don't think it takes anything away from the album. A great ride back to front.

Can really hear Bowie's age on this one. It's not a bad album, just missing something that stands out. He has much better albums. 3/5 Probably won't listen again

Wowww one of the few times music made ne feel something almost shed tear. Bowie’s use if the background instruments and his heartfelt lyrics is breathtaking. What threw me off is the fact this album is so good and its towards the end of his career wtf. This the second project of his that i listened to cant wait to here more from him. I listened to ziggy stardust but i think for a first album listening experience this one had a way bigger effect. Some songs catch you by suprise The Stars are out at night is one of the best songs i ever heard 💜

I had never heard of this record, know no single song. I like it though! Great vocals, good songs, excellent production. This is a really good pop album. Haunting ending too. Strong start to finish.

Lovely stuff!

Very pleasant surprise

Over rated man +1 for dead and not nonce

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

Not bad. Nothing really stood out though. My first Bowie album on the list. Would have preferred a more acclaimed one.

This album is amazing. I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly this good, but I loved it.

This is #day298 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... where the fuck did Monday go? Oh, wait, that's from another one... Though I don't think it's a Bowie record you must hear before you die (in fact, it was dropped from the list in a later version), it's still an enjoyable listen. What makes it such, aside from the music, which echoes different eras of Bowie's career, is the production. Some of my favorites are the title track, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)," "Love Is Lost," and "Heat," the latter hinting at the sound Blackstar would soon explore. That said, I wouldn't mind trimming the tracklist a little. But, given it was Bowie's first album in a decade, the length is understandable. Also, I'm sure there were plenty of potential inspirations out there besides the fucking russian history that some of the lyrics reportedly draw from. Fuck russia. It's a terrorist state. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day299.

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

It's Bowie, so it's of course going to be enjoyable to listen to. But there wasn't anything great about the album.

Easy listen, very Bowie despite being decades after his initial work

Bowie does millennial rock

I hadn’t heard this album before but I listened to Blackstar when it came out just before Bowie’s death in 2016 (and have listened to his classic stuff too ofc). There was nothing particularly wrong with this album, there were a few songs I liked more than others but nothing stood out hugely. Bowie obviously deserves to be on the 1001 list but I’m not sure I’d personally have chosen this album as a highlight. I think Blackstar is a much stronger album and I believe it also made the list, again this album is enjoyable enough but pales in comparison.

5/10 Fine. If it wasn't Bowie, it wouldn't be here as it is at best average. Nothing stands out for me - no real tunes or catchy hooks.

Très très sympa. Bravo David, tu as de l'avenir dans la musique. Il faudra que je réécoute l'album pour déterminer les chansons auxquelles j'accroche le plus.

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."

I like Bowie, and I've appreciated the 3 other albums of his I've heard on this list so far. Unfortunately, this album doesn't stand up alongside the other ones I have listened to. Call it Bowie fatigue, but I truly think this album doesn't have much business being on a 1001 list. An excellent return from Bowie late in life, yes, but not reaching the heights he'd found on previous standouts.

A really good Album.

Not his best but still great

26/05/2025 Can't wait to get the Bowie out of the way, so boring.

meh kind of a random album. somewhat interesting.

Considering the 10 year absence between this album and the previous release - the swagger of these tracks is surprisingly unbound. Valentines Day is a favourite. Hearing this album again, it is better than I remember. Is it as good as Black Star? Or indeed his best efforts from his heyday? Not quite, but it is still a strong return to form

I rather liked this as I enjoy Bowie, but is 2013 Bowie really deserved? There’s a lot of classic Bowie which all belongs, but what was left off to make room for this? Blackstar can stay as it’s his swan song.

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.

I'm not the biggest Bowie fan and can easily find good things about this album, most importantly, the simplist and possibly most amazing cover. Inside the record you get a typical Bowie record, only older Bowie facing his mortality. 3.5/5

PAS MON STYLE

Very interesting. I liked the instrumentals and most of the music that was played, it had good depth to it. The lyrics were above average, I don't know that Bowie's voice at this point is as good as it used to be, but there is clearly vision.

Great

A 2013 album that was Bowie's first album in 10 years (his 25th in total) that is sometimes described as his bleakest album, this art rock/rock album has a lot of lyrics about conflict and has moments of faster tracks that feel more distorted than some of the album at his peak, but that could just be the recording. While I can definitely see how some people would be a huge fan, I think that it's alright for me.

Easy!! Still had the 80s sound but with newish tech. Like if the Smiths were more modern

Meh... It's fine

Not for me.

Some good songs but overall a bit clunky

Don't know how I feel about later Bowie stuff. This one has some good jams, but you can feel a different kind of energy from Bowie. This was his penultimate album, the album Bowie recorded in secret and was critically acclaimed on release. It's pretty good and at first i thought it wouldn't hold up against his older work, but it kinda does. Bowie is older and has been through the fire. Its different. This is also fine; different era, different Bowie. The lyrics are grimmer and more introspective. You have to really focus on this one. But it's still classic Bowie storytelling. Standouts for me were "Valentines Day," "If You Can See Me," "I'd Rather Be High", "(You Will) Set The World On Fire," and "Heat." All in all, I really liked a lot of the guitar parts and interesting lyrics. At first I wasnt quite sure how this would go, and I danced between 3 and 4 stars for most of my listen. Some of the album is quite catchy, and the good songs are really good. As I went I liked it more and more. I think we're lucky to have gotten more music from Bowie before his death, and while this isn't my favorite Bowie or even the best Bowie, the compositions are so tight that I'd give it 4 stars. Really neat album.

Terrific sounds and production. The Next Day reminds me a bit of When I Was Cruel by Elvis Costello in that it is an artist releasing an album that is something of a return to the old sounds but with a mature outlook. Staying cool but not pretending that they didn't live half of a lifetime since those old records.

Certainly Bowie.

I did not use a private Spotify session for this one. I love Bowie, this isn't one of my favorite albums from him, but it's still good.

Kinda cool/different

Incredible come back after a 10 year hiatus and incredibly 30 years after Let's Dance

Bowie começa a dar a dica do que viria a ser Blackstar nesse ensaio de retorno. Aliando momento palatáveis com outros ligeiramente mais experimentais, The Next Day é um belo disco de Art Rock, com arranjos muito bem pensados, ótimas melodias e grandes interpretações de Bowie.

Chegar nesse estágio da carreira, que começou nos anos 60, fazendo um disco desse nível, é para poucos. David Bowie tem uma discografia bastante regular, considerando o tanto de coisas diferentes que eles fez ao longo das décadas. The Next Day é um álbum bem coeso, com ótimas canções.

I find it crazy that David Bowie’s long awaited triumphant return was met with a relatively muted reaction. This is a brilliant set of tracks stands toe to toe with albums from more celebrated eras, bringing proper pop hits to the table in spades, including Valentines Day, which stands as one of my favourite Bowie tracks. He has so much passion and the energy on this LP. I love the idea that he spent years writing, saving up these tracks, ready to reemerge.

La obra de Bowie es un monumento a la música. Con una influencia capital en el rock y otros géneros, una carrera tan lóngeva como fructífera y un final digno de elogio. Este disco es especial, por todo lo que vino después, un epílogo magnífico (que siguió con Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) en el recopilatorio al año siguiente) con un desenlace ejemplar en Black Star apenas 3 años después. Si en Black Star la línea a seguir eran los Radiohead, aquí en The Next day fueron los Arcade Fire (que le idolatraban y con quienes colaboraría en la excepcional Reflektor ese mismo año 2013). Algo que se nota en Daning out in space, o If you can see me ( aunque no son las mejores del lote precisamente). Ya con Heathen había logrado un disco bien redondo, con temas excelentes, por primera vez en bastante tiempo. Eso pudo influir en una retirada a tiempo de publicar cosas menores. Aquí lo hizo de forma tan inesperada, todos le dábamos por semiretirado (esa operación a corazón abierto...), como abrupta: ahí os va. Y funcionó, desde la portada hasta las canciones. La mano y confianza en Visconti seguro que influyeron en el resultado. Pocas veces alguien ha usado la misma foto para dos discos diferentes (Cohen usó la misma chaqueta hasta tres veces), pero claro con Bowie todo es diferente y genial. En lo musical destacan los sencillos The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (a mi me recuerda en la ambientación a Sunday de Heaten, es una temazo) y sobre todo la enorme Where Are We Now?, una de mis canciones favoritas de Bowie. Pero el nivel es muy alto: Love is lost, Valentine´s day, Dirty Boys, la fuerza de (You Will) Set The World On Fire... How Does The Grass Grow? con su homenaje al Apache de los Shadows. En resumen un álbum que se sostiene solo dentro de la fabulosa discografía de Bowie, que suena actual y que tiene algunas de sus mejores canciones.

Great musician but prefer early bowie

The Next Day - 1/5 Dirty Boys - 1/5 The Stars (Are Out Tonight) - 4/5 Love Is Lost - 3/5 Where Are We Now? - 5/5 Valentine's Day - 4/5 If You Can See Me - 2/5 I'd Rather Be High - 3/5 Boss Of Me - 3/5 Dancing Out In Space - 2/5 How Does The Grass Grow? - 3/5 (You Will) - Set The World On Fire - 3/5 You Feel So Lonely You Could Die - 4/5 Heat - 3/5 Average score: 2.9/5 (rounding up) hurts to say as a Bowie fan, but i didn't care for this it's no debate that he's a fantastic artist who's work is deserving of making this list, but i don't think this album was one of them. it really pales in comparison to the work he released in his prime, both instrumentally and vocally. hell, even his final album before his passing was better than this that being said, the album wasn't *all* bad. Where Are We Now was the best track here. The Stars and Valentine's Day were also decent. otherwise, the majority of tracks here were very forgettable tl;dr - not a terrible album in comparison to others on the 1001 list, but definitely not the best of Bowie's discography or what i'd consider a must-listen

lisää bowiesta slissää bowieta ei kiinnosta pätkääkään! pos costello.. poistakaa costelloja liika balmujeja.. olen nyt paras ystäväni on nyt david bowie (kuollut). loppua kohden tämä vähän jäähtyy.. jäähdytetään pikkaisen tulikuumaa polttaavaa auts .. shh atus auts sähisee vaan menemään.. sähisemään.. kolmetoista tuntia kaupassa, aatami sanoi sen rauhassa. helppoa nelosta selkään, yy kaa koo ja nee ja yykaakoo ja yykaaakooo neeeh ja yksiiii kaksiiii kolomeee neelljäää... a one . a two. a three. a four. a oneetwoo theree fouuur lets go. kolmetoista tuntia kaupassa, aatami sanoi sen rauhassa. kolmetoista tuntia kaupassa, aatami sanoi sen rauhassa. kolmetoista tuntia kaupassa, aatami sanoi sen rauhassa. kolmetoista tuntia kaupassa, aatami sanoi sen rauhassa. love is lost

Not bad for a David Bowie album, though I'm getting a bit weary of his works. It just doesn't work for me overall, but I recognize it's a decent album in its own right.

This album came out a decade after his last one when at the time it wasn't clear he was going to do more. Big statement to take the cover Heroes and slap a title overtop of it, especially when it was released as a surprise. I remember when this one came out and I told someone there was a new Bowie album and they said that late Bowie was junk. He hasn't had a major hit for a bit and a lot of people thought his best work was behind him. This bucked that expectation hard and then Blackstar obliterated it. This album does so much in so many different ways and is catchy and poetic and powerful and restrained and thoughtful all at the same time. There's something unique about an artist who had nothing left to prove but was still pushing to relearn and reinvent themselves in the face of their death. Maybe part of me is voting with the entire narrative of it but while Bowie has stronger albums, this had a statement that continued to define his style that further enriched everything he had done. Blackstar is a five with another star at the end.

As an artist you can't escape the context of your body of work and timeline. Bowie's narrative is that he is a visionary and innovative. Listening to this and a few tracks in, I was like thank you Blackstar. A lot of this does not sound innovative for 2013 for me. In the context of the things, this makes sense I did really like the last 2 tracks. There are moments where his voice is not what it once was, but Bowie has earned it, it's part of the story. Bowie definitely elevates some mediocre songs on here, but for me I expected more. Blackstar comes along and corrects course. Not every artist gets to have a good punctuation on their story, like Blackstar gave Bowie.

I expected to give it a 4, but listening this morning I just found myself enjoying it too much for that. In my mind it was a 4 but in my heart it turns out to be a 5. I have a suspicion that it is because this is the first new Bowie album I heard as a fan, which can often bias me positively. Listening back this morning after a few years was really special.

I never know what to think about David Bowie. I did kind of like this album and enjoyed listening to it for the most part. There are a few songs that I really liked, and of course, since it’s this IS David Bowie, there are a couple of numbers in there that are just weird junk. But overall, I thought this album was just OK, and didn’t really grab me. This is another three star review 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

So much Bowie is on this list that sometimes it feels like it’s about quantity over quality. This album made no impact on me other than the strangely uninspired cover art.

Impresionante

Was not expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. Getting a gothic/post-rock influence mixed with Bowie’s signature flare and swagger. Loved it.

He’s undeniably good, but this wasn’t my favorite

The Spiders have all flown back to Mars and Ziggy is dead. This album is just Bowie and his mortality. I hate it for making me feel old, but I can't deny the timeless charm of the man.

mid

I was never a fanboi but I have always appreciated and enjoyed Bowie. I don't recall ever hearing this album front to back but I am glad I finally did.

it was great to revisit this album. There are three or four songs on here that I really love, including If You Can See Me. It’s just such a unique tune. I also like The Boss of Me and the closer (Heat). I do think that Bowie brought something special to every single song across his career. The quality of the musicians and the attention to detail is always there for me.

Don't call it a comeback Bowies.

It says a lot about David Bowie that he managed to come back successfully in the sixth decade in his career with an album that is creative, experimental and interesting enough. It is a good album, with good songwriting, lyrics, production etc. but it is a bit difficult to rate when he's made a handful of brilliant, influential albums earlier in his career. Comparing this album to those, it might not be as good as them but this still deserves a strong 3 star/3.5 overall.

We all know he became a superstar, but on this album he just wasn't quite there yet.

Solid latter day Bowie album. Love is Lost is a total banger. Heat is a moody but very effective closer. Not his absolute best but this is a quality addition to the Bowie catalogue.

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.

Just not that excited, I love a few of Bowie's older songs but this isn't great for me.

Never got Dave Bowie of the Dave Bowie Band

I had never heard of this Bowie album. I think he has 9 on this list, which feels like maybe an overrepresentation. I feel if you need to take one off, this could be it.

Not for me.

1001 albums including David Bowie is a no brainer, but this album making the cut? Nah.

He kinda sounds too old to be singing. Which I know that's mean, but I can just hear it in his voice. After learning that he died three years after this release, it seems like he should have called it quits before making this album. "Where are we now?" was really hard to listen too. "If you can see me?" was another hard listen. I'm sure his older albums are better and I can't wait to hear them.

Bowie is a great songwriter, I liked the Rock vibe and how he manages to still keep it experimental even in his 25th record. I didn't find it a landmark record, but it's certainly not a bad one. The lyrics are bold and interesting takes on varied topic, going from Love to The Fall of the Berlin Wall, passing through School Shootings and War. My favourites were "How Does The Grass Grow?" and "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".

Not classic Bowie, but still not bad. Even on his last musical leg he's doing what he does.

No songs really stood out for me

It seemed like a David Bowie alternate rock album. Pretty good but nothing more than a 3. I would give it a 3.5 but it’s not good enough for me to push it over to a 4.

This Bowie album was overall pretty good. Less chaotic than Blackstar. It was kind of boring musically, but somehow it works 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.

I think the rapturous reception of The Next Day revealed the thirst many music fans had for David Bowie to recapture some of his past glories. We all desperately wanted Bowie to have a late career resurgence, to come back from his creative hiatus with a meaningful and impactful record. The album went to Number 1 and onto Dimery's 1001 albums list, but time has not really been kind. Dimery removed it from the list because, truth be told, this is an OK album, but not special. Its place as the "late career capstone album" was superseded by Black Star, which had an emotional resonance associated our collective mourning for Bowie that The Next Day will never be able to overcome. I think the cover is the perfect metaphor for this album; a simple, minimal and tasteful design with the iconic past peeking out from behind. it may have been intended to show how the new is replacing and overlaying the past, but really just serves as a constant reminder of his past achievements, and how much more interesting they were. The record is OK, but forgettable, and not a patch on Bowie's greatest moments.

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

It sounds like Bowie and thats not a bad thing. A lot of fun songs on this one. Easily some of his most fun work. A lot of good songs on this one but my favorite might be How Does The Grass Grow.

Overall: 6/10 I love Bowie with all my heart. When compared to the few albums that came before this one, I would call this "a good start". It's obvious with this album that he still had something up his sleeve, and he proved that with the album that came after but this one still has some kinks to work out. I'll start with saying there's some absolutely WEIRD stuff going on with this one, and this is coming from one of the weirdest mainstream artists in the history of music. I guess that's what happens on your 25th album. However, there's also a lot of great songs that almost remind me of peak Bowie (though not quite). It's all pretty rocking at the end of the day. The biggest issue for me is it's length. I think he could have cut 3 or 4 tracks out of this and it wouldn't feel so bloated. Still, this is an album worth listening to if you're a die hard fan of Bowie'a work, and it's a good listen before the absolute masterpiece of Blackstar. Fav Song: Boss of Me Least Fav Song: How Does the Grass Grow?

Pretty Enjoyable

- Åpenbart the goat - et av de få albumene hans jeg ikke har hørt - et av the goats mer mid album - merkelig kombo av melankoli og funky

Pretty cool stuff

I've only ever been tangentially aware of Bowie, more from his excellent movie career than his music (Outside of Space Oddity, of course, because who doesn't know that song by heart). Every time I've tried to delve into his catalog, I would go in expecting something like Space Oddity and just couldn't get into it when it differed so much. Bowie's talent and charisma are undeniable, and while I enjoyed this album, there is better Bowie out there.

Pet fav songs: Dirty Boys; If You Can See Me Cull songs: I'd Rather Be High; (You Will) Set the World on Fire This is not Bowie's best work. It's too long. Not tedious, just too long. The song styles are all over the place. The songs I would cull are political and as a result uninteresting. If later Bowie is needed, Outside was more interesting.

kind of disappointing this one. can't put my finger on it - I didn't even realize when it had ended - the 2nd half petered out for me, although it was promising initially. I feel bad not liking a Bowie album - I'd make a horrible critic! giving him a 3

It's Bowie. A powerhouse. That said, I do prefer other albums more. It's moody, but doesn't spark my imagination as much as some others.

Does this album make Bowie's top ten? It's in no way bad. But it does highlight how hard it is for an artist like David Bowie - who constantly shape shifted - what do you do in you later years. The rolling stones can always churn out another record of bluesy vamps- some more successful than others. But you what does someone like Bowie do (which is to say there is no one quite like DB)? Apparently create a thoughtful well crafted well produced album that has elements of his history but never reaches the heights of his storied career. The main thing this album does is show David Bowie still had the ability to create a compelling if not essential work as he entered his sixth decade in music. And that's something. But not essential.

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.

Entretenido, me re gustó. Grande Arquito

delightful!

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

A very good album. Bowie is such a great song writer but I’m not a big fan of his voice.

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

alls ekki galið. síð báví. langt frá hans besta en nóg fyrir aðra. 3,5.

Pretty depressing

Best Bowie album so far

Sounded like any other Bowie album just not as good

I feel like the only Bowie record after the 00s that deserves attention is his very last. This one sounds like an effort to put out an album. It feels a bit uninspired.

I so want it to be better than it is.

we could have been heroes

Not bad for Bowie, who was in his 60s when this album was released. I like the shift to rock in "The Next Day". Similar to Bowie's 1976 song "Heroes". "The Next Day", however, deteriorates during the second half. It's a shame Bowie died after releasing his swansong "Blackstar". 3 stars for "The Next Day".

Pretty standard David Bowie album. Really good rock that jumps around. Only one real banger imo (You Will Set the World on Fire), but all was decent.

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 😔

7/10.

There were some good ones that were deep and emotional. I also enjoyed the music. Where it falls out of a 4 for me is Bowie's voice, a lot of it didn't elicit the emotions in the music. I know he can do it so it was surprising that he wasn't more emotionally invested in a lot of the lyrics.

I liked Next Day, Love is Lost, Dancing Out in Space. How Does the Grass Grow is pretty rock'n. The rest of the songs were okay.

Late period Bowie albums are interesting because he still has so many great ideas and he pulls them off really well most of the time. The Next Day, Dancing Out In Space, (You Will) Set the World on Fire and Boss of Me are great jams. When he doesn’t, the songs just kind of hang in the air going nowhere and sounding like a hazy dream (Where Are We Now?, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die, Valentine’s Day). I’d Rather Be High is a cool song to discover on 4/20. All in all this is very good. It doesn’t reach the experimental greatness found on Heathen (2002) or his farewell art piece Blackstar (2016), but that is not worth losing any sleep over since Bowie’s body of work is so vast, interesting and full of successful searching.

Despite a lot of deep and introspective lyrics, I think I was expecting something a little more epic for his return after a long hiatus. The album was technically very good but left me wanting more from an emotional perspective.

I didn't like it as much as Blackstar, but it had some pretty good tracks. The Next Day, The Stars (Are Out Tonight), and (You Will) Set The World On Fire are all solid.

Eh.

This album needs to exist to leapfrog Bowie from his latter-era floundering to the jewel in the crown that is Blackstar, and for that I am glad it exists, but I'll probably not listen to it again

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.

It's inconsistent, and it's not quite Blackstar, but damn if it doesn't come close. This is probably a 4.5, but let's see which way I round tomorrow.

As with all Bowie's albums, the big question is, do I give this 4 or 5 stars? I really enjoyed this one, felt like going back to his late 70s ones.

As with a lot of Howie, when this hits it hits hard, but it's really all over the place - I can't decide if it's genius or wankery most of the time, and I think the majority of this feel into t he second camp for me this time.

Was skeptical when I got this album despite loving what I've heard of Bowie just because as rockstars get older sometimes they lose that creative spark. This isn't the case with Bowie. Album was filled with fun and experimental sounds. Enjoyed it a great deal with the exception of a few songs.

Who the fuck designed this cover

Certainly not the best Bowie, but a solid album. I enjoyed how does the grass grow and love is lost This was fine not incredible

Yeah Idk I don’t get the hype.

4.5/5.0: Excellent

no complaints here. not as good as some of blackstar or some of his earlier stuff but not bad

Ok

I haven't listened to a lot of latter day Bowie, but this album reminded me a lot of other aging rock stars' post-90s records. You can hear a bit of their signature style with a bunch of experimentation with and end result that is rather bland.

Not much of a fan of the sound.

not his best (/my favorite), but still, what a voice, what a soul!

Not my favourite Bowie album. It lacked that certain Bowieness of his previous albums. You can definitely hear the vocal struggle, but for a man in around 60 it's still pretty great.

There are times throughout this album that I thought was good. What I appreciate about David Bowie is that he never does too much with his music. In this album though, I could definitely hear him struggling in some of the vocal parts. At 60 (I believe he was this old when he recorded this album), I can't expect someone to have the same voice as when they were 20-30-40. My overall feel of the album, I think I'd give it a 3

- apr15/25

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

Did not like

Pretty underwhelming, but loved the sax

Not my favourite Bowie record.

I have two albums left from David Bowie on my journey. Not only are they the last two albums he put out in his lifetime, but the one I got today is the second to last. Even if my album journey with him wasn't exactly in chronological order, this is going to be a fitting ending for my relation to him. In the time since the 1970s, Bowie's work took twists and turns that were daring for him but hard to encompass the legacy of the classic albums he already laid out. From the attempts at mainstream crossover in the 1980s, to the hard-rock side project Tin Machine, to the cannibalization of industrial and electronic music in the 1990s, Bowie went through "changes" in his sound to mixed results. Then, during the 2000s, Bowie reconnected with producer Tony Visconti, and the two worked together for the former to regain his creative form on Heathen and A New Reality. All was well until Bowie had to abruptly end his touring career after undergoing an angioplasty for a blocked heart artery. Afterwards, he largely withdrew from the public view, only making minor contributions in music and acting for others. People speculated that David Bowie was largely retired at this point, which would have been fine if he wanted to rest on his laurels. Then, this album dropped out of nowhere. His first album of material in a decade, Bowie worked on The Next Day with Visconti and other personnel in secret until the time was right to release. That in and of itself is a feat in a day and age when the rise of social media has made leaking more commonplace. It also helps that the album in question is amazing. Not only did The Next Day sound creatively revitalized, but it showcased Bowie reflecting on his legacy with enough self-awareness and maturity to make these songs feel fresh for a man in his 60s. After all, Bowie and Viconti took production cues from the Berlin trilogy and lyrical benchmarks from previous efforts to create a bouncy and experimental record that explored darker themes and conflicts. From the condemned man facing his punishment on the opening title track, to the aging celebrity looking to the next generation of performers on "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)", to the people lost as their lives move on in "Love is Lost" and "Where Are We Now?", to the inner monologue of the school shooter on "Valentine's Day", there's palpable rumination on death and decay as the two loom over. The first half of the album is some of the strongest and most consistent work Bowie had written up to this point in time. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the more varied experimentation in the second half. Unlike the aforementioned Berlin trilogy, the innovations made here come off as more curated and refined with age. The odd time signatures and pitch shifting on "If You Can See Me", the psychedelic haze over a militant drumbeat on "I'd Rather Be High", the glam rock strut with the horn accompaniment on "Boss of Me", the shuffle beat with the ethereal guitar hooks on "Dancing Out in Space", and even the stab at 80s arena rock on "(You Will) Set the World on Fire" were all played excellently. Then the album closes on two wonderfully resonant notes - the absolute callback to the Ziggy Stardust era on "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" in the spare drum beat, guitar line, and vocal arrangement, and the simmering synthesizer of "Heat" as Bowie sang away in his lower register. What an eloquent way to close out an album. I do not mean lightly when I say The Next Day was the best record David Bowie made in decades. It's a shot of well-written, well-realized momentum that recaptured the ragged danger that ran through his best work. There's only one album left from him, and I cannot wait to get that.

When David Bowie had a minor heart attack towards the end of the Reality tour in 2004 and more or less disappeared from public view, we all assumed that he’d retired. What we didn’t know was that he’d re-united with long time producer Tony Visconti, patching up their differences and working on this album in secret almost ten years later, releasing the first track as a total surprise. The title track (and the cheeky cover) made it seem like he’d never been away, riffing on his classic Berlin era sound whilst bringing it up to date and throwing in some experimental flourishes. It certainly doesn’t sound like someone who is ready to throw the towel in or be content with playing a greatest hits tour for the money. I’m not sure I’d pick this over Blackstar, but it’s certainly one of the better modern era Bowie albums.

There are a bunch a good songs on this album, and as much as I love Bowie, let's be honest, we don't need his full discography on this list. There are so many good music out there, it's a shame to have tens of records from one artist and none from others.

I like Bowie but not this album as much as earlier ones. The sound he had here was perfected in black star which I think is better.

I had underestimated this album, skipping ahead to Blackstar when it was released. But really The Next Day is just as good. I've had Boss of Me in my head all day. There are a lot of Bowie albums on this list but I haven't given one less than 5 stars and am not going to treat this one any differently

Eccentric

I've never really liked Bowie, this album has done nothing to change my mind on that. Big production for less than mid vocals 1/5

This is an interesting album to include on this list. It was only in one edition of the book (rightfully replaced by Blackstar in the next edition), and it genuinely feels like it was probably only inclided under the assumption that it was going to be Bowie's last. I remember the buzz around the surprise release, and I remember even at the time being generally underwhelmed by it. It's solidly Bowie, so it's good stuff, but it's not his best. I feel like some of the songs were probably ones that weren't quite album-ready but got thrown on here anyway to (unnecessarily) pad it out. The sounds and themes he's playing with here will eventually be refined and perfected in Blackstar, but they aren't there quite yet.

Solid album but obviously not up to Bowie's usual standard. Still worth a listen but definitely doesn't need to be on this list.

It’s alright and some of it quite good but a bit dark and over the top

Good

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

Kind of a comeback for Bowie, but it’s not good enough to be considered a classic. Especially in light of the album that would follow.

"Yeah, 8 Bowie albums is not enough for this list. We really should add The Next Day, an essential pick in Bowie's discography"

I'm a Bowie's fanboy, so of course I love that one. But I don't think that it's a top tier of his career that should have ended on this list! Still... I'm always glad to encounter a record from him on this list.

I like David Bowie but not this album of his. 3

David Bowie is probably my favorite artist of all time. I love just about everything he did, but he never really was an “innovator”. He always seemed to make musical trends he liked his own. This is no exception to that. Mostly a relatively standard rock record featuring flavors of 90’s alt rock. He sounds very old here. This is still good, but it doesn’t do anything exceptionally unique. Favorites are The Next Day, The Stars, Valentine’s Day, Boss Of Me, and Set The World On Fire.

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

Really wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this. I hadn’t really listened to 2010s Bowie and expected to feel like it fell off from the 70s era Bowie that I loved. The few songs I heard I didn’t love when they first came out. But my god, this was so good. Every song got better and better, and the songs are so varied in style, theme, and genre, but they flow together perfectly. This album is cohesive but varied, and so stunning to listen to. This is top tier Bowie. The singles I didn’t love years ago grew on me when combined with the entire album, but in some ways they were also the weaker tracks, but of course, they were still amazing. Haunting, melodic, and beautiful. I just can’t get over how much I loved this.

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.

2013. David Bowie, in his mid-sixties, puts forth one heck of a creative effort, but he does not sound good for a man in his sixties. His health must have already been in decline; Blackstar was his farewell, this is the dark themed lead up to that farewell. I mean, it's damned good for what it is, the musings of a powerful talent contained in a weak flesh vessel that was breaking down. It's got to be taken in context, though.

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.

Not good

Not too bad. There are better Bowie albums.

Stupid album cover, good music

Yeah a good album not a great album. 1 or 2 ok tunes. Doesn’t hold up to his other work

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

I dunno man - I mean, if you don’t have respect for a guy in his 60s doing this, then you’re a dick, but I also think you had to have already been a Bowie fan to really love this and I have a hard time with discordance for the apparent sake of it. I’ve got enough stress in my life, you know?

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.

Super!

I love this album

Was never into Bowie, still not into Bowie.

Hell no

didn‘t listen to it fully not too great

This one had me listening to it a second time, because on the first listen it didn't totally click with me. I wasn't sure what it was, because the songs are well produced and written, but it didn't feel totally right at first. A second listen turned my opinion of it to be much more favorable. This album is David looking back through his life and career, but before he knew he was dying. It's dark and a bit haunting at times, nostalgic and upbeat at others. Not every song is top notch, but the ones that hit (which are in the majority) really hit.

I really don't see why this album is considered such an important record. While it's not a terrible album, it does not hold up well to the albums Bowie released during the early to mid 1970s. I think this was received well because it was his first album in a decade rather than for any intrinsic merit.

Another decent Bowie album, I won't be back though sorry dave. Low 4.

Even before getting to the music I accumulated a lot of thoughts on just the album cover alone. Believe me, I could probably write a 1,000 word essay about it all by itself. To keep things on track, though, and not dedicate half a review to prose again (no regrets, but still), I'll make one observation. If there's anything this cover says to me, it's both an acknowledgement and a rejection of the past. An acknowledgement in that, "Yes, this is where I've been." At the time, it might've even been making the point that David Bowie would only be defined by his past; that anything he released now (that being 2013) would have to stand against these titans. And in that, we find the rejection: by defacing the cover of "HEROES", it's definitively declaring, "But I've moved on from that — it's the next day now." To me, that's how this album sounds. All over, Bowie's jumping from old style to old style, never settling into one too long before switching over and back again. None of it sounds like he's revisiting these styles just for the sake of them, though. For one, while sonically they're familiar, tonally they wind up being largely darker than I recall most Bowie material being. The title track is about a condemned man considering the hypocrisies of Christianity. "I'd Rather Be High" is about a soldier who would, well, rather be high than face up to his emotions. Hell, "Valentine's Day" is straight-up about a school shooter. But lyrics have never been at the forefront of my mind. I try to keep in mind what these songs are about, though as always I'm more concerned about the sonic and melodic side of things. On that front, if you had no idea what these songs were about, I don't think you'd ever guess how dark a lot of them were. This isn't like ★, where from what little I've heard the music directly reflects how dark the subject matter is. On this album — well, allow me to bring up "Valentine's Day" again. Despite its subject matter, it sounds like a big ol' glam rock pop song. Bowie's biographer himself called it the catchiest song on the album, and he's not exactly wrong. It's like, goodness, if it weren't for Bowie's clearly aged voice... And I want to speak on Bowie's voice for a second here. See, as I may have expressed before, the first time I ever heard David Bowie was on Butterfly Boucher's cover of "Changes" for the SHREK 2 soundtrack. To be frank, I much prefer that cover to the original, specifically because of Bowie's voice. The age in his voice makes the whole thing feel much more poignant than it did with his younger voice from, like, 30 years prior. As a result, and because of how much I heard this cover as a kid, this is just how I've come to expect him to sound. I do truly love HUNKY DORY and ZIGGY STARDUST, both way more so than this album, but this one strikes me as possibly the perfect crossover between what I want and expect out of Bowie. You've got the glam and such of his older work, the voice of his later one... I figure I can't lose. All the same, however, there was a moment on this album where I wondered to myself, "Why exactly am I listening to this?" Because for as much as I enjoy these songs, I can't exactly say there's much, like... New going on here? And I get it, that's the point: it's an acknowledgement of the past as well as a rejection. I'm 100% in favor of that. I suppose I'm just wondering how much of it truly is a rejection or not. On that note as well, I hafta question if there was any recency bias in putting this album on this list. Consider: this album came out in 2013, and it was later added in in the 2014 revision. This is the kind of thing I gave Lana Del Ray's CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB shit for, and just for consistency's sake, I don't wanna give Bowie any quarter just for being Bowie. After hearing the album in full... Well, one thing to remember is that I generally don't like the kind of music Lana Del Ray makes, so that might be one reason why I went in so hard on its recency. Meanwhile, I did genuinely enjoy Bowie's album way more, even if I might not feel the urge to come back to it as much as, say, HUNKY DORY. It doesn't make me want to listen to his older material, but besides the sound of his voice here, I'm not sure if I wasn't given the best reasons in the world to generally pick this over any of that other stuff. How are you really gonna top stuff like "Life On Mars?" and "Moonage Daydream". And thus, I have proven the cover's point correct: his newer stuff will always be held up against his older stuff. It's like it can't win against any of it; the acclaim for ★ is proof enough of that, but... I guess that's the problem with call-backs and continuity like this. That's something else about the album's cover that I love; it makes a body of work feel more complete if it weaves throughout itself like that. The pitfall of that, though, is that you directly invite comparison to the past... Unless you're doing something truly spectacular, it won't be the best look. And I like this album enough that the comparison doesn't reflect too harshly on my opinion, but... Yeah. It's not **not** a thing. In the end, as a comeback for Bowie that proved that, well, he had nothing to prove, it more than did its job. And I wanna stress again: this **is** a good album, certainly worth your time if you like Bowie's early stuff. Hell, I'll probably revisit this album sooner than later. I just personally wouldn't put it too high in Bowie's echelon. And whenever I **do** come and revisit this album... It won't be the very next day, that's for sure.

Older Bowie, but still as fresh as the classics. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 5. Sixth time around for David Bowie, by far the most we’ve gotten of any singular artist. Fourth time in a row he’s getting a 5 from me – this goes right behind Station to Station as my second favorite Bowie album so far. Again, I’d probably have to relisten to “Low” or “Aladdin Sane” to really give a proper ranking of my favorites so far, but it’s a testament to the man that he could release an album like this in 2013 and still feel so damn compelling around 40 years after his prime. As far as the production goes, this does feel like what a “modern” David Bowie album should sound like; enhanced and refined from his 70s/80s work, with new production tricks abound. There’s a lot of influence from late 2000s indie rock here, and while it’s a little jarring at first to hear David Bowie seem so contemporary, the combination of his more withered (yet still powerfully present) vocals & the classic production tricks strewn throughout keep everything grounded in a way that still distinctly feels like a David Bowie album, and not just him jumping on the trends of the era. The only real tracks that sort of feel flat like that are “Boss of Me”, which felt rather broad & a little too plain, & “Valentine’s Day”, but that one makes up for it decently well with the lyricism and storytelling. This album really does shine well lyrically – a few broader tracks than others, but so much of this album feels like a sort of meta-commentary on the time David Bowie spent away from the industry, as well as a commentary on his older status. I still haven’t listened to Blackstar, because I know it’s on the list, but if that album is the grandiose swan song in musical form that it seems to be, he certainly planted the seeds for it here. When he’s not wistfully looking back on his Berlin period, and how radically the landscape has changed, he’s just jamming out, in ways that are less cerebral than I’m used to from Bowie, but certainly welcome enough, especially on the stadium rock-esque “(You Will) Set the World on Fire”. I really want to point at the last track, “Heat”, in particular. I could be wrong, but I really think the track is about his father controlling the prisons of his mind, long after his death. Him saying “I can only love you” is likely referring to himself, and the amount of identities he went through just to try and find one that he felt could mentally appease his dad. I can see why that track would end the album, even if I preferred “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die” from a musical standpoint. “Heat” seems deeply personal, and I think it’s worth ending on, assuming my interpretation is right. It’s a hell of a track either way. So, yeah, I really enjoyed this – it’s probably a little jarring to people who hold his older stuff in mythical regard, and I imagine that once we actually get Ziggy Stardust, I’ll understand exactly why. For my younger, more contemporary tastes, this felt like a really nice blend of Bowie’s older sensibilities with modern, updated production. It’s not perfect, but given that the 53 minutes of this flew by in a heartbeat, it felt captivating all the way through, and it was certainly worth the listen. Hence, the 5.

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.

Good but his early music is much better.

Was okay, but nothing that stood out for me except some Berlin places in "Where are we now?"

Favourites: you feel so lonely you could die

I did not find this album very inspiring. Bowie has made a lot of classics throughout his time, But this album seems messy and his narrating-like singing and poet-like lyrics are too pretentious for me.

I'm not a huge Bowie fan, but I really enjoyed this album. I love these modern twists on classical sounds. I don't think I'll ever enjoy a song about getting high to get through life, but this is the best one I've heard. A solid 4/5

I was hopeful. I wanted to like it.

I had never heard of this, and I thought I knew Bowie reasonably well. It's good. I'd listen again. But not great, so 3.5, rounding down.

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.

graphic design is my passion.

opener is pretty good, if a bit repetitive. also, hello sexy instrumentals on “dirty boys”! i liked that one! all in all, solid album. the instrumentals were overall majestic and maybe saved the album in my opinion, but everything else fell flat for me. sorry bowie fans — i know he’s supposed to be “one of the greats” but couldn’t really get behind this. 3/5.

Always 50/50 with Bowie. The good tracks are amazing, the bad tracks are awful.

I love Bowie but this isn’t one his greats unfortunately. I do find it interesting but not compelling.

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

Try as I might, David Bowie just doesn't do it for me

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.

Didn't listen to as much as I wanted to, but the songs I heard I liked, plus I love bowie anyway.

Feel ashamed I've never heard this beyond the single. Decent songs and his voice is great. A tad overlong. Strong late career stuff.

How in the world is this so good???? Stars Are Out Tonight, Love is Lost, Where are We Now literally one of the craziest runs ever. So much energy feels so alive. Sort of career spanning without being a nostalgia tour. (Shout out to the Earthling drums on "If You Can See Me"). Jesus Christ what a legend.

Fabulous!

Unforgivable vocals

1 - Not for me and not Bowie's best music imo

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.

It's a good album, not exactly one of Bowie's greatest. I think there's just too much Bowie on this list. I mean, c'mon. This album AND Blackstar?

Bowie’s not my favourite ALBUM writer, so thin that context, some standouts, but also some weak and directionless tracks. The album at least feels thematically consistent, and it gets some credit for that, even if some moments let it down. A little surprised I’d never heard ‘Set the world on fire’ before, it’s a banger.

This is what everyone's first David Bowie album is.

pretty good!

Отличная вещь, один из лучших альбомов Боуи, наверное

What a legend Bowie is. First record in 10 years and what a banger

I can confidently say I just don’t get the hype around Bowie. This is the fifth album of his I’ve had so far, and it’s just very mid, very forgettable pap. He had some outstanding individual tunes, but so much just passes by. This album doesn’t even have the benefit of a standout track, everything is just sort of … there. It’s limping over the line into a 3, and only just, because while there is nothing particularly good here, there’s also nothing particularly bad. It’s all so mediocre.

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

I actually really liked The Next Day. It is always interesting whenever this project has an album that was released several years after it's artist's prime and this one is certainly no exception. It still has a lot of David Bowie's trademark traditions including always having a special kind of energy to his songs and also having many art rock elements. I guess if i did have one issue with the album, then it would be the fact that the album is a bit sloppy in places where the compositions don't feel perfectly put together and the instrumentation doesn't help those moments. Other than that though, the songs are great and i still had a good time with this album. Best Song: Love Is Lost Worst Song: The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

A Bowie album? In my century?

Not my fave Bowie.

Like all Bowie albums, utterly forgettable

I don’t like Bowie nor understand why people like him so much. To each their own tho

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

This is a good album, but I don't think it should be on this list. It's not quite as good as he was at his height, but also feels a little weaker to me than "Blackstar." There are some interesting innovations on his sound, especially towards the latter half of the album, but most of this is pretty standard Bowie fare. It's still great music; I found "How Does the Grass Grow" to be my favorite piece. But essential? Probably not.

boring Bowie period for me

Just another prove of how David bowie is the greatest musician ever

David Bowie genial como siempre. No es de sus mejores discos para hay 3 canciones maravillosas.

It was okay, not super into Bowie.

pretty good. 3 or 4? its pretty energetic.RIP bowie.

Starts strong, and is petty good, but not really enough of anything to make a huge impact. Not quite danceable enough, or hard enough, or sad enough. Title track is a banger tho.

😬

I’d never listened to this, as my Bowie fandom was always early to mid-80s. This is very Bowie and I have s hunch it will grow on me with repeated listening.

This must've been nice for Bowie fans at the time - not expecting any music, then suddenly an album appears out of nowhere. I think I vaguely remember that time. I'm not a Bowie fan, despite this list trying to convince me otherwise, with its 20 Bowie albums [sarcasm alert]. This album is incredibly consistent. Nothing stands out to me either way, but as a non-fan I found it very listenable.

Man, Bowie really could do anything couldn’t he? Far from his best album, but to be able to take in decades of experience & come out after a 10 year break & surprise release a new album with a new sound that still manages to reference those previous 24 albums? That’s an artist right there.

Yeah nah this isn't it. I imagine this was produced the same way Clint Eastwood makes movies with as little takes as you need to make an album. There's a couple of songs I dug that I may come back to but as a whole this was a rough listen for me. Insane choice to say you need to listen to this album specifically. Is every Bowie album on here? There's at least 10 albums by him I could see being rightfully on this list. Did we really need more? Highlight: Boss of Me

An enjoyable album, a couple of memerable songs. But nothing as catchy as his ealier stuff.

wtf

Strong finish to the album. Absolutely some solid songs. Really liked How Does the Grass Grow? and (You Will) Set the World on the Fire. 3.5 rounding up.

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

Про цей альбом Боуї можно було б написати доволі багато, детально розбираючи усі посилання на його минулу творчість, адже цей альбом - це фактично і є одна велика "великодка", що вийшла у Девіда через 10 років перерви. Проте сказати, що альбом стає через це нудним, я також не можу. Він все ще доволі гарний, як інструментально так і лірично, і якщо поглибитись в його контекст, то стане зрозумілим чому тут така обкладинка, та чому це ледь не "найтемніша" робота Боуї. Тут він рефлексує с приводу своєї власної смертності, нудьги та "звичайності", які присутні у його житті, як і у житті будь-якої іншої звичайної людини. І навіть більш "яскраві" та глемові пісні, на кшталт Valentine's Day - мають в собі нотки меланхолії. Вокал, нажаль, тут вже не відчувається такім яскравим, "сяючим" та емоційно потужним, як колись. І це не дивно, адже діду тут вже 66 років і на свій вік, він впорався зі своєю роботою більш ніж достойно. Також мене розчарував продакшн. Ніби все звучить добре та "як потрібно", але в той самий момент - максимально "безпечно", "рівно" та трохи нудно. І це не дивно, адже на той час, Девід всім все давно довів, і вже не мав бажання іти на якісь "карколомні експерименти", та створювати черговий "епік" Тим не менш, деякі пісні звучать ну вже зовсім "ліниво" та, на свій час, концептуально застаріло. І найяскравішим прикладом такого, я би назвав трек - Where Are We Now? У висновку, я послухав альбом не без задоволення, але сказати, що він мене, хоч якось, вразив - я, нажаль, не можу.

It was fine.

~ David Bowie - The Next Day What I expected from a well-aged rock star. The album isn't bad, and there are definitely some good, even great tracks. But it has that kinda plastic, comfortable, "House of Blues" aura, like Paul McCartney albums from the last 10 years or some other rock star of that level. Might just be that I wasn't paying attention to it enough...

Good album worth a listen and take some time with. Not everything is worth the listen.

David Bowie - The Next Day Nice album coming from Bowie from what he would end up releasing years later with Blackstar. Really consistent all throughout, however it's highs are not as promineny as his all time classics. Overall though, this is pretty good! 1.- The Next Day = 8/10 2.- Dirty Boys = 7/10 3.- The Stars (Are Out Tonight) = 10/10 4.- Love Is Lost = 8/10 5.- Where Are We Now? = 9/10 6.- Valentine's Day = 9/10 7.- If You Can See Me = 8/10 8.- I'd Rather Be High = 7/10 9.- Boss Of Me = 8/10 10.- Dancing Out In Space = 7/10 11.- How Does The Grass Grow? = 9/10 12.- (You Will) Set The World On Fire = 9/10 13.- You Feel So Lonely You Could Die = 8/10 14.- Heat = 10/10 FINAL SCORE : 8.4/10

a great album, more fun than they say and not as big a leap from his overlooked early 2000's work as they'd have you believe (compare "where are we now" to "heathen (the rays)" or "valentine's day" to the one about uncle floyd). overshadowed by blackstar, maybe. not a difficult record, but one that takes a few listens to unfold. sideman david torn returns with some excellent guitar work. i dig the artwork too.

an aged bowie strains vocally to deliver some gems. still has that charisma. unfortunately, the production for the most part is stiffly pedestrian. the songwriting is still bowie though. striking imagery, confronts mortality, decay, identity crisis.

really liked Valentines Day

Nice

David Bowie's 12th best album is still pretty great 💫

Now, you know I love Bowie. However, this was just an OK experience for me. It's got Bowie-level production quality, and it's still better than many of these other "must hear" albums, but nothing here felt particularly special. I wish it had been half the length with twice the depth.

Like the last Bowie album. This took me a couple of times listening through to really get into. I did get into it though, and it was a winner as well. Loved it.

not that u need me to tell u, but man, almost no album covers are better than this one. hits the mark between a big brainy point and Visceral Emotional Reaction perfectly. every moment of your life is enabled by every previous moment of your life. just masterfully done tbh!! album is great too, kind of funny to get so close to my earlier bowie pontifications because while i similarly struggle to find an obvious throughline, that does feel illuminating here. made well after many assumed bowie was retired from mainline solo records, and ofc paired with the aforementioned album cover, it is a pretty inspiring shrine to being a Creative Maverick with too many ideas not to share. while maybe not as strictly inventive as the berlin material or whatever it has a lot of similar strengths, never could i call this resting on laurels or whatever. honestly just a full embrace of this brain-and-heart splattery approach bowie has is probably the thing thats in order for me. again, will take more than single casual cursory listens LMAO but yea we'll figure it out! v fun to hear a bowie in his mid-60s rock harder than just about any other point in his career, while also being fully capable of beautiful softer tracks as well. tons of great, textured, colorful music on here

sounds like a lot of old bowie albums merged together

Un Bowie que para sus últimos años todavía tenía una fuerza descomunal. No puedo juzgar el disco sin una segunda escucha. The next day y Stars mis favoritas. Revistas por favor. Nota: 3.9

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.

David Bowie - The Next Day Album Review When David Bowie came back after a decade of silence with The Next Day, it felt like a magic trick—one moment, he was just a whisper of a rumor, the next, he was standing there, fully formed, holding an album that nobody saw coming. And, of course, it was good. Because Bowie doesn’t do bad. He could record himself reading a takeaway menu over a drum machine, and it would still be worth dissecting. But here’s the thing—The Next Day is good in a way that’s almost frustrating. It’s sharp, full of energy, and packed with moments of brilliance, but it never quite reaches the oh my god this is a masterpiece level that Bowie has conditioned us to expect. It’s the curse of being a genius—when you’ve made Ziggy Stardust, Low, and Scary Monsters, a merely very good album feels like an underachievement. That being said, there’s a lot to love here. The title track kicks down the door with the kind of force that says, Yeah, I’m back, deal with it, while The Stars (Are Out Tonight) is pure Bowie—eerie, catchy, and slightly unhinged. Where Are We Now? is the closest thing to a gut-punch, a reflective, weary ballad that feels like a man looking back on his own myth. Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day and Love Is Lost are proof that Bowie could still craft a tune that hooks into your brain and refuses to let go. The whole album has this weird, jittery, almost punkish energy, like he’s intentionally avoiding slipping into nostalgia, pushing forward instead of looking back. But as good as it is, The Next Day never quite reaches that untouchable Bowie level. It’s like watching a legend remind you why they’re a legend without necessarily giving you something that rewrites the rulebook. A 4/5 album from Bowie is still better than most artists' entire careers, but let’s be honest—he’s competing with himself, and when you’ve spent your life setting the bar in outer space, even a great album can feel like it’s just this close to something greater. Still, if this was Bowie proving he could still surprise us, mission accomplished.

I love Bowie, but this album is weak, I'm afraid.

Pretty good but if you are starting out with Bowie I would check out his classic period first

Godt album. Det er David Bowie

It really does feel that music has passed him by when he made this album. He’s been making music for four decades at this point and it just lacks any sense of modernity. I certainly don’t hate it but it feels out of place for something coming out of the 2010s. I wouldn’t expect Bowie to necessarily change his stripes this late into his career but man does this album just feel like it’s getting by on name recognition.

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

Je kunt je afvragen of het nodig was voor Bowie om na jaren geen muziek te hebben gemaakt met deze popplaat te komen. Maar goed, aard van het beestje. Wat je wel terecht mag afvragen is waarom óók deze plaat in de 1001-lijst moet staan. Niet alle Bowie platen hoeven dat toch per definitie in? En met Blackstar levert Bowie toch een bijzonderder kunstje af aan het eind van zijn carrière. Op the Next Day hoor je eigenlijk vanalles uit de carrière van Bowie langskomen, maar is het bovenal een vrij toegankelijke plaat met popsongs. Waar het werk uit zijn Berlijn-tijd best taai en moeilijk te verteren was, is the Next Day een makkelijk maaltje. En dat vind ik eigenlijk wel lekker. Je vliegt door het album en het rechtervoetje tikt geregeld mee op het hoge ritme van de tracks. De energie zit er goed in en blijft de hele plaat hoog. Er zijn geen nummers die er enorm bovenuit stijgen, maar het algemene niveau is wel behoorlijk. Ik vond het leuk om deze plaat eens helemaal te luisteren en ben toch positief verrast. Geen ingewikkeld gedoe maar gewoon gaan met die banaan. Best leuke plaat. 7/10 Highlights Dirty Boys Valentine's Day You Will Set the World On Fire

This. Album. Blew. Not much to say other then that. Started off okay I guess, and just went downhill from there. Would've had a 2, but that last song just ruined everything. 1.25 Favorite Song: Dirty Boys Least Favorite: Heat

Bowie fans will love it. I thought it was ok Maybe something going over my head. Added an extra star for Where are we now.

after a good period of hearing stuff that bowie put out throughout the 70s, it's a nice change of pace listening to something he made from the 21st century. even with a much more modern production, he has the same sound even after all this time, rock music with a very otherworldly energy to it all. i just don't know why i can't fully get into a lot of his tracks. maybe i just haven't sat down and really immersed myself in what he writes, or maybe it's just a matter of taste. probably has one of the best instrumental sets of all the ones i've listened to. it's a real underdog in bowie's discography.

No es el mejor de David Bowie

This is a good album. I listened to it twice but mostly in the background while I was doing other things. I give this a 3.5 but am going for a 4 because I know I want to listen to it again. Great Bowie sound and tracks that try to tell a different story throughout

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

Nice to listen to it a healthy distance from the hype. Next: Blackstar.

Bowie at his lowest is still fucking great

Not a huge Bowie person but enjoyed a couple

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

Considering I didn’t know Bowie made this album, it was great

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.