Reviews (page 9 of 11)
David Bowie is considered a music genius, but this is absolutely beyond me. Some of my best friends are big fans and I could never get into his music. I like 3 songs from this album - The Next Day, The Stars (Are Out Tonight), (You will) Set the World on Fire
2 I feel like this is not bowies best work. And im already not exactly the biggest bowie fan But props for almost doing the brat album cover 10 years early. I guess.
This all feels so familiar, like Bowie intentionally wrote tunes that mirrored his 70s output, but with less memorable hooks and melodies. Not bad, but easily forgettable. 2.5/5
Yeah…. Next record, please.
Surprise, surprise... yet another Bowie album. Yawwwwwnnnnn...... This one makes no sense, anyway. It has zero hit songs and is only one studio album away from his self-aware swan song, "Blackstar." I'm generally indifferent to David Bowie's music, but I would name "Blackstar" as a must-listen wayyy ahead of this release.
I’m struggling with Bowie. One of the top pop performers ever, obviously influential, wrote some great songs. But i’ve yet to find a great album. This one is more of a rock album than others I’ve heard in the challenge. It’s competent but i hear no great songs and many of them sound similar. It’s boring by the end. It’s a 2. (In part the score is because I KNOW there are great Bowie albums — eg. Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory) to come.
Out of all of David Bowie's classic albums, this random one made this list of top 1001 albums?? His voice is still vaguely interesting here, but the instrumentation was pretty boring and too slow-paced for me. "I'd Rather Be High" stood out as being ok, but yeah this was largely a slog.
Yeah- I gave Heroes a 2. And that only because the second half was… interesting. This is really everything I hate about Bowie. Right here. In my ears. I think I might go 1 with this. I gave Blackstar a 5. He’s probably already pretty unwell at this point. I believe this is the album just prior. But… this is just about unlistenable. It’s filling me with rage. If it doesn’t improve, it’s getting a 1. Man, it’s a struggle. I truly hate Bowie. But… he’s got musicians working with him like no others. It’s the eternal thing with him. I’m going to relent and give this a 2. 2 Boolean: um….. true, I guess
Not great.
Meh. Whole album is just meh. All the love to Bowie but nah.
Boring. I only like old Bowie music.
I say this each of the many times a David Bowie album pops up on this list. I thought I liked him, but listening to anything that’s not one of his big hits makes me realize otherwise. The best tracks are mediocre. And while I felt this was, as a whole, more consistently decent than any of the other albums, I heard nothing that should have earned a spot on a “must listen” list. Especially lacking a Fame or Ziggy Stardust, or other such solid songs. It’s just there, and I doubt that what Bowie would want to be thought of.
Interesting piece of history, but far from a great album
why is this on here bro
Meh
This is a David Bowie album, why we need another one I'm unsure.
It felt like he was bored out of his mind and Iman told him to make a new album to get out of the house and do more. Not his best album, the moxy is missing.
Bowie on full Gonzo mode, Where Are We Now is one of my favorite songs.
Not his finest
don’t love the more recent stuff i’m sorryyyy
Absolutely love bowie. But regardless of how much you like someone’s art like any artist with an extensive catalogue not everything is going to hit the same. I still appreciate this album for what it is.
David Bowie still had what it took to put together a decent album all the way up to the end. I already heard that album on this list. This album was on the list and got replaced because it’s just an average Bowie listen. It’s not really that interesting or monumental, and I’m sure there are other albums from this time period, or even that year which weren’t included in favor of adding more Bowie. It’s not a bad listen, just really mediocre.
I didn’t really dig this. There just wasn’t any tracks that I remembered after it ended. I feel like it could benefit from repeat listening but who has time for that. DB was an icon and produced some of the greatest music ever so it feels a bit shitty to be down on a late career album that was released just a few years prior to his death but I didn’t really enjoy it and I really wanted to 1.8
У Девіда є й краща музика. 2,5
Sé que Bowie es un astro de la música, un histórico, leyenda, pero no me gustó el disco. Quizás es una faceta o etapa con la que yo no conecto.
David Bowie, etwas verbessert gegen früher
With Bowie, it's usually the singles that stay with me, and most album tracks take a terribly long time to get into This album seems typical - a couple of tracks to hum along to right off the bat, but plenty for art student to noodle over possible hidden meanings Its okay
Cool that he made this, but it lacked luster and wasn't worth the listen in my opinion.
just horrendous. god stop with the david bowie already PLEASE
Best Track - "The Next Day"
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is funky "Love Is Lost" is actively quite boring There's some great instrumentation, and some occasional moments of great composition, but dare I say that Bowie's vocals were the weakest part of the album? Dare I might. I have so little to say about this album otherwise.
I think this is another 2.5 for me but the struggle is whether i give it a 2 or 3. I think a high 2. It didnt grab me in the slightest. Pretty boring. There are only 3 songs i think i actively enjoyed listening to, The Stars (Are Out Tonight), Love is Lost, and (You Will) Set The Word On Fire. The rest were not great. Tbe first one and If You Can See Me were shite.
what in the daddy issues yeah most of this was ass there were a few songs - where are we now and you will set the world on fire - that were okay. didn't like a lot of the vocals (including in where are we now but it had some strange dreamy melancholic nostalgic aura that i vibed with). defo struggled to finish it the few good songs do Not make up for how much i didn't like listening to the rest.
2.5 - unc has not still got it a lot of these songs did nothing for me... others I did enjoy but the vocals put me off. a combinations of the voice (sorry bowie but you don't sound like you used to), the melodies which tended to be monotonous, and the lyrics which didn't interest me. but it's well-produced, has variety, and I think the backing tracks with different vocal tracks could be more enjoyable I wouldn't choose to listen to any of the songs again so I think it has to be rounded down to a 2 I'm sorry. I do see positive aspects so my true rating is 2.5 favourite songs: (you will) set the world on fire, dancing out in space
Mediocre album on the whole. Best song was "(You Will) Set the World on Fire", which was pretty good and much better than the rest of the album.
God I pray this isn't anybody's introduction to Bowie. The worst Bowie is still better than a lot of other music, but fuck, this doesn't even break in to his own top 10. Makes no sense this album is on the list.
It sounds like Bowie, but it's somehow not very gripping. It's OK, I guess, which is disappointing.
When to listen: an art gallery in Chelsea. I felt very torn on how to rate this because knowing it’s David Bowie impacts my objectivity. This album didn’t feel distinct, it felt like noise. But I do love his voice and there are moments I enjoyed, like “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”—which had some interesting plays in traditional chord progressions.
its alright
Bowie is just not for me...
Not impressed. Sounds like rambling to me.
Not his best work
There are other albums from 2013 that should have taken this place
My favourite part of the album was the album cover
Bowie + Sentimentality = inclusion here. No. This is not in the top 20 Bowie albums, let alone here. 1 for Bowie and 1 for nostalgia
One might wonder why there's so many Bowie albums on this list. Some of them have surely proven to have been influential, but this one is both recent and uninteresting.
Was excited to see a David Bowie album come up, but honestly there weren't any that I really enjoyed listening to.
Not my favourite Bowie
Overatted
Is it possible Bowie was too prolific
n gostei muito não, kkkkkk
Idk. Not Bowie’s best album by a mile.
Nice electro Pop with forgettable songs.
Because I am a fan of so many David Bowie albums I truly wanted to like, even love this album,, but this album strikes me as potentially one of the least interesting and least ambitious albums of David Bowie's entire discography. There is nothing new here at all. He doesn't mine any new ideas AT ALL. I am greatly surprised that this album was selected for the list at all, much less over his OUTSIDE album. And if we are being fair and honest, as much as I love him, he is WAY overrepresented on the list. If I want a rehash of his 70s catalog, I'll just put on the albums he released in the 1970s. Why would I bother with this one? Is David Bowie's mediocre better than many other artists best work? Often, yes, but come on, there has to be a more interesting album from 2013 then this one.
Not bad. Classic Bowie, but not up my street.
This guy is wildly over-represented on this list. Nine albums. Eesh.
Listening experience went: holy shit - this might actually be good, ok this is just fine, I would quite like this to end now, it’s still going, I could be watching Heat right now.
Pretty patchy, fairly forgettable.
2.5/10
This is two bad forms of Bowie combined: 1. Later Bowie trying to recapture the feel of 70s Bowie. 2. Bowie doing a take on what’s cool at the moment, and missing the mark. Bowie at his best is related to the latter form, but only when it pans out. Here I think he’s trying to do a bit of a millennial canadian indie rock thing, and it kind of stinks.
I don't know. Standard rock, but the uninteresting kind
Meh. Felt really long.
Way too long. Just feels like disjointed. Where Are We Now is nice, other than that I can live a full life never listening to this album again.
Really not into this. It's not terrible, but generally not really interesting to me. I could never get into Bowie's work and this album doesn't change that.
Not all Bowie albums were created equal
2.5 - Not my favorite Bowie, although respectable. I appreciate it more than I like it. I deeply admire his ability to reinvent himself over and over, and continue to push his creative envelope without letting himself get stale.
*Not a huge Bowie fan and this didn't do anything to change my mind.
Not really a noteworthy album - still yet to find some Bowie that I do like and so I am disappointed ... again. I'd probably give this a 2.5 but rounding down because I wouldn't relisten to any of these songs.
A little boring. Certainly not Bowie best work. No standouts in this one, didn't even realise it was over
Just never been much of a Bowie fan and this album was bad.
This sounds like an album from an old famous man. It’s not very good. His voice aged well, but the weird rock music vibe is not it at all.
Han hadde virkelig ingenting å melde på denne.
Dinosaurusrokkia. Kuulostaa jo väsyneeltä.
I don't get old Bowie.
Not impressed
His songs sometimes sound like they're a group anthem.
A familiar voice singing unfamiliar songs. It was fine. Not something I particularly need.
I don’t think I’m a Bowie fan ☹️
I don't know if this is down on the list of his albums when ranked or if Bowie just isn't for me. Might have to go read some reviews and maybe try again in the future.
mid
This ain’t it
Sorry Elphie
Biased because it’s Bowie, but also know of so many other albums by him that surpass this one.
David bowie produced a few excellent albums in his time, but also some decidedly average ones this is one of the latter.
I'm uncultured. I should sit with this, listen ten more times and really feel it, but I'd rather give Doechii's newest another spin
Love Bowie. Absolutely love him. But The Next Day should be left off this list. I hope to have this much energy and creative juice as Bowie did here, someone well into his 60’s who survived a heart attack. But that’s about the most overt kindness I can muster up for this project. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” was probably my favorite. “If You Can See Me” was also exciting. Giving this a 2/5 it feels like telling your old dog he can’t have any more treats while he looks at you with puppy eyes.
Unmistakably Bowie. I found it okay, but nothing more.
Dont really care for half of it
Hm. More Bowie.
Truly amazing - this is Bowie's 25th studio album and I've liked a handful of songs. None on this album.
hmm…. intressant….
Unpopular opinion - this list has way too much Bowie.
I expected more from Bowie to be honest
Not his worst album I've been fed so far, but sure feels like a wasted space on this list. Thankfully only 4 Bowie albums left and one of them is Ziggy
I started off not liking it, but grew into it
If you’re gonna honestly tell me there’s not 1001 albums better than Bowie at deaths door, you’re crazy. Legacy artists shouldn’t hold a spot on the list just for the sake of it. This album is so dull, so boring, and is just a sad homage to a legend of the game. Why.
David Bowie is reliving his past with a modern band and amazing instrumentation, but you’re forced to listen to an uninspiring David Bowie sing about nonsense. You can feel there are moments of good here; the back half of this picks up. Heavy drums and guitars, Bowie. It’s just a rock that’s easy and uninspiring, feels a little like a hair metal cover band. Sometimes, there’s nothing here Bowie doesn’t leave us with anything really weak here; where is the bite, and it just meshes together. I can't wait to hear past Bowie more now
not even trying to be a bowie hater, but couldn’t find much redeemable about this album
8 eme album de Bowie. Un peu moins original que la proposition précédente ('Blackstar') que j'avais plutôt apprécié. Là le rock est plus classique, et l'album est beaucoup trop long. Pas de seconde écoute envisagée, malgré quelques chorus de sax réussis et quelques morceaux plus originaux ('If You Can See Me', ambiance différente) =>2/5
Ziggy why?
Lyttet til på morgenbussen til jobb 07/01/26, og syntes det var ganske middelmådig. 2 timer senere tok jeg meg selv i å nynne en av låtene, så da var det kanskje mer fengende enn jeg tenkte. Hørte på nytt igjen hjem fra jobb og det er et sykt mid album.
Again, not my type of musician. Too repetitive and monotone. But it was okay
2 Stars because it’s Bowie…
Seems kinda mid.
Kind of sucks honestly
Shockingly same-y, also a touch bizarre hearing Bowie in such a contemporary tone. Broad takeaway would be "forgettable". It's easy to leave on, it's hard to remember it's playing.
Not my taste. I feel like earlier Bowie albums would be better. Song I liked the most: Valentine's Day Rating: 2/5
Nei, ikke for meg.
Look, I don't think we'd have this album on this list if it were d Bowie on it.
Hmmm not bad but I didn't like it😭😭
2.5 out of 5.
David bowie was aight back in the day, but this album is his version of celtics shaq
I assume this only made the list because Bowie. An absolute meh.
A couple songs almost good enough to like (on spotify) then a couple that I had to skip. Surely David Bowie has better albums than this one…
Bowie kind of fell off with this one I can't lie. Everything sounds so similar I didn't even realize when the album started looping.
It's OK, nothing really stood out.
Heard a song from it before. Uh it'd be a pretty solid album if only it wasn't so long. It feels like heresy giving Bowie a low score but 2/5
Another album from his later career work. Was this work polished? Yes. Does he still have his voice on this album? Yes. However, nothing particularly special is delivered in this set, and it feels like a lot of noise at times. Very much a musician's album.
Next, please.
Sorry, he was at least 30 years past his prime when this album came out.
Hör mir auf . Verstehe den Fame überhaupt nicht
This endeavour to listen to all the albums has taught me one thing; I’m not a huge Bowie fan. I know that’s on me. None of the songs stood out as bad or goo. And I don’t love his voice on the album.
Some cool tracks, some awful, but seemingly not anything near the best in his career. Shouldn’t be on here.
2. doesn't compare to earlier stuff.
idk what it was, i just could not get into this album :(
I’ve heard enough of Bowie’s back catalogue and this (which was massively overplayed on release) to not need to care too much when this was playing. It was on. I’ve listened to it, but didn’t really need to. I’ve heard enough Bowie on this list already.
The production is good, the vocals are great, but the songwriting fails to grab me. A few moments of brilliance but overall quite forgettable.
A couple fine songs, but quite boring.
Name alone doesn’t do it for me.
It’s unique. I can see why there is a cult following but it’s not for me.
Ik voel me altijd heel dom als ik David Bowie luister want ik snap de appeal gewoon echt niet. Ik kan horen dat de muziek objectief goed in elkaar zit maar het klinkt allemaal zo vergelijkbaar. Bowies stem vind ik onaangenaam, zijn boodschap snap ik nooit meteen en het klinkt zo preachy/schreeuwerig. Misschien snap ik de culturele relevantie of de Zeitgeist toen het uitkwam gewoon niet zo maar zijn muziek voelt altijd als een mix van Pearl Jam en Bob Dylan. "Simpele" Rock met een moeilijke boodschap. Helaas is dit album niet besteed aan mij. Als ik door het album heen scroll kan ik van geen enkel nummer bedenken hoe die ging of wat ik er bijzonder aan vond. Ik heb het idee dat dit album onbekend was gebleven als Bowies naam er niet aan verbonden was maar waarschijnlijk ben ik gewoon niet slim genoeg om de nuances en boodschap te snappen die deze muzikale legende probeert over te brengen. 2/5 sterren Beste nummer: I'd rather be high Minste nummer: Valentine's day
Not a big fan, I guess I also don’t like David Bowie that much and this album didn’t really impress me. I can imagine it’s also not one of his better albums maybe, though I don’t know. Kind of forgettable.
As I was listening to this album, I realized that this was the first full album of David Bowie's that I had ever taken the time to listen to. I heard some of his music on the radio, but I just thought he was okay, so I never took the time to listen to his albums. While I was listening to this album, I thought it was pretty typical of David Bowie's work. It was pretty amazing that he would go back into the studio after approximately seven years away and at the age of 66, and if I had been a fan, I don't think I would have been disappointed in the album; however, I still just think he is okay. Best song: "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" and worst song: "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".
Meh. Uninspiring.
This is so mid
Easy listening. Didn't love David Bowie but good exposure to some of his music. 2/5
The Master....... ......reduced to this!
even a king can miss
Nothing here that would draw me back again.
2.5 stars When this album was announced I didn’t listen to it. I had determined that older music acts releasing things in their elder years was always a disappointment, so I skipped it, even with the hype. Same with Black Star. But I listened for this and was interested. I was glad to hear Bowie sounding so energetic and like he was having a great time. It made me wish he had toured one last time and I had seen him live- but he may not have been in a condition for that to go well. That being said, while this is “good” by the standards of elder rocker late album, I think it is much to say it’s an album anyone must listen to before they die. I enjoyed it but can’t see myself returning to it unless it’s for a chore like this.
Just way too many Bowie albums on this list
This sounded clunky to me. The arrangements are plodding and none of the songs stuck out to me. I've only listened to Bowie through this list, and I think this is my fourth. It's by far the weakest.
Not a Bowie fan.
so the "what the fuck is this?" tic started after I had a dream back in 2018 or 2019 where this white cat that was in the living room I was in would shout in a high pitched voice "what the fuck is this?" I bring this up because this album reminded me of that dream, just one... long.... what the fuck is this?
I love Bowie but like much of his post Let's Dance material, this was not memorable and there's no reason it should be on the list.
I feel like they should limit each artist/group on this list to 1 or 2 albums. This is obviously a late career album of an influential artist from an earlier era. If this had been made by some other lesser known group it wouldn't rate being on this list. Now, as far as Bowie goes, I can't deny his influence and creativity, but I've just never really gotten into his stuff beyond Space Oddity.
Cynically, I see reusing the “Heroes” artwork as a marketing gimmick rather than an artistic statement with any depth. Something that gets people talking about this album in the same breath as Bowie’s best work. If it is then it worked - it got the album in this book. Take Bowie’s face and name off this and it’s hard to imagine anyone describing this as ‘must hear before you die’. A couple of decent songs. Many forgettable ones.
Wasn’t a fan of this album. Don’t mind David Bowie but not this album. I originally thought it may be an early album of his.
It's Ok. Definitely not the best of Bowie, but nothing terrible either. Strange choice for this list. Even Blackstar is better. So it's not just old Bowie is better. I really can't point at at any winners or losers. Going to give it a 2 because it's about a 2.5, right in the middle, because there's nothing great or horrible about it. I guess if I was in a Bowie mood, I could include it in rotation, but, kinda doubt it.
Bowie is like Prince in that they need a good editor. So many good songs but so many bad songs too. Can’t say I heard a good song on this album.
Started up the truck and Changes was playing, thought.. oh man, Bowie put this out in 2013. Realized I was tuned into the radio. Couple of nice songs but probably won’t listen again.
First time I’ve heard any of the late era Bowie stuff that critics seem to love. Didn’t do anything for me.
Admire his return after 10 hiatus but this album didn’t do much for me.
I don’t care what ChatGPT says. This album is irrelevant. It’s also boring.
a little bored, drifting; my absent mind surely boils down to a long exhausting day (at least in part) but i can’t find myself to be moved in a big way.
Not a huge Bowie fan, so we shall see how this goes. Still not a huge Bowie fan haha
It was aight, but nothing stood out to me about it.
Legendary artist - feels like it goes without saying. There were some really intriguing moments on this that I will be interested to return to at some point. Could not really get into it at all as an overall listening experience on this day though.
didn't find any meaning to it
Nothing Amazing
It’s not bad , and it’s def impressive considering the gaps and I’m sure if I was a Bowie fan in 70s ( I wasn’t born) this would have blown my mind … but I think for someone who got this all at once , I prefer my glammr bowie
Hard listen- have to give it a relisten
Hard pass.
With Bowie if there is a perfect marriage of voice, production and lyrics then one does not subtract from the other 2. Unfortunately apart where are we now there is a lot of samey melodies, nonsense lyrics and that cheese grater voice. At his best Bowie is brilliant. This is far from the premium.
I've known this album cover for as long as I can remember. The Next Day, the opener and album's namesake, is a dizzy but triumphant return to form for Bowie who had not released anything in over a decade at that point. But being familiar with the rest of Bowie's catalogue doesn't help here, because Bowie isn't reinventing the wheel anywhere on this album. Arguably, the next and his last album, Blackstar offers a far more fascinating and perhaps melancholic entry into his career. The Next Day is perfectly fine, but it inadvertently foreshadows what was Bowie's next masterpiece.
disappointing
Its Bowie so of course I want to like it. But this honestly just isn't that good.
Nothing really that interesting.
This was okay. Not super memorable tbh but also pleasant.
I know Bowie is a big deal to some but I did not connect with this album.
Didn't like this at all. Weak vocals and too weird/experimental for its own good. Was glad to learn it was one of his much later albums. How does the grass grow the only track I liked.
Not a fan. Would this have been included if it wasn't by Bowie?
Wish i liked it more?
Lackluster, carried by the name behind it
Not my favorite Bowie
Underwhelming. Bowie has much better stuff.
I am not as familiar with Bowie as I should be, and I've never heard this album. It's an automatic red flag for me when artists reuse or repurpose their older/classic album covers. Maybe I'm wrong but while the music on this is by no means bad, it comes off as a 'return to form' kind of album to please fans and I'm not sure why it's on this list. I certainly wouldn't put this on the level of Heroes, Ziggy Stardust or even Blackstar.
Look, I love and respect the Thin White Duke. He deserves to have a couple of albums on this list. His later work is perfectly good music. It's just not iconic. It's not influential, no hits, and I think it's fine. If you have to listen to 1,001 abulms, this just ain't one of them. So if I want to be consistent, I'm now in the position of giving Halloween Jack a goddamn 2! A 2! I swear if the Goblin King comes for my kid I'm coming for the editors.
With its building suspense and soaring vocals, Take On Me is a classic, after that not so much. The orchestration is top notch but the songs themselves are repetitive and boring. Two points for orchestration and Take On Me.
Monotont och lite tråkigt.
Close to the end of this project, this is my 9th(!!!) David Bowie album. He did some great stuff, but not everything that Bowie touched is gold. And even his best albums have their ups and downs. This one, however, is most definitely not one of his best albums.
Boring
I wish I had liked that but I didn’t all
I’m a David Bowie fan, but was unfamiliar with this album. It had the avant-garde sophistication of Bowie. Very well executed. But, wasn’t exciting to me and will probably not give it a second listen.
Bowie had his time. I think this album was past that time.
Я думав це альбом десь з 80х, а виявилось, що 2013 року. Це багато говорить і про звук і про самі пісні. Не дуже шарю за Боуі, можливо цей альбом має якийсь додатковий сенс в розрізі кар'єри, але як самодостатня робота він мені здався трохи вторинним та, мабуть, застарілим як для дати його виходу. Очевидно, що в укладачах списку є фанбої Боуі (або фанбоуї). Цей альбом точно не репрезентує десяті і не додає нічого в розумінню музичного тогочасного ландшафту
I think I’ll appreciate the album when I get older. I like David Bowie, but not so much this
Not many people know that David Bowie was actually the second choice for the role in Labyrinth. Len Houmous basically filmed the entire thing before falling out with the actress playing Sarah when he repeatedly turned down her advances. 2.3 8/14 Id Rather Be High
Chill listen one or two songs - Depeche Mode like pop - not exactly for me
--The Next Day...I don't love it but I like the driving drum beat --Dirty Boys...begins with a 'dirty' sax verse that then becomes a 'clean' chorus. It's interesting but is it 'good'? --The Stars...there's something chaotic and desperate about the vocals. Like he's pleading for me to do something but I don't know what he wants me to do --Love is Lost...this is boring. why is Bowie being boring? --Where Are We Now?...It's pretty, I guess --Valentine's Day...the production is great. the song is almost there but I dunno, DB, I'm just not getting this --If You Can See Me...this is crazy in a good way. Hard to describe but that desperation in his voice from The Stars is back --I'd Rather Be High...is this the radio friendly unit shifter? --Boss of Me...solid groove and great production. This is the Bowie I love --Dancing Out in Space...sounds like a one hit wonder from an unremembered 80s group --How Does the Grass Grow?...this is annoying. I don't think DB ever annoyed me until now --(You Will) Set the World on Fire...I have to commend the production once again, but the songwriting? I don't connect with most of these tracks --You Feel So Lonely You Could Die...sure, David, sure --Heat...haunting closer. I wanted more of this
*2013 - Bowie's 25th studio album. *It's fine - nothing memorable, but not bad either. RATING - 6/10
This feels like David Bowie's existential dread album. 66 years old, just had a major heart attack, dark, seems like there's a lot of anxiety, dread and despair. For someone not familiar with Bowie's music, this album does not reflect him in his prime. I just feel sorry for him. I agree with others that said it was probably included assuming that it would be his last album. Just because it's their last album, doesn't mean everyone should listen to it. But maybe I would feel different about this album if I was a bit closer to the end of my own life.
Now why is this here? Opportunity cost is the idea that the true cost of acquiring something is measured by the things you could have but didn't acquire instead. There's a good argument that there are a thousand artists that music lovers should hear before they die. Every multiple album by a single artist on this list means hundreds or thousands of people will never hear one or more of those other artists. Bowie has four, maybe five legit 5-star, Deserve-to-be-Here albums. This ain't even close. At its best it's a pale imitation of his glory days. But for the most part its bland and undistinguished.
Eh
This instead of Scary Monsters or Let's Dance?!
Not impressed - depressing lyrics the sound hasn't matched the hype
Before even listening, I'm just going to go ahead and say that anybody's 25th album should not be on this list. No way you can tell me you couldn't find 1001 better albums out there. Putting Bowie's 25th album on here more confirms the author's own fanboy-ism on Bowie than anything else. Hopefully there aren't another 24 of them on here. Anyway, having hit play confirms my thoughts pretty quickly. The album opens up with a pretty grating song where he says at one point "Here I am, not quite dying..." Indeed, that could sum up the whole album. Not quite dying in 2013 maybe, but close enough you might want to hold off on making albums. Second track a little better but nothing memorable. Starting with the third track, it gets a little better for a while, but the decent music doesn't last long. How does the Grass Grow has a strange kind of interpretation of the Incredible Bongo Band's classic Apache. Last track is maybe the best. It's somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, but since it's so dubious to even include a guy's 25th album on this list, I'm sticking with 2.
I’m more of a fan of older Bowie.
Amo o Bowie, mas esse álbum é abaixo dos meus favoritos dele. (You will) Set the world on fire é a melhorzinha
I’m realising pretty quick that I’m not a Bowie fan, I know that’s a criminal offense- so I do apologise. Thankyou for the opportunity to listen however.
I know its Bowie, but, meh?
This style that later Bowie adopted is boring to me. Sounds like some random alternative album without any real identity
Bunch of surplus songs from Bowie.
The title track and a few other scattered songs offer some decent rock, but the rest of the album is largely mediocre, occasionally veering into outright bad territory. Even the tracks I found mildly enjoyable fail to stand out against Bowie's impressive discography. Unfortunately, The Next Day simply misses the mark.
This is it, the final frontier, the final boss of the 9-headed Bowie album monster I’ve had to battle during the past 3+ years. I wasn’t a fan before this challenge and I’m not a fan now after all these albums. Sorry, music critics everywhere.
Once it hit the Valentine song it was all over for me
Eh I thought it was ok
not my favourite DB 🤷🏻♂️
Good, but not Bowie good.
Art rock. I didn’t even know Bowie made albums this late. It’s okay but idk it’s boring and doesn’t feel cohesive. I’m not sure why it’s on the list. Wouldn’t listen again. 4/10.
Listened to the first few songs in the gym and then the rest in the car, wasn't focused listening for any part of it. What I picked up was ok though. Somewhat queeny(?), and I like queen.
Like a sports car being cold-started on a frosty morning - this album hints at something great, but instead splutters its way along, struggling to find the right rhythm
He has so much better stuff.
Eh, nothing memorable to me.
Not every Bowie album is a must listen.
Love 70s Bowie. I find his later stuff uninspiring
Not a Bowie album I’d replay often if at all
I just don’t think I’m a Bowie guy. I thought I was. But the more I hear the less I like it.
The deeper I get into David Bowie's discography (which seems inevitable on this list given this is his 6th album on it...is his entire discography on here?), the less I find myself enjoying his music. I guess I've always just enjoyed the big hits and none of the other stuff. I didn't like much of any of this. 4/10 (2/5)
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.