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Blackstar

David Bowie

2016

Blackstar

Album Summary

Blackstar (stylised as ★) is the 26th and final studio album by English musician David Bowie. It was released worldwide on 8 January 2016, coinciding with Bowie's 69th birthday, through his ISO label, Columbia Records and Sony Music. The album was primarily recorded in secret between the Magic Shop and Human Worldwide Studios in New York City with Bowie's longtime co-producer Tony Visconti and a group of local jazz musicians: saxophonist Donny McCaslin, pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Mark Guiliana; guitarist Ben Monder joined the ensemble for the final sessions, while James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem contributed percussion. The album is more experimental than its predecessor The Next Day, combining art rock with different styles of jazz. For the album, Bowie took inspiration from electronic groups such as Boards of Canada as well as hip hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips. The album contains re-recorded versions of two songs, "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" and "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", both of which were originally released in 2014. It was preceded by the singles "Blackstar" and "Lazarus", both of which were supported by music videos. The album cover, designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, features a large black star with five star segments at the bottom that spell out the word "Bowie". Two days after its release, Bowie died of liver cancer; his illness had not been revealed to the public until then. Visconti described the album as Bowie's intended swan song and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. Upon release, the album was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, topping charts in a number of countries in the wake of Bowie's death and becoming Bowie's only album to top the US Billboard 200. The album remained at the number-one position on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. It was the fifth-best-selling album of the year, worldwide. It has since been certified Gold and Platinum in the US and the UK, respectively. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won awards for Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Recording Package, with the title track winning for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. The album was also awarded the British Album of the Year at the 2017 Brit Awards. It was listed as one of the best albums of 2016 and later the 2010s decade by numerous publications. In the years following his death, commentators have named Blackstar one of Bowie's greatest albums, and was included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.48

Votes

18752

Genres

  • Rock

Reviews

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Nov 30 2022
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5

I’ve never been one to feel particularly attached to celebrity, but that day in 2016, waking to the news that David Bowie had died, I was deeply saddened. During my stop for coffee that morning, the look on my face must’ve said it all…the cashier handed me my coffee and said “Today’s kind of a bummer, isn’t it?” “Yeah…I loved Bowie. It sucks,” was about all I could muster and the clerk nodded in agreement. In retrospect, it was a nice moment: Being brought together with someone I only had a casual acquaintance with over David Bowie, even if only briefly, was a testament to Bowie’s unique greatness. I did all the things that day that you were supposed to do: I listened to Bowie on the way to and from work, talked with coworkers about our favorite songs, watched the videos of people gathering all over the world to celebrate his life and posted photos and video of my Bowie vinyl collection to instagram. The one thing I didn’t do, was listen to Blackstar. It had come out only a day or two earlier and was cast in an entirely new light after the news broke. I just couldn’t do it, I wasn’t ready. I needed to spend more time with my favorites before I could say goodbye. I must have listened to Station to Station, Low, Scary Monsters a dozen times each that week. Well, weeks turned to months, months to years and here I am, more than 6 years later…really, truly digesting Blackstar for the first time. That’s not to say I haven’t heard it before. I’ve listened a handful of times in the last few years, but it’s been difficult to want to come back to it, to confront it for what it is: David Bowie saying farewell. It’s a difficult record: musically, lyrically and, for me, emotionally. Blackstar is a record that you need to come to terms with. I’m not sure it’s a record I’ll revisit frequently, even after spending the day today replaying it. Ultimately, it is a rewarding listen, ranking among his best, and I suspect that as sad as I was to say goodbye, the same went for David Bowie.

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Nov 24 2022
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2

Ah yes, the classic "artist has recently died so let's pretend that their weird-ass, self-indulgent final album is actually a genius masterpiece".

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Mar 26 2021
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1

Meh. If the man didn't die a couple days after the release, would it really be praised as much as it is? No disrespect to the Bowie. The response to this album is inflated. It's a mess IMO

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Mar 18 2021
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5

What is there to say about this project? It's one of the best swansongs in popular music, and is a personal favorite on top of being my de facto introduction to Bowie qua Bowie (the absolute introduction was the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, but that was Ziggy). It's jazzy without being incomprehensible, but also avoids going pop: This thing is incredibly depressing. Repeated listens have only revealed more depth. As a musical idea, it's probably slightly less than perfect. I believe, though, that it's better as an album for it: It's only fitting that Bowie went out stretching a bit. And while we're talking about perfection, Lazarus is without question a perfect song.

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Dec 21 2020
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5

What a legacy from a genius artist... the atmosphere of this album is haunting but beautiful!

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Jan 26 2021
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5

Less a swan song and more a swan opera. But it's not maudlin. It's reflective of a life being one of the defining voices in both the art and music of the 20th century. It's a man coming to terms with his legacy. A star slowly fading but still there in the sky, glimmering. You can't quite see it. But it's in heaven. It can be a hard listen, but an important one.

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Jan 23 2021
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5

Lots of artists talk about death. None have presented their journey, emotions, or physical experiences, as honestly and vividly as Bowie did while the horizon approached ever closer.

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Aug 12 2021
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5

Awesome album, and the context around is next level. Releasing a track called Lazarus with lyrics like "Look at me, I'm in heaven", on an album released 2 days before you die? Very meta.

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Sep 23 2020
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5

Zero bad tracks - Lazarus and I Can't Give Everything Away are tops

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Jun 08 2021
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5

A haunting vision of mortality. This is one of those albums that gets better and better with repeated listens. Best track: I Can't Give Everything Away

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Sep 16 2022
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2

Almost immediately - and I hate having a knee-jerk reaction - I come back to my usual Bowie thoughts: I really don't like him as a singer at all. It's not just his voice, it's the affectations and the style. Obviously a personal taste but it has always been nearly-impossible to get around. His album "Low" was a rare project where his voice didn't seem to be the main instrument and was more a part of the environment, which resulted in a different sort of album I enjoyed. This one had hype upon its release (because of Bowie's concurrent death) but I'd never listened before. And yeah - his vocals are often horrible. Apologies if you loved the dude. Music is wild but too often in a bad way. e.g. "Sue" is difficult to get through. Also stop already with the yodeling on "Girl Loves Me" Positive: I actually like "I Can't Give Everything Away" - would have loved more of this. I just have to settle on the fact that I don't really like Bowie's music overall and I look forward to the next 74 albums I'll have to listen to of his on this list... 4/10 2 stars.

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Nov 25 2022
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2

I expect a lot from David Bowie. I know that this was his last album and he was dying while making this record, but I am just not a fan of this one. This doesnt even come close to Ziggy Stardust or some of his other albums. Girl loves me was a solid song. I liked the ending of the last track too. A lot of different noises and sounds on this record. He was a special artist. 3/10 he has much better albums.

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Aug 22 2021
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5

It’s rare to find an artist that is consistently making incredible and forward thinking music this far in their career. With David Bowie’s last album, he once again reinvents himself and comes back with an album that is musically interesting and lyrically mysterious. His death in the wake of this album release may have given context to the lyrics, but this album stands on its own.

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Jun 13 2021
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1

So bad, I never want to hear any of this crap again

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Feb 24 2021
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2

Nope. I never got the whole Bowie thing. I find most of his stuff dreary and droning. I quite literally fell asleep trying to listen to this. There are some interesting song ideas here, I guess, but then Bowie drones all over them. I still don't get the Bowie thing.

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May 28 2023
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5

Bowie's farewell album. I hope he's had a safe journey back to the far away galaxy he came from.

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Jan 07 2022
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5

I walked into this one blind with the preconceived notion that it's impossibly overrated due to the fact that Bowie shuffled off his mortal coil just days after it was released. Obviously Bowie knew he was dying as he was making this, and many made a big deal about the "Look up here, I'm in heaven" line that opens "Lazarus". And realizing that the opening title track was close to ten minutes long didn't help create any excitement for me as I dove in. I was elated to find out all of this album's praise is well-deserved, and I ended up listening to the entire album in its entirety multiple times. As far as Swan Songs go, it's not quite Abbey Road, but it's a perfect send off for Bowie and right up there with Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust as his best albums. It's a beautiful and haunting - and yet somewhat not depressing - final bow. I'm not crazy about the album cover. It would have been poetic to instead have that final photo ever taken of Bowie, the one his wife Iman took of him smiling and holding a cigarette.

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Mar 11 2023
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5

Pure unadulterated genius. Quietly and secretly taking the time to construct a final masterpiece before an unexpected and unannounced departure is something only Bowie could pull off. And it is a masterpiece, no doubt about that. What a badass baller move, man. Fucking Bowie. Even in death he's an innovator far ahead of our time, the likes of which we'll never see again. A rare, perfect gem, that blazes (that's right, BLAZES, not shines) brighter than any other. Thank you.

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Mar 14 2022
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5

The word "genius" is thrown around too easily in music, but there's no other word to describe Bowie. This is dying as performance art. Should we have expected anything less from him? Not only that, but how many musicians are still transforming themselves on their 26th (!) album? Every track is brilliant and all the more deeper for the fact that he knew he was dying (although a few of them predate his cancer diagnosis). The song "Blackstar" is haunting - the 10 minute video is worth watching - disturbing and cool at the same time. "'Tis a Pity She was a Whore" - frenetic jazz over a driving bass line (that makes me think of "The Talking Drum" by King Crimson every time). "Lazarus" - this was the first one I heard off the album, seeing the video just after he died. Watching/listening to him sing "Look up here, I'm in heaven" was eerie (and still is). Again, death as performance art. "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)" - the lyrics are a fun (?) descent into darkness. Almost like Poe - it also reminds me of some of the music on his album Outside (one of my favorites). "Girl Loves Me" - love the lyrics using words from A Clockwork Orange. Just another incredibly cool track (like all of them - let's also take a moment to acknowledge how awesome his band is on this album - also, how powerful is his singing on this album??). "Dollar Days" - this one is really tough to listen to, knowing that he was dying - the line "I'm dying to..." meant to be heard as "I'm dying, too." Is it a wail of despair or a cry of effort to make his last statement? Plus, that ending is so majestic with the combination of the sax solo, guitar line, and Bowie repeating "I'm trying to, I'm dying to." Man. Finally, "I Can't Give Everything Away" is just a beautiful ending to an amazing album and life. RIP genius and thanks for this beautiful, dark coda.

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Oct 29 2021
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5

Where do I start with this wonderful parting gift Bowie left us with? What a wonderful fusion of modern electronic, rock, and jazz. How wonderful to hear wind instruments in contemporary pop. How great to listen to lyrics that aren’t afraid of non political correctness yet are also meaningful. Truly original and creative, and probably the best album of its decade. Blackstar the song is easily the best of its decade. Thank you, Bowie. I miss you

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Sep 24 2021
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5

“And the clock walts so patiently on your song” Listening to him sing Lazarus is so sad. We love Bowie and he made this album for us on his deathbed. I've been trying to learn Bowie's "Soul Love" on guitar recently so I have been listening to it on Spotify. It has only half the number of plays that the song Deathstar does. If I could put my objective hat on, I would question if Bowie fans really don't like Soul Love as much. But I can't get my objective hat on today; it just doesn't fit. Rather than spending his last 6 months with his loved ones he spent the time making an album for us.

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Sep 16 2021
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5

This is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I'll never forget the first time I listened to it. A song or two were released prior to Bowie's death, but when the album came out, Bowie had just died or died within days of it. The album is as perfect a mix of who Bowie is than any record I've heard from him. Brilliant musical pieces with depth and lyrics that haunt me to this day. A beautiful, tragic, and complete album that delivers beyond the music and lyrics. I can't say enough about this album.

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Jul 30 2021
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5

Bowie has a perfect score with me so far with the albums that have appeared. His last album is as daring and creative as his many others, and it without a doubt cements him as the greatest solo musician in popular music of all time. Creative genius. It is tough to separate the spooky vibe of the album from his death shortly after its release. And because of that, we inherently must praise this album as it carries with it a tribute to all that made Bowie a legend.

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Feb 17 2021
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5

Qué brutalidad de disco. Qué brutalidad el momento en que se estrenó. Nunca he sido mucho de comprender las letras de las canciones y acá no va a ser la excepción pero qué brutalidad la de David Bowie. Hasta las palabras tienen melodía. Qué brutalidad los brasses y las percusiones. Los poquititos riffs bien selectos. Qué pinche discazo. Brutal.

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Nov 29 2023
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4

This is special to me because of when and how it was released, two days before his death, like a gift for us all. Maybe not his most immediately memorable tunes, but the jazz guys playing rock, lush production and the lyrics imbued with depth and sense of mortality make this very special. A last loving note to us, his fans.

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Apr 29 2025
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5

This is a very powerful and emotional album. Musically, it is one of Bowie's best (he is variable, for example I really did not like Aladdin Sane last week). Blackstar is really good with lots of influences (jazz and others) and excellent musicians but it is still very Bowie. BUT just listening to the music at face value doesn't do full justice to the album. In Bowie style, he made himself part of the art, not with an alter ego this time, but as his very self. What a way to say farewell as a musician and artist, bringing out such a work and dying two days later. The context transforms this 5* album in a bigger fatter 5* album. What a performance.

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Apr 21 2025
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5

Blackstar Where The Fuck Did Monday Go? I don’t think I’ve listened to this since it appeared, and then when he orchestrated his death as part of the artistic statement. I remember thinking it was a great album, but I’ve only rarely revisited since, as it all feels a bit sad. So it’s great listening 9 and a bit years on, and it's clear at this remove that this is a truly excellent album in its own right, irrespective of the sadness and death and legacy. And it’s probably worth 5 stars for the opening track alone (and another 5 for track 2, and trac 3, and so on). But when you do factor in his death and how and when he recorded it, it gives the album a genuinely affecting resonance and fall of light. References to death and existence and mortality are everywhere in the lyrics and, I think, in the celestial harp sound at the very start of and throughout Blackstar. But it’s never maudlin or self indulgent, and neither is it cold or detached, it seems to tread the line between the two, balancing introspection and playful curiosity. Musically it’s dense and weighty but simultaneously ephemeral, it glides and skims as well as anchoring itself, and it feels like there are musical references to his past too, some drum and bass, some Station to Station-ness. The percussion is also incredible throughout, and I love the jazziness, it really suits some of the sombre and discordant tones. The title track is superb, maybe one of his best songs, the skitteriness and synth bass before it moves into the second part with the ‘Something happened’ lyric and nagging refrain. ‘Tis A Pity She Was a Whore is incredible too, it feels strangely disconcerting and creepy, and the agitated playing is fantastic. Lazarus has a slight Roxy Music-ness to it, and a great, mesmeric groove and superb, moving lyric. I like how it shifts slightly with the gritty, funk guitar and slightly echoey, ecclesiastical sounding vocal of Sue, the combination creates a great bit of tension and strain. Girl Loves Me is another amazing song, the hook is extremely catchy and I love the James Murphy assisted funereal-synth feel. Dollar Days of course has the dying to/too pun and despite the melancholy lyrics has a slightly hopeful feel to me, flowing fantastically into the serenity of I Can’t Give Everything Away. It’s a brilliantly sequenced album, moving gracefully from anxiety and restlessness into acceptance and a sense of stillness and peace. I’ve listened to this a lot over the past couple of days, I just kept wanting to come back to it, and to be able to orchestrate this as his swansong is unbelievable, knowing he was dying and making one of his best albums is absurd really, and to make an album about mortality that is so full of life, that makes you want to come back to it. It’s probably only really matched as a eulogy to en ending by Abbey Road. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Playlist submission: Blackstar

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Jan 21 2025
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5

Where the fuck did Monday go? -> apt lyric because I'm listening to this on a deadbeat Monday which I'm subbing in as the weekend because I had rehearsals all day during the real weekend. Anyway. I got so into this. The murky, tense grooves of track 4 and 5 are deliciousss. His voice and delivery is perfection. Also at one point my headphones got out of sync and it still sounded good, just even more arty, which is surely the mark of a good song lol. And what a farewell. I Can't Give Everything Away didn't make me cry, instead it gave me a sense of satisfaction, of joy and pride about Bowie's life and what he did. Beautiful and dazzling creative to the end <3

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Dec 10 2024
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5

Day339 - i loved this the day it came out and it just gets cooler every listen

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Mar 27 2023
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5

If I had known that I would die within a day, then this album definitely became the final sketch of my life path. Everything is perfect in it: from the musical part and vocals, to the images that Bowie builds for us. This is a requiem, an epitaph that Bowie left in this world and this is what deserves every minute spent listening to the album.

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Jan 20 2023
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5

To the very end of his life (which came just two days after Blackstar’s release), David Bowie was unafraid to dip his toe into new musical waters; long past the point of having to prove anything to anyone, he still drew inspiration from hip hop and electronic music, art rock and jazz, blending it all into a dazzling, deeply emotional sonic symphony that stands with the very best of his work. A beautiful end to a singular life.

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May 12 2022
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5

Bowie's 26th and final studio album. There has been a lot written on the songs and their meaning pertaining to his impending death. It is pretty clear that a number of them are written addressing exactly that, especially given the timing of the album's release and his death two days later. This album was recorded in NYC with a jazz quartet. As opposed to telling a bunch of studio rock musicians to try and play jazz, this was the opposite, have a jazz quartet play like rock band. Well, I think this is sort of true; they still sound very much like jazz but is one the reasons it has a very unique and great sound. The more you listen to this album, the sadder it kind of becomes but the more you appeciate the orchestrated final act of Bowie. Every song kind of has a majestic feel to it; Bowie's voice with a complex and improvised jazz backing. "Blackstar" has a unique percussion, sounds more like an orchestra and makes allusions to his impending death. Similarly, the lyrics in "Lazarus" stress how one day soon he'll be free and in "Dollar Days" how he'll never get to see the English evergreens hell try to get to. Maybe, my favorite song for the music is "I Can't Give Everything Away" with its improvised jazz. There are so many great last albums for artists to say this is the best but it ranks up there and I don't know if there is one that so specifically conveys it is the swan song.

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Apr 26 2022
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5

Black Star is the most perfect requiem ever written. David Bowie knew he was dying and injected that last months of soul searching and reflection into this album. It was heart wrenching to listen to its for the first time a feq days after he had passed away. I one way it felt ghoulish but for the most part it was a fitting tribute and parting gift from an artist that has meant so much to me.

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Jan 16 2025
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4

felt like I was at a party at a New York apartment that had really gorgeous big art and huge sofas and I’ve taken a pill and I’m coming up slowly and then it all went a bit weird and and then it just got really good and I was just moving my body and melting into the sofa.

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Oct 22 2024
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4

This man changed my life and sculpted so many of my musical tastes. This album is yet another serving of his endless creativity: unique, exciting, tragic. This heavy dish is not for easy listening.

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Oct 21 2024
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4

I can’t speak from experience, but I figure it must be very difficult to make a swansong album. On top of knowing your end is at hand (mentally and physically), but you must also leave your fans with something good to remember you by. I remember David Bowie’s passing somewhat well, but never heard that he released an album two days prior to his death. I’m regretfully not well-versed in Bowie’s discography to say whether or not it’s the perfect end for him, but as a stand-alone album, it is a great swan song. Lazarus in itself feels like a proper emotional goodbye to a legendary artist. Blackstar in its entirety presents classic Bowie with hints of art and experimental jazz. The result is an album that as haunting as it is reflective. I can’t say it was perfect, but for what it is, it works well. It’s a very fitting goodbye for someone such as David Bowie. Favorite track: Lazarus Other hits: I Can’t Give Everything Away, Dollar Days, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), Tis A Pity She Was A Whore

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Oct 18 2023
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4

An exotic, beautiful and haunting trip through the mind of a musical genius coming to terms with his own death, ★ is an essential album to any Bowie fan. In face of extreme adversity, David Bowie managed to succeed in originality, sofistication and emotion in nearly every song. Truly a powerful statement to end a legendary career.

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Oct 05 2023
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4

Not sure if this is up with Bowie’s greats, but each of three playthroughs moved me, and I love the atmosphere of this record, circumstances of its making perhaps playing into that. The skittish drums, the sax-playing that calls back to when it was used as an instrument of manic intensity with the Stooges, and Bowie wringing his ghostliest dregs out of his voice are my first notes on what makes this special. I’m reminded of his Berlin records, as this is largely mood music with some exquisite song-songs in between. This was the record that made me realise - belatedly, of course - that his authenticity was in his theatricality, which he maintained to his death, and is still bold. I am excited to see what Simon thinks!

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Oct 05 2023
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4

When I first heard the title track on the radio I was stunned - excited for a new Bowie album for the first time since Outside 20 years ago (then)! And so it is, with new ones always viewed as "his best since..", this one was easily the most *interesting* since Lodger. Its (almost immediate) poignancy adds to the mystery. What an unbelievable talent, what a legacy

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Mar 31 2023
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4

4 At the risk of coming off as melodramatic, I feel like I have to start this review off by saying David Bowie’s death is still the one that has upset me more than any other famous person to date. I can remember exactly when and where I was when I heard the news - on my way to my morning class at the Psychology building at Michigan State University… and I cried. I previously talked about what the man means to me in my Hunky Dory review, so I won’t get too into that here, but January 11, 2016 was a sad day in history for me (he passed the day before, but the news didn’t break until the next day… no pun intended) Anyway, sorry for the schmaltzy anecdote, but I do believe his terminal diagnosis and eventual death is important context for the listening of this album. These songs were knowingly his final creative offerings, his final testimony, and a final thank you to the world and those who loved him. Musically, it sounds unlike anything of his released prior - I think the closest comparison would be the soundscape of the Berlin Trilogy, but even then this feels distinct in that it relies more on a jazz backdrop than an electronic one. Supposedly Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly was a huge influence, which I’ve always found fascinating. I think it speaks a lot to Bowie’s musical passion that a modern icon of a completely different genre could influence and inspire him this late into his career (reminds me a bit of Johnny Cash and Hurt). Lyrically, the album is filled with introspection and reflection upon a career and life that was unapologetically brazen. However, it definitely adds a certain haunting element to the music - I mean, look at the first verse of Lazarus: “Look up here, I'm in heaven I've got scars that can't be seen I've got drama, can't be stolen Everybody knows me now” Chills. So, that all being said, this isn’t my favorite Bowie album, nor do I find myself picking out individual songs to listen to on it often. I would even say there are some minor misses for me here in ‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore and Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), which I don’t feel like quite fit the rest of the album tonally. Yet, as a whole, the complete package is a unique piece of art that feels cathartic whenever I decide to listen, like another chance to say goodbye to an old friend. It may not be perfect, but it’s an excellent bookend to the career of an artist who only falls to this Earth once in a lifetime.

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Nov 06 2022
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4

I remember the double whammy of having this drop and then Bowie passing shortly after. With that retrospect, it’s clear this LP is both a reflection on and confrontation of mortality. Not all the new instrumental ideas work, but there is an overall feeling of completeness and tempered celebration that makes the album flow despite its rougher sections. Few of us will have the chance to eulogize our own death beforehand, but then again no one was quite like Bowie.

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Mar 07 2022
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4

The mythos of this album is something otherworldly; the music is, too, but like much that is alien, it’s at times challenging to fully comprehend.

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Jan 20 2021
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4

It’s weird that it’s been five years already. I’ve never really listened to this one, so far it’s melancholic but 100% Bowie. He knew he was close to the end.

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Apr 15 2021
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4

David Bowie delivers again, this was utterly haunting and danced around into at times what felt like 11 different genres. Just experiment after experiment, with every track bringing something unique and I really appreciated it all. RIP Bowie.

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Jun 15 2025
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3

Part of me feels like I should've liked this more while the other part of me is surprised I liked this at all in the first place

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Apr 14 2025
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3

I can't be the only one who heard Bowie was releasing an album called Black Star and assumed it was about his wife. It isn't, color me surprised. Another surprise is that I actually found myself enjoying the rest of this album much more than I did when it was first released. It can be a little indulgent but the soundscape is awesome, particularly the sax that appears throughout, the guitars on Lazarus and the synths on Cant Give Everything Away. A lot of beauty in the lyrics but its also a little weird hearing a skeletal geriatric sing about looking for ass in the big apple. However, although I know very little about David Bowie's music, this feels authentic. High 3* for me.

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Oct 04 2022
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3

This album immediately reminded me of another on this project: "You Want It Darker" by Leonard Cohen. Like Cohen, David Bowie seems to have a level of premonition about his own lingering death. The music, lyrics, and tone are all a bit eerie, even for Bowie, and possess a certain level of gloom throughout the album. Hearing a heavier than usual jazz flair from Bowie was also quite interesting. I tend to prefer Bowie more in the glam sphere, but the decision to go more jazzy was certainly intriguing, and what I believe to be an intentional decision to create some artistic contrast and dissonance. Bowie was no stranger to experimenting, and I feel like this album is no exception. This album defies falling into any one sound or genre. This album is also busy, and not necessarily in a bad way; there are many things going on in the tracks that paint a bizarrely beautiful picture. This is not my favorite iteration of Bowie, but it's certainly a captivating iteration nonetheless. Bowie went out on a high note with this album, reminding us why he was and continues to be a king of the weird.

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Feb 05 2022
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3

Enjoyed Blackstar, Lazarus and Dollar Days. Found some of the other songs a little less enjoyable. It is Bowie so I came into the listen knowing that there were going to be some quirkiness. Probably should be on the list because of influence and last album.

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Feb 13 2025
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2

Controversial opinion but this would've flopped if Bowie hadn't died like immediately after releasing it

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Dec 05 2023
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2

Last album by the great. It’s really hard to judge considering how it was written. But it is also hard to listen to

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Oct 30 2024
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1

I am frustrated by the curve on which we as a society grade an aging artist's late-career projects that have no actual cultural or chart impact. It's like the bullshit "lifetime achievement award" to pay your respeks. "Oh wow, so brave, good for you still out there making music." Who honestly wants to this self-indulgent shit instead of a contemporary artists at the top of their game. Listen to his back catalog and then this and tell me they are being judged the same way. I DGAF if he died, this still sounds like shit. I'm sick of everyone pretending this kind of stuff is good just because of the artist's "legendary" status.

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Jun 16 2025
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5

A Blackstar. A different man. Such a perfect goodbye.

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Jun 12 2025
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5

I almost knocked it down a star just because I’ve been handing out a lot of five star reviews. That’s not a good reason. I absolutely love this album. It’s a lean, weird swan for an artist with a varied career and never went on cruise control. What an absolute king.

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Jun 10 2025
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5

A masterpiece and a bittersweet goodbye. Weird in Bowie fashion, yet very human

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Jun 09 2025
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5

Yet another masterpiece from one of the best to ever do it. That his final album is among his boldest and bravest in his catalogue is so fitting.

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Jun 09 2025
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5

Few albums are harder to judge than this modern classic, due to its relation to Bowie's death. But, amazingly, it's a great album, actually! The tracks all fit together well and are technically fabulous in a way only Bowie could do it. Amazing piece of art. 9,5/10

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Jun 03 2025
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5

among all the late-career albums from artists past their peak on this list, this is easily the greatest. it's been a shamefully long time since i last listened to this album... but it's so singular, so massive, so larger-than-life i find it difficult to be in the mood. i'm happy it was chosen for me. because GOD this is brilliant. my favorite Bowie. yes. more than his classic glam records or the Berlin Trilogy. epic swells and eclectic instrumentation. Lazarus is one of the best tracks of the 2010s. Sue has a lovely deep guitar crunch running through it. I Can't Give Everything Away is a perfect finale: urgent, ethereal. deserves to be one of the 1001? absolutely

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May 31 2025
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5

It’s hard to remember what my initial thoughts were of Blackstar; those couple of days having the album before Bowie died feel lost to time, as the album took on an immense weight from that point forward. An artist right up to the very last second, this album about his illness, his life, his awareness of his impending death…very few albums are constructed of such emotional pieces — I Can’t Give Everything Away is a perfect end and took on an incredible sadness after his passing. This is by no means my favourite Bowie album, but it’s definitely the most impactful. The accompanying No Plan EP is a great afterword for this album.

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May 27 2025
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5

Álbum titânico. Monumental. Lendário. Consigo contar nos dedos quantas vezes música me levou a chorar, e uma delas foi a primeira vez que eu ouvi esse disco, com a notícia da morte de Bowie ainda em primeiro plano. Que perda... Induvidavelmente, o maior artista que já viveu. É estranho ter esse álbum como o primeiro do Bowie que recebi aqui no projeto. No meu ranking de sua discografia, ele está em oitavo. Mas não interprete isso como um afronte a esse álbum, mas sim como um testamento do quão fantástica e expansiva é a discografia do Bowie. Que um capolavoro como esse ficou em oitavo. Entenda, Bowie lançou discos desde o final da década de 1960. Não dá pra imaginar um artista daquele tempo lançando um de seus melhores álbuns em 2016. A ideia é ridícula, absurda. Mas Bowie foi lá e fez. Histórico. Esse álbum é a culminância de todo o corpo de trabalho do Bowie depois de tantas décadas gravando. Você encontra vários elementos da carreira dele aqui dentro. É um álbum forte, sua última mensagem pro mundo. De certa maneira, ele me lembra muito o Closer do Joy Division. Os temas fúnebres vão muito além da instrumentalização (fantástica, inclusive, que banda fenomenal que ele juntou para gravar aqui). A voz dele nesse álbum é inexplicável, seus gemidos e palavras suplicantes. A produção é fantástica e destaca cada elemento na medida exata. Sonho para audiófilos! Compre o CD e ouça ele bem alto. Bowie te abraça e beija sua testa. A alma dele transborda do começo ao fim. Fantástico, lindo, emocional. Ouça a discografia inteira do Bowie em ordem cronológica. Todo mundo deve fazer isso ao menos uma vez na vida. Ao chegar em Blackstar, é impossível não se emocionar. Que vida, que talento, que perda. Amo você Bowie. Sempre te amarei.

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May 24 2025
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5

I'm going to allow myself to be a bit of a hipster on this one and say I already loved this album before Bowie died. I know it was only two days, but this became my most anticipated album of 2016 after the title track came out on the previous October and knowing that "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" was also going to be on it. (not the original version with Maria Schneider, which is also great, but a new one with LCD Soundsystem main man James Murphy). This is Bowie fully indulging in his Scott Walker aspirations, streching songs out, playing with structure, and filling them with surreal narratives. For Bowie, however, those narratives seem to come from a more personal place, and after his death it became easy to read (too much) into these songs to extrapolate their meaning. I remember early reviews were mildly positive on the album in lead up to its release and then immediately changed their tune by the end of the week. I also remember I did a full Bowie marathon in the days after his death while studying for a college exam. Regardless if someone enjoyed this right away, jumped on the bandwagon later, or never really gotten into it, it cannot be denied this was a triumphant ending to an already impressive body of work, and the way Bowie managed to turn even his own death into an art piece. Truly the mark of a Great Artist. Key tracks: Blackstar Lazarus Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) Girl Loves Me I Can't Give Everything Away

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May 22 2025
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5

Remarkable album. I want it on repeat.

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May 20 2025
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5

Such an amazing record, what a way to go out on

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May 20 2025
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5

Bowie has been a muse and guide for me since my youth and I've loved everything he ever recorded. I am still not at peace about his death, and as a result I've only listened to this album a dozen times or so. I always imagined that Bowie truly was untouchable and that death would not take him. This album breaks my heart. It's genius but I can't accept that it's over. I want to take the rest of my life to get to know these songs.

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May 17 2025
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5

Of the "Big Three" of farewell albums (being this one and those of Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen), this is the one I was least familiar with. I find that for both Cash and Cohen, their final works are among my favorites of theirs, so I was excited to get this one generated. I found it a bit different from the others... where "When The Man Comes Around" is about Cash looking back at his life, and "You Want It Darker" is about Cohen looking at his impending death, this feels like an album by a ghost who is already dead. I found it less devastating and more... haunting. I think part of this relates to the cultural context in which Bowie died just a day or two before the album's release, whereas Cohen lived for another few weeks and Johnny Cash lived another year. However, it can also be heard in the music. From the lyrics ("Look at me, I'm in heaven") to the music videos, to the much grander Jazz instrumentation, this album feels like it, more than any other work by any other artist, is meant to mythologize Bowie's life and death, where he's fully embracing his mythical persona and abandoning the material world. Also shoutout to the Jazz musicians who he got to perform on the album. They really tie it together. Favorite Track: Blackstar

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May 16 2025
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5

Wow. I first listened to this when Bowie passed away, and this record still resonates just as much as it did then, back in 2016. Full of existential anxiety; this really is a beautiful parting shot from one of music's greats, and my favourite Bowie album by a long way. A true genius in every sense of the word. Favourite tracks: the whole thing.

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May 15 2025
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5

First album I already had in my listening repertoire. A masterpiece!

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May 14 2025
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5

Blown away by this album and shocked I was so out of the loop when it came out and Bowie passed. He's quickly rising to be one of my favorite artists thanks to this project. Blackstar the song feels particularly heavy after knowing the context of Bowie's passing from liver cancer 2 days after the album released. Side note, you can really feel Kendrick Lamar's TPAB influence on this album which I think is really cool and unexpected.

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May 10 2025
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5

Throughout the completion of this 1001 album project, my 1* reviews can be summed into two themes: especially awful music, and “why this?”, with the latter warranting a more cutting review about why the album was ever chosen to be featured. My 5* reviews, on the other hand, have exclusively been within the theme of especially excellent music - until now. Blackstar is a “why this?”, because the “why” is beyond something any nice sounding record can do. Blackstar fills me with gentle assurance. The artistry, to be handed a terminal diagnosis and respond with a grin. “Watch this”, I imagine him thinking. Even in death, another artistic reinvention - his final form - enshrouded and buried, and showing that art can be found in all things.

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Apr 30 2025
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5

Oh hell yeah, I was literally just thinking about putting this album on because it had been a while since I last listened to it! It’s amazing that Bowie was still at the top of his game right up until the end. Rest In Peace Starman! Favourite tracks: like all of them, but if I had to pick Lazarus, Sue (or in a Season of Crime), Girl Loves Me

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Apr 30 2025
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5

It's more interesting as a final album and the idea of recording it than the sum of its parts. It's an amazing final album not necessarily a great album if that makes sense. He captured exactly what I imagine it would feel like dying. He creates a groove and an atmosphere that doesn't have any filler which I feel is on a lot of his albums. All in all not an album of listen to a lot but an album that does exactly what it needs to do

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Apr 26 2025
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5

never a dull moment with this guy

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Apr 23 2025
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5

Warren Zevon knew he was making his last record and put everything he wanted to say into it. This feels like Bowie threw together his swan song on the fly. The fact that Bowie's is better is a testament to his craft. It's both just another great Bowie record and the perfect death bed goodbye. Dark and beautiful.

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Apr 22 2025
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5

++: ★, 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Lazarus, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), Dollar Days, I Can't Give Everything Away +: Girl Loves Me 9,7/10

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Apr 22 2025
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5

Been looking for a reason to revisit this album. That intro track is a haunting masterclass in atmosphere and the video sticks in my mind to this day. The new versions of Sue (Or In A Season of Crime) and Lazarus are incredible highlights, and the former, I *think*, is my favorite. Knowing that Bowie knew it would be his last gives the whole album a sense of finality and permanence that permeates everything and is difficult to forget about.

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Apr 22 2025
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5

I’ve always been grateful that I heard this on the day it was released, and was immediately able to see (as the critics did), that it’s a brilliant album of weird, otherworldly, boundary-pushing music, before Bowie’s death could influence my judgement one way or another. The news of his death undoubtedly imbued Blackstar with new layers of poignancy though - rarely has context added so much to an album. The man knew he was dying but kept it a secret from the world, thoroughly in keeping with the air of mystery he cultivated throughout his career. With that in mind, I find the last two tracks in particular heartbreakingly beautiful.

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Apr 21 2025
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5

I listened to this a lot upon its release. I haven't since, as I genuinely found it too sad, post his premature passing. The album sounds like nothing he's done before, but there are many echoes of the past (Diamond Dogs, Station to Station, Young Americans, Low, Black Tie White Noise, Outside, Earthling, Hours, Heathen all feel present here). Bowie was clearly grappling with mortality - it's moving, yet admirably devoid of self-pity. This level of invention after a 50 year career is beyond belief. With echoes of the past, it's firmly fixed on looking forward, staring down death under the shadow of terminal illness with a hell of a lot of dignity. 'I Can't Give Everything Away' is a devastatingly beautiful ending to an unmatched career.

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Apr 21 2025
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5

It's insane to think that Bowie still had so much to give even after all of his success and artistic output. This album is as fresh as anything he had put out in his career. The fusions of jazz and art rock work so well on this album, and I get the sense that Bowie was always inspired by current music. These tracks have a lot of hip-hop, soul, and funk influence. Blackstar is the ultimate swansong to an absolutely storied career, even without the context of Bowie's health during its recording. It's the culmination of everything he did before. 9.5/10

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Apr 12 2025
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5

Отличный альбом, последний к сожалению((

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Apr 10 2025
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5

David Bowie’s Final Masterpiece: Blackstar Blackstar is nothing short of superb. As his final work, it stands as a bold, emotive, and forward-thinking statement from an artist who continued to innovate until the very end. In an industry where many artists struggle to remain creatively relevant with age, Bowie defied the trend — evolving, experimenting, and delivering something truly fresh. This album isn't just a farewell; it’s a reinvention. Deeply atmospheric and layered with meaning, it feels like Bowie knew this would be his last artistic statement — and he made it count. Favourite Track: It’s hard to choose, as every song is a gem, but Dollar Days resonates most with me. Least Favourite: Honestly, I couldn’t find a single weak track. Album Artwork: Minimalist, striking, and instantly iconic — perfectly befitting the music within.

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Apr 03 2025
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5

The last album by david jones… like as in the monkeys? Or the squid guy? Nah David Bowie. One incredible musician. But how you pronounce Bowie (like I’ve heard people say BOWie like as in a bow tie or bOWie like submitting to authority). Reminds me a bit of the start of the song ‘andy warhol’ from hunky dory ‘Warhol… as in HOLES’. But that’s a very different album, this album blackstar (like the radiohead song) is a perfect send off there’s only 7 songs but you can’t call any bad. Like it’s good to the point that sparks (who I love) came on after and I just wanted to go back to bowie. Brilliant ending to a great career 5/5

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Apr 01 2025
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5

I was going to give this album a 4, since I only remembered two songs from it, and they were fantastic. I ended up really enjoying all the songs that got overshadowed by Lazarus and blackstar for me on previous listens. It’s now one of my favourite Bowie albums.

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Mar 30 2025
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5

Wat een album. Wat een last dance van een legende.

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Mar 28 2025
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5

This is actually the album that introduced me to David Bowie. Awfully bad timing, I should say because I was just began to get into him and then he's no longer with us...but enough of the regret, this is a pretty solid album, I remember when I first listened to it I thought "oh this is very Doctor Who-ish". I mean if the Doctor must have an soundtrack I would've chose this "Blackstar". I love this album, especially "Lazarus", heartbreaking for no particular reason. 5/5.

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Mar 25 2025
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5

9.5/10 Favorite Tracks *Sue(Or in a Season of Crime),** Dollar Days*,

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