Blackstar

I can't even think of this album, let alone listen to it, without tearing up; the artistic intention in its creation and release as a final statement and parting gift to the world is, and will forever be, heartbreakingly transcendent.

I remember this releasing and his death closely following. It was a real historical moment for culture. Given this album strongly takes from his back catalogue and the lyrical thematics, plus the strength and longevity of my love for David Bowie, it's always a warm and emotional listen.

This album is fucking awesome it sounds like modern post punk music or whatever tf black country new road is. Yeah just so weird awesome I have been relistening soooo much

Yeah, I'm only giving this 5 stars because it's Bowie, keep scrolling Kidding, I was very trepidatious going into this album, and it's certainly his weakest project to me. But it's still beautifully done by the greatest chameleon in the history of music. Favorite track: Lazarus

Blackstar is the final album of David Bowie. It can be considered as a farewell statement. It's quite strange most of the critics did not inmediately got the message as the looks of Bowie in the video of Lazarus really gave me the creeps. I felt a disturbance and sadness that was confirmed a few days later. Apart from the lyrical content of the album the songs are also very impressive combining rock and experimental jazzy elements. I did not know he still had such a great album in him.

The first, and last, Bowie album I got to experience while it dropped. It started with promises that his next album would be jazzier, as ambitious as his legendary work. Bits and pieces of the title track would appear, before the glorious full ten minutes dropped in November. I instantly fell in love with it; it sounded so fresh, so creatively rejuvenated, yet also familiar; the mysterious sound and lyics evocative of Bowie's previous occult masterpiece Station to Station. "In the villa of Ormen, stands a solitary candle." What did the lyrics mean? Is Bowie gonna release more creepy, artsy music videos? How was the rest of the album gonna build off this epic sound? Needless to say, I was properly hyped. In December, Lazarus dropped. It was a bit slower, more straightforward than Blackstar. Bowie's vocals were more direct and impassionate. Yet, foolishly, I didn't get what he was trying to say. "Look up here, man, I'm in danger." On January 8th, the full album dropped, and I listened to it for the first time as I went back home from college. 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore sounds energetic and propulsive, while Bowie sang smokey cool lyrics. Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) is frantic and off-kilter. Girl Loves Me is creepy. I got what I wanted, but it also felt in a way overwhelming. And then, like the clouds parting, Dollar Days and I Can't Give Everything came up. The former is melancholic, while the latter is hopeful, yet also whistful at the same time. This was a great album and a new second wind, I thought, and I hope Bowie would make more great music in the future. I went online and read some reviews. One of them even commenting on how obtuse the album was, in a positive manner, and how we may never decode the meaning of the album... Next Monday, news broke that David Bowie had died. Suddenly, the message of the album snapped into focus. Bowie was saying goodbye, making one final album as a parting gift, to prove himself for the last time and try to make amends for the Grim Reaper. Like doofuses, we all had missed the lyrical content and musical ambition for what they really were, too late to really appreciate the great work and the great artist while we still had it. Bowie knew however, and even he, like all artists in their final years, felt regret that there was not enough time to say everything he wanted and could say before the end. Cherish the moment.

You simply cannot listen to the title track without getting chills

I hadn’t ever listened to David Bowie before this album so I had no idea what to expect when I hit play. That being said I absolutely did not expect a wild ride through an experimental jazz rock fusion led by an absolute musical madman who, I am now thoroughly convinced, is not just a master musician but an alien that gifted us with something that would never have come to fruition without the express efforts of David Bowie. My mind is blown. Favorite songs - Lazarus, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), I Can’t Give Everything Away 5/5. This parting album was a fitting and amazing goodbye from a true master.

A classic. One of my favorite Bowie albums.

Excellent. Modern yet still Bowie. Look into if he knew he was dying, would make it much more haunting.

Lazarus

this is a 10/5

admittedly have never listened to much Bowie but this really hit me, definitely will be returning

The energy and intention in this album is stunningly Bowie. It knocks my socks off to know how his health must have been when he was making it. Man, who among us hasn’t felt “Where the fuck did Monday go?” So good.

Sometimes an album is more than a record it is an event. Sometimes an artist is more then a person they are an event. Bowie’s Blackstar is just that. It’s impossible to see it as anything other than a musical last will and testament. It’s like its predecessor, The Next Day. Recorded in total secrecy and dropped on his birthday with no publicity. Dark star. Released 8/1/66 on his 69th birthday. He died two days later on the 10th. And so it is difficult to see the half dozen songs beyond the funereal come wake 10 minute title track. It has everything. Techno beats, an uplifting passage to seque into acid jazz funk. It’s ten minutes of Bowie’s most perfect music. Which is saying something. Lazarus is on a par with the title track. And equally prophetic and classic. “Tis a Pity She Wa A Whore” , “Girl Lives Me” and “sue” are shorter, more jazz and superior for so far into a career. But not to the same level as the 2 genuine classics above. “Dollar Days” is the closest we get to melancholy on an overall dark yet upbeat album. Gentle and resigned it is, again, the voice of a man “am dying too.” He may say “it’s nothing to me” but we don’t believe him. The album ends with the most lacklustre song here. I can’t give everything away he sings. Yet two days later, of course, he does. An event more than judt a record and we are so lucky to have it.

Love it, obviously. Clearly inextricably linked with his death. Bookended by two fabulous songs that couldn't be more different to eachother. The closer gets me right in the feels. A beautifully buried guitar solo. The album is jazz heavy. There's sooo much sax, which I am absolutely here for. It's also not morose. Even Lazarus, which could be the saddest song, has humour. I'm less fond of the abstract drum n bass of Sue, have always found that one hard to love, but honestly everything else is top, top class. People overlook The Next Day, which I really enjoyed, but this really is up there with Bowie's all time best.

ahhh Brilliant?

This is a lovely finale to Bowie's catalog.

I listened to this right after he passed. It still hits as hard as it did then. One hell of a good bye.

This is probably my favorite Bowie album outside of the Ziggy era. It's such a haunting album, especially knowing now what he was going through while writing and recording.

Bowie is so innovative and creative he never ceases to surprise and challenge his loyal audience. One cannot separate his death from this release and it's a constant reminder whenever I hear Black Star.

Surprising: I was kinda expecting this to be bad as it was Bowie’s last outing and it hasn’t been pushed as amazing in what I have seen but I can really dig this. It felt moody whilst being fresh and pop-like all at the same time. You can clearly see elements from his previous albums such as Hunky Dory and it felt like a good round up of all the characters of Bowie in a singular album. His final goodbye in a sense which I very fitting as it was released during the week of his death. Perfect.

Absolutely incredible, and a fitting swan song for a man who knows he's dying.

Dark and morbid but also stands as a singular statement of artistic purpose.

superbly produced without being overwrought. dreamy without being ponderous. intentional and purposeful but with the corners softened. a little sad to listen to but hopeful as well.

Incredibly strange and incredibly good. Ignoring the context of it's release I still think it's among Bowie's best, most interesting work. Takes you out of your comfort zone

Incredible! This album proves time and time again how innovative of an artist Bowie truly was. There are a lot of "I don't give a Fuck" type lyrics in this song. Especially on the song 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore: "Man, she punched me like a dude. Hold your mad hands, I cried. Tis a pity she was a Whore" .... "black struck the kiss, she kept my cock. Smote the mistress, drifting on. Tis a pity she was a Whore" This song has killer saxophone throughout. Musically brilliant. Sure, the lyrics are silly... But almost adds to the song in a weird, charming way. This isn't even my favourite song, but it stands out. Each song has its own unique flavour and memorable moment. I think when artists get this far in their career, (I'm thinking the likes of Leonard Cohen, and Scott Walker) they really can do whatever they want. They don't care about album sales. They just create. It's too bad not every artist can do this. It would definitely dissolve the formulaic top 40 type artists. Black star ais simply a masterpiece. It's 7 songs that take up less than 3/4 of an hour of music. It's not too short. Not too long. Especially as a final album from Bowie, he could have thrown out a bunch of songs, and go out with a bang that way... But I feel he chose to keep his integrity and release the vision of what Blackstar is. I haven't listened to this album since its release... And I'm so happy that this came back to me. My favorite Bowie Album. Would have loved to see more of his work in this vein. 5 Blackstars out of 5 Artwork is simple. It's not confusing. It's simply just 7 shapes within a star. Not sure if it correlates with the amount of tracks. It almost looks like the pieces below the giant Blackstar spell out Bowie. Maybe that's reaching but I can see it.

A fitting crescendo to one of the greatest ever

Wonderful swan song for Bowie, the sound people did him dirty with some of the songs but over all a good final album. So sad to know it was like his goodbyes before he died.

This is an incredible swan song... a couple tracks towards the end are not interesting "girl Loves me" is a low point but I think bowie went out on his own artistic terms and the result is challenging and beautiful. I give it 5 because it is something I would be happy to own even if I skip track. James Murphy should have sat it out and Bowie should have brought in one of the artists he apparently looked to for inspiration like Kendrick Lamar .

Is it the effect of his death or is this a great album? I don’t know but this is one of the greatest swan albums in pop music history.

Ljúfsár svo ekki sé meira sagt. Titillagið var mikið spilað þegar það kom út og Lazarus í kjölfarið. Svo kom platan og maður var rétt að melta hana þegar höggið kom. En hún er frábær, stórkostlegur endapunktur hjá þessum heimsins besta.

IMO, Bowie can do no wrong. 😂 Love this album. It's bittersweet and hauntingly beautiful. It's not something I would listen to regularly because it's also a bit depressing. Masterwork.

I knew his hits and was kind meh about Bowie. My favorite musician, Trent Reznor always spoke so highly of him. When he died, I bought this on vinyl just to kind of check out what his last album sounded like. There are some fairly cheesy dated but Bowie sounds in there. But this record is genius. It's shocking how much it grabs the listener. I've never heard anything like it. This record, his last got a 42 year old man into Bowie long after he was topping charts. This may be the best last record by any artist. Honestly, it's a masterpiece.

- This is incredible - A legend at the end of his run, the lyrics are very poignant and reflective - Variety of styles and influences keep it engaging all the way through - Haunting how he died right when this released

The last masterpiece of a genius.

Fantastic album. Its quintessentially Bowie: adventurous in all the right ways

Phenomenal album. Lazarus is such a fantastic song. 4.5/5

Stunner of a record on this revisit. Shimmers like a mirage, Bowie's voice just out of reach, with strange, unique production that never settles into one mode. A one of a kind record and in totality my favourite from him. Fave track: Lazarus

The first time I actually read into Bowie and listened to a whole album of his was when this came out. I thought he made the ultimate artistic move, and found it amazing. The album is really sad, of course. Without the background story, I wouldn’t be that into the music, but as an artistic piece, I love it.

Awesome, pretty emotional knowing this was released so soon before he passed.

Bowie’s last album is challenging. But fuck it, it’s Bowie.

I'll admit I didn't think much when released. But somehow drawn to it since and has grown to reveal its brilliance. The best kind of album.

What a curtain call. A haunting, mesmerizing masterpiece from an absolute legend. To think, Bowie was dying from cancer when he made this artistic tour de force. Simply incredible.

I've loved this album since release. What a farewell note.

Uno de los mejores álbumes de David Bowie y uno de los mejores trabajos del género alternativo de la historia. Una real carta de despedida de una de las figuras más relevantes de la música del siglo XX. Con intensas interpretaciones, letras crípticas y un sentimiento de permanencia, el cameleónico artista se despidió del mundo. Realmente un ejemplo a seguir de como mantenerse relevante hasta el último aliento.

Excellent Bowie, rien à redire

Perfect

It’s difficult to review this as just an album because it is so wrapped up in its context. I listened in the day between its release and Bowie’s death and thought it was stunning then even though I didn’t quite get on with the whole thing. It has grown on me more with every listen and, while not my favourite Bowie record, it is everything one could possibly want from a Bowie record in 2016

The great farewell. Lazarus is a tear-jerker.

Lazarus-black star-decent

It's a dark album, but fantastically good. Beautiful and evocative. I may be reading to much into it, but I feel a definite sense of finality and his impending passing on. When ever I listen to this album it makes me a little sad, and reminds me of all the people I've lost, dredging up the sadness I still feel surrounding their passing.

Something new, something familiar, something experimental. Strange and ethereal and also comforting in parts. I haven't listened to the album in a number of years since Bowie's passing. I still think it's a really, really good send-off album.

I remember when this came out thinking that it was incredible that David Bowie was still making groundbreaking music at almost 70 years old. One of his finest albums and released only 2 days before he died. Makes it hit a little more and the album already hits hard on its own with its grand instrumentation and arrangements. This project is just as experimental, if not more, than something he would have made in the 70s. The production is fantastic and I’m always pleasantly surprised at how well Bowie can sing in his late sixties. There isn’t one component I have an issue with on this album. It’s truly beautiful. 5/5

I have been a fan of his for a long time. I wept when I heard of his passing. The song and video for Lazarus are hauting.

Very parred down, maybe heralding the return of the saxophone.

Great album

Bowie z'n laatste meesterwerk. Alsof hij z'n dood gepland heeft of in ieder geval zag aankomen. Je hoort het overal terug, niet alleen in de eerste zin van Lazarus. Muzikaal is het ook gewoon heel goed.

duh it's a 5/5 but i think it's genuinely incredible that bowie can make such amazing music from as early as the late 60s to his death in 2016. from the majesty and beauty of space oddity to the grand but desperate and almost despondent lazarus, there's only a handful of misses. across 5 decades. it's amazing. if i have to pick tracks then the title track, lazarus, and girl loves me. the whole thing is beautiful though.

I am a massive Bowie fan but since his death, I have been hesitant to listen to his final album. I was sad during the listen but the album was superb. * (Black Star), Lazarus, Girl Loves Me and I Can't Give Everything Away

Really enjoyed this album! The album has more grit to it then Bowie's other music. At least that was my thoughts as someone that has listened to a very minimal amount of Bowie Interesting Album facts - Bowie recorded it while dying of liver cancer - He died 2 days after its release - considered his swansong - Him and the band listened to Kendrick Lamar's 'To pimp a butterfly' while recording for inspiration: Bowie dug that he Kendrick didn't simply rely on his hop hop background for the album themes: led to Bowie hiring a jazz band to play 'rock n roll' style music instead of a rock band to play jazz Favorite song on first listen: Lazarus

A swan song from a man dying of liver cancer. Blackstar shows even in the face of his demise Bowie was trying to experiment with both industrial hip hop sounds and a electronica similar to artists like Boards of Canada. Blackstar is both a bow on Bowies legacy but also a great album in its own right. Fav songs: Blackstar,I can’t give everything away

This was an amazing album for Bowie to go out on.

best bowie album

In tears she poured out words with a faint voice, lamenting her sad woe, as when the swan about to die sings a funereal dirge.

He knew he was dying and decided to give us one of his best albums R.I.P. Bowie

Ooof. That was an emotional listen.

Unique album. Not sure what I expected. Fun listen but not an album you would listen to everyday.

Lazarus is one of the best songs I've heard. Full stop. Interpreting this album with the context that this is Bowie's final hurrah is deep. I hope, when I age, I am as reflective and accepting as Bowie

God, what a gorgeous send-off to a brilliant artist. It is amazing to me that an album can sound so reassured yet so scared, so at peace yet not ready to go, and so relaxed yet so on edge. The use of avant-garde jazz is used to the benefit rather than just as meaningless noise, and the short but sweet album knows when to bring in something to changed it up. It is also completely admirable that nothing here sounds derivative of anything else Bowie-like, going out with a bang rather than a "best of" situation. Just fantastic from beginning to end. Bowie really nails those short track listing albums to a tee. Seems like a ten minute opener is a guaranteed fantastic choice. Also wild to see Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips as inspirations for this, but I can hear it. I also really liked the allusion to A New Career In A New Town in the final track with the harmonica, whether intentional or not.

Best Songs; -★ -Girl Loves Me

🤯🤯🤯

Cet album m'émeut toujours aux larmes, dans la fragilité et la vulnérabilité de la voix, d'abord. Un album qui ne fait pas de concession, qui se permet d'essayer, d'évoluer, qui reste actuel en étant intemporel

Blackstar (I’m black too), Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Lazarus (best song), Sue, Girl Loves Me, Dollar Days and I Can’t Give Everything Away. Love the jazz sounding instruments. Saved his best album for his last. He knew he was dying and it’s a great farewell. 69 years young.

A work of absolute genius, by one of the very best ever.

Just magnificent. What an album to end on. Lazarus is such a banger. The whole album is spectacular.

I hadn't listened to this since it came out but it blew me away...wow

Great (but sad) album. Bowie certainly knew how to release them for maximum attention.

I think this is the second time I hear this album in full. The first time was right when it launched, a few days before he passed. I was so in shock, realizing the true meaning of some of these songs, that I couldn’t hear it again casually. Almost cried hearing it again. Amazing album.

Bello!

This albums dope, it has that balance I love of having a darker sound with serious themes but not letting itself be taken to seriously with some goofin around with goofy instrumentals or vocal inflections or bars. Even with these lighter moments it still lets the serious parts do their thing they don’t feel undercut. Such an honest and inspired record, awesome instrumentals especially those fucking killer drums. My favorite Bowie album. The best

excellent. wow!

Dette albumet er så meta

I haven't listened to this in a few years. It is still fucking great. It's not quite perfect, but it's really fucking good and I should put it on more often. 4.5/5

This was the first Bowie album I've listened start to finish and must say this is a masterpiece he left us with

This is one of my favourite Bowie albums. Probably 3rd behind Low and Aladdin Sane. One of them records that got a tonne of hype and managed to live up to it for me. I’m a sucker for anything experimental though, so perhaps I’m biased. And James Murphy was involved so I’m definitely biased. It’s certainly not like his more glam records, but highlights how ridiculously versatile/ talented he was.

One of the best albums on the entire site. I'm a Bowie noob but this album is just incredible. Sometimes it takes me awhile to really know if I love an album but I instantly loved this one. I even listened to it twice before I reviewed it. I'm really glad he could end his legacy this well. People giving this album a 1 as if it's honestly the worst music they've ever heard is so fucking funny to me. Score: 100 Art: 70

The Death Grips inspired swan song - this is my first listen, and wow, it was amazing. The sound is incredibly unique and fresh, l loved all the saxophone. What a great finale to your life. Favorite tracks were Blackstar and Girl Loves Me.

LP

transcendent. a perfect capstone to david bowie’s life. it is at once experimental and grounded, perfectly and nothing like anything before it

5.0

While I consider myself a big fan of Bowie, I didn't connect with most of the work he put out during the last 30 years of his career. Some of his later albums were downright bad, some were quite good but inconsistent. Which is why I was so enthralled by how much I loved the entirety of this album, and how bittersweet I felt when he passed two days later. What a gorgeous, passionate, fitting send-off for one of music's most incredible personalities. The titular "Blackstar", his second-longest track after "Station to Station", deserves that honor. I truly believe it to hold up among his best, most interesting works. Tracks like "Sue" and "'Tis a Pity..." have Bowie sounding as badass as ever. And songs like "Lazarus", "Dollar Days" and "I Can't Give Everything Away" break my heart on every listen. Tony Visconti really outdoes himself with the production here, ending his nearly 50 year partnership with Bowie with style. The horns sound incredible. All the instrumentation does, to be honest. The effects interspersed throughout the tracks give it such a cool feeling, a vibe I can't pin down but that hasn't been present on Bowie's albums since the dawn of the corny 80's. I don't know if anything I said here makes sense. I'm just ranting. I adore this album. I can't believe how perfect of a goodbye this album is. This really cemented Bowie's legacy as one of the coolest to ever do it.

A spectacular, infectiously groovy, melancholic, yet beautiful, swan song.

love him

His last and one of his best albums. An absolute masterpiece of an album. Something missing in modern music of the experimental never overshadowing the tunes and the songs. A heartbreaking album but an amazing parting gift from one of the greats.

Makes me sad because I listened to it when it came out and then he died. Great album.

Blackstar was one of the first albums I ever listened to all the way through instead of just hearing highlights or whatever was played to me. I saw the music video for the titular track at school and was fascinated by the imagery and lyrics of the song. Bowie’s death and the idea of recording an album knowing he was dying also struck me as such an interesting choice, especially when the public didn’t know about his condition. I’ve listened to a lot of Bowie since then, but nothing compares to Blackstar for me. The combination of jazz and rock really captured my interests at the time, and much like Johnny Cash’s late work there is a wavering vocal quality age provides that is hard to mimic but adds such weight.

Я АЖ ЖОПУ ПОРВАЛ ПОКА СЛУШАЛ КАК КЛАССНО ААААААААА

An absolutely shattering conclusion to a remarkable career.

I didn't listen to this when it came out but it truly is a one of a kind album. On top of that I don't think it had a single song I didn't at least like and 3 or 4 very good songs. The eerie nature of the album and the melancholy feeling you get from the lyrics really does make it completely unique.

Definitely a classic.

Iconic final album from legend David Bowie

Absolute masterpiece. What a way to say goodbye.

A gorgeous album - as sad as it is, it is also a joyful celebration of the life of one global hero. This record helped mourn Bowie - is riddled with his own meditation and struggle with his approaching death and serves to ultimately show his victory of it by crowing his artistic life with an epitaph like no other. Only David Bowie could have birthed such a regal masterpiece with his death and still be thoughtful, kind and transcendent.

So this may be the toughest review I have given to date for a number of reasons. As a very casual fan, If I hadn't been told the story of this album and really listened to what he was saying, I wouldn't have scored this album very high. I think non-Bowie fans are probably thinking, WTF, while Bowie fans are thinking, what a final album. Walking you through the steps of realization you are dying to actually moving on. I know I got goosebumps with the line, "look at me, I'm in heaven." But I'm not going to sit here and tell you I thought this was a great album. I probably won't download anything off this album. Well, maybe Girl Loves Me, "where the fuck did Monday go". We've all been there. So, I will say, even if just a casual fan, this was probably the best way to end. Perfect album name for the situation, beautiful album cover, many wonderful lyrics that to touch your soul. I was depressed after listening a couple times, so when all was done and I jotted down my thoughts. I went back and decided to have a little fun.... I played my favorite Bowie song, played in 2 of my favorite movies of all time, Heroes. Followed that up with my favorite rock duet, Under Pressure. Jump into 5 days, then his best country song, It Ain't easy and smiled. Remembering all his help and work with Iggy Pop, cranked out some Iggy and The Stooges the rest of the day and had a great afternoon. RIP Bowie. Your influence on the rock world is undeniable and appreciated by this guy. Enjoy Heaven or are you rocking out with the Spiders from Mars?? ;) For shits and giggles, check out the duet of Bowie and Mick Jagger, Dancing in the Streets video. May be the most painfully awkward hilarious video of the MTV era. And this is where my review gets tough. More of lifetime achievement score. 5

Sounds like Bowie-Patton-radiohead to me. Five stars.

Incredible album, and not just because he died! Although it is impossible to separate the release if this album from Bowie's death. It's like he turned his death into an art piece, or like the album was a funeral that the whole world could attend. I'll never forget listening to this album in work that Monday morning completely oblivious, thinking "wow this is really dark", but loving it. Then going out to the canteen and a co-worker broke the news to me that he had died. I think it's the only time I've really been truly saddened by a aging celebrity's death.

1. Didn't realize bowie was inspired by Death Grips and didn't know he was chill like that 2. I love the jazz influence of this album, definiently a thinker as opposed to a on repeat type album but deep dark moody a wonderful swan song 4.5/5

Brilliant album by a brilliant man. A truly superb swan song.

A difficult but artful album.

Definitely not my first time hearing this album, but it’s been a few years so I relistened. Extremely impressive, but made even more poignant by the time of its release. Lazarus is one of my favorite songs of all time. 4.5/5

Absolutely fantastic album from front to back. I will never have listened to this enough times. I will never listen to this whole album without getting choked up.

Bowie is always good

I recall listening to Blackstar maybe once or twice when it first came out. I had a hard time with David Bowie's death and was listening to his music a lot, but didn't feel up to engaging with this album at the time. As others has said, it was just too much an emotional lift to try to unpack it at the time. But I'm so glad to come back to it today because, wow. Just wow. The sophistication and depth of these songs would be a career defining high point for any other artist. For Bowie it's a beautiful swan song and a gift to us as listeners, standing among his best work. The fact that he created something this vital and creative at the end of his life is amazing. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): I Can't Give Everything Away, Lazarus, Blackstar, Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), Dollar Days, Girl Loves Me

Sorrowful and beautiful. Bowie till the end. Fav track: I can't give everything.

This is an excellent album by David Bowie and the connection to his illness is obvious especially with the song Lazarus. It's a powerful and emotional album that leaves you drained. For being the last Bowie album after a long career it's impressive how he's still creative and delivers an outstanding performance.

Unmistakably Bowie. Always innovative and on the edge without leaving people behind.

Bowie died of cancer just two days after the release of this album. I had not gotten around to listening it to it yet and since his death was shocking and upsetting, I put it off. As the years passed, I just couldn't bring myself to listen to this knowing he wrote this with death looming. It's been seven years and I still haven't listened to it, so it's fitting that my dedication to this project is forcing me to now. My first thought is I'm an idiot for not listening to it sooner. Yes it is a heart-breaking, emotional listen, but it is also beautiful. It will punch you in the gut over and over again and you will ask for more.

master class. what a goat, may he RIP

Lazarus

Weird but great

Sadly, the last great Bowie album :(

Absolutely beautiful from beginning to end. You can really tell Bowie was giving it his all for his album. Unique instrumentals as well. Every song has this ethereal power to it. Really amazing album. Fave track(s): 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Girl Loves me, I Can't Give Everything

PREFS : Blackstar, 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Lazarus, Sue (or in a Season of Crime), Dollar Days, I Can't Give Everything Away MOINS PREF : Girl Loves Me

Haunting final album by Bowie

Great album, only enhanced by the circumstances of its creation.

Очень трудно описать свои чувства от этого альбома. Я послушал его три раза и каждый раз мне было трудно уловить главную тему, поэтому я насладился им не так сильно, как мог бы. С другой стороны, если рассматривать альбом чисто инструментально, то это невероятная вещь. Здесь смешались как будто бы все основные жанры мира музыки и получилось на удивление органично, то есть общий звук не является кашей из инструментов на всём альбоме, а на каждый трек приходится своя уникальная оранжировка. Из-за этого, последнее творение Дэвида Боуи пролетает незаметно и не успевает надоесть, поэтому его хочется переслушивать ещё и ещё, пока ненароком не выучишь все тексты наизусть. (8.5)

rip the king

A fitting farewell from one of the all time greats.

So hard to separate the music from the fact that he died within days of its release. Add in that he knew he was dying, and this was likely his last album. While the album does look back a bit on Bowie's past, it is a forward-looking work that doesn't cater to any current trends. It is sonically stunning. The introduction of jazz elements seems natural. Lyrically contemplative, it is especially moving in light of the circumstances. One of the best albums of the decade.

Wow, this was a cool album. I'm not sure how often I'd listen to this again but it was extremely well executed. It's always satisfying when someone can still make great art later in their career and Bowie certainly deserves a place on the list of those who can do that. The fact that he made this knowing he was dying gives the whole thing an eerie feeling. My favorite track was Lazurus, but I loved the ambition on display throughout the album.

fajne

so so soo good like usually

what’s left to say about this album. I think it’s easy to think that Lazarus and black star are the only parts of this album that matter but every track is absolutely fantastic and heartbreaking in its own right. bed tracks: blackstar, Lazarus, Tis a pity she was a whore

Ah, a 5. Delicious. Blackstar is such hot fucking fire. Listening to next day than this is quite interesting. It almost makes next day seem not as good. He definitely got a creative explosion during his sickness, but its crazy because its accurate as well. Like I feel like david was creative for almost his whole career bar the mid to late 80s, but somehow death returned him to 70s form. Blackstar-Tis a pity she was a whore-Lazarus is an aggressively good start. Maybe bowies best open of any album (shit he actually has a lot of good starts. Just when I thought it was slowing down "I can't give everything"

It was in late 2015 when I heard that David Bowie was premiering a video for his newest song in various cinemas. I took my Mom to what had become rare trips to Brooklyn where we saw a ten minute video for Blackstar. We thought of it as an intriguing experience, yet another artistic achievement from someone whose not known for resting on his laurels; a further confirmation of his ongoing brilliance and ability to keep us wanting more and giving more. Only we didn't know that this was to be the last album he'd release in his lifetime.... Of course we'd all know about the fallout of his unexpected death and the outpouring of grief that came with it and is still coming and I find it utterly fascinating that he'd leave us with something that encapsulates where he was willing to go in spite of impending death; an uncompromising stance of forward-thinking forays into avant-jazz and ruminations of his life with knowing nods to his sterling legacy. The last works of artists being the thing that would define them as much as any other in their repertoire is nothing new, it's been here forever, but Blackstar gave new credence to such statements; that of the established artist who is still looking for newer terrain and, in the process, furnishes a different land than what was before. It probably set off the motions of not only what would the year the album came out would entail but the unprecedented kind of love, adoration and admiration that Bowie would receive after death in the way that he would have had in life, but on a vastly different scale. It would probably be no surprise to see this album as one of those good starting points for David in the way that Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust or Let's Dance is and perhaps rightly so, for it remains a spellbinding listening experience, knowing what is known now. He really made the grade.

It took several months after his death to be able to listen to this album. Once I did, I wept. Bowie is one of my all-time favorite artists & it still saddens me that he's gone. The song Blackstar is a masterpiece telling the story of transformation with layers of sounds & styles. I honestly reminds me of a mini opera. The rest of the album sounds like bits & pieces of his work from over the years. This will always be an emotionally beautiful album for me.

Really enjoyed that!

Notes - Spoiler alert: this album is a 5/5 - My favourite bowie album - The blend of jazz, some punk elements, some classic bowie - I wish we could’ve had more of this before he died - You can hear his age and weakness at points but it seems like he uses it to his advantage - Only 7 songs but each of them knows what its doing start to finish - Some unconventional choices that work super well in context Fav - Tis a pity - Love the groove, sax solo, lyrics, vocals - Everything Least fav - Dollar days - Maybe the most “Bowie” song on here, but the acoustic guitar is weirdly mixed and kinda out of tune to my ears 5/5 incredible

Jazzy, discordant and moody I can understand why some can't stomach it but it's right down my street. Reminds me in places of Aladdin Sane. A fitting finale I think.

A very consistent and coherent album, which I personally don’t often feel was the case with other Bowie albums. Feels of its time and timeless somehow. Love the songs, the voice, the arrangements and the sparse nature of it all. Everything is where it should be and nothing is here that shouldn’t be. Bowie’s work needs years to grow on you and I haven’t played this as much as I probably should have, but I would say this may turn out to be one of his best, and a fitting and moving last work.

“Something happened on the day he died, spirit rose a metre then stepped aside…” Because I have such vivid memories of “Blackstar”’s release, it’s hard to rate objectively. So I’ll settle for personal preference once again: it sits comfortably in my top five Bowie albums, and its creator sits comfortably in my top five artists of all time. Blackstar was released on 8th January 2016. I was just in the middle of a Bowie binge, treading into deeper waters than the shallow rockpools of Ziggy or Hunky Dory: Scary Monsters, Station to Station, The Next Day. I welcomed a new album and wondered if a tour might be on the horizon: what a time to be getting back into the man! Two days later, I woke up to the news he was dead. I immediately went to the video for Lazarus and watched it with my mind spiralling. All the “clues” had been there: “look up here, I’m in heaven”, the hospital bed, the elegiac feel, the retreat into the cupboard after frantically trying to write everything down. It’s a stunningly poignant piece of work. Putting the inescapable ties to circumstance aside, what we are left with is a dazzling work of originality. There was a tendency among Bowie fans to link “Blackstar” to his previous work: “Dollar Days” sounds like a Hunky Dory track because there’s acoustic guitar in it! “Blackstar” sounds like Station to Station because it’s ten minutes long! “Sue (In a Season of Crime)” sounds like Earthling because it has a drum and bass rhythm! In reality, the most striking thing about “Blackstar” is how DIFFERENT it is from anything Bowie had done before. It’s just as ambitious, just as sprawling and just as dramatic, but it reaches for new territory altogether, tentatively integrating avant-jazz into space-rock and a little bit of dark theatre. I have so much respect for Bowie for every creative decision here: listening to Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips for inspiration, ditching his long-time backing band and recruiting a New York jazz ensemble, even crafting an addictive hook out of the line “where the fuck did Monday go?” It’s bold and brilliant on every level, making for a challenging listen but a rewarding one. On each round, subsequent delights are unveiled. The transition in the title track (and the baritone sax that comes in when the beat drops) will never not make me smile. “‘This a Pity She was a Whore” is an exhilarating ride and, together with “Sue…”, is far more hard-rocking than any 69 year old has any right to be. Lazarus is a haunting, theatrical last gasp. “Dollar Days” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away” seem to cycle from desperation to acceptance, with an ambiguous sentiment in the final track. Is he lamenting that there’s more he wants to share with us, or slinking behind the curtain with a knowing wink? We’ll never know, but it’s beautiful. Thanks for this last ride, Mr. Jones.

Very unexpected. Some great material on this.

This is one of my favorite albums since it was one of my first real contact with Bowie's work. I already know him by name and some MTV singles, but this was one of my first listening sessions, some years before started this 1001 list challenge. Since then, I've already listened to other albums from him (because of the list and also by myself) and I'm becoming more and more of a fan.

I don't know why I didn't listen to this when it came out but I'm glad I did now. What a record.

5/5 Hat zwar bessere Alben aber trotzdem banger

Flawless album. I know this a priori. Honestly, this album has no weak spots or songs that I would ever think about skipping. And I just remember everything surrounding it, the anticipation leading up to it, the heartbreak of David Bowie's death, the music videos, the deeper meanings, it's such a great album.

David bowie is good???? Literally amazing album

This album has a level of creativity that is completely detached from his passing and is ridiculously high. This album has acid, jazz, and so many other genres of music embedded in it. I love how experimental this is, and I think that this album has much more value than just "the album bowie made as he was dying." I love this album. 5 stars. (heh)

It's taken me six years to get back round to listening to this album again. That's how devoed I was when he died. Black Star (the song) remains an incredible achievement. I don't think he got the memo that he could churn out any old shit and Mojo readers would try to claim it was still worthwhile, like McCartney or the Stones or Paul Weller do. Even at the end he was still ridiculously ambitious with what he wished to achieve, and made a 10 minute prog/jazz/skitterbeat/ballad the lead off the album. Respect. The rest of the album is still brilliant. His thinking around the beats and the different textures in each song make it a joy (and a tragedy that there's no more coming) to listen to. And yet, because of relativity with other parts of his back catalogue, I can only give it four stars - because I know Low and Diamond Dogs and Alladin Sane exist. Sorry Zavid. Morning rethink - nah, I'm giving it five. Think of the extra star as a lifetime achievement star.

Beautiful last ride

Ostico capolavoro, di una bellezza mostruosa. La summa di una vita e di una carriera. È 5 solo perché non posso mettere di più.

A delirious review of a life and a moving meditation on death. Bowie's passing just two days after its release turns this jazzy and atmospheric album into a haunting masterpiece. Endlessly creative and an artist until the end. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: Blackstar Date listened: 27/09/22

One week ago I was rolled Next Day and today it's Blackstar. You really want me to see the Moonage Daydream film later this month, don't you? Well it worked, damn it, cause once again Bowie hits us with another masterpiece before his timely death. Unlike Next Day, this is not a return to roots. This is something entirely new and unique. Something creepy, eery, and most of all ghastly, the remnants of a man on the verge of death. 7 pieces in 41 minutes, each multi-layered, featuring elements of horror and beauty. These arrangements are incredible, with attention paid to each minute, incorporating experimental elements of electronic and jazz like he has never done before, and yet it sounds like he's perfected these tools for decades. It never feels rushed. Whether 10 minutes or 5, each song sounds complete and incredibly modern, accessible to both new and old audiences. What else can I say? I've had goosebumps several times. No weak tracks. Production is mind-blowing, mixed very well and clear. Good choice in track order, with a perfect opener to entice the audience and a satisfying and beautiful closer to end Bowie's career. Bowie is stealing all my 5 stars. I guess he really is one of the greatest musicians of all time.

top 10

Bowie's final work, a literal farewell-gift with so much to discover on it in only 6 tracks. Apart from the point that he managed to reinvent his music on his 26th(!!!) album and still stays true to the "Bowie"-feel, the backing musicians which are all jazz virtuosos in their own right really pull this one together. Especially Donny McCaslin and Mark Guiliana are always worth a listen and I only came across them when hearing Blackstar for the first time. It is a complicated and deep record and I wouldn't call it easy listening, but it flows together really well, which is quite the feat considering the complexity of the individual tracks. The overall message is simple "I'll be dead soon, it is how it is, let me get to grasps with it and also put it into words that will help you all understand even if you miss me." And DAMN was he right. It's a masterpiece, especially considering the catalogue of Bowie.

wanted to hear this one for a while

David Bowie puts our perhaps his greatest ever album, a sort of concept album, about how the cancer is eating him alive, while the cancer is eating him alive. It comes out two days before his death. It’s like Freddie Mercury doing The Show Must Go On for a whole album. If I found out I was dying I would just cry a lot and lay in bed. Bowie recorded a magnum opus. Don’t like it? Fuck off.

Never listened to the album before , but so many iconic tracks brilliant

Powerful and gorgeous

Amazingly good. and the only Bowie album to not have him on the cover.

unique, eclectic, partially grimly, excellent

The title track sums up David Bowie immensely. A chameleon. It’s a slow lanscapey synth number - with drum and bass backing. And saxophone. And it’s 9 minutes long. And totally changes half way through. I’m not a massive fan of Bowies voice - but even so - I LOVE the music . It’s so wonderfully brilliantly bizarre. What did I just listen to?! Lazarus is a BEAUTIFUL song. On another note, a lot of people say that Trent Reznor must have been inspired by Black Star when writing EP Bad Witch - now I’ve listened to it - too right!!!

This has been a good week so far on the album generator August 4, 2022

Es una genialidad de álbum. Todos los instrumentos y la voz en conjunto suenan delicioso.

Hard to say what impact his death had on my perception of this album but this album hits hard.

RIP Bowie

I love this

10/10, I’m so glad David Bowie left on such a great album I mean it’s David Bowie, it can’t be that bad anyway but this album has such amazing songs I think it’s such a great album to leave the world with all the songs are amazing one way or another but I think my favorite is Girl Loves Me because of just how fucking weird it is The beat is great and those vocals are just beyond wild, it sounds so cool Bowie’s such a cool genius who left the world with some of the coolest music ever made

14th May 2022 Listened in the supermarket before a super chilled weekend on my own. Loved it. What an outstanding piece of art. To be so comfortable with your own mortality that you make and release this when you know you’re on the brink is remarkable. People will study it in years to come.

Other than those super hits of the 70-80s, I don’t think that I know much of David Bowie’s work. This album was quite intriguing…quite different than the Bowie rock with which I am familiar. The tone was kind of dark and peculiar to me, but it did draw me in for the full length.

Sophisticated and stunning. A remarkable swan song.

I knew and liked this album a lot already, but every time I listen I pick up more. There’s a lot of depth and much to explore on his album. It is extraordinary that one of the most unique and inventive works of a unique and inventive artist’s career was created during his 68th and last year on earth. Bowie left us with a self-created tribute to an incredible career that still feels like it has come from the future. It’s startling and wonderful!

Wow, what a way to say goodbye. Fave: Blackstar, Lazurus

What a swan song

Oooooh, su último disco.

FIVE (black) STARS An all-time classic, given *who* it was from, *when* it was given to us, and *how* Bowie managed to here create a last album with very topical, "à propos" lines, incredibly dark and intricate jazzy or experimental arrangements serving a deeply mysterious yet also quite emotional songwriting overall. A treat from start to finish. As is usually the case with those five-stars albums, I won't write a full-blown review about this particular record, because others have already written wonderful stuff about it and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. It's just a gem. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

I would give David Bowie’s last album 5 stars if he had spent an hour playing the Benny Hill theme on a comb and TP kazoo. But in fact this is very good, though not easy. I think it stands on its own, aside from its context in Bowie’s life, in a rightful place alongside his best.

The muse was strong with this one. A fine finale to the life of an artist and showman- what an exit, passing away just a few days after the album’s release, keeping his illness a secret. And no falling back on the obvious or retrodden - still pushing himself, still taking inspiration from others, making something ethereal, haunting, with inspiration from jazz, hip hop, electronica, cabaret yet none of these things either. A swan song, a statement, a Starman.

Sounds like Bowie-Patton-radiohead to me. Five stars.

Excellent album. Last album before he died.

What a beautiful, desolate album. That last song "I Can't Give Everything Away" just floors me every time I hear it. I don't know why Bowie's passing hit me so hard. Freddie Mercury's dying was more of a shock to me, but when Bowie died, it just... I went numb. And I cannot imagine recording this, while he could probably feel the life draining away. I will say there a few songs on here are a little iffy: Girl Loves Me and Dollar Days are a bit... hmmmm, but I do like the instrumentation of all the songs on this album, the sax coming back so much after so long. The harmonica on the last song, wow. I can only play this album every so often as it chokes me up a little. But it's hard to separate the album from the man and his death. As a piece of art, it has so many strong songs, but those few weak songs do kinda bring it down a little. Is it his best work? I would say no, but it's definitely in his top 5 easily.

This album is still hard to listen too, even six years after Bowie's death. His death hit me hardest out of all of the musician's that we've lost these past few years. It's hard to fathom knowing that you're going to die soon and turning that death into a work of art. He did it brilliantly though. I don't know if I'd say it is his best album but it is way up there and one Blackstar is worth 5 stars here. Favorite tracks: All of them!

A genre-bending swan song that is the perfect send-off to this man’s legacy.

Incredible experiment, David. Blackstar = TPAB (To Pimp A Bowie).

Even if only on an intellectual level, you have to admire the boldness of the album. Mixing modern hip-hop with art rock and experimental jazz is impressive for any artist, let alone one in their 60s. But the emotion carries it as well, with the final track in particular hitting home deeply.

I love this. Great album. Amazing until the end, just like Bowie

This is a six star album

Tout simplement magistral!! Un chef d'oeuvre! Le band est malade, les tounes sont épiques! Un peu mon introduction à Bowie, je connaissais bien sûr mais c'est le seul que j'ai en vinyle. C'est dark, c'est touchant. Avec son décès qui a coïncidé avec la sortie de l'album, c'était irréel. On aurait cru à une mise en scène. Un immense artiste, un immense album! Si on pouvait mettre plus d'étoiles que 5 je le ferais.

Cet album est merveilleux.

Ce n’est pas le plus accessible des albums de David Bowie, mais quand tu connais tout le contexte autour de cet album, ça en fait un excellent album. Après 25 album, David Bowie cherche encore à se réinventer et trouve l’influence dans des artistes contemporains comme Boards of Canada et Kendrick Lamar. C’est d’ailleurs l’album To Pimp a Butterfly qui l’amène à vouloir collaborer avec des artistes jazz. Après, quand l’album sort le jour de son 69e anniversaire et qu’on apprend le décès de Bowie deux jour plus tard d’une maladie qu’il avait caché, on réécoute l’album et les textes prennent toutes une signification. Toute la planification de cet album en fait selon moi le plus grand dernier album d’un artiste.

What a lovely surprise, I loooooove this album. Love the jazz elements. Bowie’s vocals are raw. The instruments are all perfect. The title track, Tis a Pitty, Lazarus, Sue, and Dollar Days are all highlights (so basically the whole album is a highlight lol), but my absolute favorite is the closing track I Can’t Give Everything Away.

I can't fathom putting out something as powerful ,and beautiful before I died. Truly a testament to his mastery of song.

An amazing final album from one of the greatest of our time.

Total masterpiece

Ik ben geen enorm grote Bowie fan, maar dit album is werkelijk prachtig. Zal mede komen door de lading van zijn aanstaande dood, tijdens het maken van deze plaat. Muziekaal zit het ook fantastisch in elkaar.

“Bowie will live on long after the man has died. For now, though, he's making the most of his latest reawakening, adding to the myth while the myth is his to hold.”

Hin fullkomna sálumessa. Elska allt við þessa plötu.

Awesome

the greatest farewell album of all time

Great ambient music for a party

One of my favorite albums before listening to it now. Stellar singing and use of the music. Could listen to it every day.

Just a legendary swan song from a true icon.

Great Album, Lazarus is the best song.

One of my favourite albums of all time. Exceptionally moving as he died upon its release and knew he was not long for this world upon its recording.

9/10. Quite good, but hard to justify putting another Bowie album on this list…

I mean, 5 for sure. Really good album punctuated by the fact it was his last.

Insanely powerful and dense album. I get chills at the line in Girl Loves Me when he says "Where the fuck did Monday go?" I know he couldn't have known when he wrote that lyric but he died on a Sunday so he literally didn't experience that Monday.

Excelente

I'm not sure if this is my favorite Bowie album. But it's up there, especially since he has one of the best discography's or any musician ever. This album fucks my week up, let alone my day. Bowie knew he was going, and I think he really put it into this one man.

Brilliant! Sounds so experimental and calm like acceptance of inevitability.

jazzy and eclectic. RIP

Fucking masterful.

Controlled Chaos

This makes me so sad

Hauntingly beautiful. My personal favorite Bowie album. R.I.P.

Masterpiece it’s Bowie final album what else can I say

Woah. Harter Stoff, gerade für Freunde Polnischer Abgänge - wie mich - wenn jemand sehenden Auges sein eigenes Sterben vertont. Und dann natürlich alles andere als irgendjemand. So gleitet es dann direkt schon im ersten Song dahin, vom stotternd dissonant gequält kämpfenden ins paradiesisch jenseitige, wenn der Stern erloschen ist. Immer noch da natürlich, massiver denn je und mit mächtiger Gravitation - aber dunkel, unbelebt, nicht mehr leuchtend. Bis dahin aber gibt es noch jenseitiges abzuarbeiten, hektisch wie in „Sue“, aber auch alles zu geben - was schlicht - I can’t give everything away - nicht mehr geht und mich gerade derart melancholisch stimmt, meine Güte. Vorwärts immer, rückwärts nimmer. Dem Universum ist das alles egal. Vielen Dank, für alles.

Never really listened to Bovie before, thought I didn't care for it

First full listen to a Bowie album and not disappointed, absolutely iconic

Not always the easiest of listens, but fantastic all the same.

Brilliant album. An incredible end to an incredible career

Very dark. Some outrageous drumming on this.

Love this album. Listened to quite a bit of Bowie recently and this absolutely lives up to his best. I love the variation from track to track. The album never fails to surprise and delight. Fav track is probably Girl Loves Me.

Love the music. Music composition rules were beautifully broken. David Bowie's voice irks me.

One he'll of a ride. Instrumentation is doing the heavy lifting here, so tight and and the perfect platform for Bowie to go off. Some album to bow out on

Tremendo, todas son obras maestras menos una. 5 estrellas porque no hay 4.5

Bruh this a classic 10/10

fantastic

Bowie's final masterpiece.

Giuliana is crazy man

Haunting.

Really experimental, but really great. I loved this album, probably my favorite of Bowie’s that I’ve heard so far

Great album! It has kind of a synth noir vibe. Horns are layered with atmospheric strings along with spacey samples. There are the occasional heavy guitar riffs to remind us Bowie is rock royalty. And holy crap was that a trap beat on "Girl Loves Me?"

Ottimo testamento.

Particularly haunting now, knowing he was creating This while dying.

Very intense but magnificent

fantastic album

Marvellous!!

Bowie's last is one of his best

Classic

Schon sher

Loved this! Bowie is the best.

Pretty awesome album my attention was on most of the songs

Love the first track

A magnificent album, modern, forward-thinking, deep. Long live Bowie.

4.5 | Bowie sacó alrededor de 25 discos... Creo que debo de haber escuchado al menos 15-18 de ellos. Si considerara Blackstar en un vacío comparado con el resto estaría quizá entre el 7-10, cuando lo tomo en cuenta como el último disco que hizo y todas lo que le rodeó en su creación lo considero en top 3. En conocimiento de básicamente una sentencia de muerte sacó un disco que en mi sentir nos trae de vuelta en circulo al inicio de su carrera y celebra en un último grito todo lo que lo hizo ser lo que fue. En una nube de jazz y sonidos electrónicos con guitarras meramente setenteras en su sonido hizo un disco que nos recuerda de fin su capacidad de hacer narrativas. En sus letras sin dar ni un centímetro a ceder es un confesionario sobre sus sentimientos de miedo, muerte, la naturaleza de la vida y tanto una celebración como resignación del vacío que tiene enfrente, es tanto una celebración de cumpleaños como un grito de no tener nada que perder. Todo esto en solo 40 minutos y 7 canciones, con una épica de 9 minutos dividida en dos secciones que de manera cruda cruda recuerda “Something happened on the day he died/ Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside/ Somebody else took his place and bravely cried/ I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar”; el tiempo y el resultado será inevitable pero el seguirá cambiando, es una nueva estrella. Me encanta como juega con su voz como si festejara lo más Bowie de lo Bowie y hasta se hiciera una sátira propia de las inflexiones que usó por años exagerando al decir "I´m a Blackstar" o "'Tis a pity she was a whore". A todo esto ¿por qué aunque lo marco así, no le pondría el 5? Porque siento que si alguien lo escucha en blanco y no conoce el contexto detrás se pierde mucho de lo que lo hace un disco magnífico y con un trasfondo cabrón, quedándose "solo" como un excelente disco de David Bowie.

Fantastic album. Bowie was experimenting and keeping his sound fresh and relevant to the very end.

Such a cool album

I hadn't listened to this since it was released. Great to relisten. It's absolutely fantastic, otherworldly and strange - pure Bowie. And, with some distance from the context surrounding it, namely Bowie's death, one can better appreciate it as a fine album in it's own right, regardless of it being his swansong.

Excellent even in his dying days.

Production: 16/20 Songwriting: 18/20 Innovation: 19/20 Presence of pure bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 17/20 =85 Anything between 80 and 100 is five stars.

I find this to be an exceptionally bold and daring album for being so late in his career. Perhaps this was partially fueled by his awareness of his own mortality at that point. The album is of course irrevocably tied to his death and one cannot help but hear him grappling with his knowledge of this throughout. I remember when first listening to this album upon it's release, it was quite an emotional experience with that in mind. A rare album where an artist was able to lucidly capture this very real sense of mortality and make it sound somehow fresh and vital. Bowie made his life into art from beginning to end.

Favorites: All David Bowie's last album before his death. He wanted to get as far away from rock and roll as he could, citing Kendrick Lamar's approach to the genre of hip hop on TPAB as inspiration. Features a mix of various styles of jazz, art rock, and experimental rock. Themes of a man wrestling with his mortality, as he made this album while in the final stages of his battle with liver cancer.

Listened to this album a lot. Instant classic. "I was looking for your ass" 5 stars

Amazing. It sounds so sad. I will listen to this one again.

Not new to me. Posthumously released, super moody. Bowie’s voice is beautiful and haunting.

bowie é bom, precisamos ouvir mais. always.

Still have memories of hearing this the week it came out, with its tone immediately shifting two days later. Not one of my immediate favorite Bowie records partially because of his death being so sudden and saddening to me, but man what a note to go out on. We miss you, David.

R.I.P David Bowie

Haunting, beautiful and kinda scary.

What a week: Bowie drops a great new album, Bowie dies.

I have been meaning to get around to this album for a while now, and now that I’ve heard it, I can definitely say it lives up to the hype. I may have overhyped it a little myself and that may have caused me to look at it a little differently since I’ve been wanting to here it, but if you strip that away, this is still a great album. The songwriting in this album is some of Bowie’s best, with songs like Lazarus and Dollar Days, two of my standout tracks, feeling like Bowie foretelling his own impending death shortly after the album’s release. The production on this album is also incredible, with songs like the title track containing many layers that are all beautifully weaved together. I love so many elements of this album, and I just think it is a beautiful way for Bowie to end his career, especially with a song like I Can’t Give Everything Away, my final standout track. Even if it wasn’t what I expected, it still is definitely one of my new favorite Bowie albums, and I think one of the lines in Dollar Days summarizes everything great about the album, “I’m dying to push their backs against the grain, and fool them all again and again” And that’s what he did. I may regret not bumping this up later, kind of like I did with Remain in Light, but this album is definitely a high four, even low five album for me. Hopefully Bowie’s waiting in the sky for us all.

I’m outing myself as a David Bowie fanboy. This album isn't his best, but it is the saddest; "Lazarus" is one of my all-time favorite songs of his. Even though not every track is quite my cup of tea, it’s a worthy farewell from this genius.

I got Leonard Cohen's 'You Want It Darker' a week ago. Is the generator trying to tell me something? We all view this album through his immaculately timed death, and Lazarus at least lends itself directly to that. It's a beautiful song, and gives the space that the more frantic tracks ('Tis Pity, Sue) perhaps lack. The last track gives a little nod backwards with its poignant echo of New Career in a New Town, but the main thrust of the album is that he was still experimenting and still looking forwards.

David Bowie might be the only guy to have ever attended his own funeral

I consider myself a Bowie fan but at the time Blackstar released (when he passed) I'd only relatively recently become interested in him. I listened to this then, like I'm sure a ton of people did, and unfortunately it just didn't click with me very strongly. The swan song backstory was powerful but the listening experience left me underwhelmed. Honestly I felt a little guilty for not enjoying it more. Coming back to it today I felt more appreciation, though I still wouldn't rank it among my 5-star Bowie albums. Highlights: "★" and "I Can't Give Everything Away."

Strange and heavy, a moody collection of dirges that are perfect for a rainy day

Good

I've said it before I'm a Bowie fan but not always as an album artist. I have listened to this a couple times and like it quite a lot and have always said I want to go back when I can really listen and I still want to do that. It's odd but I find albums by artists that know they are making their last one fascinating

This is great, glad I finally got around to listening to this album that was recently released - I'm sorry, what's that? It's been out, did you say 2 years? TEN YEARS?!? Oh fuck, ok...

felt the need to browse the reviews for this one because of the circumstances of its release, my memory of its reception when it came out, wondering if i can say anything avoiding the most used words... one being "swan" from "swansong" like lol... but it is not unlike a ballet so ok. listened to this a lot in 2016-17 and havent since and i think a lot of tracks from "heathen" had gotten mixed up with this in my mind even tho theyre obvi very different... all to say to me the characteristics of this album are classic bowie songwriting and lyricism and orchestration with a clean electronic production style that is very of the time, which is to say shows an artist adapting innovations and contemporaneity to their personal expression (like what people like to call "genius"). the musical qualities of the album match the cosmic themes, which are of course a throughline of bowie's spaceman body of work, but have a particular depth of meaning from an established artist looking back on life and forward at the unknown. so as a listener i really get everything i could want from this, just kind of a big and swift glimpse at the experience of being a person with a body and soul and heart and head and all that junk. title track, i cant give everything faves

This is the closest an artist could ever continue to reach out from the dead. 10 years on now. You can feel that, above all else, Bowie wanted to leave something for his die hard fans.

Magnificent final opus

And if you stare into the abyss long enough, it will stare back at you and cry, “I am a Black Star.” The jazz band compliments Bowie’s chilling vocals so well.

I began this 1001 journey in part to become more acquainted with--to be forced to reckon with, more specifically--our "great artists"--like DB--who--also like DB--haven't really truly clicked with me yet. As it were, I've long loved Blackstar, and it's the only DB album I can say that about (for now!). Why am I exhilarated by a man singing his own funeral dirge? I am (we all are) stirred by those rare individuals who refuse, despite and to spite the end, to let our atrophying condition sap us of everything that makes us us. Bowie embraces the ever-after with a creativity that I hope I can find someday. Blackstar is unique among the so-called "dying albums" in that it's kinda freaky! Bowie avoids end-of-life sentimentality and chooses instead to rip through frenetic rhythms and trippy sax solos and sing about whores, virgins, looking for ass, and spitting deds from your deng deng. It's a horny dying album--what in the world--ONLY BOWIE! He doesn't dwell in the past really at all, which stands truer to his legacy as a restless spirit than any "I have lived a good long life" BS could've been. If I'm being honest, I don't understand what MOST of these songs mean even a little, lol. What exactly is a "blackstar," and why is David Bowie singing about it? He taps into a Lynchian surrealism that just. feels. right. This album sounds so dang good! Sure, there's something cool about L. Cohen recording his final songs into a Macbook mic from his literal death bed...but it's also cool how labored over Blackstar sounds. This is not the last gasps and patchwork of the shell of a man; this is a complete gift from a man who tied the bow himself and then--only then--CHOSE to shuffle off this mortal coil. More rock bands should have jazz drummers!

9/10

David Bowien viimeiseksi jäänyt levy. Tykkään näistä aika kokeellisista jazz ja sinfonisista instruista. Muutenkin varmaan taas parasta ja mielenkiintoisinta Bowieta mitä oon kuullut, sanon tän varmaan joka levyn kohdalla. Parhaat: Lazarus, Blackstar, Dollar Days

Good - never listened much to DB but liked. lazarus and a couple others

A beautifully produced and performed final album from Bowie. Not something I'll come back to often, but I enjoyed it. 3.7/5.

i’m ashamed to say this is the first full Bowie album I’ve listened to and I LOVED it! Girl Loves Me and I Can’t Give Everything Away are instant favourites - I predict there’s plenty more personal favourites to be found in his earlier work - exciting !

Great album

I want to give it 5 stars. I love Bowie and this is incredible- but it’s not quite good enough all the way through

Sign this guy up for the Ghanaian football team, because they are the Blackstars

Ok

I have not heard this before. I haven’t heard much of Bowie’s work from after the 90s so I don’t know if this is a style he had been working on for a decade and a half or if it was a newer stylistic change. It’s a very weird and experimental record with some odd vocal harmonies and melodies that will shift from dissonant to harmonic, free jazz horns, drum & bass beats, and some really cool keyboard sounds. There are a few songs that drag and the guitar tone on the closing track is a really over processed 80s arena rock tone that I don’t like at all. Altogether a pretty great album though, I feel like I could spend a lot more time with this one.

very interesting

I thought this one might be coming and the Blackstar was like "BOOM" monolith when it popped up. I've always seen people swear by this album. I've seen many tattoos of the Bowie star. And it's from the era of Bowie I don't really know yet. I think this is the taste I most want to acquire. I really liked it. More art than music. Reminds me of "The National Anthem" by RH expanded to a prog album. Another massive win for Bowie!

Epic. I didn't really get on with his other late career record on here. This was so much better. Beautiful soundscapes. Really sounding like a young energetic artist in a lot of places. Also has that quality though (maybe it's all psychological) that gives a certain feeling to late career Waits and Cash and maybe the better bits of late Dylan.

3,8/4

This is a haunting listen, not only because it was released days before his death. He was losing his battle with cancer and most of the albums’ content is associated with death which is only amplified by the fact that the artist literally died right after making it. From a pure showman’s perspective, there’s not really a better way to say goodbye and go out. I went to look at my history and this is actually the second time that I’ve had back to back Bowie albums and my 8th and 9th Bowie albums overall. I think it may be a sign that there’s too much Bowie here, even though I love everything he ever released.

I Can't Give Everything Away is one of the greatest "last track on an artist's last album" ever. Appropriate that it was also the last single released just after he died.

It's unusual to get a raw look into a musical icon facing his mortality. Blackstar is the rare album of songs from someone who didn't burn out or fade away.

Seems like a departure from Bowie’s normal style. Felt like it had some Radiohead Kid-A influences. Ultimately pretty macabre given the timing of its release near his death.

Vielä viimeiselläkin levyllään Bowie onnistui luomaan jotain mielenkiintoista ja uutta.

The sound of a man who knows he is dying and has so much more music to get out. RIP Legend

Still affected listening to this 10 years later.

Maybe not his strongest vocally but really liked the downbeat jazz on Lazarus and whatever was going on with the title track

This is definitely a good album. I feel like I owe it more listens before rating it. I only had time to go through it once, however. I love that he didn't phone in his last couple of albums. There's a lot going on here. The drums alone are fascinating. The melodies are complex, perhaps a bit formless, although maybe more listens would change my mind on that front. Anyway, I dig it. Not sure it needs to be on the list, but it's a good album.

Solid album and a great final album by Bowie. Not my favorite of his but given the circumstances it's great.