Blackstar

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.

YEP PRETTY GOATED - DIA

Im liking it!!! like 4/5 maybe

I've never heard an album by Bowie before this and I don't know if having his last be your first is an advantage or not. This feels like the culmination of a year-long career, a distilled and finalized version of what Bowie must've made before. For what I experienced from the album itself, it blew me away. Starting with a 9 minute long piece and not have it feel overly long or thoughtless was an early sign of Bowie's experienced sound. The album feels nostalgic and nihilistic and yet so full of energy. Bowie's only regret, it appears, is not being able to do what he does for longer. Now it is up to me to listen to what he has done. Best songs are 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore and Sue. 8/10, the shining star at the end of the road.

Yes cynically speaking his death helped is legacy. But the album is really good nonetheless.

Enjoyable. Some incredible drumming on some tracks too.

David Bowie really feels intimate in this album, and, in some way, at the same time, also willing to explore new things, yet knowing it is going to be his last album. Blackstar feels more like a last conscious breath in which he tries to evoke life through death, with some obscure and melancholic atmospheres. Yet it feels fresh, or very personal, through the kind of jazzy rock he makes in this album. For some a work of art, this Blackstar surely is a pretentious album. For the good and the bad, but it really is a last statement, and one in which Bowie tries to reunite very different directions, or influences, from jazz to electronic music, a more atmospheric side and noisy productions as well. It feels very cohesive, but very chaotic too, in a good sense. It is an album in which he really feels involved, connected even more than artistically. And very art rock too, it has to be said. But it is more of a baroque decision to try to prove to be Bowie once again, or just because he really needs it to feel alive. It is chaotic, but also are all the emotions this album encapsulates. And, lastly, it is human. For the good and the bad. It is not Bowie at his best shape, nor his best curated selection of songs, some feel very lost in the soundscape they try to create. But in those things I find the greatness of this record. It is not perfect (not as many people claim it to be), and maybe Bowie has not been perfect at any moment, but it is real, it is tangible, it is human, and it feels very close to an end, it feels like the final chapter of a book. It concludes with a breath of life, with a melancholic feeling, with some great songs. And it is pretentious, as a quick ending before dying. But maybe this is what I would have expected from Bowie. And it is nice to have this vibrant final project, which really feels warm at also being cold. The final track may be the best part of it, and it really feels like an end, an end to an artist that has been brilliant and so unique. And he was David Bowie.

Die Lore um dieses Album ist natürlich heftig, finde es aber auch fantastisch. Kurz vor 5 Sternen bei mir.

I’m loving the instrumentation that’s been used so far, it reminds me of sumeru desert a bit lol, specifically what he’s doing with the woodwinds I really enjoyed this!! I like the weirdness and space/alien vibes to some of the tracks. I especially liked the last track which I think brought in a few elements of the first track which was cool. I will definitely be listening again and I’m excited for the other David Bowie albums on this list. 4.44566/5

Obviously a tremendous personal artistic achievement. One of the great late-life albums. It's clearly in debt, though, to Scott Walker's later albums, yet I reach for those before Black Star every time.

Might be the second best "last ablum" I've ever heard after Leonard Cohen's.

Quite unsettling in places. Really like the mix of jazz sounds and the darker atmosphere.

This is it. The last David Bowie album on my journey. It's only fitting that it's the final album released in his lifetime. After going through all his other albums included in the books, plus a few other albums and songs from his catalog along the way, I come here as a witness to his final offering to his fans to say... I don't consider Blackstar to be as good as The Next Day. It hurts me to say that; it truly does. I will dive into how much of an emotional whirlwind Blackstar was for me in a moment, but a few issues need to be addressed. First, I have to admit that Bowie's performance on here is uneven. Don't get me wrong; I know why that was the case, given his physical condition, and it does work at points in context with the lyrics and themes, which I will get to. But by the same token, he wrote the vocal lines for this record, and on cuts like the title track and "Girl Loves Me", there are cracks and breaks in his voice that are pretty noticeable. That's not to say those imperfections can't accentuate a certain world-weariness; I certainly gave Marianne Faithfull that lenience with Broken English. But on here, I can't help but feel distracted by them from an otherwise fragile yet impressive, soulful performance, especially with the final two tracks. The second issue I have with the album is with Tony Visconti's production here. Given how bleak the atmosphere is here - the ghostly backing vocals, sparse percussion, heavenly swells of strings, jittery flutes, liquid basswork, and the cushion of hazy synth and free-flowing saxophone that leaps across the mix with reckless abandon - I found myself wishing there was a bit more bite to this record, especially when those ragged guitar lines sneak in. Granted, it is damn impressive that Bowie could still compose music this simultaneously unsettling and approachable without relying on darker textures, but I can't help but wonder what might have been. Of course, that doesn't take anything away from the compositions themselves, filled with such beautiful subtleties that add a ton to the mix: the gleaming synth motif that accents "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", the thudding bass of "Lazarus" with its fuzzed-out riff that the horns then mirror, the industrial touches that intensify the feverish panic of "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", the gorgeous backing piano and other such acoustic textures running through "Dollar Days", and that pillowy cloud of effervescent keys, brittle hi-hats, and eerie horns merging with the guitars on "I Can't Give Everything Away", complete with that wonderous harmonica fragmentation from Bowie himself. At this point, I am having a hard time keeping myself composed, cause now we do need to address the lyrics and themes. More specifically, how much weight and power does this album hold as Bowie's swansong? Every artist has considered what their swansong project would be at some point, though it's not often that you can see the end coming and plan it out as meticulously. After all, David Bowie was privately fighting cancer for a year and a half; he knew that it was coming. It's through that confrontation with death that his influences this time around snap into focus. Musically, this album does borrow from the worn-down electronic stylings of Boards of Canada, which is readily apparent. But from what I understand, Bowie also drew inspiration from two hip-hop acts. The first is Kendrick Lamar, which makes sense, given the parallels to To Pimp a Butterfly: internal struggles with fame, being held up as a savior while losing contact with the world beneath him. Hell, the very notion of Bowie calling himself a "blackstar" can be viewed as an antithesis to the modern disposable icon that isn't shy about piling on the Antichrist imagery around him. That's before we get to "Lazarus", where the distance from his audience is made all the more stark; this is not him caving into cancer, but rather relishing in the potential release of death, no longer the dead man walking. That nihilism also invites parallels to the other hip-hop act that influenced this album: Death Grips. At first glance, this seemed like a bizarre choice; I was never expecting Bowie's voice to match the howling viscerality of MC Ride. Yet there's a certain self-flagellating savagery on display here that wouldn't feel out of place on, say, the Jenny Death side of The Problems That B. Of course, given it's Bowie, his brand of savagery has a certain refined transgression to it. Probably the most notable case on here is with "Girl Loves Me", using the Nadsat and Polari languages, derived from A Clockwork Orange and 1970s gay clubs, respectively, to comment on a woman who might bring great pleasures but damnation along the way. This sentiment is echoed earlier in "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" and "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", both repurposed from the compilation Nothing Has Changed. In the case of the former, inspired by the John Ford tragedy of the same name, the track is loaded with its own transgressions in sex, lies, betrayal, and murder. It certainly made for some graphic indulgence, though given Bowie's penchant for gender bending, perhaps he viewed himself as the whore in question to an audience that disregarded the deeper connection they secretly craved. It gets even more twisted with the near-direct retelling in "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", as Bowie wrote from the perspective of two men wooing this girl, one being her brother and main lover who kills her in the end. I wouldn't say these moments demonize sex; hell, given "Dollar Days" speaks about sex as "survival", it seems that these fleshy pursuits are among the elements that kept him most alive, which is yet another Death Grips parallel. All the while, he continued spitting in the face of establishment and legacy, even as his life slipped away. It all leads to that final track, "I Can't Give Everything Away", where even on death's knell, Bowie tried to refine his words down to a single stanza: "Seeing more and feeling less/Saying no but meaning yes/This is all I ever meant/That's the message that I sent". Detaching to find that transcendence, yet never giving up the feelings that you dare not speak, as this album found its greatest humanity in putting forth the rawest of it all before the very end. It takes Bowie's hyper-awareness of his legacy and his audience to the nth degree for one last farewell. At this point, I come back to that question I posed earlier: how much weight and power does Blackstar hold as David Bowie's swansong? I can't deny that a lot of the emotional resonance listening to this album came from my familiarity with Bowie's work. That's not to invalidate everything said in this review - we're only human in experiencing art, and ignoring that human context devalues the raw humanity behind the most visceral moments of this album as a whole. But it does make me wonder for the individual who gets this album early on from this generator website, without that familiarity with David Bowie. Hell, I certainly felt that way with You Want It Darker after hearing only two Leonard Cohen albums beforehand. That's where I bring this back to you, dear reader; if you find yourself with this album and haven't heard much David Bowie before, I implore you to put this record aside and hit that "Did not listen" button. Give yourself that time to become familiar with the man, be it through the 70s records chosen for the books, greatest hits compilations, or even live performances wherever you can find them. Because no matter what, this is where his story ends. It certainly makes me wonder how our stories end, and what legacies we leave behind.

I liked it. I think the most important thing about *Blackstar* is that Bowie made it knowing he was dying. It feels like his final artistic statement.A work about confronting death, created by an artist who knew his own death was near.

Eerder kregen we al de laatste plaat van Leonard Cohen voor onze kiezen, nu dus de zwanenzang van Bowie. Al met al een aardige staalkaart van 's mans kunnen en thematiek. Pop, elektronische invloeden, donkerte en licht, in een redelijk tijdloos geheel. De wereld zal hem missen.

Negen keer Bowie. Nu kan ik redelijk goed naar Bowie luisteren, maar negen keer, dat is voor geen enkele artiest te verantwoorden. We hebben de andere 8 al gehad, dus dit finale bijna postume album komt dan als een mooie afsluiting van 's mans oeuvre. En zo moet je misschien alle albums van Bowie in deze snoblijst bekijken, de som der 9 albums, als een oeuvre. En dat oeuvre is rijk en behoorlijk afwisselend. De man was werkelijk van alle markten thuis. Op dit laatste album laat hij ook weer een hele andere kant zien. Ik kan het wel waarderen dat je na zo'n rijke carriere nog een album als dit durft te maken. Lazarus vind ik ook wel echt een goed nummer, en de track daarop mixt ook heel tof duistere rock met drum n bass-achtige ritmes. Ik kijk mijn reviews nog eens terug en zie dat ik toch voornamelijk 3 sterren heb gegeven en voor de albums die ik het beste vind tot tweemaal toe 4 sterren. Als je dan alle reviews middelt, kom je op een 3 uit, al zou ik het oeuvre van Bowie toch wel weer met 4+ sterren kunnen beoordelen. En dan is dit een bijzondere afsluiter, 4 sterren.

Mournful and frank, lovely but imo not as compelling in the back half

I blame David Bowie's death on the black star. This is a high 4

Rip

Oh, what a tough listen on a Monday. Only David Bowie could turn his death into performance art. I don’t think I’ve heard this since it came out. It’s a masterpiece with this in context. It’s not a casual listen though, but a brilliant way to end his career.

even without knowing he died after releasing this i still would have rated it highly. less indulgent than it was mystifying, honestly; feels like the best possible way he could have gone out

Tracklist 1. ❤️☆ (Blackstar) 2. ❤️'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore 3. ❤️Lazarus 4. Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) 5. Girl Loves Me 6. Dollar Days 7. I Can't Give Everything Away Avis - Je vais prendre le temps du week-end, comme 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Dien'est pas actif les week-ends, ça me donne le temps de m'asseoir et de réécouter. - C'est très unique et le contexte dans lequel il a été écrit (cf. ★ (Blackstar)magnifie cette ambiance - Conclusion : je ne sais pas si j’aime ou j’aime pas. Il n’y a ps forcément de sens dans les paroles, c’est un tout avec le son. Difficile d’analyser et d’en tirer quelque chose. Je dirais que j’aime le fond de la proposition mais c’est quelque chose qui s’écoute pas au quotidien. Une œuvre lourde et puissante. Je vais mettre 5 parce que c’est mon avis mais je comprends que les gens trouvent que c’est vraiment incroyable de bout en bout. Il y’a des références à ces personnages, à sa carrière que je n’ai pas. Je n’ai pas suivi le phénomène Bowie toute sa carrière non plus.

an experience. i wouldn’t regularly listen to this but i feel like it’s a whole experience you go back to and listen in full

I was excited to see another Bowie album since I'm getting close to finishing this project.

Favorites are Lazarus and I can’t give everything away

Back when this album came out and Bowie passed, it didn’t quite click with me (a then 24-year-old) and it still doesn’t QUITE get there for me apart from a few tracks. Title track goes crazy. Lazarus is absolutely powerful still. I Can’t Give Everything Away is an outstanding closer to this album and to his musical career. I’m sure given more time with it i’ll grow to love it more but i’m just not there yet!

bowie !

Interesting blend of art rock with avant-garde and Bowie's signature style. Didn't 100% connect with everything but I do appreciate Bowie's commitment to pushing musical boundaries and doing so in a very accessible way, even when this album decides to get weirder. Probably benefits from more listens/familiarity with the songs. Top tracks: Lazarus, Girl Loves Me, I Can't Give Everything Away

This is my favorite Bowie album so far. It felt dark and macabre, which doesn't usually go with jazz instruments. But I dig it.

I'm blown away by these instrumentals! The sound fluctuates between wildly different styles but the album somehow remains cohesive. At my favorite parts of the album, the somewhat high-pitched vocals were a perfect counterbalance to the low and moody tone of the tracks. Just SO good. And then he transitions into a lush and wistful track with the saxophone solo.... just incredible. I was feeling it for sure. That said, I really struggled to enjoy the vocals on the first three tracks. Bowie's singing was often grating to me, especially because I was enjoying the instrumentals so much. I also disliked the lyrics themselves which made the whole thing even worse. It started getting better around the fourth track, but having to wait 16 and a half minutes before I was fully able to enjoy it is... not great.

OK THIS ALBUM WAS SO GOOD, man , damnnnn the music was so good and man this is so fucking sad and meanwhile inspiring😭😭 damn wdym 3 days before his death, the writing is so emoional overall thjis was such a good fucking album man and so dark and heartbreaking oh my god bowie😭😭😭😭😭 AAAAAAAAAAAAA goated album, im glad i found it

quickly becoming among my favorite Bowie albums. Hauntingly beautiful.

What an achievement as his last album. The title track and Lazarus are especially stunning.

low 4.0.

damn, 10 minute song to start. starting like a smile album or something. no clue where this is going to go, know nothing about this album tbh. I don't think im gonna love it, but could be swayed. so far its like a cool listening experience, like its wild and everywhere. but the relistenability is really low. thats not a bad thing, some albums are meant to experience than bump in your car ya know. lazarus is dope, best song so far. alright, its cool for what it is. props to bowie doing some wild shit til the end. feels like a bad radiohead album, but im rocking with it. probably wont come back to it anytime soon. but its cool.

I had not listened to this album before. I enjoyed it. I wonder how I would’ve liked it had Bowie just released it as a regular album as opposed to just before his death.

I was previously familiar with David Bowie but not this album. I still remember when it came out right around the time he died. It got rave reviews, but I never got around to listening to it. This is a delightfully weird album, but somehow it is a perfect last album for David Bowie. It has some modern elements but still has his trademark vocals. It has an overall dark sound; it really does sound like music of a dying man. I would listen to this again for sure.

- Damn...this dude just always had it. - A cool, interesting listen. Bowie is as mesmerizing as ever (and his older register hits), though some of these songs entrance me more than others. - "Lazarus" is quite good -- more stripped down and simple, but effective. I also start to tear up at "I Can't Give Everything Away"...not typical for me, but the harmonica hits hard and, knowing what was to come for Bowie, it is prescient.

I couldn't stop thinking about how this was his final album. The haunting "Lazarus" and "I Can't Give Everything Away" seem more poignant with that in mind. A beautiful, soulful piece of art.

Ma quanto gli piace il sax a Bowie?

bowie you've done it again (made an album where i don't care for some songs but really love others so i'm not sure how to feel about it overall). probably closer to a 3.5

This is not my favorite Bowie album, but I got to give credit to the dude that he continually reinvented himself making interesting music until the very end. While I can't quite see where the influence of bands like Boards Of Canada and Death Grips came into this album, it is an album that is intriguing and a little uncomfortable in places. I can't say I like it enough to want to own it, but I like it enough that when I'm listening, I'm engaged and enjoying it. 3.8/5.

This is such a stark contrast to the other 21st century David Bowie album on this list. This is one of the most introspective and heartfelt Bowie album on this list so far and it just feels fucking poetic that he does just a few days after this comes out. One of the best musicians of our time and I’m glad he was able to put out the finale to his life and career.

What a way to go out

Ļoti bēdīgi protams, bet labs albūms

Big fan. First Bowie listen. Instrumentals and production made it great. Rating: 8.5 Faves: Blackstar, Lazarus, I Can't Give Everything Away

i get it now

I think it’s really cool one song was called « ★»

Bowie is a very unique performer, i’ll give him that. He has songs everybody’s heard of, the praise is probably well deserved. Still can’t quite get used to his singing style tho. Looking forward to the other albums. Low 4, almost a 3

It's not a perfect album by any means but it was a hell of a way to go out. It's cool to see he took inspiration from To Pimp a Butterfly, which is still one of the most unique rap albums ever created. 4/5.

I love that Bowie continued to experiment until his last album. Some of it worked better than others but compelling

I have never felt less qualified to “review” an album. This is David Bowie’s farewell album. It’s doing a lot and I’m not sure I understand it all. I think it is a beautiful sounding record. I really like the last few tracks Dollar Days and Can’t Give Everything Away those are a nice blend of classic Bowie vocals, the best bits of prog rock and classic jazz. RIP to one of the all time greats.

I thought that when Bowie released Tonight in 1984, he had recorded his last good album. This album proves that I was wrong. Very good album. For me, I think Sue is the one that stands out. Sometimes it's good to be wrong.

I remember when this came out. I remember when it won some Grammys and other awards. I think I expected more. We've had what, three Bowie albums in quick succession and maybe that's a bit much? I'm glad I listened to this, but I didn't really enjoy it. Intellectually it was certainly impressive to think someone staring down a death sentence could commit himself to creating more art, and surprising art. But intellect only gets me so far in terms of appreciating an album. I intensely disliked the first two songs, was very moved by Lazarus, intrigued by Girl Loves Me, confused by Dollar Days, once again moved by I Can't Give etc. Did this album stack up to what I'd heard about it? Not really. But I'm very glad I listened to it. Torn between 3 and 4 stars for this one.

Love this last album and can't believe I haven't listened to it in full til now.

It’s pretty haunting when he signs “Look up here, I’m in heaven”. Ok I get it, this album is good. It’s weird to consider it a Bowie classic considering there aren’t really any hits, but it’s a very maturely crafted album, with a beautiful sonic pallet throughout. Fave Tracks: Blackstar, Lazarus, Girl Loves Me, I Can’t Give Everything Away 4.5/5

This album is an amazing journey. You can really feel the depth through excellent instrumentals. This is an album that gathers and mixes so many genres without making a mess. Everything is in the right place. The lyrics are also pretty interesting as they touch the whole spectrum of feelings and relate to other important pieces of pop culture.

The greatest goodbye ever.

It’s kind of morose and creepy. It reminds me of the Berlin records. I’m ok with him trying something new right up to the end even if it’s short on singles.

An incredible way to say goodbye. An icon. Lazarus and I can’t give everything away are probably my favourite tracks. RIP Bowie

One of the skeleton keys to understanding Bowie has always been his affection for, and fluency with, the language of jazz. From “Changes” to “Modern Love” he always loved a good sax solo; more fundamentally, though, he understood everything jazz signified in the post-jazz era - class and stately purpose, but also sex and chaos at the same time. Most of all it is music to *move* to: club music, not concert-hall music. On this album (Bowie’s last before his death) he utilizes Donny McCaslin’s sax to represent all these things, from his final march toward cancer’s town square (the title track) to his seemingly untamed libido, notwithstanding the circumstances (“‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore”) to the pain he allows himself to finally feel near the end (“Dollar Days”). The other great signifier here is in the breakbeat rhythms that underlie nearly the entire album; one might wonder why a man on his literal deathbed would seemingly be so obsessed with, again, club music. And again, it’s because the too-fast movement of those beats serves as both a metaphor for the urgent ticking away of the remaining time and the surest statement of what made life worth living in the first place - the sense of possibility. The trouble with death, after all, is the whole finality of it. Fitting, then, that "I Can't Give Everything Away" is built on a smooth yet insistent house beat. Of all the places he could be at the end, Bowie wanted to be on a dancefloor, a place where people discard their previous inhibitions and figure out how to be someone different. And that’s the message here - that death is just another persona for him to learn how to inhabit, just as he has always done. As a piece of practical theology it seems to have worked wonders for him; I hope when my time comes I can face it with this same purpose and courage.

RIP bowie

It's weird and experimental in all the right ways, still very much routed in art rock. Bowie might not have intended this to be his swan song, but it's it's a hellluva way to go out.

For many reasons I wish Bowie hadn’t been such a bastard, but the second foremost in my mind after listening to this album is that I would feel a lot more comfortable praising him for his lifetime achievement as an artist. While strange, experimental, and possibly a little too busy, this is a really fascinating final work. His voice really stood the test of time but you can still hear his age and state, and it really works for most of the album (I did not like the second track at all). The other aspect of this I find most interesting is that he did an excellent job marrying his sensibilities with contemporary influences. It’s rare for someone with the kind of success and influence he had to genuinely continue to pursue development as an artist right up until the end, much less to truly respect the work of significantly younger people enough to learn from it (and cite them). There are many things you can (and should) accuse Bowie of, but stagnation is not one of them. I wouldn’t personally call this a 5 star album but it’s essential listening for anyone who wants a full picture of his work. Special shout-out to the saxophonist, Donny McCaslin, who really played like there would be no second chance.

The harmonica on the last track dawg...

I am only familiar with David Bowie's hits but aware of his reputational willingness to experiment and change over the years. This short album sounds to me like what it is, music made by an older Englishman who didn't stay stuck in his original time period. Which I for one am a sucker for. I have some favorite albums in my library that I always listen to in their entirety and not individual songs, because they flow together. (I'm thinking quite specifically here of "Music Has the Right to Children" by Boards of Canada, The Good, the Bad, and the Queen's eponymous album, and "Endtroducing" by DJ Shadow.) This album fits into that category for me, or I think it might eventually. So, even though I am only adding one song (the title track) to my library, I'm giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and reserving the right to come back to it.

David Bowie is, without question, an absolute icon. Nobody disputes that. He clearly wrote this album as a 'goodbye', and it's still quite good. However, I hold the belief that Blackstar is likely bets enjoyed by David's most ardent and loyal fans. It just doesn't land the same for the casual listener like myself. It's still fantastic, though.

Very nice album: well produced, some interesting prog elements and progression. It does lose a bit of steam towards the end though.

RIP

When listening to this album, it’s impossible to shake off a certain bias. It’s Bowie’s last album—his final word to the world—and there were very high expectations for it. It’s very hard to say whether I liked it or not. Because, musically speaking, this album feels like a kind of art-house experience to me. It’s a mix of sounds, rhythms, genres, and unexpected transitions. Listening to it is definitely interesting—it’s never boring. I’d say it really stands out from many other albums. I was just a little disappointed by Bowie’s vocals, as well as his singing style in some songs (when the music and his singing go in different directions). Overall, as a musical experiment from someone with such incredible experience and a rich musical background, it’s definitely worth listening to at least once.

Love this album. David wrote this before he died. Inspired by Kendrick Lamars To Pimp a Butterfly

Dark. Dizzying. The drums!

A hell of an album to end your career with. It's hectic, emotional, dark, and it feels quite paranoid throughout several moments. You've gotta respect this guy for putting out an album like this prior to his death. Really poignant. Favourites: Lazarus I Can't Give Everything Away

Very interesting, the experimentally sounds and jazzy instrumentation were very fun. I enjoyed the vocals a lot too!

At the time this album released, if I remember right, we didn't know this would be Bowie's final album. The man seems to have made it on his deathbed, and with that in mind especially (but even without) it is a hauntingly beautiful album. I need to think about whether it gets a 4 or 5 from me, just because some of the choices and lyrics make me wonder why he did that. But the production and overall writing are excellent and unique. Blackstar and Lazarus shine as the standout tracks on the album, but the closing track I Can't Give Everything Away had me feel some deep emotions.

Gorgeous, dark and sad. Just how I like my records.

Each Bowie album sounds different. This one is dark & poignant. But within each of his albums, there’s not much range. He skirts the line between cohesive and repetitive (within albums). But here, the cohesive theme is important (Bowie is dying).The album is filled with really good songs, many of which really nail the poignancy and pathos. This is not the most “fun” Bowie album, but it’s a gem. A 4.

This album makes me uneasy, I respect that

I liked it, kind of dark and pretty jazzy.

Dark, sometimes challenging, very memorable.

The feelings when this came out right before he died left a lasting memory on me. I never listened to the album but the singles that I heard many times back then were much stronger than the end of the album. Not quite five stars.

Good

In a natural class with Johnny Cash & Leonard Cohen's final albums, I think, although this is much more musically interesting. A lot of instrumental interludes, but happily (for me) they aren't guitar-based, rather drums/strings/winds. Also a cool album cover. ★(★★★) Obviously it is sad that Bowie made this album during cancer treatment & died 2 days after its release, but it is cool that he got to make a critically acclaimed "legacy" album before going. I admit that when 'Lazarus' came out in 2015 people were way higher on it than I was (me: "this is boring"), but as an album I think it's pretty cool and cohesive, especially having already heard a bunch of earlier & very different Bowie albums on here. Something else sad is that 'Blackstar' (the song) was originally longer, but was cut to its current 9:57 because "iTunes would not post singles over ten minutes in length" (per Wiki). I guess that's not so different from an artist accommodating physical album/CD/etc limits, but it feels very corpo-dystopia. Slur count = 7! (Blame John Ford) Highlights: 'I Can't Give Everything Away', the NIN-esque percussion, the Broadway-esque sax, the A Clockwork Orange references, the vibes

One of the best final albums I can imagine? But maybe not a top 10 Bowie album. The highs are high - first track is super radioheady, 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore is so fun and jazzy, choosing to use clockwork orange slang in Girl Loves Me is the kind of dumb crazy choice older musicians usually wouldn't make but it's very fun. His voice is clearly going though so feels a little like you need the narrative to enjoy it. Impressed he's not aiming for the center though it's definitely still weird and arty.

What a way to go out.

Doesn't quite blow me away but still really worth the time and list. RYM: Y (#58) Saved a song: N

A truly haunting, but hauntingly beautiful final album from this weirdo. You can hear the trembling in his voice and lyrics, and obviously we all know after the fact that he was aware of his incoming death as he recorded, but it would have played out as a good album even without knowing the context. I was hesitant that a seven-track album wasn't really going to hit the spot, but it truly worked. I imagine it was literally all he could do.

Even without the fact this was effectively Bowie's last words, it's a strong album, interesting beats and reminded me of radiohead in a few places. The extra poignancy bumps it up a mark.

Not my favourite Bowie album, but it’s still brilliant. It’s interesting and intricate, a record that holds my focus. I can sit and listen without engaging in any other distraction.

Gorgeous, visceral, and altogether worth a listen

Bowie is one of the excessively represented artists on here that I don't hate, and often really enjoy. I knew this was his closing effort, aware during its production that he had cancer, so I would've totally expected something where he pulls all the stops. This goes a few steps further than I expected, it's like he's still giving innovative material. I really appreciate the way he's made his poetry seep into the music in an alternative way. I can see there, and conceptually, how even Kendrick Lamar is an inspiration for this record. The use of jazz on this album, holy hell. How else can you represent that emotion? His voice and his words can only go so far against a sax solo. Honestly, when you take the music in, when you're aware of the sound, this record feels very intimate. The album is mostly of a top experimental quality. I don't know if it's just weird things he's mastered throughout the years, or gems he's kept in his pocket. Lyrically, you can tell it's fresh material. On a personal note, after 3 or 4 listens today, that last song is the one that bears too close to sappy pop happiness, that conceptually works great. Guess it's just a little more Disney than I like my record endings. I'd still buy the fuck out of this album, though. It starts off beautifully, incredibly intriguing, and well executed. It continues to ride that wave to the end. 4.4/5

★★★★/★★★★★

Has to go down as one of the best final albums in any artist's catalogue. Favorite track: Lazarus

This album is going to be an interesting listen. It's the last gasps of a legendary musician who was staring into the grim reaper's eyes and facing down his inevitable end. Can a teenager such as me really, truly appreciate what this record means when he has so much life ahead of him? What I can appreciate is the songcraft. The songs on this record are of the somber and spacey variety, with lyrics confronting the reality of death and looking back on a life well lived. It's exactly the kind of album a man confronting his own mortality can be expected to make. This album is probably one of the most difficult listens in Bowie's catalog simply because of its thematic heaviness, not to mention the circumstances surrounding its creation. With this album, one of rock's most restless artists bids farewell to this world. I, a young kid with decades ahead of him, am now contemplating what my own death will be like as I listen to this. But alas, only time will tell. This album is the highest ranked album of 2016 globally. Other 2016 albums rated by me: Konnichiwa(4/4)-3

Very good, just not really my type of music

David Bowie and the Bad Seeds, irgendwie. Adult Pop Songs werden durch die Instrumentierung und Produktion erhöht und durch die Verletzlichkeit in der Stimme rührend. Funktioniert auf der zweiten Hälfte nicht mehr ganz so gut.

I was hesitant when I saw this was a Bowie album released in 2016, but this was surprisingly good af.

Good album. Every song is good. Kind of jazzy, kind of industrial.

Definitely needs a few more listens but the power of Bowie is evident! Still even in his dying breathes and having gone through so many transformations already he comes out with a really interesting fusion album. Hearing how he uses vocal pitching and the saxophone in such a leading role was a highlight.

solemne y muy bueno 4.25

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

I really struggled to rate this. It's an album that I always feel I need to study more to really appreciate

The end songs are very good, the whole album is nice too but I wasn't in the best of moods for this.

Haunting, beautiful and kinda scary.

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

I wasn't looking forward to ANOTHER Bowie album that much, but this one surprised me. What a great album for him to end on. I could hear some of the similarities between this and The Next Day, but this one was much better for me personally. I'll revisit this one again. What an incredible amount of variety from one artist. I still think 9 albums on the list is too high for any one artist, but if you're going with someone, he's probably the guy to pick.

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.

Very beautiful. A great end to an interesting career.

Heartbreaking and life affirming.

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

Lazarus is awesome, other songs don't hit as hard. I like the jazz musicans on this album and knowing the background of the recordings... you can't go lower than a 4.

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.

I was familiar with the story of the album and Lazarus, but not the rest of the track list. Bowie is truly the master of the concept album, and Blackstar is so funky and so, so sad- but surprisingly joyful.

I'm aware of this album, and I think I've heard parts of it, but I don't believe I've listened to the whole thing. This is an interesting situation I find myself in: I think the other David Bowie albums I've listened to have more individual tracks that I enjoy than this album does, but maybe I enjoyed this album overall more than the others?

David Bowie is one of those artists that I struggle to like as much as I should, according to his critical acclaim. While listening to all these albums though, he has really grown on me. We have listened to 6 of his albums now and I think I am finally starting to get it. He has been consistetnly creative on every project, each one with a specific thesis/look attached to it. His voice is difficult to get used to, but the music speaks for itself. You just have to be willing to listen and pay attention to appreciate it. Blackstar was no different. My ear was perked up with the Jazz influence, something I haven't heard on Bowie's previous albums. The songs were interesting and the album is the perfect length. Favorite tracks: Blackstar Sue Dollar Days

fun album. not really sure if I'd listen to it often though. high energy

Moody, unique, and out-of-time.

So sad now. I bought it when it was released but never really listened to it. It probably deserves further attention.

Absolutely love Blackstar and Girl Loves Me — the haunting-ness of the music.

Honestly, not my favorite but of course, it's Bowie so I'm biased. He's not dead, he's just finished with his earth tour. I'll love him forever.

Haunting yet beautiful vocals alongside a tight knit band that crafts intricate and powerful instrumentals. Bowie’s voice is shaky and disorganized, his lyrics are very loose and all over the place. My favorite part of the album overall is the instrumentals that help clash the vocals (which aren’t to my taste but Bowie is 69 and that’s his style). Top 3 Songs: Lazarus Girl Loves Me I Can’t Give Everything Away Overall Score: Strong 7

Not in my edition of the book! 2016. 4 stars. Not his best work, but still damn fine - almost a "greatest hits" sample of his work post 2000. Short and bittersweet.

the first song sounded like a mummy

the intimacy of a man dying and recording an album

Is it as good as they say (by which I mean, one of the hundred or so greatest albums ever made)? No – the production holds it back at some points, and at its worst moments this feels a bit more like 1997’s Earthling (one of Bowie’s weaker records) than anybody perhaps wants to admit. But the songs are great, and the cleverness with which Bowie orchestrated this album to coincide almost perfectly in every way with his own impending death is fairly incredible. Having a song’s chorus be “where the fuck did Monday go?” and dying on a Sunday night was just the cherry on top, making it feel like Bowie—in all his impervious perfection—controlled the universe. He was rock’s canniest operator, that’s for sure, a CEO of a billion-dollar advertising firm in another life. Best track: “Lazarus”

It's interesting to hear Bowie kind of go back to his roots in art rock but mixing it with jazz styles. By the time I reached the last song, it felt like a complete finale to his career. Thanks for sharing your last work with us David! (3.5-4)

got goosebumps listening to this album. I love david bowie, and I miss him everyday.

A solid album. If Bowie had lived, would it be considered as highly as it is? Perhaps not, but knowing he died a few days after it came out adds a heavy weight, especially to the 5/5 song Lazarus (music video is a must see; so powerful). Some songs aren't as memorable, but it's overall great

Bowie era una gran deuda, tipazo.

rounding up on a 3.5 cuz its worth a relisten

You know, I think the Montreal-Born Jew did it better

Musically interesting and somewhat haunting while still being fairly catchy

Released shortly before his death... This was his last and he knew it. He poured a lot into this one. It was a very hard listen.

an impressive and touching farewel of the duke

Eerie, as ever great music.

This was another fascinating album by Bowie. I just really like that he was effectively able to recreate himself this late in his career, all while being reflective on his musical journey. Lots of interesting tracks on here, with an eclectic mix of rock, electronics, and jazz. Highlights included the title track, 'Tis a Pity She Was A Whore (loved the way this song drove), Lazarus (which I personally thought was the best song on the record), and I Can't Give Everything Away. It wasn't all perfect, but that he came up with this so late in his career is a testament to how great Bowie was as an artist. 4 stars.

I mean - it's Bowie... His parting gift. Amazing how he seemed to know just exactly how awful this timeline was going to get - and so dropped one more classic album before buggering off back to his home planet.

RIP David Bowie. One of the most creative artists in music history, always reinventing himself to keep things fresh during his long career. This album is no exception. He took a risk in making sure his final album was not radio friendly but at the same time manages to avoid being pretentious. You can tell from the lyrics that he knew he was dying and ready to go to the great beyond, but not to the point of making it overly sad and depressing. Its a pretty good album that leans into elements of space rock and does not feel like a drag to get through. The only other albums I have listened to though are Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory, so I need to give some others a listen eventually.

I remember listening when this album came out. I believe it was pretty good. I like the opening so far. There is a lot of Bowie on this list. I know he’s revered, but man a lot of these are hit and miss with me. Track 5 is great. I love this groove and vibe. So far though I like this one. Only on track two but I like this better than any early Bowie I’ve heard. I’m wondering if Bowie is someone where I need to listen with context to the old albums. See what else was popular when he was doing what he was doing. On track three “Lazarus”. This is so good. Every note has purpose. And what funny is having listened to old Bowie and not enjoying it, I can hear call backs to those old albums I didn’t like. Maybe some of the stuff I don’t like was a victim of the technology at the time? Ok. This is the Bowie album I really like. Track 4 is great. Track 6 “dollar days” is even better than the last track. This just keeps getting better. This album is a masterpiece.

J’ai beaucoup aimé, 3,5

It's overrated due to his death but still a good album. Love that it's not bloated. 3.5/5

I liked it but I also sort of agree with the comments that it’s been overrated as it came out days before he died

There's something here I can't put my finger on, but I like it

This was a challenging listen for me, because my memories of this album are of course so tied up with Bowie’s passing. I remember a friend showing me the video for “Blackstar” (perhaps even before he passed, as it was the lead single) and just being captivated by how it carries such a dark energy with a relative calmness, like a placid lake surface blanketing unknown depths. It’s always exciting to listen to how Bowie adapts and experiments through every era of his career, and utterly bewildering how this man born 47 years before my time, living the life of a superstar, manages to still feel like he’s singing for my generation.

Really well done album by one of the best to ever do it. This isn't his best work but it still manages to be interesting.

Bowie’s swansong is less about bangers and more about one last little push towards the bleeding edge. Really enjoyed it

It finally happened, I've been forced to face this album head on and address it for what it is. It's art and it's not for everyone. Listening to this album from track 1 through track 7. I don't typically say this about music, but this album is really just audio art, it's not for casual listeners. Every note, every instrument effect, every drum tap and strike, every instrument used, even Bowie's voice is all intentional and meant to "paint" an image in your brain. How you react, how you interpret, the emotions that ebb and flow, it's all part of the experience. As a casual listener, it's jumbled off-tune pretentious self-indulgent music rambling about random shit for because why not. Calling it anything besides that would be ingenuous. It's not for everyone, and it's not something you just listen to on your commute to work and back. This is something you commit time to listen to on quality audio equipment and really absorb what's happening. I understand the low reviews, and I understand the high reviews. For me it's a 8/10 because I got to listen to this album in the right place at the right time.

I like the dark atmosphere and experimentation.

A great way for Bowie to bow out with an immensely creative album blending a range of styles led by art rock and jazz. The title track and Lazarus especially are wonderfully epic songs. The middle is slightly weaker, and probably *just* keeps this from a 5.

Even ten years later it’s difficult to not see this rather jazzy art-rock album as Bowie’s ‘auto-epitaph’, and a great job he did of it too. The three longer tracks (‘Blackstar’ itself, ‘Lazarus’ and ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’) are the core of the album, and the best songs too, along with ‘‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore’ and ‘Dollar Days’. There is a slight lull with ‘Sue’ and ‘Girl Loves Me’; they're still good songs but they do bring the overall quality down just short of 5 stars for me. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant final artistic statement.

For a man who was dying, Bowie actually did a great job. The title track is nothing but gold. There are many great tracks on "Blackstar". It has to be one of Bowie's best. I don't think anyone can make a great track to finish their career like "I Can't Give Everything Away". 4 stars for "Blackstar".

David’s final album, he passed two days after it was released. It’s perhaps not his greatest but every track is engaging. Good - I already have this album in my music collection.

Belle surprise! Une réécoute ou plusieurs sont programmées 💪😉

Decent album without the context. With it... it becomes generationally unique. An artist taking their lest breath, and knowing so is someting that very rarely happens. Bowie isn't always for me but this hits in such a way 8/10

7/10

I throughly enjoyed this album listen! I’d heard some of the singles off this album but I’d never listened to the album as a collective. This album feels darker and heavier than other Bowie albums I’ve listened to but that’s probably because his health was suffering and he knew he was passing sometime in the near future. Overall, I thought this was a powerful and emotional final album from Bowie and truly a love letter to his fans and music before his passing. Bowie was truly one of a kind and so special. I’m so glad we have his music to remember him by forever!

the opening track is haunting. wow!

Knowing that this was his last album before his passing made it memorable. Felt very Bowie while a bit modern.

Haven't listened to this since it released. I still think it's visionary and haunting. Miss him so much!

very good - should listen to it more

Not my favorite Bowie, but something special about it. A very mournful capstone.

At first I thought this was a little dull. Maybe a three but Tim said ‘he curated his death’ and that has made me view it a little differently.

I wouldn’t say it was Bowie’s best album but given the circumstances & his passing the album for me takes up some real emotion and sentiment. Quite haunting at times.

I sorely miss this man.

No notes. Ouvi logo quando saiu, e ficou em repeat por algum tempo. RIP KING

A beautiful album and carries even more weight given it was Bowie's last. Released in 2016, it sounds like Bowie but a modernized version that had me listening back multiple times. Love that Bowie.

Ashystar: Anxiety jazz backing the existential dread of a dying man. Bowie here isn't pushing a typical political agenda, but he looks to remind us, and perhaps himself, that the starman, and the many alter egos, is a man and men die. He knows his works have their own pull, but the light behind them will be gone, blackstar is a questionable metaphor here. Overall a hauntingly beautiful acceptance of death. A fun little conspiracy, Bowies corpse was on Elons Tesla sent to space in 2018 Low 4

This was an odd one to listen to. It was a very David Bowie-esque album to say the least, and you can definitely tell that it was modern as it sounded different to his older music. I would listen to certain songs again but some of them I really wasn't a fan of them. Some songs were extremely long and that was a small downfall of the album. But overall not too bad, very whimsical and psychedelic. 3.5/5 stars Favourite songs: *Blackstar* Lazarus Dollar Days I Can't Give Everything Away

I love lots of elements of this album. In no particular order, the jazzy elements, James Murphy’s drumming. It’s hard to look beyond the emotional significance of the timing of its release but then again maybe you’re not meant to.

Se siente extraño tener como primer acercamiento a Bowie su último trabajo. De todas formas conocía algunas canciones de él, tampoco es 100% nuevo. Percibo un tono lúgubre en la obra, quizás me condiciona el saber que poco después murió, pero hay algo en este álbum que me genera esa sensación de melancolía unida a una aceptación del destino. Se nota como es una obra de un hombre ya consagrado en vida que aprovecha su gloria para experimentar y renovar su arte. Quizás no es el mejor álbum para iniciar con Bowie, pero no deja de ser sumamente interesante en su sonido. Probablemente lo reescuche en un futuro y tenga mayor impacto en mi vida, aunque ya sin ser fan de Bowie lo tuvo.

fun, love the dancy elements

8/10

Es un gran disco, se nota que Bowie se despedia de este mundo haciendo lo que mejor sabía hacer.

I've listened to this album once: driving to work in he pre-dawn hours of Jan., 11, 2016 having seen the blackstar video three days before and having just found out Bowie passed that morning., Adjust my rating accordingly,

10 years later, hearing this for the first time. Even without the immediacy of Bowies demise, it's still a great piece of work.

What an interesting, strange note to end a career of one of thebest to ever do it. At parts spacy, at parts theatrical, at parts avant garde, this might be Bowie’s most out there album, but I’ve only listened to a few other Bowie albums. It’s a tentative 4, and I definitely need to relisten, but it’s not likemuch else I’ve heard.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Albumet är lite quirky och kan säkert vara lite utmanande men jag tycker det är ganska intressant och produktionen är bra och på sången kan man inte höra att David är nära slutet. Kanske påverkar vetskapen om historien och tajmingen kring albumet betyget men jag tycker detta är ganska bra. Inte albumet man går till för hits. Bäst är Lazarus, I cat't gige everything away.

The man wrote his own eulogy

A pleasant surprise.. the instruments on this album go crazy. The album flies by and doesn’t feel like it’s dragging even with its longer tracks. Standout track for me: Dollar Days Least fave: ‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore

For me Bowie is an artist where I really only need the greatest hits. The big songs are amazing, but the rest of it is just fine. This album doesn't really change my opinion. Lazarus and Dollar Days are good but generally while this is a good album it isn't one where I feel the need to hear it again

kind of spacy, jazzy, experimental

Beautiful album rip bowie

Bowie's final(?) album. I like the first half a lot better than the 2nd

David Bowie is a music chameleon who can always make new music styles work for himself. This album has to be his most eclectic one, picking out music from pretty much everywhere. The title track is one of the greatest openers of the past years. That said, I like it but don't really love it. A lot of the tracks are nice, but I don't really love them. It's not an album I really come back to all that often. Also, I found it sounds quite uplifting for an album embracing death.

I love bowie

A parting gift from the Gods.

4.0 stars This album really shines musically, with the jazz band and swirling saxophone giving it a unique, restless energy that I found more compelling than Bowie’s often detached vocals. At times it feels more like Bowie inhabiting a character than speaking directly from the heart. Still, the results are powerful. Favorite tracks: Lazarus, I Can’t Give Everything Away

Still sounds like Bowie, but with modern instrumentation and production, nice. Even if he was still working on other projects, he was definitely considering his mortality, and it comes through nicely.

Spännande musik från Bowies äldre dar, 2026 (69 år?). Intressant lyssning, absolut nåt jag skulle kunna ha på i bakgrunden. Första låten riktigt cool. Men kanske inte så att jag sparar detta album.

When talking about David Bowie’s “Blackstar,” you have to start with the context that Bowie wrote and recorded the album while he had cancer, and that he died two days after its release. Very few artists get to deliberately craft a parting message, and while I heard that Bowie was continuing to write new music even after he finished this album, there’s no denying that this feels like a final statement from a great artist. And what a statement! A fusion of psychedelic rock, jazz, and hard rock. It’s mesmerizing and strange. I love that saxophone that occasionally sounds like it’s being strangled. It adds a ghostliness to the music. Very good album with some spectacular highlights. 4.5

You could assume that artists get to a point in their lives / performing lives when they know they are getting towards the end of working on and releasing art. I really love "Keep Me In Your Heart For A While" by Warren Zevon for this reason, as he was battling lung cancer and decided to write a final song for his loved ones on his final album. Bowie could be seen to some people as a mythical creature that would live forever, and I know a lot of the world was shocked when he passed shortly after the release of this album, but it really makes you think about his aim and direction for these songs. Overall as a singular listening experience I like it; it's got really great instrumentation and arrangements, and the strings, sax, synths, guitars, drums, percussion, are all epic, cool, and a delight to listen to. Breaking it down song by song though, I'm going to go against the grain a bit and say that it's really good, but kind of short of being really great. I don't get to the end of this album and think "oh I can't wait to hear that one song again". I'd have to just start from the top to get the kind of enjoyment out of it that I want. It's definitely an important album, and I see the special-ness of it when looking at his career and what he's accomplished. Even with me picking at it, I think it's a solid 4/5.

I'm not sure that I really know David Bowie, but being that this album was his last gift before returning to wherever he was from, I'm inspired to find out.

Slaps

A fascinating farewell with a quite welcome jazz influence from an iconic, era-defining artist. Unfortunately, not entirely my speed, but I did enjoy it.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background This album will always be fascinating due to its release mere days before Bowie's death.

4.0

Looooove the way this album ends… it’s kind of crazy listening to an album that’s literally an artist’s swan song. And wow wow wow the shift in soundscape from the heavier funky baselines (particularly chef’s kiss in “Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)”) to the sort of ethereal wonder in Dollar Days and I Can’t Give Everything Away (which I love the clean transition between)… waow… it’s beautiful. I listened to the final song like three times in a row and it still didn’t feel like enough. Fitting, I feel. not necessarily always my personal taste but objectively that’s a 4.5/5

Ok, c'est un des meilleurs albums de mort ever.

WOW

I'm not a fan of Bowie, and I don't enjoy production here much, but damn. This is 4th Bowie album for me, and the first one than hit me in the feels and didn't left unimpressed. The way he sings about his upcoming death and using his own demise to create an art statement is gutwreching and heartbreaking. Even if you don't like Bowie, I can't understand how can someone left apathetic to this album.

I didn't think I was gonna like this. Bowie made good stuff at his old age. 👏🏼

I've loved Lazarus

A beautiful farewell from Bowie. RIP Thin White Duke

This is my favorite Bowie album we've had in this project, despite it being one of his newer works (2016). I loved that it was exploratory of modern motifs, similar to Radiohead and a little bit of pop a la Twenty One Pilots. Each song was unique and interesting.

A melancholic and mellow album, a good one.

Hauntingly good.

Striking, haunting, beautiful, extra terrestrial

This album feels like every moment all plays into this jaw dropping, awe inspiring look at the end of the life of the artist. It explores these so incredibly well and does it with some interesting instrumentation, great sax solos, cool vocal performances that play to the strengths of bowie’s voice at this point in his life. I give this a 4/5.

Always feels awkward having to assign a score to Blackstar, and truthfully my opinion on this album has varied significantly over time. It is obviously inseparable from Bowie's death given that it was his swan song production following his 18-month battle with liver cancer. Stylistically it is wholly distinguishable from his other albums because Bowie was such an innovator and sonic chameleon. The drumming and use of haunting syncopations in Blackstar is remniscent of middle-era Radiohead, combined with phantasmal wailing from Bowie, like a call from the grave. It's intentionally a little uncomfortable and so enjoyment of the album is highly mood dependent. I'm not a huge fan of the album because of the aforementioned discomfort, and I'm not even the biggest Bowie fan to begin with. Still, there's a lot of emotion packed into this album and there's a lot to value to the album.

RIP David Bowie

Listened when it came out, but not after. Starts real strong. Very TV on the Radio. Hard to not to associate with his death, stands on its own too. It has been 10 years. 4.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No 48/204 (23%) Will I get: Yes

It’s really hard to disaggregate the album from the death of the man. Taken independent of it, it’s a really strong album that has all the hallmarks of Bowie but does have a more modern edge, and something that preceding albums didn’t really have (the drums on ‘’tis a pity she was a whore’ being a good example) but yet still sounds very distinctly him (the chorus on the title track sounds like his vintage 70s era, ‘I can’t give everything away’ from more of the Berlin era). As an album it’s very good, as a swan song to a career such as his and in doing so adding to mythos of him it’s incredible.

I’m not sure why I never got around to listening to Bowie’s final release but I never did. Today I did and I really am impressed with how creative he was until the very end. What a way to go out , the opener really is a remarkable track. 4 stars

Incredible album. Similar to Leonard Cohen’s last album. Just a true artist till the end. Lazarus is one of my favourites songs period, and his best 21st century song.

This is, without a doubt, still a very good album, but it did get overblown a touch on account of it being David Bowie's swan song.

A good album, I liked I Can't Give Everything Away the most.

Not a Bowie fan, so haven't really followed his career (post 'Major Tom' era) or heard this album before. First few sounds from track 1 I knew it was going to be an interesting ride; real depth in the mix, like 3D over 2D, or seeing something in colour versus in black and white. Unusual rhythms in the opening percussion, teasing the trip-hop/electronic layers alongside live drums, jazz fusion. Cool. I'm not a fan of Bowie's 'wobbly' vocal, which is present in the kind of psalm like versus of the opening track 'Blackstar', but thankfully not as noticeable in the latter tracks - maybe I was just tuned into the more instrumental aspects of the album on this listen. I think this 1001 list is testing my prior commitment to a dislike of saxaphones. It turns out it's not all saxaphones, and there is tolerable sax, and even some sax I quite like. This is bordering on tolerable plus. Also made the false assumption that, being a legacy album, this would be reeeaaallly long through fear of missing anything out, but it's a good and manageable 40 minutes, particularly when there is so much to listen to (it's not easy at times) and may otherwise be fatiguing. Feel it gets really good in the middle. Thought 'Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)' would be my favourite, before the groove in 'Girl Loves Me' blows it out of the water. Yeah. Lots of good tracks on here, will definitely be spending more time with it. Don't like everything equally, therefore it's gonna be a 4. Total number of tracks: 7 Fave track: 4: Girl Loves Me. Others: 2: Sue (Or in a Season of Crime). 1: Blackstar 12/02/26

4.5!!

Not what I expected, but I’m only familiar with 70’s Bowie. It was a bit weird but I liked it more than I expected. Worth another listen.

Blackstar ‘Tis a Pity she Was a Whore Lazarus Girl Loves Me Dollar Days I Can’t Give Everything Away

Blackstar Lazarus Sue (Or In a Season of Crime) Girl Loves Me I Can’t Give Everything Away

Listening to the record when I was younger I didn’t like it, but too strange and weird for me at the time. Now I’m older I really appreciate this record, it’s tilted, unconventional style, bowies signature speak sing voice, the repetition carries some emotionality. I loved all the different elements, the synths particularly. Each song is unique and interesting. The grandiose almost operatic air at times was nice. Definitely to my taste. Really enjoyed this record. 4.5