Blackstar

Masterpiece

Top 3 Bowie!!

see ya later space cowboy

not what he used to be, 4 (black) stars

🫨 What the fuck happened here!?

I really like Bowie… I had “changesonebowie” a greatest hits that I played the life out of it! I also owned and loved -Ziggy Stardust, Alladain Sane, Diamon Dogs, Young Americans, even had Let’s Dance… but this album, though courageous to make, (he was dying of cancer) is not a great example of his catalog. For someone who doesn’t know Bowie this would be a bad introduction to his work. I give the album 3 STARS but he has many albums better than this that I hope are on this list

A strange, dark, important record. I wouldn't call it easy - there are jarring, dissonant patches and odd harmonic choices - but it truly sounds like nobody else. The kind of album that doesn't make sense when you're young, but grows increasingly relevant on the march to death. Some acts seem to have had 'whatever is the most recent album' added to these lists. I see no interest in late period work by most musicians, but this is incredible and stark. Definite 5

I can’t do prime Bowie and I certainly can’t do end of his life Bowie. I did not like this, I couldn’t get into it at all. There’s the added weight of the proximity of this albums release and his death but that’s the only thing that makes this album relevant. If this was his 3rd or 4th last album, no one would care that much.

I’ll be honest, I was not a fan of this album overall. I love David Bowie, but this album was a bit too industrial for the era it was released in. There were some interesting mixes of jazz and pop, and it wasn’t bad, per se, I just didn’t connect to it as I have with other albums of his.

My journey through the 9 albums David Bowie has on this list begins at the very end. After 20 plus albums over his career I can respect Bowie for experimenting on this album (I'd also be shocked if after that long of a career he didnt experiment in some way). While I didn't dislike the experiments (as some other reviewers seem to) I didn't like it enough to give it anything more than a 3/5.

Something did happen on the day he died. I screamed like a baby. If it needs justification at all, I’d played a handful of Bowie songs on guitar at my mother’s deathbed the day before. She wasn’t yet gone – she had another ten days - but she was living the end of her life as pleasurably as she could amid the excruciating pain and her strength and consciousness slipping away. She had given me my first Bowie record when I was fourteen, though we’d listened to him in the car for years, especially on those long drives to the hospice when my grandfather was dying two decades earlier. Bowie has always been tied, for me, to grief and dying - and, by extension, to love and living. The surprise release of Blackstar allowed me to briefly share the idea of Bowie’s new work with my mother. But when he died so soon after, we agreed she didn’t need to hear it. If we could only fit a thousand and one albums into her last ten days, she didn’t need something new - certainly not one of her favourite artists confronting the thing she herself was approaching. She was content with the music that had brought her happiness during the five short decades she had on earth. People call Blackstar a grand final statement, but that misreads Bowie’s nature. Sue and ’Tis a Pity She Was a Whore were older pieces tied to another project. The return of Major Tom didn’t feel like a revelation; he had always been part of Bowie’s orbit, a ghost in the system. Bowie had already begun handling the legacy on his previous record, and the Nadsat of Girl Loves Me was simply another of his recurring fascinations. Even Dollar Days, written in the studio, struck me as playful rather than portentous. Bowie rarely said anything definitive, and he wasn’t about to start. Lazarus interests me far more. It was the title song from the musical he wrote with Enda Walsh, which closed its first run at almost the same moment my mother died - within a few hours. Of the four new songs he wrote for the show, it was the only one he carried across to Blackstar. I don’t know why. But it feels like the more searching piece, Bowie revisiting his own mythology through the figure of Thomas Newton and finding something unsettling there. Unlike Blackstar, the show received mixed reviews. Bowie had always been a flawed architect of concept albums anyway. His planned musical of 1984 was never produced. 1.Outside remains gloriously confusing. Even Ziggy Stardust abandons its narrative almost as quickly as Sgt. Pepper. And thank goodness: It Ain’t Easy does more for the record than any plot device could. These failures aren’t incidental: they’re intrinsic. Bowie’s form of invention was incompatible with totalities. His art emerged from excess, leakage, overspill - from the impossibility of containing all his personae within any stable frame. He was part of that generation of art-school musicians who treated popular music as the quickest route to a public imagination. He loved music, but also recognised it as the last mass-cultural space where experimental aesthetics could intervene in everyday life. It was a place to share ideas that could never have found a home in more formal disciplines. He wasn’t a novelist. His paintings were respectable. He was more a star than an actor. But in the interplay of albums, sleeves, performances and videos, he found a gallery for ideas that ranged from the profound to the ludicrous, sometimes in the space of a single track. It’s telling to compare his first and final on-screen appearances. His screen debut, in the 1967 student horror film The Image, shows an artist tormented by a painting come to life - played, of course, by Bowie. In the video for Lazarus, Bowie, dressed in the Kabbalistic imagery of his mid-70s persona, writes frantically. When he runs out of parchment, he writes on the table, then down the table leg, and on. There is never enough space to capture everything. The beginning and the end share the same insight: creation was both his torment and his great animating force. To imagine Blackstar as a final statement is to succumb to a fantasy of closure that Bowie’s entire career repudiates. He didn’t make final statements. Nothing he did was final. He revised himself constantly. He contradicted his own mythologies. He had a decade of silence before The Next Day, and it suited him, but even that felt provisional. Dying forced him into new shapes he might never have adopted otherwise. It was a meeting of compulsion and inevitability, and the work emerged from that tension. It was death, not intention, that made Blackstar the last word. Had he lived, Bowie might have dismissed it or replaced it, and the critics would have obliged. But he didn’t live, and the album became a vessel for our need to find meaning in endings. I struggle to hear it outside that context. And I cannot view it without personal history interjecting: for me, it contains moments of brilliance, moments of silliness, and a great deal of confusion. But I am no better equipped to face death from Blackstar’s insights than I am from the Labyrinth soundtrack - except that Blackstar is, on the whole, the better record. It is not Mozart’s Requiem. But it is the record by - possibly - my favourite artist that was released just as he and my mother died. And that means something. Perhaps too much. My mother’s choices to face down death - Starman, Sorrow, The Prettiest Star - brought her comfort simply by existing, not by offering instruction. Let all the children boogie: words to live by, surely. I’m unsure whether artists are answering a calling or nursing an affliction, but what they produce lets us feel things we might never access otherwise. So when I cried at Bowie’s death, I was crying for my mother. It hardly needs explanation. She died relatively young; he was respectably old. When I think about my own ending, I wonder which model I’ll follow: Bowie’s anxious compulsion or my mother’s remarkable ease. Bowie achieved more; my mother was content with less. I believe she would have liked Blackstar, though I doubt she would have replayed it. Blackstar is only seven tracks, and none of them are built to carry the weight we place on them. Yet Bowie’s achievement with this final album was to remind us that it is the spirit of creation, rather than any specific creation, that is the meaning of an artist’s life. 3.5 It is nearly impossible to listen to Blackstar and not think about death the whole time. And yet we know that for a couple of days after this album was released this feat was entirely possible. Like most people, I missed that window and by the time I sat down with the album every bar and syllable of it was slathered in one unifying ‘meaning’ imposed from up there, in Heaven. Blackstar had drama that couldn’t be stolen. Still, I have my suspicions that in those first two days I would have found less of a gulf in quality between Blackstar and, let’s say, Reality. Reality has both the (apparently ‘defiant’) energy of Blackstar and as much (possibly more) lyrical material that can support morbid close-readings. Yet Reality is more or less forgotten, while Blackstar is venerated - particularly by young people I have noticed in recent years. Listening again this weekend, I can’t help thinking that between the absorbingly odd title track and the lovely closer ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’, Blackstar mostly gets by on supplying ‘vibes’ while the listener is unable to draw their critical attention from the limitlessly dramatic notion of Bowie’s confrontation with untimely death. There is neither much structure, nor lyrical heft to stuff like ‘Tis Pity or Sue or Girl Loves Me. Drums go round and round. Portentous riffs go round and round. Saxophones tootle. Surely this is not Bowie’s best work by a long shot. In any case, all was transmogrified by the near-simultaneous release of Bowie’s spirit along with his final music. The album begins and ends memorably (and with sublime poignancy in the musical recall of A New Career..). It has an identity. If it should happen to falter in the middle, well…how did I rate Young Americans? 3/5

Really boring to be honest.

I swear Bowie is the most inconsistent guy ever

Blimey, that was good!

I didn’t like. I tried. Sorry Mr. Bowie.

I remember when this came out, it just didn't click for me then. But now, it's exactly what I want. It's fabulous and I'm a dufus for not liking it before now.

There are too many Bowie records on this list. I'd pare it down to 3, but keep this one. Even putting aside the timing of his death... I just feel like I'm listening to music from another planet, like what an alien thinks rock music sounds like. A true treat.

Full of intriguing symbolism and metaphors about Bowie's life and death, making this album an interesting listen that probably needs to be separated from its musical value to be really appreciated. That being said, I only enjoyed Dollar Days and I Can't Give Everything Away because they were more upbeat and didn't carry the same haunting, slow sounds that the rest of the tracks featured.

Bowie being utterly brilliant right to his bitter end.

Have been aware of this album but never listened. It didn't have as big of an impact on me as it had on others, but I have to commend Bowie for going out on such a high note. He really didn't want to put out something run of the mill and successfully made it fully interesting and even experimental up until his very last moments alive. It's a good album, and weight of his death aside, that's a great accomplishment.

I’m still discovering new things on this album.

I love this album so much. I vividly remember listening to this for the first time a couple days before Bowie died. Little did I know what was about to happen. Although in hindsight this album is the perfect farewell. And, apropos of Bowie, very different from anything he’d done. Leave it to David Bowie to put out a jazz art rock album then die two days later. I was so excited about the new direction he was taking and I don’t hesitate to call Bowie the preeminent musical genius of our time. This album sums up what he was as an artist and what he wanted his legacy to be. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s heartbreaking and wonderful. 5/5

It's ok. Nothing really interesting but nothing offensive either. Best song: Girl Loves Me

When David Bowie passed away, I wasn't really a big fan of all of his music. I had listened to Ziggy Stardust a bunch, and that's still one of my favorite all time albums, but I didn't really know much outside of that album and one or two others. A few years after he had passed away, I decided to listen to all of his albums as they had released. I finished with this album blackstar as it was obvious the last he ever put out while alive. I have it a 5 back then, I can't say I feel the same now purely on the basis of the music alone, but it's still a 5 in my heart. I think that a lot of the album blends together in a good way, but still in a way that works well for what he was going for when he was putting the album together. It's a really strong 8, maybe leaning toward a 9. It's very much an essential Bowie album, but after listening for the second time, I wouldn't put it in the absolutely essential albums that I would recommend if that makes sense. It's still is great, and should be appreciated for what it artistically represents as far as the career of one of the best to ever do it goes

A bit tedious and difficult.

Somehow sounds like a Bowie album and nothing like a Bowie album at the same time

I wanted to give Bowie the benefit of the doubt, but none of this felt special to me. Not terrible, but it just didn’t resonate

Straight walk off

I think this probably only makes the list because it came out a couple days before Bowie died. It is an interesting fusion of jazz and drum and bass, but it's far from Bowie at his peak.

Nice! A 4? It’s growing on me. Or a 3.

Avant-garde, jazzy, musical. Bowie’s voice sounds like it was made for this setting. What an amazing way to end a brilliant career! “I Can't Give Everything Away” is top-, top-notch.

This album was released unexpectedly. Despite the many hints within the album (for example, David Bowie himself was always pictured on the cover, and now there was a death star on the cover), no one anticipated that David Bowie would die a few days later. This made the album especially impactful.

It was okay. I liked the brass instruments but I don't love Bowie.

Title track is far too long and not very good. Everything else is pretty good

he really went sicko mode on this one

Blackstar is the most unique Bowie album. It's certainly the most unique sound in his work it's a much more jazz-style album and fits very much within avant-garde styles of music, with lush harmonics and dark, unsettling tones. The album shows that Bowie hadn't lost any of his creativity or his curious approach to music and art. The lyrics are haunting and soul wrenching, with lines like the repeated "Where the fuck did Monday go?" and "I'm dying to". The album is someone coming to terms with their own mortality, and there is something quite Terry Pratchett like in Bowie's view of death. The album reaches its emotional peak in Lazarus. Which when I watched the video for the first time a few days after his death. It had me in tears but at the same time gave me a huge smile, and it still makes me well up whenever I listen to it now. To me, each song seems to be tackling a different stage of grief feeling disorientated in Blackstar, feelings of anger in Sue and Tis a Pity..., depression and self-reflection in Lazarus and Girl Loves Me, And finally, acceptance in Dollar Days and I Can't Give Eveything Away. It's a very special album to any Bowie fan. He was one of the most unique individuals in music, driven by a need to create art. Not everything he made was good, some of his work is terrible (his weird 80s–90s period). It is simply a perfect goodbye.

This might make me a normie but I prefer Bowie's earlier stuff to this. It was still pretty good though

Didn’t like it

Very dark and eerie album aesthetics. The drums and saxophone shined the most through the large array of accompaniment throughout. Bowie’s vocals show age, but used to unique interpolations across the album. ‘Lazarus’ was a standout for sure, but not an album i’ll be revisiting to top to bottom anytime soon.

OK, but not my favorite.

Dark, haunting and beautiful.

Not a favourite of mine

over

1. ★ - 4 The song is really three parts. It's very slow and melodic at the start. The beat of the drums and pace of the vocals seem completely out of sync of each other during this part before a second part that sounds a lot like a more classi David Bowie track takes over. This second part is very good and quite enjoyable before the track returns for a final part where there's a return to the slow and melodic. The slow parts are really unenjoyable. 2. 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore - 5 Lyrically it's fine. I could do without the really breathy part at the beginning of the track. Instrumentally it's just a bit too all over the place. 3. Lazarus - 11 Art. Phenomenal track with incredible lyrics and vocals. Given this was Bowie's last ever single before he passed, this is an absolutely stunning track. Easily one of his greatest all time tracks. Instrumentally it's incredible. The sax is the star of the show but the guitar strums add so much to the mood and theme. 4. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) - 6 Instrumentally very very good. Lyrically it comes and goes in quality at times but is overall a decent track/ 5. Girl Loves Me - 5 The middle part of the song is very enjoyable but the intro and the beginning verse are very hard to listen to. The second verse is not much better but the rest of the track is enjoyable. Instrumentally it's very good and it paces itself very well after the second verse. 6. Dollar Days - 7 Instrumentally it's very good but vocally it's brilliant. The lyrics are superb and it's another homage from David Bowie about, at the time, his rapidly approaching passing much like that in the style of Lazarus. The sax on the track sounds excellent and it a brilliant way to bridge the two lyrical parts of the track before coming back in for the bridge and outro. 7. I Can't Give Everything Away - 8 Brilliant instrumentally. The synth, the drums, the sax, the strings all work perfectly in tandem with each other to produce an excellent track. Lyrically the verses are very good while the chorus is just one line endlessly repeated. Overall, a superb ending track. Average Rating: 6.57 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 3.29 Rounded Down: 3 Stars

Best ever

Not a great album this if I’m honest. Lazarus is a decent Bowie track but the whole album is decidedly average in my opinion. Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust remain all time classics that he was never gable to replicate unfortunately

Enjoyed it!

A beautiful swansong. Minimalist but brilliant music spread throughout the relatively short final set of songs from the master. I Can't Give Everything Away would probably go on my Desert Island Discs, what an amazing song.

Tough call. In each of these songs, there's a lot going on - they certainly have breadth and depth (perhaps moreso than on other latter-day Bowie records like *The Next Day*). It's reminiscent of records like *Station To Station* in its mix of the experimental and the familiar, and also in that he gives the songs room to stretch out. However, there isn't anything here that really rises to the level of compelling. It's a work that's more admirable than absorbing.

In his final days David Bowie created one of his finest works of art. The lyrics ooze humor and charm. The jazzy instrumentation creates a haunting atmosphere. Just a perfect final chapter. The GOAT.

Imagine turning your impending death into an artistic project? Bowie did, and it is incredible. Mine would probably just be a video of me curled into the fetal position screaming "I want to live!"

Bowie but more conceptual.

I'm sorry, but I really don't fuck with "old man Bowie" voice.

Absolutely fabulous

Yes

wdym when this happened right in the middle of my long term existential crisis. Maybe I’ll leave it until it’s 10th anniversary next year. Really insane to think that Bowie have already left us for 10 years. Everything seems to get worse after he died. -content below written on 2026/1/8- so finally listening to it on the 10th anniversary and it blown me away. i am not a person to commonly shred a tear but its so emotional. rip david, we miss you. 5/5

Def a little crazy but a couple songs I enjoyed in there, nowhere near as good as some of his other stuff but i love the album cover

Never heard this one before since it’s a newer release. Would give it a 3.5, overall a fun ride.

Album 52/1001 💀 ⚰️👨‍🎤 ⚰️ 💀 Favourite lyrics: GIRL LOVES ME* "Cheena so sound, so titty up this Malchick, say Party up moodge, nanti vellocet round on Tuesday Real bad dizzy snatch, making all the omies mad, Thursday Popo blind to the polly in the hole by Friday Where the fuck did Monday go?" "You viddy at the cheena Choodesny with the red rot Libbilubbing litso-fitso Devotchka watch her garbles Spatchko at the rozz-shop Split a ded from his deng, deng Viddy, viddy at the cheena" *The lyrics to this song are a mix of: • Nadsat (a fictional register or argot used by the teenage gang members in Anthony Burgess' dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange. Burgess was a linguist and he used this background to depict his characters as speaking a form of Russian-influenced English) & • Polari -(a secret slang language with a history as a coded form of communication primarily used by gay men in the UK when homosexuality was illegal. It draws from a mix of sources, including Italian, Romany, Yiddish, and Cockney rhyming slang, and was used for secrecy, social bonding, and as a form of humor) Favourite song: Lazarus ☁️🗽🐦⚰️ (also one of the greatest, and eeriest, videos of all time) Honourable mention: Dollar Days 💲🗓 Blackstar ☆ Girl Loves Me 👩‍🎤❤️👨‍🎤 I Can't Give Everything Away 💀👞 4½ / 5

Rest in peace, Bowie, you are a legend. This album is phenomenal, his aged voice is so rich and adds great texture to the whole album. You can hear how much effort it was taking to sing compared to when he was young - he sounds pretty tired throughout and his (with love) old person vibrato is really pronounced, but he makes it work really well with the sound of the album. The instrumentals are so good. Epic fun fact from wikipedia: "Bowie took inspiration from artists including Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips." Makes a lot of sense. And makes sense the band he used is all local jazz musicians, they are very skilled and do so many interesting lines and textures. Crazy this is his *twenty-sixth* album! Goddamn, I Can't Give Everything Away is so incredible. Anyway this is one of my favorite albums. Maybe someday I'll pay attention to the lyrics a little bit :D

If there is a time that calls for self-indulgence, it's when you are one of the most famous musicians of all time and you are about to die. I thought this album was genuinely beautiful. Lazarus and I Can't Give Everything Away are just plain good songs. Maybe not the most revolutionary piece of music, but an album that did speak to me.

I like Bowie, but this was even weird for him. Saxophone was nice. Some interesting lyrics, but like others have said probably wouldn’t have been remembered if it wasn’t the fact it was the last album before he died.

too much bowie. i respect the album for wht it is but do not particularly like it

It was a difficult listen. Not for me.

Particularly liked "Lazarus" and "(star)." Dunno how much I'll revisit this, but I enjoyed the listen.

When it works, it's amazing, but I found many of these tracks to be too repetitive, and a few of the effects to be more grating than seems intended.

Leave me alone It's a 5

A statement like this is the kind of thing that gets a person piled-upon on social media, but this is my favourite David Bowie album. Every song is fantastic, and Donny McCaslin's playing is the perfect addition. RIP to one of the greatest.

Album is the epitome of "too weird to live; too beautiful to die". Lazarus and Dollar Days make me want to weep and weep and weep, whereas the rest of the album is a saxophonical cacophony of echoes and warbling. ★ out of ten for the man and the legacy. (and a high 7 for this album)

Gut - automatische spotify vorschläge danach aber leider besser!

Each song leaves me with a groove, a thought and an emotion.

Bowie was a legend, but this album is just... bland. Nothing really stands out. Its OK, but after listening I can't recall one singular song.

November 8, 2025 Album #798: Blackstar (stylized as ★) by David Bowie Genre: Art Rock, Jazz Rock, Experimental Jazz, Experimental Rock So I’ve finally gotten to it. David Bowie’s final album before his death, Blackstar, was a little bit of a tough listen for me. Bowie passed two days after this album was released from liver cancer, and it’ll forever be engrained with this album. I greatly respect Bowie, and I wish I did more when he was alive, so this album stirred up some emotion for me. Bowie looks back and comes face to face with death on full display with this album, with allusions to and themes of mortality being present throughout the record. The title track and opener is a ten minute epic that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Bowie feels like an enigma here with his sorrowful vocals and its memorable chorus. However, after the more energetic *’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore*, Bowie really shines on the stunning and emotionally resonant *Lazarus*. The themes of mortality are obvious here, and that it can make the song very emotional. The macabre lyricism here reflects those themes so well. It’s a foreboding song that’s just stellar. After the erratic *Sue (Or In A Season of Crime)* and the disjointed *Girl Loves Me*, we get the sentimental *Dollar Days* and its fantastic morbid lyricism. The final track here, *I Can’t Give Everything Away*, feels like a swan song from Bowie, and that term really sums this album up as a whole. Bowie was a genius right up until his death. This album is one of the best of the 2010s, I cannot reccomend it enough. Rest in peace David Bowie. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Strong 9 to a 10 Favorite Tracks: ★, ‘‘Tis A Pity She Was A Whore, Lazarus, Sue (Or In A Season of Crime), Girl Loves Me, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Everything Away

Sometimes its best to not let senior citizens create music. There was some very talented musicians on this album that Bowie apparently couldn’t hear or just decided to do his own thing. It felt like two separate recording sessions for the music and then the vocals. He was so constantly off beat from the music that it was just jarring to hear. 4/10

Tikrai nėra vienas geriausių Bowio albumų ir nereikia meluoti. Per antrą dainą labai nemaloniai šnarpščioja į ausis.

Lidt for meget trut. Men Bowies stemme er rar at have i ørerne.

I guess this was an unfinished album. I remember vividly when Blackstar was released and when Bowie died. That song is epic and incredible. This album is great but I'm assuming he needed more time to finish it to his liking. I like it, but it's not quite a 5.

Hmm à la première écoute j'ai eu du mal à accrocher au côté assez expérimental (le délire jazzy un peu psychadélique / cacophonique avec des influences électro - rnb), mêlé à cette voix chevronnante qui signe bien cet album fin de carrière / fin de vie. Ça faisait beaucoup d'infos et quelque chose d'assez macabre et très entêtant qui m'échappait un peu ; mais à la deuxième écoute j'ai beaucoup plus apprécié la composition instrumentale et l'atmosphère. J'ai pris du plaisir avec les mélodies, les rythmiques et même le chant sur plusieurs titres. Un bon 3,5 pour saluer l'originalité et la recherche, qui donnent un résultat vraiment intéressant et étonnamment apaisant une fois qu'on rentre dedans.

Un album sur lequel je suis vraiment partagée: ça aurait été un 4,5 pour moi s’il avait été purement instrumental. La voix un peu suppliante ruine les sons (sorry not sorry), malgré de très bonnes paroles. I Can’t Give Everything Away et Dollar Days sont les deux morceaux que j’ai réécouté une bonne dizaine de fois (sans exagérer) pour essayer de passer outre le problème de timbre. La mélodie très légère vers la fin, un peu féérique limite m’a vraiment surprise—et je dois dire que je suis assez fan. Par contre le décalage entre ces deux morceaux et les autres sons est assez impressionnant (par exemple Girl Loves Me, des paroles qui pour moi ont très mal vieillies, encore une fois sans voix ça aurait été parfait parce que l’instru est assez intéressante avec des changements de tempo et un rythme haché qui laisse plus de place aux effets de structure du son). Et petite mention pour le titre du tout premier son hehe. Bref ça sera un 3,4 arrondi en-dessous pour moi.

It was good but slipped into the background often. 2 outta 5

To call a Bowie album a bit weird could be considered to be stating the obvious. This one was weird in a way I wasn't expecting and didn't particularly enjoy. The songs felt very meandering and somewhat I cohesive. The first couple were oddly long too. Not a fan.

This could be a five star album for me on further listens. Bowie’s voice is ominous and otherworldly, and the freestyle avant-garde jazz is disconcerting. And the context that Bowie started writing this when he was diagnosed with cancer, and only lived a few days past its release, adds another level to baleful atmosphere - reminding me of Mozart’s Requiem and the fact Mozart believed he was writing it for his own death. I think the AllMusic review says it best: “it is music for the dead of night but not moments of desolation; it's created for the moment when reflection can't be avoided”.

What an amazing story behind this album ❤️ Bowie was the best, the most talented the cleverest and funniest. Faced death with strength and determination and gave us this beautiful gift.

It's impossible to review this album without considering its context. I can understand why people who aren't well versed in his music would be underwhelmed by it. Musically, it's far from my favorite Bowie record, but it is quite good. It's interesting to hear him draw from contemporary sounds. Love the callbacks to Station To Station in the title track, and Low in the closer. It's also intriguing that he came back to the occult themes that were present in his late 70s output. When you view it as a bookend to an incredible career, and a piece that is actively in conversation with his earlier work, it's hard to call it anything other than a masterpiece.

Man I miss this guy. Really good and it ended up being his swan song. There is a lot of beauty in this. He always exuded confidence. It’s hard to imagine him being frail and vulnerable.

anyone who says they like this is lying ZERO! STARS!

I've seen this album around for years, but always shrugged it off and assumed it was overrated because of the circumstances surrounding its release. I was very wrong. Bowie takes real artistic risks here, diving headfirst into an art rock record infused with modern jazz and electronic undertones. The sonic landscape is intense and lush, driven by outstanding, razor-sharp drums and bass with incredible rhythmic interplay. The saxophone work is phenomenal, cutting through the mix at exactly the right moments. It all comes together as a powerful farewell and artistic statement, with Bowie exploring mortality and legacy in a way that feels deeply rewarding rather than sentimental. --- My favorite “reviews” on this site are always the edgelords who mistake cynicism for insight. They can’t even explain what they actually dislike about the album, they just spew vague pseudo-skepticism. I'm not surprised this didn't land for them when the music actually demands something from the listener. God forbid. Mind you, these are the same people who hate Pink Floyd because they get angry when a song “isn’t structured like a song.” Hilarious. Best song: Lazarus / I Can't Give Everything Away Worst song: Girl Loves Me Cover check: ★

Best Track - "Lazarus"

So close to a 5. Love many of the songs but Sue

Absolute gold

Ska vara helt ärlig: jag älskar Bowie, men har väldigt svårt för den experimentella jazz-delen i detta album. Han sjunger rent ut dåligt i vissa delar. Inte alls lika bra jämfört med hans tidigare album. Albumet har trots det en speciell plats i mitt hjärta eftersom det är Bowies avskedsgåva till världen, och albumet har gjort ett otroligt starkt avtryck. Detta förmildrar dock inte slutbetyget. Blackstar är inte något jag frivilligt skulle lyssna på för att hag njuter av albumet rent musikaliskt. Pluspoäng för Lazarus.

Wanted to like it bc of the rave reviews and bc it’s DAVID BOWIE but just wasn’t for me.

So beautiful. Don’t love every song but “I can’t give everything away” is a 5 on its own. I love you, David Bowie.

A wonderful gift from someone that is facing the inevitable. Thank you.

Another record that I cant be objective with. Its a record that means too much to me. I liked Bowie before this but I wouldn't have said I was a massive fan but when he died and put this out I really got it. Its a goodbye to everyone. And that hits like a semi truck. At the time I was going through a change in life and it felt like that part of my life had also passed away. It came at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed. Its been almost a decade since he passed, cant belive it, but it fell out of my everyday listening and this is the first time ive heard it since. I never forgot but it also wasn't in thr forefront of my mind anymore. This was nice to come back to. Its still very sad but also it give me some hope. And thats what music can do sometimes. Sometimes its just music and sometimes its much more than that.

Bowie looked death in the eyes and said "Let's make art together!"

David Bowie always sends me for a trip I didn't ask for 🙂

How many David Bowie albums is too many?

nice and jazzy

#164/1001. I've had a few familiar DB albums here before, and will probably have a few more later. I don't know why, but the classics I had to review for me sounded nowadays fake and too theatrical. And theatrical is again a key word here, but fake? No way. Fragile and weird perhaps, the songs and the blackstar video kind of convinces is that David Bowie's overtheatricality is not fake acting, that's who he is (was). The album is at times aged and uses sounds and instruments which are not in any way current - even sounding at times like they are from a wrong era - but still there is an interesting mystic atmosphere fluttering around. As a final word, a manifesto some parts of the album make sense, then again it has some out of the context diibadaaba songs, which I guess he wanted to include since this would be the last shot. I mean, (gangsta rap aside) how many living musicians would get away with a song title such as "'tis a pity she was a whore?" But yes, this album did speak to me, like a Greek drama. But would I want to watch /listen to the same drama again and again? But suddenly this was raised high in my Bowie album lists.

Hell of a way to go out

Meh. Kinda weird

ну ваще нет ((( я не понимаю АБСОЛЮТНО почему столько его альбомов здесь в списке

Was it the effort of pushing this constipated turd out that killed David Bowie in the end? Sorry. In poor taste. I hate this album.

I was solidly whelmed by this. It just sounds like a lot of noise, and not even good noise.

Blackstar

Pushing boundaries and blowing minds right to the end.

might be his best!

Meh

Quite a hard listen. Apparently owes something to Kendrick. He sounds very strung out until the end. The last track drifts out with a sad dreamy mantra.

I came in thinking this album would be here because Bowie died two days later. In a sense, I was right, but what an album. Thematically it is incredible, talking about death and the place of the author in history. Musically it is Bowie meets Radiohead in a way, and it sounds tired in an interesting way. You have earned your rest Bowie, thank you.

I know this was his final album before his death, but this album was brutal. It was cold and cryptic. It was draining to listen to.

Could not get into it

I've really enjoyed the Bowie experience on this album journey. I don't get this one. I really don't think it would be as acclaimed if he didn't pass away two days later. The back half was much more tolerable, specifically 'Girl Loves Me'

Death is a tough subject. Shout out Frank who loves Death. Very impressed with this and as is often the case with Art Rock, will need more time to digest. Tis a Pity She Was a Whore was a highlight. Two whores in one review! Horns and drums also stood out. If it wasn’t Bowie I may go 3, but it is.

I love Bowie. One of my favorite artists of all time. But, like Prince, I think his unique genius was spurred by wanting to fuck everybody. Once he got old and mellowed out, he became kind of pedestrian. This seems to be the case with 'genius' musicians (bob dylan, bruce springsteen, bowie, paul mccartney) more than any other type of artist. There's nothing wrong with this album, it's just not that compelling. I find that to be the case with most art where 'DEATH' broadly is the theme. Unless you've died and come back from the dead, there's just not much you can say about it that hasn't been said a billion times before, especially if the tone you're taking is one of the obvious choices (mournful, fearful, regretful, spiritual). Maybe when I'm about to die I'll feel more interested in this album. For now, life is for the living.

This is a dense, dark and difficult album to appreciate. I don't think im alone here. If I had to pick something out, it would be Dollar Days (~Bowies attempt at hip hop) Honestly, I had more interest reading the wiki than hearing these tunes. Kind of amazed to hear how he kept his cancer a secret and kept his focus on the project and creating a tight band. Sorry David. I just didnt get it. 2.5 stars

Looking forward to Frank's take on this. Can't recall if you're a fan of recent Bowie or not. It's kind of impossible to rate this album outside of the context of its release. I heard this album when it came out and didn't really get it - it's clicking more for me this time through. The re-listen value is still pretty low, but headphones in at a high volume, the layers and production are perfect. Every song and note is in its place - even if the end result is super dark - this feels like only album he could and should have released in this moment. I love that the final track "I Can't Give Everything Away" feels kind of celebratory, like after contemplating for 6 tracks, he's just totally letting go. Such a complete album. Coolest fact I found about this album is that the title track was likely inspired by an Elvis track by the same name - and that Bowie and Elvis share a birthday. Sidenote that Girl Loves Me sounds so much like a TV on the Radio song.

Man what an artist he was

Hard to say whether this is among Bowie’s best, because he made so many great albums. But this is excellent.

Oddly this is the album that really got me into David Bowie and his full catalog. I knew all the hits, but Blackstar really got my attention right before he passed away. This one is always in my top three Bowie albums.

Idk not a fan. Still mad respect for getting an album on here 50 years after his first one

Liked it. Thought the history made it more interesting. Not like, a favorite, but I threw it on the list. Definitely feels like it was written by a man who knew he was dying, and that's kinda beautiful.

I treasure this album and what it represents. Beautiful, tragic, stark.

Beautiful, love the jazz elements. Last song moved me to tears, sounds like somebody actively dying and coming to terms with their death, which I guess it was.

One of the greatest albums

Дэвид Дэвид....мы скучаем( сейчас альбом поняла кажется лучше, чем когда слушала его в первый раз. хорош, да

It was fine

Weird and crazy but I like this more than I thought. Still love classic Bowie more

Not classic Bowie for me - but incredibly powerful given what David was going through at the time.

Dark. Bowie has changed a lot over the years, and done other experimental albums. Guess this is on the list because this was his last and he knew this was his last. Fair play to him. Don't like the music much, but there are some poignant lyrics given the timing. Bonus points for being Bowie and the significance of the album.

David, bewundere ihn und seine Relevanz aber irgendwie hat die Musik nich geklickt? c

Didn't like it as too dark.

Greatest final album a musician has ever put our?

Surprisingly good and a bit „Radioheadish“. Angenehme Länge, abwechslungsreich.

4/1001 не для меня исполнитель слишком абстрактно, манера исполнения не нравится, хотя инструменталы хорошие можно подумать что слушаешь какую-то искаженную молитву примечательно: blackstar, girl loves me

голос неприятный, но треки звучат интересно, местами как то стремно. несвязное звучание инструментов если честно невыносимое. весь альбом будто гениальный и пиздоватый одновременно. а если еще и в текста вслушиваться это просто пиздец. под конец уже тошнить начало будто в секте побывала какой то

This is the second David Bowie Album i got

El contexto de este album lo dota de una sentimentalidad aún mayor a lo que habrá querido expresar Bowie en sus últimos días, en canciones de 10 minutos con mucha instrumentalidad experimental que solo se hacen características a Bowie por sus vocales inconfundibles. Me gusta curtirme en este ámbito porque no se si me hubiera puesto voluntariamente a escuchar algo de 2016 de este hombre. No es algo que escucharía en mi día a día ya que es una escucha bastante densa y recargada, pero todos mis respetos. Este si que es un esencial, una pieza de historia musical. Favs: Blackstar, Lazarus, I Can't Give Everything Away.

Primera canción y ya me estoy emocionando. Si alguien tenía que hacer un testamento/carta de despedida en forma de album ese era Bowie. Las tres o cuatro que te sacuden con la instrumental constante y letras devastadoras son todo un viaje, gut-wrenching como dicen los anglos. Lo difícil que es inventar cosas nuevas en música y este señor no hizo otra cosa en toda su carrera. Ganas de que salgan otras muchas joyas suyas en la lista. Favs: Blackstar, Lazarus, Dollar Days D.E.P. </3

Pues mi primerito álbum de Bowie (no me peguéis!!) a excepción de Outside que quiero escucharlo de nuevo. Me dice AOTY que hay UNOS 25 ÁLBUMES DE ESTE HOMBRE. Y resulta que este es el último de su discografía. Eso lo sabía, y la verdad es que sin haber escuchado el resto, más allá de algunas canciones aquí y allá, es difícil juzgar este álbum dentro de un contexto autoral, así que me limito a analizarlo desde el POV de listener casual. Así a bote pronto, Lazarus es una de las mejores canciones que he escuchado en mi vida. Suena honesta y desgarradora a partes iguales, y me parece la highlight del álbum. Aún así, las otras seis canciones no están exentas de genialidad, y aunque algunas me gustan menos que otras (no soy muy fan de Girl Loves Me), hay algo en la variedad musical que lo convierte en una escucha interesante en todo momento. Creo que la creatividad conceptual de Bowie es lo que más me va a gustar de su discografía cuando me ponga a escucharla entera. Sé que es uno de esos artistas responsables de ampliar las miras de la gente en lo que a experiencias musicales respecta, así que tengo ganas de conocer a fondo su influencia a lo largo de los años. Si todo suena tan bien como Blackstar, we're in for a ride. Favs: Lazarus, Dollar Days, I Can't Give Everything Away

I don't feel I'm giving this album a fair shake before writing the review. The opening number while huge and grand is not catching my ear at this point in time. It feels like, on a possible relisten I would have developed more musical taste to fully appreciate it. However at this time, it's not really doing it for me.

Understandably dark, I'm quite a fan of Bowie's work. For me this is not one of the best, but it was interesting.

Unbelievably, I had never listened to Bowie's last studio album, being in denial about his death much in the same way it took me nearly twenty years to read the final unfinished Aubrey/Maturin novel by Patrick O'Brian. Early Bowie was my gateway drug to rock music after years of classical-only (or to be precise, the Goblin King in Labyrinth was) but I never got on with Glass Spider era and never really listened to his later work. This is lush and dense and complex and will take many listenings to establish if it's really a 5 for me or a very high 4, but it has a 5-star quality to it regardless of my personal taste. RIP.

Ive heard of Bowie and heard a few of his songs growing up in the late 90s early 2000's. Ive watched the labyrinth as well. I think this was my first bowie album front to back. What a trip.

Crazy that he knew he was gonna die

Brooding, alienating, spooky, conflicted. This is record is of the outré arty Bowie and while I appreciate it as such, especially given it being part and parcel of his mortality, I'm not sure when I would choose it instead of Ziggy, Hunky Dory, or several other great Bowie records.

Poignant and moving, and wonderfully creative. Plus it’s not every day that a song is named after a seventeenth-century revenge tragedy!

Good to get this just 2-3 days after The Next Day. That was great, but this, even divorced from its context, feels like a more complete and fully realised record. And obviously with the context it's an amazing achievement.

If there's one thing that's always been true of the greats, it's that they refuse to stop innovating. Blackstar is the ultimate testament to that true artist's spirit. Sonically like nothing that has ever been seen before, or ever will be seen again. Lyrically heartbreaking, yet with a twinge of hope. It's an album that is fiercely unique, completely unapproachable in terms of music, and yet totally approachable in terms of being a work of pure humanity. Though I haven't always been the biggest Bowie fan, his artistry, passion, and dedication to his craft is something that deserves to be studied, envied, and imitated with futility, because there can never, and will never be another Starman. Best: Blackstar Worst: Girl loves me Liked songs: 7/7, 100% Moderate 5

Beautiful. I remember where I was when I found out Bowie died and I just didn't want to listen to the record because the way it was talked about like it was his swan song felt really grim to me. I'm a pretty big Bowie fan, of basically all his eras, I especially like Hunky Dory, Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Heathen and Reality (now that I have more appreciation for Krautrock etc I need to revisit the Berlin era too). Anyway, this is really, really good.

Not one of my favourites…

After the bizarre first half of a very long title track to kick off the album, I didn't have high hopes. The theme changed over the course, but the cryptic lyrics puzzled me. Very much about mortality, which makes sense since Bowie was near the end of his life. The saxophone was nice, and there were many musical layers, but this was a difficult listen. The last track, "I Can't Give Everything Away," speaks to the mystery of the album. If Bowie had played in the NFL, it would have been interesting to dissect his brain for something akin to CTE, because I just don't get what made him tick.

It's cool but not for me. I remember reading an article about it in the NYT.

A very … industrially? … experimental & atonal Bowie album. Pass.

Favorite bowie album I've heard thus far

This is terrible. No one would give a shit about this or pretend it’s any good if it wasn’t Bowie and if he hadn’t died two days after release.

This is superb as per. ‘Look up here, I’m in heaven’ Releasing this and then dying two days later. Badass. Simpsons: Yes

What a bloody Swan Song

I think I don't like Bowie that much

gött att sitta i ett groove länge o verkligen gosa in sig i det

Fuck it, jag var nära på att ge en fyra, men att släppa det här som sitt sista verk är verkligen helt otroligt. Jazzigt, proggigt, konstigt, experimentellt. Fuck it. Bra album är bra.

One of my favorites from the legend. I went down a rabbit hole when this came out checking out all the projects these handpicked musicians have played on. Highly recommend going down it after listening to this masterpiece.

Wow, what a perfect ending to a legendary career and life! I love the almost 10 minute opener. Probably my favorite behind Lazarus, which brought a tear to my eye watching the video after Bowie passed. This album has a Peter Gabriel vibe to it, and I'm here for it. Girl Loves Me is another favorite. There's a darkness to Blackstar. Bowie ends with a 5 from me.

A hell of a performance for a man that was sick and dying. I have mixed feelings about David Bowie, but I was always impressed with his ability to cross genres yet still be himself. May he RIP.

Vet at denne gjerne blir regnet som en moderne klassiker - men skjønner ikke helt hvorfor. Var helt ålreit, ikke noe jeg nødvendigvis kommer til å høre mye på i ettertid da artrock ikke er noe som har interessert meg noe særlig. Dollar Days var kanskje høydepunktet da det minnet litt om Pink Floyd til tider.

Liker det, kanskje ikke like spennende nå som da det kom ut i forbindelse med Bowies død i 2016. Men syntes flere av låtene holder seg godt. Åpningslåten liker jeg veldig godt, men jevnt over lander jeg på 3/5

Fint album, mange gode spor. Treffer meg aldri helt første gang, men gjør det ved flere lytt og litt mer kontekst for plata. Laterlus har jeg hørt en del før. 3-4, tror jeg må lande på 4 ut fra hva jeg har gitt andre album

Really good!

"look up here, I'm in Heaven" okay. damn.

"Genius" - well i don't like it

Look, it's sad and deep. Very poignant. But NINE David Bowie albums on this list? Come on....

Last Bowie Album

A true legend, one of my favourite artists. Sadly, this is far from being one of his best offerings. Melodically tame, there are only flashes of his genius on display here, with the songs regularly taking a backseat to the production. Intentionally (I guess) morose and unsettling, it too often comes off as a sprawling and unfocused instead, opting for style over substance when it paints itself into a musical corner. Not awful, but a million miles the classic some would have you believe

Definitely a concept album, from the title track to Lazarus thru Gril Loves Me. Not an album a casual Bowie fan would listen to, but shows the mind of David and that he did not care about being popular, he cared about creating. Some good music, not for everyone.

Perfection

me gustó bastante

Lazarus is one of my fav Bowie songs.

I don't hear Mos Def or Talib Kweli on this anywhere.

> The Beatles

When this came out I as well as everyone else thought this Bowie swan song was one of his best albums. But with time and the veneer of sentimentality wearing of this is not a great album. The weakest part is Bowie’s vocals which really hinder many of the songs.

In a nutshell: a parting gift. David is an Artist. Capital ‘a’ intended. Instead of declaring to the world he had The Big C, David Bowie continued to live his low key life and worked an album. Not as a means of distraction, more as a way to harness a creative energy; embracing the new muse which is impending death. Overall: 3/10

Great album! And the packaging is amazing! Have had this album for a few years and was not surprised to see if pop up on this list. Well worth a listen!

RIP Bowie

Excellent

5/10

3.5/5

Bom!

Funky, ciekawe teksty, wiele różnych klimatów jednym, podobał mi się, chociaż wolałam niektóre piosenki od strony intrumentalnej niż wokalnej

David Bowie's death was one of the only celebrity deaths I felt genuinely sad about. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was still making new and interesting music, rather than milking his back catalogue. Because of the circumstances, Blackstar is a difficult listen. It is however, very good. One of the few late stage Bowie albums that come close to matching those from his peak. I'd have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to this album, but in those circumstances, it's a 5 from me.

The starman’s last album. The greatness is palpable. I really like girl loves me for some reason.

More mellow than I expected but good

chatooooooooo pra mim só um álbum desse mano presta e ainda não é esse xD

muito mais inclinado prum jazzinho do que eu esperava não eh dos melhores trabalhos dele, mas eh bem marcante, né, o mano morreu dois dias depois disso aqui ter saído. uma ótima despedida, que deus o tenha

This album has slowly grown on me overtime, but I still don't love it as much as I wish I did. Even if it hasn't completely clicked with me yet I still have nothing but respect and appreciation for how triumphant this album is. Bowie really went out with a bang here and in a way that really only he could've. RIP to the goat. Favorite track: I Can't Give Everything Away ★★★½

You have to respect him for playing right until the final whistle. It is pretty incredible that he still had gas in the tank 49 years and 25 studio albums after his debut. What a fantastic experience for his fans to be gifted this album as they mourned his death. I like a few of the songs on it but overall, like much of Bowie, I could do without.

Half the songs I either liked or didn’t mind (Lazarus, Dollar Days, I Can’t Give Everything Away), the others I felt like I had to drag myself through listening to (Blackstar, Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, Sue, Girl Loves Me). Evens out to three stars - no one needs a 9 minute song, Bowie.

I really liked this. Poignant and sad in places but really good.

It's just too much hard work. Good musicianship but bleak.

Bowies letztes Album - zwei Tage vor seinem Tad veröffentlicht. Rock mit elektronischen & Jazz Einflüssen. Spannend zu hören. 4/5

This album is a tedious chore. No thank you

Strong 4

4,5

An incredible artistic look into the void. Also, a fairly progressive statement from an ever-evolving artist.

Blackstar ist ein wahres Meisterwerk; tiefgründig, mutig und voller Emotionen. Bowie schaut nicht zurück, sondern setzt noch einmal alles aufs Spiel und hinterlässt ein letztes, kraftvolles Statement. Für mich zeigt es auf eindrucksvolle Weise, warum David Robert Jones einfach der grösste Künstler des 20. Jahrhunderts war.

C'est étonnant ca change des turbo tubes de Bowie. Il y a une profondeur intéressante, un truc un peu mystique. Mais ca reste peu accessible je trouve

An easier listen than I was expecting. Heavy Subject matter, but the instrumentation is so interesting, and it provides for a reflective, but not dour, listening experience. RIP Bowie

Better than I remember. Finally listened to the lyrics more closely. So good. Really enjoyed this.

I decided to open my mind to this album and so here we go! From the first note I felt like I was on to something special. I believe because I had zero positive expectations of connecting with it. Oh boy this is a vibe!

Not my favorite Bowie album, even when you consider the timing with his death.

After seeing another Bowie album listed from the twenty-teens, I thought are you friggin serious? Upon multiple lessons across two days I enjoyed it more than I expected to.

How is this twice as good as any of the rest of his work? Musically daring, evocative and wildly catchy

Powerful last album by David Bowie — his death came as complete shock as the album was bursting with creativity and freshness.

4/10 Hate the saxophone, the whispery vocal and the time signatures with Radioheady beeps and clicks. Another Bowie album not for me...

M-7/10 S-6/10

Lazarus one of best Bowie songs but rest of the album not really my stuff

Bowie is whiny. Music is pretty good but not great.

hell yes

Finally gave it a spin. This record deserves a praise for being one of a kind. Opening track is like nothing I've ever heard before, not even in David's discography, and other than that, context behind the album is great. Always crashing in the same car sample really sells it.

One of his best records but not quite perfect IMHO. Features two of his best songs I feel he's written with the opening and closing tracks and the themes and timing of the release and his passing are beyond eerie. When he left this plane so did sanity and decency in society.

I'm not in the best place to be listening to the album a profound man made while he knew he was dying. This was hard to get through, I knew it would be. It's a heavy listen, you can actually feel the weight of it. Maybe I'll revisit it again years from now, when I'm ready to digest this kind of work. Or maybe I won't, and I'm glad to have listened when I did.

I love Bowie. This record looms large in my mind, and is a standout in a long career that produced over 25 albums, many of which are classics in their own right. He crafted Blackstar in the wake of receiving his fateful diagnosis, and it was released a week before he died. Created with longtime collaborator Tony Visconti and a handful of jazz musicians in tow, this dark and meditative album is his most far-out, and my favorite by far. Bowie mentioned that he listened to Kendrick Lamar's groundbreaking To Pimp A Butterfly a lot while recording this and it shows both stylistically and thematically. His willingness to confront his eminent death head-on with such courage and intensity is palpable. I can't listen to this record passingly or piecemeal, and this morning was the first time I listened to it in a long while. Such an emotional experience for me — tears of sadness, joy, and awe every time I listen.

Kyllä tässä huokuu Bowien hautajaiset levyä kuunnellessa. Lyriikaltaan taas hienoa Davidia, mutta välillä tuntui jopa hieman tekotaiteelliselta, vai tuntuiko sittenkään, kun miettii ukon historiaa. Hienoja lyriikoita ja levyn ”intro”biisi on todella psykedeelisen melankolinen. Vaikea arvioida vertaamatta siihen millaisen jäljen Bowie on jättänyt musiikkihistoriaan. Levy jää kuitenkin hieman keskiverroksi verrattuna aiempaan tuotantoon. Jäänyt itsellä aika pienelle kuuntelulle ja voisi hyvin nousta jopa neloseen kun kaivautuu syvemmälle levyn sisimpään, mutta nyt tiputetaan 3,5 arvio kolmoseen

Albumin ensimmäistä biisiä kuuntelin kauhuissani, että onko tulossa liian taiteellinen levy itselleni kuunneltavaksi. Onneksi levy kehittyi tästä parempaan suuntaan. David Bowie on legendaarinen musiikintekijä ja tämä albumi ehdottomasti yksi musiikkihistorian karuimmista julkaisuista, kun julkaisu tapahtui käytännössä kuolinvuoteella. Levy ei ollut ihan täysin minun palani kakkua ja tähtiä 2,5, mutta albumin taustatekijöiden ja Bowien takia nostetaan kolmoseen.

Ei napannu, ei sitten yhtään. Vähä liian taiteellista tiluliluttelua. Oli tässä hetkensä ja yks kuunneltava biisi niin ei ihan ykköseen tipahda.

Vähän ristiriitaset fiilikset jäi tästä. Melodiat ja meininki oli paikoin oikein mukavaa, mutta laulusta tuli mieleen omat karaoke-esitykset Maunulan Pirjon Krouvissa vuonna 2002, jolloin karaokeisäntä sulki mikin kesken esityksen. Bowie on hieno mies ja sillee, mutta annetaan 2,5 tähteä joka huonojen yöunien vuoksi pyöristetään alaspäin. Eiköhän Davey saa uuden tsänssin vielä näiden kinkerien aikana!

Mukavan psykedeelistä meininkiä, varsinkin Girl Loves Me on loistava!

Bowielta on todennäköisesti tällä listalla useampia albumeja, joten tämä oli ehkä hieman yllärivalinta sekaan. Varmasti, kun kyseessä on kuolevan taiteilijan joutsenlaulu, niin perustelu on jo siinä. Itse levystä en jaksanut juurikaan innostua. Liikaa leväperäistä tulkintaa luuppaavan musiikin päälle. Varmasti jos pakkokuuntelisi levyn sata kertaa, niin taide tavoittaisi sielun. Nyt ei lähde ja mieleisempää Bowieta lienee vielä edessäpäin listalla levyistä jotka kaikkien pitäisi kuulla ennen kuin käy kalpaten.

David Bowie on legendaarinen artisti, ja olosuhteet albumin luomisen taustalla tietäen tuntuu että varmaan pitäisi antaa pisteitä enemmän, mutta puhtaasti musiikin puolesta omaan korvaan näin yhdeltä kuuntelulta ei juuri napannut. Helmiä sioille?

Albumille on saatu vangittua täydellinen kuva Bowien elämän viimeisistä vaiheista. Ei ole tekotaiteellista paskaa tämä.

en tiiä, ei lähteny kyllä ollenkaan tämä lätty meikäläiselle.

Tää menee periaatteessa siihen kategoriaan, että haluaisin tykätä enemmän. Bowie on oikeastaan melkein elämää suurempi hahmo, ja kun tietää että tämän levyn painoi käytännössä kuolinvuoteellaan, niin ei voi muuta sanoo ku hattuu nostaa. Mutta totuuden nimissä Blackstaria ja Lazarusta lukuunottamatta levy ei kuitenkaan ole niin järin hyvä. Tässä kuuluu itselle jopa vähän hiphop-vaikutteita ja kyllähän Bowie (ja tuottaja) mestarillisesti yhdistelee niitä elementtejä saksofonin ja Bowien hienon laulun päälle. Mutta kun tosiaan noissa biiseissä ei kauheasti ole tarttumapintaa. Algoritmi löi tämän levyn jälkeen Spotifystä randomilla Bowien Five Yearsin tulille, ja onhan sekin nyt ihan eri luokan biisi kun yksikään tämän levyn kappale. Arvoin jopa kahta tähteä tähän lottokoneesta, mutta ei nyt sentään. Laitetaan ylimääräinen tähti vaikka sille, että tosiaan aika huuruilla sai tämän vielä julkaistua ennen siirtymistä toisille värähtelytaajuuksille.

This album was a great listen. Bowie's emotions are raw, potent and present throughout this album. The production was a highlight. I just loved how diverse it felt. The structure within the songs and album as a whole strayed a little and muddied how the album came together. Barring that small complaint, this was about as a good of a final show as any generational artist could possibly give. Even if Bowie himself meant to end it off with a follow up. He is a Blackstar. Top 4: Blackstar, Lazarus, Dollar Days, and I Can't Give Everything Away 3.75-4.25

It wasn't bad!

Like this one way more 10 years later than I remember from when it came out. It takes some getting used to, because there isn't a lot of that Bowie pop that endeared him for so long. However, the Bowie musicality is in full form here.

This list is a little too Bowie-heavy for my taste, but I prefer this one to most of his output from the 40-ish years prior. Does some interesting experimentation while still creating some catchy and enjoyable music.

I mean, not terrible, but I don't get why we need to have this on the list. It definitely isn't an album I needed to hear. Sounds like an aging rock star out of ideas.

Surprising album and more so knowing that he was already sick and knew he was going to die soon. Sadly he died a few days after the release of this record. A bit avant guarde but still David Bowie was always ahead of the curve or trying new things. Not a regular on my rotation but a very good record indeed.

Interesting but disjointed.

ok to listen to once every few years, not amazing lyrics and nothing compared to his earlier works.

Very interesting yet dark album

I strangely really enjoyed the first song, but then the rest of the album was not at all enjoyable. This sounds like something someone made whilst high, you know? Very little sense. Also very boring. Don't think this album should be on this list.

Boring and weird

RIP but I didn't like this very much

Blergh....

Definitely not for me. Very nice instrumentals but I felt very bored with the lyrics.

Perhaps a bit weird and self indulgent, but I wasnt ever bored listening to it

Blackstar is Bowie's late career opus and swansong. The material here really exemplifies one of the things that made Bowie the fantastic and unique artist he was: even at the age of 69, Bowie was still exploring new grounds and expanding his horizons on Blackstar. Blackstar sounds fresh and modern within Bowie's discography, and it is a magnificent sendoff for him. The atmosphere is deeply sad, the lyrics are incredibly self aware across Blackstar, and on a lot of these songs, Bowie is trying to comprehend his status as an icon and celebrity, while seemingly reflecting on the inevitability of death: it's all very tasteful and introspective. At the same time, he is still flirting with experimentation, and modern developments in sound. I suppose I'd categorize this as art pop, but I can also spot influences from hip hop, jazz, and experimental electronic here. Blackstar's finest moment may be Lazarus, with it's meticulous pacing and mournful sax. Lazarus may be one of Bowie's best ever songs. Even though this is a favorite, this album is just about perfect. The "Title Track" is sprawling and detailed. 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore rocks, but in a weird, subdued kind of way. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) is anxious, jittery and visceral. Girl Loves Me is irreplaceable, with it's Polari and Nadsat. It may be Blackstar's strangest moment, and is another favorite of mine. Then Dollar Days and I Can't Give Everything Away are both beautiful. They close the album off with a chilling, deeply final sentiment that somehow doesn't leave the listener alone. There is something weirdly comforting about these two songs. As I said, this album is just about perfect, even without being contextualized by Bowie's death mere days after it's release, Blackstar is personal, daring, and truly fascinating. I couldn't have asked for a better bookend to such a storied and legendary career.

15/09/2025 I found this to be a pretty boring album. I don't understand the Bowie hype.

normally i have a tough time napping on a plane. ty davie bowid

Fuck this guy he sucks

Absolute fucking trash. Fav song: Dollar Days I guess, I refuse to relisten to check what my favorite is

Star!

Was just listening to this one again recently. Bowie's final recordings, and this album ranks among his best. Breaks my heart that he is gone.

5 stars, I really like the last track "I can't give everything away" and "Lazarus". Really sad to learn he passed away only 2 days after this album was released :'(

bizarre in all the right ways

First songs feel pretty... out there, preachy almost. At time feel like Bowie is just talking and music overlayed over it. It is not bad! Just ... This isn't an album to have just on. You have to sit down and listen to it to get most out of it. It feels old than 2016, moody, but does have some more modern influences. When listening to the album, I thought.... "who is dying?". After reading the wiki, turns out it was him. Makes a lot more sense.

3.5 - Weniger experimentierfreudig, dafür aber gekonnt emotional und packend Highlights: Lazarus, Girl Loves Me

different, but never boring. themes of mortality and isolation. this album was bowie’s swan song, as it was released literally two days before his death. highlights: “lazarus” “girl loves me” “i can’t give everything away”

I feel like I need more listens to digest it all

This was an interesting album. Lots of different sounds. It wouldn’t ever be high up on my list of favourites but I’d probably re-listen just to spend more time with the lyrics, like on Lazarus “Look up here, I’m in heaven.”

This album is unique and pretty intense. It acts as David Bowie's swan song because he released it two days before he died of cancer. The songs on this album are darker and even more bizarre than his earlier music, though they still have his signature sound. I'm a fan of David Bowie so I actually really enjoyed this one! I like almost all of the songs. My favorite is probably Dollar Days because I love the saxophone. 8/10.

A very different feeling bowie album. Definitely not my favorite

Surprisingly the first time listening to Bowie, I don't think this was the best album to start with lol. Although I did still like the last 2 songs on the album. Gotta go with the 3 star rating on this one unfortunately. I think its another case of odd vocal patterns, and the off key sounding melodies. The last 2 songs felt a little more connected in terms of the vocals and the other instruments.

Still the songwriter, but man those saxophones were hard to make it through

to be added to the list of things worth living for in manhattan (woody allen)

Ik snap niet wat mensen met David Bowie hebben...

Not memorable other than it’s his last album before his untimely death.

Fair play

It's certainly interesting and I applaud Bowie for being innovative through to the end. But the music here just doesn't connect with me the way his early 70s stuff still does. The EDM-Industrial-sound of the tracks highlights the frailty in his voice while stiffing-arming any attempt by this listener to gain some intimacy with its owner (very unlike what Rubin accomplished with Cash's American recordings). The hyper-polished almost musak perfection of the band's performances is impressive, to be sure, but they sound like pros playing parts instead of a band working together to create music. Ultimately, though, I find no song-craft here. No great melodies, no themes, no emotionally charged harmonic progressions. So its interesting, but it doesn't speak to me.

I found it good but a bit of a difficult album to listen to. I have never been fully onboard with David Bowie. Not a bad album but just not for me.

The best thing about Bowie is he always remained relevant. This album is no exception. A great record and a wonderful swansong capping off a brilliant career. It made me realize how much I miss Bowie already.

Rambling drivel.

Not sure why this one is in the list. It's not his worst but certainly not his best.

I have bandmates who proclaim this their favorite Bowie record but they also love Tool and Queensrÿche and wish our fun little psyche garage band was more like Tool and Queensrÿche, which tracks. It's interesting, uncompromised, very much feeling like this was his vision out at the rim of the abyss, but like a lot of eras of Bowie (that whole techno decade), it's not what I go to Bowie for.

One of the things I most admire about Blackstar is how unexpected it was — not just in the sense that no one knew it was coming (or that Bowie was in fact dying), but that it sounds like nothing else from his vast catalog. It’s not a rock record whatsoever. Instead, backed by a New York City jazz quartet, it incorporates elements of drum and bass, jazz, ambient, electronica, funk, new wave and other styles, becoming something weird, dense, and amorphous. As I suspect is the case with many others, I’m still trying to figure it out nearly a decade after its release, and along with some very good songs, that’s what I love about it. Epilogue: The posthumous British documentary about Bowie from this period, "The Last Five Years," is highly worth your time if you're a fan.

I -admire- this record as our last official work from Bowie, but I don't particularly -like- it . The first song sounds like a cut from Scott Walker's Tilt, a record I just do not get, despite repeated listens over 3 decades.

Bowie was always there in the zeitgeist floating around. I never bought a Bowie album the first 40 years of my life, but he was always there. It was always nice to know he was there. As I got into my record hoarding/mid-life crisis/hobby I started to develop a new level of appreciation for his output. And even today I'm just kind of blown away as to how he shape shifted constantly and someone always remained Bowie. I don't have a favorite Bowie album because I think that's just a dumb idea in general. You either like Bowie or you don't. That said this album obviously holds a special spot. Not unlike Ozzie's recent farewell concert, this is an artist still wanting to be an artist to the very end and contributing what they can before their time is up. It's a heavy album thematically. But just gorgeous. I think this list is cluttered with way too many entries from the same artists. A lot of the artists on here could be better summed up with one record. But it's hard to sum up Bowie with one album. This being yet another example of that. It's nothing like any other Bowie album, yet it's definitely a Bowie album.

did not like it, didn’t know he was still alive tbh. Two stars for the legacy, one star because he didn’t live up to it.

Not his best but still interesting as last album

Love this album!

What a way to go. Dropping one of your best albums then dying a few days later. Bowie was a showman to the very end. Blackstar, Lazarus, Dollar Days. Every song is perfect.

there are some very good moments on this album but also some forgettable ones too. and honestly, i can't stop thinking about the big brother clip.

As someone who’s much more of a fan of Bowie’s 70s work, Blackstar initially felt like a challenging listen. The opening title track didn’t grab me—it’s abstract and sprawling, and that’s usually a turn-off. But once I got past it, the album revealed a deeply emotional and artistically rich experience. The highlight for me is “Dollar Days”—a stunning, melancholic piece that echoes the melodic sensibility of his classic era while embracing the vulnerability of his final work. It’s a powerful farewell, even if not everything here hits the mark.

Not a Bowie fan. I get that he's grappling with his own death, and that this album was very significant to the body of music at large, but none of it hooks me. To all the Bowie fans, I'm sorry you lost your hero and all, but I don't really like any of it. It's too avant garde and jazzy. RIP David, I'm sure you're jamming with the best. My Rating: 3/5

Im not sure this is one of the greatest albums ever made. But it is a grand and complex gesture to music and the world from the eyes of a dying icon. Not sure ill ever listen to it again but im glad I did once.

Glad he was still making music then. I like the live drums. But the vocals just don’t work with the music in my opinion. Not for me.

Electronic jazz, pop beats, sometimes like a twisted version of Sade. Interesting album. Almost mythological due to Bowie’s death and the record’s eerie sounds. Also written with humour, which helps to lighten it up a bit. Album as a whole doesn’t feel as depressing as it could have. Favourite track: Lazarus. 4/5

Jazzy and experimental with lots of dissonant and haunting sounds. None of the songs are hooky or catchy but it was interesting enough that I already want to listen to it again.

oh david <3

Hard to know what to do with this. This is art and Bowie was try to say... Something. It will take a few more listens until I can form an opinion.

i hated this

That was surprising. David Bowie is more miss than hit with me but this was surprisingly enjoyable. It was also varied and interresting which I didn't expect. To call it his Magnum Opus seems a bit much but it is pretty good. Just misses out on 5 stars but by only by a tiny margin.

Cool newer Bowie. Unique vocal and sax harmonies. 5/5

Pleased to have heard it, but hard work, prefer to look back on the glory days.

Argh. I'm sorry. I know the conect behind this but I don't think that gives it an auto 5 as a piece of work. It's certainly a haunting and introspective bit of art considering Bowie presumably made this knowing it would be his final work. I appreciate that and at the same time I still found the style, lyrics and listenability of the whole thing to be extremely hard work. It's a historical piece for sure and at the time it came out reviews were all impossible to extract from the context of his death only a few days later. Almost a decade in, assessing the tracks with a clearer mind, this is far from his best musically, perhaps to be expected given the circumstances.

Definitely a David Bowie album. Not his best work but I can't say I'm mad about it.

A very discordant Bowie, I think I like the second half more than the first, not without its catchy moments despite the discordance.

It's pretty good

Au sommet du game jusqu’à la toute fin. C’est une fin très glauque et sinistre comparativement au reste de son riche catalogue, mais ça ne pouvait que finir comme ça. Je me souviens encore de la frayeur que j’ai eu la première fois que j’ai vu le vidéoclip de Lazarus, il a toujours su transposer son message à travers ses costumes autant qu’à travers sa musique, je te donne ça! Godspeed, Ziggy!