# Your Favourite Bowie Studio Albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923 "2016-01-12T12:56:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/1 "2016-01-12T12:56:18Z")
[Inspired by this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=780764) - Studio albums only (based on the wikipedia list). - Multiple choice allowed or rather encouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/2 "2016-01-12T13:38:37Z")
I only voted once. Diamond Dogs. Pretty much because my older brother bought the album and I used to listen to it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/3 "2016-01-12T14:24:40Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > - Multiple choice allowed or rather encouraged. Oops. Too late. Voted for Hunky Dory, but could have easily picked ten or so. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/4 "2016-01-12T16:12:50Z")
Diamond Dogs is very much my favorite, followed by Station to Station and Aladdin Sane. Bowie Fan Confession Time: I don’t like the Berlin Trilogy too much, despite them being generally considered his most “artistic” and among his best work. I think it’s because both Low and ‘Heroes’ are half-instrumental, and instrumental music generally doesn’t do much for me. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/5 "2016-01-12T16:53:24Z")
\*Low \*is my favorite, and the one that first really won me over to Bowie. I haven’t heard the new one in its entirety yet, but I’m extremely impressed by what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/6 "2016-01-13T04:58:02Z")
Low was the first one that I bought as a new album. Loved it. Loved almost all of his stuff but Low always has a special place for me. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/7 "2016-01-13T05:19:57Z")
How could Diamond Dogs fans not be into Alladin Sane? Mike Garson unleashed??? ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/8 "2016-01-13T06:01:52Z")
Fuckin’ Garson, man. Fuckin’ genius. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/9 "2016-01-14T06:03:49Z")
_Low_ and _Station to Station_ are my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/10 "2016-01-14T06:06:17Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > How could Diamond Dogs fans not be into Alladin Sane? Mike Garson unleashed??? I prefer _Diamond Dogs_ over _Aladdin Sane_. I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt _Aladdin Sane_ was weaker than _Diamond Dogs_. Maybe because I like the songs on it better. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/11 "2016-01-14T13:56:21Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Fuckin’ Garson, man. Fuckin’ genius. It’s like Bowie turned to Garson and said “okay, what if Thelonius Monk played glam rock?” and turned him loose. Love his work - Aladdin Sane is the obvious track, but the piano on Let’s Spend the Night Together is so…fun. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/12 "2016-01-14T15:02:55Z")
I know it may sound trite to pick **“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”** but I could listen to that album over and over and never get sick of it. In fact I just did listen to it! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/13 "2016-01-14T15:56:38Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > It’s like Bowie turned to Garson and said “okay, what if Thelonius Monk played glam rock?” and turned him loose. Love his work - Aladdin Sane is the obvious track, but the piano on Let’s Spend the Night Together is so…fun. IMO it’s Garson’s piano that ties that album together. Even in the songs he doesn’t play on, you can hear where it isn’t, if that makes any sense. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/14 "2016-01-14T16:01:39Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > IMO it’s Garson’s piano that ties that album together. Even in the songs he doesn’t play on, you can hear where it isn’t, if that makes any sense. Oh absolutely. Jean Genie sounds positively streamlined without Garson’s edgy piano. **Richard John Marcej** - not trite at all. It will always be, along with the song Heroes, the songs of his I hold closest. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/15 "2016-01-14T16:06:52Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > IMO it’s Garson’s piano that ties that album together. Even in the songs he doesn’t play on, you can hear where it isn’t, if that makes any sense. He never wrote songs like he did when he was with Ronson and Garson again. They were the artists on those records too. Don’t care what the critics say now. “But where were the Spiders!!..” ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/16 "2016-01-14T19:04:52Z")
Mine were _Ziggy Stardust_ (of course),\* Aladdin Sane\* (of course), _Black Tie White Noise_, _Buddha of Suburbia_, and _The Next Day_. The only one on the list I haven’t heard is \*Blackstar \*and I need to wait a while before I’m ready to listen to it. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/17 "2016-01-14T19:36:39Z")
I voted for several, but Scary Monsters and (Super Creeps) would be first choice. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/18 "2016-01-14T20:52:11Z")
I don’t care if it’s conventional - _Ziggy Stardust_. Hunky Dory comes in second. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/19 "2016-01-15T00:35:46Z")
I’m pretty much enamored of it all, at least through Scary Monsters. There are times when I have listened to just about any of those records, with the exception of Low, which never did much for me, almost obsessively. I picked The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs, Station to Station. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-bowie-studio-albums/742923/20 "2016-01-15T09:23:12Z")
Comparing the 5 albums I picked with the ones that are in the lead for the moment is interesting. Mine were: _Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Low, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), Outside_. The ones at the top of the poll are: _Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Heroes, Diamond Dogs, Aladdin Sane/Low_ (the last two are tied). It’s not surprising that _Hunky Dory_ and _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_ are at second and first place respectively as these are two amazing records . However, I put the former on top. Then we diverge completely. _Heroes_ is third in the poll but, while I admit that it contains a lot of excellent tracks, I’ve always prefered _Low_ by far. _Diamond Dogs_ comes next but it’s an album that I’ve never really warmed to. I offer _Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)_ instead, often considered the “last truly great Bowie album”. In fact, I’m rather surprised to see that it got only 11 votes so far. As far as I’m concerned, it’s in my top 3, with _Hunky Dory_ and _Low_. There isn’t one weak song in any of these three in my opinion. Number 5 is _Aladdin Sane_ for the moment and it’s an album I haven’t listened to very often. My fifth choice was _Outside_ because it contains some really great songs and it showed a renewed artistic ambition. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, several Bowie albums have been described as “a return to form” but I think that _Outside_ is the only one that deserves to be called that. It could arguably compare with his 1970s output. I’m glad to see that some other dopers agree. > [@drad\_dog](#): > > He never wrote songs like he did when he was with Ronson and Garson again. They were the artists on those records too. Don’t care what the critics say now. Then, perhaps it’s no wonder that Garson also plays on _Outside_, which is both one of my favourites and the post-_Let’s Dance_ album that got the most votes so far.