Where to start with Bowie?

[nec13]

For me, the ideal gateway to Bowie's catalog would be Hunky Dory. I think it's probably his best and most varied album.

Be careful! A song like "Fill Your Heart" can kill a certain type of potential Bowie fan's interest right quick.

True.

Then again, I'm not much of a Bowie fan. So I don't know if anyone should take my opinion seriously to begin with.

[JonFromMaplewood]

For me, the ideal gateway to Bowie's catalog would be Hunky Dory. I think it's probably his best and most varied album.

Be careful! A song like "Fill Your Heart" can kill a certain type of potential Bowie fan's interest right quick.

I like Sgt. Pepper's despite "For the Benefit of  Mr. Kite" (yecch) so I should be able to see past any "challenging" tracks.

[buffcoat]

For they are free of thoughts unpure
And of thoughts unkind
Gentleness clears the soul
Love will clean your mind
And make you fa-reeeeeeee yeah!

[Broccoli Rob Funicello]

After the Ziggy Stardust album becomes one of your favorites of all time,
be sure to check out Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture soundtrack of
D.A. Pennebaker's film of the 1973 last concert of the Spiders at London’s
Hammersmith Odeon. It's Bowie at his Glam Rock best and it even has a
great version of Bowie's classic anthem "All The Young Dudes" that had
been a hit for Mott The Hoople, and was never released on any album
except Greatest Hits volumes.
Next try another live album from more recent times called David Bowie -
A Reality Tour, which covers a lot of material from his great last album
Reality, but also has a fantastic version of The Pixies 'Cactus' and another
Bowie anthem 'Under Pressure' which he did with Queen but here is sung
in a not to be believed duet with his bassist Gail Ann Dorsey. There's also
a sing a-long version of "All The Young Dudes" on this double CD set too.
Also don't forget to buy his new one "The Next Day".

[buffcoat]

Wow, BrocRob, I didn't know there *were* late period Bowie fans.

[kirk]

Great topic ! I  have followed " A lad insane "  since Ziggy . I have always loved the Live stuff .No fluff just the real goods ! Listen to David live , This was his transition from Diamond dogs to Young Americans . This tour bankrupted him , due to production costs . A real rocker !

[dave from knoxville]

It will take a while to warm to it, but eventually I believe Station to Station will be your favorite.

[Tom Scharpling]

You could also consider the possibility of going in order from HUNKY DORY onward, straight through to SCARY MONSTERS. Listen to each one, hearing how the character of Ziggy evolved/devolved. Then hear him get into coke on DIAMOND DOGS and get soulful then get crazy then cool down and get NY arty. It's a really awesome journey and it's worth experiencing the way the man recorded it. Just my two cents!

Tom.

[JonFromMaplewood]

Thanks, Tom. And thanks all.

I had already started by purchasing Ziggy, but will now go back and reevaluate. I started with Ziggy instead of Hunky Dory because I doubted I would ever return to an album - more than maybe once - that started with "Changes" because classic rock radio had utterly decimated that song for me.  But I will reconsider in light of your suggestions.

With the Hunky Dory exception (Is that the name of a Robert Ludlum book? The Hunky Dory Exception?), I had planned to move chronologically from there, as everyone had made such strong arguments for every album all the way up to Scary Monsters.

As for buying Ziggy, I am so so so happy. There are tracks on there that I am thrilled to discover. "Hang On to Yourself" is amazing.

I'm looking forward to the long road ahead, wending its way through NY clubs, West Berlin, and the distant reaches of outer space. 

And the set of Cat People.

-JfM

[amiright??]

Check out the Hang onto Yourself from the BBC set. Holy moley, it RIPS.