Written by Jon Williams
Waking up on
Monday morning, the first thing I saw was news of David Bowie’s passing. It was
a rather unpleasant way to start the week, to say the least. It would have been
shocking enough by itself, but coming as it did on the heels of what seemed
like such a jubilant Friday for the superstar—a new album release on his 69th
birthday—made it particularly surreal.
That shock
was felt throughout the entertainment industry, upon which Bowie had made an
indelible mark over the course of his decades-long career. Born David Jones, he
showed an early interest and aptitude for music, he formed his first band at
fifteen. He took his stage name in 1967 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of
the Monkees, and would then release
his
eponymous debut album later that year.
That album
made few waves, but Bowie would make his big break two years later in 1969 when
the single “Space Oddity” made its way onto the charts. The album on which it
appeared was originally titled
David
Bowie, just like his debut, but was eventually
renamed
after the single. He capitalized on that success by following up with the
albums
The
Man Who Sold the World in 1970 and
Hunky
Dory in 1971. However, the legend of David Bowie really began in 1972,
with the release of
The
Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Introducing
his theatrical persona, the album features such classic hits as “Starman” and “Suffragette
City,” as well as “Ziggy Stardust.” Bowie himself described his next album,
Aladdin
Sane, as “Ziggy goes to America.”
From there,
Bowie would perform one of his musical reinventions, partially in an effort to
distance himself from the Ziggy Stardust persona. This began with his 1974
album
Diamond
Dogs and continued through
Young
Americans (1975), which featured a contribution from John Lennon on “Fame.”
Then, in 1976, a new persona, that of the Thin White Duke, emerged from
Station
to Station (related to the character he played in the movie
The Man Who Fell to Earth (currently
unavailable on video), the character also inspired, much later, a fun Bowie origin
story, “The Return of the Thin White Duke,”
from
Neil Gaiman). He then finished off the decade with a three-album cycle:
Low,
Heroes,
and
Lodger.
While the
1980s were less prolific for Bowie, he once again proved himself capable of
changing up his style.
Scary
Monsters (and Super Creeps) in 1980 built upon the sound of his late ‘70s
albums, but the two that followed—
Let’s
Dance and
Tonight (currently
unavailable on CD)—were more in line with ‘80s dance/pop (with Bowie’s unique
personality mixed in, of course) and served him well in the MTV-dominated music
world of the time. It was around this time that I experienced my first real
encounter with Bowie, starring as Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 fantasy movie
Labyrinth.
A year later, he returned to a more straight-ahead rock sound with
Never Let Me Down
(currently unavailable on CD).
From there,
Bowie attempted to form a band with which to share the spotlight, with only limited
success. It was, therefore, a six-year gap before his next solo album,
Black Tie White Noise
(currently unavailable on CD). He would release seven albums in a ten-year
period, culminating with
Reality
in 2003, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. After
2003, however, health problems forced Bowie to slow down, and there were no new
solo albums for ten years, leading to speculation that he had retired. However,
he returned with a vengeance in 2013 with
The Next
Day, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Then, just
last week came
Blackstar,
an immediately acclaimed album that Bowie planned as a parting gift to his
fans.
While David
Bowie’s death has sent ripples of sadness throughout the music world and
beyond, there is no doubt that he leaves behind an incredible legacy and catalog.
This post sums up his musical career, but cannot begin to describe the lasting
impact created by his songs, style, and personality. For more on his life and
work, check out the biography
Bowie
by Wendy Leigh, and SmartBrowse his name on our website for the rest of his
discography, his movies, concert films, and more; patrons can also find a wide
selection of his music
on
hoopla.