I haven’t done a full-career deep dive of David Bowie, but I did spend three weeks in 2016 exploring his catalog following his death.
Among the albums I featured was 1974’s Diamond Dogs, an ambitious record that paired Bowie’s glam rock style with a grungier aesthetic inspired by the Rolling Stones. Best known for ‘Rebel Rebel’ and the title track, the album sold well despite mixed reviews.
One of the most rewarding deep dives I’ve done on the blog was of David Bowie, back in 2016 a few months after his death. I didn’t cover all 25 of his studio albums, but I did get to the 15 with the most acclaim and/or notoriety.
Because I hadn’t yet joined the streaming revolution at the time, I wound up buying the Bowie albums I didn’t already own, and as a result they now form a decent sized chunk of my increasingly outdated iTunes collection.
David Bowie followed Aladdin Sane with the disappointing Pin Ups, a covers album released the same year (1973). But six months later he returned with a proper album, Diamond Dogs.
This is a quick record with several throwaway connective tracks. The second half features songs from a proposed musical based on George Orwell’s 1984 that Bowie never got to write. The first side features two hits (the title track and today’s SOTD) along with a three-song suite bookended by a song called ‘Sweet Thing.’
