Glam Slam Guide

The Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom – one man, a thousand faces.

No artist reinvented himself more times than David Bowie – from folky oddball to glam alien, soul man, Berlin minimalist, 80s pop titan, and elder statesman of art-rock. Here’s your essential map to the labyrinth.

The Classic Line-Up (ever-changing, but key eras)

1. 1969–1971: Space-folk Bowie (with Mick Ronson emerging)

2. 1971–1974: Ziggy & the Spiders from Mars (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodmansey)

3. 1975–1976: The Thin White Duke (Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick, etc.)

4. 1977–1979: Berlin Trilogy (Brian Eno, Tony Visconti, Robert Fripp)

5. 1980s: The polished pop years (Nile Rodgers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Reeves Gabrels later)

Essential Starting Point (The Holy Trinity)

1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

2. The ultimate glam opera – “Starman”, “Suffragette City”, “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide”. If you only own one Bowie album, make it this.

3. Hunky Dory (1971)

4. The breakthrough – “Changes”, “Life on Mars?”, “Oh! You Pretty Things”, “Queen Bitch”.

5. Low (1977)

6. Side A: fractured art-pop; Side B: ambient instrumentals with Brian Eno. The birth of modern Bowie.

The Five Eras Everyone Should Know

1. Early Years (1969–1971): Space Oddity → The Man Who Sold the World → Hunky Dory

2. Glam Peak (1972–1974): Ziggy → Aladdin Sane → Pin Ups → Diamond Dogs

3. Plastic Soul (1975–1976): Young Americans → Station to Station

4. Berlin Trilogy (1977–1979): Low → "Heroes" → Lodger

5. 80s Imperial Phase (1980–1987): Scary Monsters → Let's Dance → Tonight → Never Let Me Down

The Big Hits Everyone Knows

1. Space Oddity (1969)

2. Changes (1971)

3. Starman (1972)

4. Rebel Rebel (1974)

5. Fame (1975)

6. "Heroes" (1977)

7. Ashes to Ashes (1980)

8. Let's Dance (1983)

9. Where Are We Now? (2013)

10. Blackstar (2016 days before his death, 2016)

Where to Start Listening Today (4 tracks)

1. Life on Mars? – the greatest pop song ever written

2. "Heroes" – anthemic, heartbreaking, immortal

3. Starman – the moment glam changed everything

4. Ashes to Ashes – Major Tom returns, darker than everBlackstar – his haunting farewell

Bowie wasn’t just a musician – he was a cultural earthquake. Dive in. The stars look very different today.