# David Bowie's albums ranked

All of Bowie's studio albums in the order the big rankings tend to agree on: the 70s run on top, Blackstar close behind, the late-80s albums at the bottom.

- 1546 votes · 25 items
- Jan 19, 2026 · cole_b-side
- https://even.best/en/l/2543/david-bowie-s-albums-ranked

## Top 25

1. **The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars** (108 · ▲118 ▼10) — 1972. The alien rock star who made him a legend.
2. **Low** (91 · ▲103 ▼12) — 1977. The first Berlin album, half songs, half ambient.
3. **Hunky Dory** (91 · ▲97 ▼6) — 1971. "Life on Mars?" and "Changes".
4. **"Heroes"** (69 · ▲76 ▼7) — 1977. Recorded by the Berlin Wall.
5. **Station to Station** (69 · ▲75 ▼6) — 1976. The Thin White Duke's cold funk.
6. **Blackstar** (60 · ▲63 ▼3) — 2016. Released two days before his death.
7. **Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)** (48 · ▲56 ▼8) — 1980. "Ashes to Ashes" and new-wave edge.
8. **Young Americans** (45 · ▲59 ▼14) — 1975. His "plastic soul" album.
9. **The Man Who Sold the World** (40 · ▲53 ▼13) — 1970. Heavy, dark and influential.
10. **Aladdin Sane** (38 · ▲46 ▼8) — 1973. Ziggy goes to America; the lightning-bolt cover.
11. **Heathen** (37 · ▲47 ▼10) — 2002. A late-career return to form.
12. **Let's Dance** (36 · ▲44 ▼8) — 1983. His biggest commercial hit, with Nile Rodgers.
13. **Diamond Dogs** (35 · ▲43 ▼8) — 1974. A dystopian glam album inspired by Orwell.
14. **Lodger** (34 · ▲44 ▼10) — 1979. The last of the Berlin trilogy.
15. **Pin Ups** (32 · ▲39 ▼7) — 1973. A covers album of 60s British songs.
16. **Hours** (30 · ▲38 ▼8) — 1999. Calm and reflective; some critics' least favourite.
17. **Earthling** (28 · ▲39 ▼11) — 1997. Drum and bass Bowie.
18. **David Bowie (Space Oddity)** (27 · ▲40 ▼13) — 1969. Major Tom's first trip.
19. **Reality** (25 · ▲32 ▼7) — 2003. His last album before a long silence.
20. **The Next Day** (24 · ▲41 ▼17) — 2013. A surprise comeback after ten years of silence.
21. **Outside** (24 · ▲37 ▼13) — 1995. A dark concept album with Brian Eno.
22. **Black Tie White Noise** (23 · ▲31 ▼8) — 1993. Back to solo work after Tin Machine.
23. **Tonight** (22 · ▲34 ▼12) — 1984. Often cited as one of his weakest.
24. **Never Let Me Down** (21 · ▲29 ▼8) — 1987. Widely seen as his most disappointing.
25. **David Bowie (1967)** (11 · ▲23 ▼12) — 1967. His music-hall debut.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.