David Bowie sadly passed away on January 10th aged 69. While it seems tragically young for such a huge talent, it should be worth noting that The Starman fitted more into his life than perhaps any other artists. Never happy to settle for long on one style, Bowie reinvented vigorously, right up to his jazz inspired final album Blackstar.
HTF takes a look at the various stages of the career of Pop's greatest chameleon!
90’s to Present
Although the persona’s in large had been abandoned, with Bowie appearing as Bowie for the most part, musically he was still as adventurous as ever with experiments in Hip Hop and House music (Black Tie, White Noise), Garage/Jungle (Earthling) and Jazz (Blackstar). Always seeking the new, Bowie often found himself ahead of the pack, and it’s likely in the aftermath of his death that even the material that was panned upon release will be critically re-evaluated in the coming months and years.
Through everything the one thing that stands out is not just the change but also the innovation throughout Bowies career. We could have easily written a full article on each era, just covering how forward thinking he was. From space folk to jazz via soul and hip hop, David Bowie always endeavored to push the envelope. As producer Tony Visconti put it “He always did what he wanted to do,” the message begins. “And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life – a work of Art.”.