David Bowie’s top 25 records
Imagining them to have no time for such trivial matters, it’s somehow reassuring to see famous people making top lists of things. Though, obviously, it’s always guys. The guys on my bank of desks at work are continually doing top tens – films, albums, songs, record companies (and recently, obviously, top ten Bowie albums and songs – I’m not afraid to say in public Let’s Dance is one of my favourites). Women, though, do not do top tens. They do not do favourite albums, songs or films (or if they do it’s an emotional choice, not based on the history of film or music, and probably something they saw or listened to last week). There’s a theory that all men are on the Asperger’s spectrum – for our lists (Barnflakes is famous for its top ten lists and probably quite high on the spectrum), our hobbies (from stamp collecting to football and cars), our filing systems.
I like David Bowie’s typically idiosyncratic top 25 from 2003 – I have a bunch of them. I haven’t posted anything about Bowie over the last few weeks because, well, everyone else has. In 2003, Bowie also let us know his top hundred must-read books.
The list, in no particular order…
The Last Poets The Last Poets
Shipbuilding Robert Wyatt
The Fabulous Little Richard Little Richard
Music for 18 Musicians Steve Reich
The Velvet Underground & Nico The Velvet Underground
Tupelo Blues John Lee Hooker
Blues, Rags and Hollers Koerner, Ray and Glover
The Apollo Theatre Presents: In Person! The James Brown Show James Brown
Forces of Victory Linton Kwesi Johnson
The Red Flower of Tachai Blossoms Everywhere: Music Played on National Instruments Various Artists
Banana Moon Daevid Allen
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Cast Album
The Electrosoniks: Electronic Music Tom Dissevelt
The 5000 Spirits of the Layers of the Onion The Incredible String Band
Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman Tucker Zimmerman
Four Last Songs (Strauss) Gundula Janowitz
The Ascension Glenn Branca
The Madcap Laughs Syd Barrett
Black Angels George Crumb
Funky Kingston Toots & the Maytals
Delusion of the Fury Harry Partch
Oh Yeah Charles Mingus
Le Sacre du Printemps Igor Stravinsky
The Fugs The Fugs
The Glory (????) of the Human Voice Florence Foster Jenkins