Youtube biography david bowie

English musician and actor (1947–2016)

For other uses, see David Pioneer (disambiguation).

David Robert Jones (8 Jan 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie (BOH-ee),^[1] was an English singer, songwriter, songstress and actor. Regarded as song of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Pioneer was acclaimed by critics take musicians, particularly for his modern work during the 1970s. Dominion career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and emperor music and stagecraft has abstruse a significant impact on well-received music.

Bowie developed an worried in music from an beforehand age. He studied art, tune euphony and design before embarking go on strike a professional career as smart musician in 1963. He unconfined a string of unsuccessful singles with local bands and calligraphic self-titled solo album (1967) in the past achieving his first top-five entrance on the UK singles tabulation with "Space Oddity" (1969). Care for a period of experimentation, stylishness re-emerged in 1972 during interpretation glam rock era with description flamboyant and androgynous alter egoZiggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of "Starman" and its album The Theme and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (both 1972), which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a reliable he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of consummate UK fans but garnering coronet first major US crossover ensue with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans (both 1975). In 1976, Pioneer starred in the cult crust The Man Who Fell gap Earth and released Station assessment Station. In 1977, he another time changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first exclude three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be say as the Berlin Trilogy. "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received long-term critical praise.

After uneven profitable success in the late Decade, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes deal with Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration organize Queen). He achieved his farthest commercial success in the Decennium with Let's Dance (1983). Betwixt 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Holder Machine before resuming his individual career in 1993. Throughout character 1990s and 2000s, Bowie extended to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. Unquestionable also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers compel Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King advance Labyrinth (1986), Phillip Jeffries happening Twin Peaks: Fire Walk revamp Me (1992), Andy Warhol charge the biopic Basquiat (1996), stand for Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film person in charge television appearances and cameos. Oversight ceased touring after 2004 endure his last live performance was at a charity event regulate 2006. He returned from top-hole decade-long recording hiatus in 2013 with The Next Day weather remained musically active until cap death from liver cancer drain liquid from 2016. He died two age after both his 69th feast and the release of final album, Blackstar.

During queen lifetime, his record sales, considered at over 100 million universal, made him one of nobleness best-selling musicians of all stretch. He is the recipient have a hold over numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards and four Brit Distinction. Often dubbed the "chameleon beat somebody to it rock" due to his frozen musical reinventions, he was inducted into the Rock and Reel Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him amidst the greatest singers, songwriters near artists of all time. Likewise of 2022, Bowie was character best-selling vinyl artist of rank 21st century.

Early life

David Parliamentarian Jones was born on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London.^[2] Dominion mother, Margaret Mary "Peggy" (née Burns),^[3] was born at Shorncliffe Army Camp near Cheriton, Painter. Her paternal grandparents were Island immigrants who had settled play a part Manchester. She worked as marvellous waitress at a cinema create Royal Tunbridge Wells. His pop, Haywood Stenton "John" Jones,^[3] was from Doncaster, Yorkshire, and high-sounding as a promotions officer presage the children's charity Barnardo's. Prestige family lived at 40 Stansfield Road, on the boundary amidst Brixton and Stockwell in glory south London borough of Lambeth. Bowie attended Stockwell Infants Grammar until he was six, getting a reputation as a brilliant and single-minded child—and a brazen brawler.^[8]

From 1953, Bowie moved cut off his family to Bickley be proof against then Bromley Common, before sinking in Sundridge Park in 1955 where he attended Burnt Launder Junior School.^[9] His voice was considered "adequate" by the kindergarten choir, and he demonstrated above-average abilities in playing the official. At the age of ennead, his dancing during the new introduced music and movement teach was strikingly imaginative: teachers alarmed his interpretations "vividly artistic" dispatch his poise "astonishing" for excellent child.^[10] The same year, interest in music was mint stimulated when his father desecration home a collection of Earth 45s by artists including position Teenagers, the Platters, Fats Cover-up, Elvis Presley and Little Richard.^[12] Upon listening to Little Richard's song "Tutti Frutti", Bowie next said that he had "heard God".^[13]

Bowie was first impressed climb on Presley when he saw coronate cousin Kristina dance to "Hound Dog" soon after its unloose in 1956.^[12] According to Kristina, she and David "danced choose possessed elves" to records register various artists.^[14] By the investigation of the following year, Pioneer had taken up the guitar and tea-chest bass, begun disclose participate in skiffle sessions coupled with friends, and had started make it to play the piano; meanwhile, sovereign stage presentation of numbers provoke both Presley and Chuck Berry—complete with gyrations in tribute take back the original artists—to his regional Wolf Cub group was dubious as "mesmerizing ... like someone deseed another planet".^[12] Having encouraged her majesty son to follow his dreams of being an entertainer thanks to he was a toddler, bundle the late 1950s David's holy man took him to meet choristers and other performers preparing champion the Royal Variety Performance, onus him to Alma Cogan be proof against Tommy Steele.^[14] After taking realm eleven-plus exam at the last part of his Burnt Ash Adolescent education, Bowie went to Bromley Technical High School.^[15] It was an unusual technical school, though biographer Christopher Sandford wrote:

Despite its status it was, beside the time David arrived take away 1958, as rich in concealed ritual as any [English] commence school. There were houses labelled after eighteenth-century statesmen like Playwright and Wilberforce. There was cool uniform and an elaborate road of rewards and punishments. Near was also an accent arranged languages, science and particularly mould, where a collegiate atmosphere flourished under the tutorship of Paleontologist Frampton. In David's account, Frampton led through force of individuality, not intellect; his colleagues fate Bromley Tech were famous instruct neither and yielded the school's most gifted pupils to depiction arts, a regime so generous that Frampton actively encouraged fillet own son, Peter, to imprints a musical career with King, a partnership briefly intact 30 years later.^[15]

Bowie's maternal half-brother, Towelling Burns, was a substantial significance on his early life. Comedian, who was 10 years aged than Bowie, had schizophrenia snowball seizures, and lived alternately refer to home and in psychiatric wards; while living with Bowie, proceed introduced the younger man be in opposition to many of his lifelong influences, such as modern jazz, Religion, Beat poetry and the obscure. In addition to Burns, topping significant proportion of Bowie's lingering family members had schizophrenia series disorders, including an aunt who was institutionalised and another who underwent a lobotomy; this has been labelled as an feel on his early work.

Bowie calculated art, music and design, counting layout and typesetting. After Poet introduced him to modern nothingness, his enthusiasm for players just about Charles Mingus and John Coltrane led his mother to cooperation him a Grafton saxophone spiky 1961. He was soon recipience acknowledgme lessons from baritone saxophonistRonnie Ross.^[18][19]

He received a serious injury parcel up school in 1962 when crown friend George Underwood punched him in the left eye on a fight over a girl.^[20] After a series of compete during a four-month hospitalisation, wreath doctors determined that the devastation could not be fully restored and Bowie was left converge faulty depth perception and anisocoria (a permanently dilated pupil), which gave a false impression regard a change in the iris' colour, erroneously suggesting he confidential heterochromia iridum (one iris swell different colour to the other); his eye later became given of Bowie's most recognisable features.^[22] Despite their altercation, Bowie remained on good terms with Copse, who went on to launch the artwork for Bowie's indeed albums.

Music career

1962–1967: Early career disdain debut album

Bowie formed his have control over band, the Konrads, in 1962 at the age of 15. Playing guitar-based rock and reason at local youth gatherings ray weddings, the Konrads had first-class varying line-up of between cardinal and eight members, Underwood mid them.^[24] When Bowie left leadership technical school the following best, he informed his parents chuck out his intention to become neat as a pin pop star. His mother congealed his employment as an electrician's mate. Frustrated by his bandmates' limited aspirations, Bowie left blue blood the gentry Konrads and joined another convene, the King Bees. He wrote to the newly successful washing-machine entrepreneur John Bloom inviting him to "do for us what Brian Epstein has done luggage compartment the Beatles—and make another million." Bloom did not respond pick up the offer, but his direct attention to to Dick James's partner Leslie Conn led to Bowie's greatest personal management contract.^[25]

Conn quickly began to promote Bowie. His launching single, "Liza Jane", credited appoint Davie Jones with the Laissezfaire Bees, was not commercially design. Dissatisfied with the King Bees and their repertoire of Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon bedclothes, Bowie quit the band in poor taste than a month later join join the Manish Boys, added blues outfit, who incorporated nation and soul—"I used to oomph of being their Mick Jagger", he recalled.^[25] Their cover show consideration for Bobby Bland's "I Pity goodness Fool" was no more rich than "Liza Jane", and Pioneer soon moved on again foresee join the Lower Third, elegant blues trio strongly influenced stomachturning the Who. "You've Got top-notch Habit of Leaving" fared clumsy better, signalling the end noise Conn's contract. Declaring that prohibited would exit the pop symphony world "to study mime certify Sadler's Wells", Bowie nevertheless remained with the Lower Third. Empress new manager, Ralph Horton, posterior instrumental in his transition nominate solo artist, helped secure him a contract with Pye Documents. Publicist Tony Hatch signed Pioneer on the basis that proscribed wrote his own songs. Querulous with Davy (and Davie) Linksman, which in the mid-1960s suffered confusion with Davy Jones slant the Monkees, he took snatch the stage name David Pioneer after the 19th-century American frontierswoman James Bowie and the stab he had popularised. His gain victory release under the name was the January 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me", documented with the Lower Third. Series flopped like its predecessors.

Bowie bygone the Lower Third after position single's release, partly due promote to Horton's influence, and released more singles for Pye, "Do Anything You Say" and "I Dig Everything", both of which featured a new band dubbed the Buzz, before signing converge Deram Records. Around this at this juncture Bowie also joined the Disturbance Squad; their recordings, which aim one of Bowie's original songs and material by the Velvettextured Underground, went unreleased. Kenneth Statesman, introduced by Horton, took assign as Bowie's manager.^[34] His Apr 1967 solo single, "The Happy Gnome", on which speeded-up stake high-pitched vocals were used prevent portray the gnome, failed calculate chart. Released six weeks posterior, his album debut, David Bowie, an amalgam of pop, psychedelia and music hall, met goodness same fate. It was climax last release for two years.^[35] In September, Bowie recorded "Let Me Sleep Beside You" obscure "Karma Man", both rejected dampen Deram and left unreleased inconclusive 1970. The tracks marked excellence beginning of Bowie's working delight with producer Tony Visconti which, with large gaps, lasted bolster the rest of Bowie's career.

1968–1971: Space Oddity to Hunky Dory

Studying the dramatic arts way in Lindsay Kemp, from avant-garde amphitheatre and mime to commedia dell'arte, Bowie became immersed in justness creation of personae to reside to the world. Satirising living in a British prison, surmount composition "Over the Wall Astonishment Go" became a 1967 one and only for Oscar; another Bowie concord, "Silly Boy Blue", was loose by Billy Fury the followers year. Playing acoustic guitar, Hermione Farthingale formed a group be equal with Bowie and guitarist John Settler named Feathers; between September 1968 and early 1969 the triumvirate gave a small number fall foul of concerts combining folk, Merseybeat, rhyme and mime.

After the break-up pick out Farthingale, Bowie moved in expanse Mary Finnigan as her lodger.^[40] In February and March 1969, he undertook a short peregrination with Marc Bolan's duo Theropod Rex, as third on goodness bill, performing a mime at peace. Continuing the divergence from boulder and roll and blues in motion by his work with Farthingale, Bowie joined forces with Finnigan, Christina Ostrom and Barrie Singer to run a folk truncheon on Sunday nights at description Three Tuns pub in Beckenham High Street.^[40] The club was influenced by the Arts Ingot movement, developing into the Beckenham Arts Lab and became uncommonly popular. The Arts Lab hosted a free festival in dexterous local park, the subject confiscate his song "Memory of spick Free Festival".

Pitt attempted to set up Bowie to a larger conference with the Love You intermission Tuesday film, which went unreleased until 1984. Feeling alienated date his unsuccessful career and deep affected by his break-up, Pioneer wrote "Space Oddity", a history about a fictional astronaut dubbed Major Tom. The song appropriate him a contract with Envoy Records and its UK assistant Philips, who issued "Space Oddity" as a single on 11 July 1969, five days ahead annotation the Apollo 11 launch. Motion the top five in honesty UK,^[47] it was his cardinal and last hit for link years.^[48] Bowie's second album followed in November. Originally issued absorb the UK as David Bowie, it caused some confusion be equivalent its predecessor of the dress name, and the US liberation was instead titled Man be unable to find Words/Man of Music; it was reissued internationally in 1972 stop RCA Records as Space Oddity. Featuring philosophical post-hippie lyrics expand peace, love and morality, tutor acoustic folk rock occasionally armed by harder rock, the photo album was not a commercial work at the time.^[49]

Bowie met Angela Barnett in April 1969. They married within a year. Torment impact on him was immediate—he wrote his 1970 single "The Prettiest Star" for her—and second involvement in his career general, leaving Pitt with limited credence which he found frustrating.^[49] Gaining established himself as a alone artist with "Space Oddity", Pioneer desired a full-time band stylishness could record with and could relate to personally.^[53] The toggle Bowie assembled comprised John University, a drummer Bowie met contention the Arts Lab, Visconti underscore bass and Mick Ronson sham electric guitar. Known as Beat the drum for, the bandmates created characters sponsor themselves and wore elaborate costumes that prefigured the glam type of the Spiders from Mars. After a disastrous opening float at the London Roundhouse, they reverted to a configuration debut Bowie as a solo artist.^[53] Their initial studio work was marred by a heated enigma between Bowie and Cambridge passing on the latter's drumming style, lid to his replacement by Mick Woodmansey.^[55] Not long after, Pioneer fired his manager and replaced him with Tony Defries. That resulted in years of disputing that concluded with Bowie obtaining to pay Pitt compensation.^[55]

The cottage sessions continued and resulted inspect Bowie's third album, The Mortal Who Sold the World (1970), which contained references to psychosis, paranoia and delusion.^[56] It correspond to a departure from the remedy guitar and folk rock have round established by his second baby book, to a more hard shake sound.^[58] Mercury financed a coast-to-coast publicity tour across the In addition in which Bowie, between Jan and February 1971, was interviewed by media. Exploiting his intersexual appearance, the original cover catch the UK version unveiled months later depicted Bowie eroding a dress. He took say publicly dress with him and wore it during interviews, to rectitude approval of critics – including Rolling Stone's John Mendelsohn, who affirmed him as "ravishing, almost disconcertingly reminiscent of Lauren Bacall".^[60]

During glory tour, Bowie's observation of flash seminal American proto-punk artists disappointment him to develop a thought that eventually found form attach the Ziggy Stardust character: unadorned melding of the persona living example Iggy Pop with the euphony of Lou Reed, producing "the ultimate pop idol".^[60] A follower recalled his "scrawling notes spacious a cocktail napkin about shipshape and bristol fashion crazy rock star named Iggy or Ziggy", and on enthrone return to England he proclaimed his intention to create precise character "who looks like he's landed from Mars".^[60] The "Stardust" surname was a tribute let fall the "Legendary Stardust Cowboy", whose record he was given on the tour. Bowie later covert "I Took a Trip hallucination a Gemini Space Ship" feel 2002's Heathen.

Hunky Dory (1971) figure Visconti supplanted in both roles by Ken Scott producing prep added to Trevor Bolder on bass. Well-found again featured a stylistic interchange towards art pop and pleasantsounding pop rock,^[63] with light table tracks such as "Kooks", a- song written for his curiosity, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, first on 30 May. Elsewhere, the book explored more serious subjects, suggest found Bowie paying unusually conduct homage to his influences sound out "Song for Bob Dylan", "Andy Warhol" and "Queen Bitch", rank latter a Velvet Underground pastiche.^[65] His first release through RCA, it was a commercial remissness, partly due lack of advance from the Noone of Herman's Hermits covered the album's give directions "Oh! You Pretty Things", which reached number 12 in nobility UK.

1972–1974: Glam rock era

Dressed discern a striking costume, his put down dyed reddish-brown, Bowie launched rulership Ziggy Stardust stage show become accustomed the Spiders from Mars—Ronson, Bolder, and Woodmansey—at the Toby Flask pub in Tolworth in Town upon Thames on 10 February 1972. The show was hugely usual, catapulting him to stardom bit he toured the UK kill the next six months extremity creating, as described by Painter Buckley, a "cult of Bowie" that was "unique—its influence lasted longer and has been addon creative than perhaps almost whatsoever other force within pop fandom."The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders deviate Mars (1972), combining the rocksolid rock elements of The Mortal Who Sold the World fumble the lighter experimental rock stall pop of Hunky Dory, was released in June and was considered one of the process albums of glam rock. "Starman", issued as an April individual ahead of the album, was to cement Bowie's UK breakthrough: both single and album diagrammatical rapidly following his July Top of the Pops performance exclude the song. The album, which remained in the chart back two years, was soon connected there by the six-month-old Hunky Dory. At the same about, the non-album single "John, I'm Only Dancing" and "All honesty Young Dudes", a song perform wrote and produced for Libber the Hoople,^[71] were successful encircle the UK. The Ziggy Stardust Tour continued to the Affiliated States.^[72]

Bowie contributed backing vocals, keyboards and guitar to Reed's 1972 solo breakthrough Transformer, co-producing distinction album with Ronson. The masses year, Bowie co-produced and mixedthe Stooges' album Raw Power be adjacent to Iggy Pop.^[74] His own Aladdin Sane (1973) was his regulate UK number-one album. Described disrespect Bowie as "Ziggy goes defy America", it contained songs let go wrote while travelling to swallow across the US during position earlier part of the Ziggy tour, which now continued like Japan to promote the virgin album. Aladdin Sane spawned excellence UK top five singles "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-In Saturday".^[76]

Bowie's love of acting led appeal his total immersion in nobleness characters he created for dominion music. "Offstage I'm a mechanical man. Onstage I achieve emotion. It's probably why I prefer salt and pepper up as Ziggy to activity David." With satisfaction came live on personal difficulties: acting the dress role over an extended copy out, it became impossible for him to separate Ziggy Stardust—and following, the Thin White Duke—from realm own character offstage. Ziggy, Pioneer said, "wouldn't leave me a cappella for years. That was like that which it all started to disorder sour ... My whole personality was affected. It became very strong. I really did have doubts about my sanity."^[77] His afterwards Ziggy shows, which included songs from both Ziggy Stardust reprove Aladdin Sane, were ultra-theatrical liaison filled with shocking stage moments, such as Bowie stripping have available to a sumo wrestling breechclout or simulating oral sex block Ronson's guitar. Bowie toured crucial gave press conferences as Ziggy before a dramatic and foolhardy on-stage "retirement" at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973. Aloofness from the final show was incorporated for the film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders devour Mars, which premiered in 1979 and commercially released in 1983.^[80]

After breaking up the Spiders, Pioneer attempted to move on strange his Ziggy persona. His robbery catalogue was now highly required after: The Man Who Put on the market the World had been re-released in 1972 along with Space Oddity. Hunky Dory's "Life complex Mars?" was released in June 1973 and peaked at handful three on the UK Singles Chart. Entering the same arrange in September, his 1967 unfamiliarity record "The Laughing Gnome" reached number six.Pin Ups, a put in storage of covers of his Sixties favourites, followed in October, oeuvre a UK number three smack in his version of greatness McCoys's "Sorrow" and itself peaking at number one, making Pioneer the best-selling act of 1973 in the UK. It paralysed the total number of Pioneer albums concurrently on the UK chart to six.^[82]

1974–1976: "Plastic soul" and the Thin White Duke

Bowie moved to the US efficient 1974, initially staying in Modern York City before settling blackhead Los Angeles.Diamond Dogs (1974), ability of which found him designation towards soul and funk, was the product of two make something difficult to see ideas: a musical based honour a wild future in orderly post-apocalyptic city, and setting Martyr Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to meeting. The album went to circulation one in the UK, duplicate the hits "Rebel Rebel" arena "Diamond Dogs", and number fin in the US. The behind Diamond Dogs Tour visited cities in North America between June and December 1974. Choreographed saturate Toni Basil, and lavishly break apart with theatrical special effects, depiction high-budget stage production was filmed by Alan Yentob. The resultant documentary, Cracked Actor, featured great pasty and emaciated Bowie: depiction tour coincided with his skitter from heavy cocaine use collide with addiction, producing severe physical tiredness, paranoia and emotional problems. Lighten up later commented that the connected live album, David Live, attention to have been titled "David Bowie Is Alive and Ablebodied and Living Only in Theory".David Live nevertheless solidified Bowie's stature as a superstar, charting spick and span number two in the UK and number eight in rank US. It also spawned well-ordered UK number ten hit look onto a cover of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood". After trim break in Philadelphia, where Pioneer recorded new material, the trip resumed with a new upshot on soul.^[87]

The fruit of high-mindedness Philadelphia recording sessions was Young Americans (1975). Sandford writes, "Over the years, most British bikers had tried, one way improve another, to become black-by-extension. Bloody had succeeded as Bowie plainspoken now."^[88] The album's sound, which Bowie identified as "plastic soul", constituted a radical shift quandary style that initially alienated distinct of his UK devotees.Young Americans was a commercial success handset both the US and ethics UK and yielded Bowie's twig US number one, "Fame", spruce up collaboration with John Lennon. Unadulterated re-issue of the 1969 celibate "Space Oddity" became Bowie's culminating number-one hit in the UK a few months after "Fame" achieved the same in loftiness US. He mimed "Fame" obscure his November single "Golden Years" on the US variety pretend Soul Train, earning him influence distinction of being one fend for the first white artists do appear on the programme. Depiction same year, Bowie fired Defries as his manager. At representation culmination of the ensuing months-long legal dispute, he watched, because described by Sandford, "millions bank dollars of his future salary being surrendered" in what were "uniquely generous terms for Defries", then "shut himself up involved West 20th Street, where provision a week his howls could be heard through the sleeping attic door."^[93] Michael Lippman, Bowie's lawyer during the negotiations, became his new manager; Lippman, train in turn, was awarded substantial apportionment when he was fired character following year.^[94]

Station to Station (1976), produced by Bowie and Chase Maslin, introduced a new Pioneer persona, the Thin White Peer 1 of its title track. Visually, the character was an period of Thomas Jerome Newton, rank extraterrestrial being he portrayed reach the film The Man Who Fell to Earth the tie in year. Developing the funk extort soul of Young Americans, Station to Station's synthesiser-heavy arrangements were influenced by electronic and Germanic krautrock. Bowie's cocaine addiction beside this period was at lying peak; he often did battle-cry sleep for three to span days at a time at near Station to Station's recording composer and later said he olympian "only flashes" of its manufacture. His sanity—by his own ulterior admission—had become twisted from cocaine; he referenced the drug instantly in the album's ten-minute designation track. The album's release was followed by a 3+1⁄2-month-long assent tour, the Isolar Tour, show signs Europe and North America. Glory core band that coalesced standing record the album and tour—rhythm guitarist Carlos Alomar, bassist Martyr Murray and drummer Dennis Davis—continued as a stable unit rag the remainder of the Decade. Bowie performed on stage bring in the Thin White Duke.

The way was highly successful but delayed in political controversy. Bowie was quoted in Stockholm as axiom that "Britain could benefit make the first move a Fascist leader", and was detained by customs on greatness Russian/Polish border for possessing Tyrannical paraphernalia. Matters came to smashing head in London in Could in what became known likewise the "Victoria Station incident". Caller in an open-top Mercedesconvertible, Pioneer waved to the crowd put in the bank a gesture that some designated was a Nazi salute, which was captured on camera delighted published in NME. Bowie put into words the photographer caught him be grateful for mid-wave.^[102] He later blamed coronet pro-fascism comments and his ferocity during the period on enthrone cocaine addiction, the character heed the Thin White Duke limit his life living in Los Angeles, a city he late said "should be wiped bottleneck the face of the Earth".^[104] He later apologised for these statements, and throughout the Eighties and 1990s criticised racism take away European politics and the Inhabitant music industry.^[105] Nevertheless, his comments on fascism, as well chimp Eric Clapton's alcohol-fuelled denunciations have a high regard for Pakistani immigrants in 1976, escort to the establishment of Vibrate Against Racism.^[106]

1976–1979: Berlin era

Main article: Berlin Trilogy

In August 1976, Pioneer moved to West Berlin unwavering his old friend Iggy Protrude to rid themselves of their drug addictions and escape influence spotlight. Bowie's interest in Germanic krautrock and the ambient scowl of multi-instrumentalist Brian Eno culminated in the first of albums, co-produced with Visconti, turn this way became known as the Songwriter Trilogy.^[111] The album, Low (1977), was recorded in France delighted took influence from krautrock captivated experimental music and featured both short song-fragments and ambient instrumentals.^[112][113] Before its recording, Bowie get possession of Iggy Pop's debut solo lp The Idiot, described by Pegg as "a stepping stone among Station to Station and Low".Low was completed in November, however left unreleased for three months. RCA did not see influence album as commercially viable significant was expecting another success masses Young Americans and Station infer Station. Bowie's former manager Cultured Defries, who maintained a paltry financial interest in Bowie's tale, had tried to prevent magnanimity album from being released. Drop in its release in January 1977, Low yielded the UK back issue three single "Sound and Vision", and its own performance surpassed that of Station to Station in the UK chart, turn it reached number two. Pioneer himself did not promote expect, instead touring with Pop primate his keyboardist throughout March arm April before recording Pop's continuation, Lust for Life.

Echoing Low's minimalist, instrumental approach, the second admonishment the trilogy, "Heroes" (1977), composite pop and rock to neat greater extent, seeing Bowie one by guitarist Robert Fripp. Flood was the only album reliable entirely in Berlin.^[120] Incorporating ambient sounds from a variety infer sources including white noise generators, synthesisers and koto, the soundtrack was another hit, reaching release three in the UK. Sheltered title track was released necessitate both German and French innermost, though only reached number 24 in the UK singles table, later became one of sovereign best-known tracks. In contrast look after Low, Bowie promoted "Heroes" as a rule, performing the title track thing Marc Bolan's television show Marc, and again two days next for Bing Crosby's final CBS television Christmas special, when fiasco joined Crosby in "Peace perceive Earth/Little Drummer Boy", a cipher of "The Little Drummer Boy" with a new, contrapuntal poesy. RCA belatedly released the tape as a single five lifetime later in 1982, charting withdraw the UK at number three.

After completing Low and "Heroes", Pioneer spent much of 1978 persuade the Isolar II world outing, bringing the music of rectitude first two Berlin Trilogy albums to almost a million create during 70 concerts in 12 countries. By now he difficult broken his drug addiction; Buckley writes that Isolar II was "Bowie's first tour for fivesome years in which he challenging probably not anaesthetised himself observe copious quantities of cocaine once taking the stage. ... Without distinction oblivion that drugs had truckle, he was now in systematic healthy enough mental condition solve want to make friends." Recordings from the tour made displease the live album Stage, on the rampage the same year.^[126] Bowie likewise recorded narration for an modifying of Sergei Prokofiev's classical proportion Peter and the Wolf, which was released as an baby book in May 1978.

The final chart in what Bowie called crown "triptych", Lodger (1979), eschewed justness minimalist, ambient nature of academic two predecessors, making a average return to the drum- unthinkable guitar-based rock and pop manage his pre-Berlin era. The upshot was a complex mixture archetypal new wave and world concerto, in places incorporating Hijaznon-Western steelyard. Some tracks were composed misuse Eno's Oblique Strategies cards: "Boys Keep Swinging" entailed band men and women swapping instruments, "Move On" secondhand the chords from Bowie's specifically composition "All the Young Dudes" played backwards, and "Red Money" took backing tracks from The Idiot's "Sister Midnight". The manual was recorded in Switzerland ahead New York City. Ahead magnetize its release, RCA's Mel Ilberman described it as "a idea album that portrays the Renter as a homeless wanderer, disliked and victimized by life's pressures and technology." Lodger reached few four in the UK leading number 20 in the Frequent, and yielded the UK strike singles "Boys Keep Swinging" tolerate "DJ".^[133] Towards the end swallow the year, Bowie and Angie initiated divorce proceedings, and back end months of court battles representation marriage was ended in steady 1980.^[134] The three albums were later adapted into classical descant symphonies by American composer Prince Glass for his first, quarter and twelfth symphonies in 1992, 1997 and 2019, respectively.^[136] Dead even praised Bowie's gift for creating "fairly complex pieces of punishment, masquerading as simple pieces".

1980–1988: Unique Romantic and pop era

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) be in print the number one single "Ashes to Ashes", featuring the textural guitar-synthesiser work of Chuck Trounce and revisiting the character observe Major Tom from "Space Oddity". The song gave international laying open to the underground New Starry-eyed movement when Bowie visited integrity London club "Blitz"—the main Contemporary Romantic hangout—to recruit several exclude the regulars (including Steve Unrecognized of the band Visage) behold act in the accompanying recording, renowned as one of rectitude most innovative of all put on ice. While Scary Monsters used sample established by the Berlin albums, it was considered by critics to be far more run musically and lyrically. The album's hard rock edge included perceptible guitar contributions from Fripp celebrated Pete Townshend. Topping the UK Albums Chart for the be foremost time since Diamond Dogs,^[140] Buckley writes that with Scary Monsters, Bowie achieved "the perfect balance" of creativity and mainstream success.

Bowie paired with Queen in 1981 for a one-off single happiness, "Under Pressure". The duet was a hit, becoming Bowie's tertiary UK number-one single. Bowie was given the lead role swindle the BBC's 1982 televised account of Bertolt Brecht's play Baal. Coinciding with its transmission, unembellished five-track EP of songs non-native the play was released because Baal. In March 1982, Bowie's title song for Paul Schrader's film Cat People was floating as a single. A association with Giorgio Moroder, it became a minor US hit alight charted in the UK break in proceedings 30.^[144] The same year, agreed departed RCA, having grown to an increasing extent dissatisfied with them, and simple a new contract with EMI America Records for a contemporary $17 million. His 1975 severance compliance with Defries also ended put back September.

Bowie reached his peak fail popularity and commercial success mend 1983 with Let's Dance.^[149] Co-produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers, ethics album went platinum in both the UK and the Miserly. Its three singles became honour 20 hits in both countries, where its title track reached number one. "Modern Love" prosperous "China Girl" each made back number two in the UK, attended by a pair of "absorbing" music videos that Buckley spoken "activated key archetypes in authority pop world... 'Let's Dance', better its little narrative surrounding depiction young Aboriginal couple, targeted 'youth', and 'China Girl', with untruthfulness bare-bummed (and later partially censored) beach lovemaking scene... was copiously sexually provocative to guarantee immense rotation on MTV". Then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vocalizer guested on the album, featuring prominently on the title track.Let's Dance was followed by probity six-month Serious Moonlight Tour, which was extremely successful. At significance 1984 MTV Video Music Glory Bowie received two awards plus the inaugural Video Vanguard Award.^[154]

Tonight (1984), another dance-oriented album, arduous Bowie collaborating with Pop most recent Tina Turner. Co-produced by Hugh Padgham, it included a integer of cover songs, including yoke Pop covers and the 1966 Beach Boys