Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

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Daniel
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Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Daniel »

Where do you think David Bowie's Blackstar album and any of the songs from it will place in Acclaimed Music's Top 3000 Albums of All Time and Top 6000 Songs of All Time lists when the website is updated in 2017?

As a reminder, here are the Bowie albums and songs currently listed:

ALBUMS
1. THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1972) #16
2. HUNKY DORY (1971) #66
3. LOW (1977) #100
4. “HEROES” (1977) #244
5. STATION TO STATION (1976) #297
6. ALADDIN SANE (1973) #448
7. SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS) (1980) #451
8. YOUNG AMERICANS (1975) #781
9. THE NEXT DAY (2013) #860
10. LET’S DANCE (1983) #1090
11. DIAMOND DOGS (1974) #1273
12. THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD (1970) #1764
13. LODGER (1979) #2156
14. HEATHEN (2002) bubbling under

SONGS
1. “HEROES” (1977) #26
2. SPACE ODDITY (1969) #79
3. LIFE ON MARS? (1971) #87
4. CHANGES (1971) #226
5. ZIGGY STARDUST (1972) #268
6. ASHES TO ASHES (1980) #279
7. UNDER PRESSURE (1981) #411
8. STARMAN (1972) #468
9. YOUNG AMERICANS (1975) #478
10. SOUND AND VISION (1977) #515
11. REBEL REBEL (1974) #723
12. LET’S DANCE (1983) #808
13. STATION TO STATION (1976) #1039
14. THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD (1970) #1096
15. FAME (1975) #1184
16. GOLDEN YEARS (1975) #1191
17. WHERE ARE WE NOW? (2013) #1227
18. SUFFRAGETTE CITY (1972) #1408
19. MOONAGE DAYDREAM (1972) #1493
20. FIVE YEARS (1972) #1976
21. ROCK ’N’ ROLL SUICIDE (1972) #2245
22. DRIVE-IN SATURDAY (1973) #2252
23. FASHION (1980) #2283
24. THE JEAN GENIE (1972) #2568
25. MODERN LOVE (1983) #2946
26. JOHN, I’M ONLY DANCING (1972) #2971
27. QUEEN BITCH (1971) #3275
28. ALWAYS CRASHING IN THE SAME CAR (1977) #3351
29. CHINA GIRL (1983) #3836
30. ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (1986) #4160
31. SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME) (2014) #4471
32. DIAMOND DOGS (1974) #5021
33. BOYS KEEP SWINGING (1979) #5156
34. CAT PEOPLE (PUTTING OUT FIRE) (1982) #5563
35. SWEET THING (1974) bubbling under
36. WILD IS THE WIND (1976) bubbling under
37. ART DECADE (1977) bubbling under
38. A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977) bubbling under
39. LOVE IS LOST (HELLO STEVE REICH MIX BY JAMES MURPHY) (2013) bubbling under
40. THE STARS (ARE OUT TONIGHT) (2013) bubbling under
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Setherex
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will fin

Post by Setherex »

Jeez. I don't know if I can make any kind of assessment or estimate as to how an album that released three weeks ago will fare in 18 or so months.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will fin

Post by Nick »

Higher than "The Next Day", lower than "Scary Monsters". Other than that, I'm with Setherex.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will fin

Post by Henrik »

I think higher than Scary Monsters.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will fin

Post by Gillingham »

I'd say higher than Young Americans and lower than Station to Station.
Guessing around #400.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will fin

Post by BleuPanda »

I could easily see low 400s for the album. "Blackstar" should make it to the top 2000, and I could easily see "Lazurus" being in the top 10 for EOY 2016. However, I'm going to bet the songs will settle into lower spots over time, but I also expect the album to maintain its position or even rise.
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Daniel
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Daniel »

Now that many year-end lists have come in, where do you think Blackstar and any songs from it will finish in AcclaimedMusic's all time list?

I am personally predicting the album to finish slightly above #200 on the all time list, which would make it his 4th most acclaimed album (a top 100 finish would be more than welcome, but I don't want to get my hopes up).

I predict "Lazarus" to finish at around #800 on the songs list, possibly higher than his 11th most acclaimed "Rebel Rebel" (#723), possibly lower than his current #12 "Let's Dance" (#808), or somewhere in between.

I predict "I Can't Give Everything Away" will finish around #2500, and the title track (which benefits from appearing on last year's end of lists as well) I would guess maybe around #1500?
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Jirin »

Personally Blackstar is my favorite Bowie album and will be in my personal AT top 100 no question.

On the AM list, top 200 or 300 probably.
Jonathon
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Jonathon »

Blackstar will debut at 180-ish.
Lazarus at about 700-ish.
Blackstar (Title track) will be 1800ish.
I Can't Give Everything Away will be roughly 2500.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Henrik »

Jonathon wrote:Blackstar will debut at 180-ish.
Could be. But what about the direction afterwards?
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Jonathon »

Henrik wrote:
Jonathon wrote:Blackstar will debut at 180-ish.
Could be. But what about the direction afterwards?
Downward. Older artists tend to drop once decade end lists/ all-time lists come out. See: Love & Theft, SMiLE, All 21st century albums by Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Unless Blackstar has an impact on music that comes after, it will be viewed as a great album/ important for David Bowie's sake.


That said, I think the circumstances of his death in proximity to the album will keep it above Aladdin Sane permanently. I also think the acclaimed rock album field is far weaker than it was in the 00s (There are no Kid As, Funerals, YHFs, or Is This It's) and that something like Blackstar might have a bit more staying power than it would in year's past.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Nick »

I agree with Jonathon, "Blackstar" will debut in the lower reaches of the top 200. 180 or so sounds just about right.

And rightfully so, I might add. That album absolutely deserves a top 200 ranking.
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Jirin »

Blackstar is my favorite Bowie album.

But I have a few problems with some of the superficial aspects of Bowie's glam period and I like really personal albums, so Blackstar also matches all my biases.

Sometimes super-hyped albums debut high then start to sink but I don't see that happening to Blackstar. I think it will settle around 250.
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Daniel
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Re: Where do you think Bowie's 'Blackstar' (+songs) will finish?

Post by Daniel »

Jonathon wrote:Blackstar will debut at 180-ish.
Lazarus at about 700-ish.
Blackstar (Title track) will be 1800ish.
I Can't Give Everything Away will be roughly 2500.
You were pretty spot-on with your prediction for the album! It debuted at #182 on AM's latest update, making it Bowie's 4th-most acclaimed album of all time (behind Ziggy Stardust [#16], Hunky Dory [#68] and Low [#100]). In my opinion, I would agree that these are his 4 best albums.

I think the tracks performed much better than any of us were predicting.
"Lazarus" - #417 (10th most acclaimed for Bowie)
"Blackstar" - #662 (13th most acclaimed for Bowie)
"I Can't Give Everything Away" - #2264 (26th most acclaimed for Bowie)

Also worth noting that Blackstar is the only David Bowie album to be the #1 most acclaimed of its release year (Ziggy Stardust is the 2nd most acclaimed album of 1972, behind the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St).
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