The Bad Penny (beta)

One would be hard-pressed to name a rock star whose legacy can compete with that of David Bowie. The Thin White Duke’s timeless music is arguably more popular and resonant now than even in his ‘70s heyday. Even further, the singular social imprint he left — bending gender norms decades before doing so became culturally acceptable — continues to earn Bowie reverence among younger generations. In a manner that few artists other than Bowie are capable of, he capped off his indisputably enduring career with Blackstar, an album that scored the rare trifecta of critical, commercial, and artistic excellence.

David Bowie Shoots for the Stars — One Last Time

Whereas Bowie peer Lou Reed sadly passed away with a whimper of an album — Lulu, his ambitious yet ultimately lackluster collaboration with Metallica — Ziggy Stardust stuck the landing with his own highly experimental effort, 2016’s Blackstar. Ten years later, it remains confounding how Bowie cooked up a record that incorporated material from his off-Broadway musical Lazarus, genres ranging from jazz to art rock, and salutes to Kendrick Lamar and other unlikely musicians he respected.

From start to finish, Blackstar reflects an artist who had achieved a Buddha-level of enlightenment, as evidenced by his confidence and audaciousness to open it with the 10-minute title track. He wasn’t marinating in egoism or self-indulgence, though: One of the most humble yet ostentatious rock stars of all time entrusted his eight-member backing band to flex their experimental chops too. The rife-with-time-changes “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)” and the piano-laced, mellifluous “Dollar Days” are the chief examples.