Five Years (1969–1973) cover

Five Years (1969–1973)

David Bowie · 2015

526 min · 135 tracks · alternative rock · electronic · hard rock

A kaleidoscopic journey through glam rock, avant-garde soundscapes, and poignant lyrical storytelling.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • kaleidoscopic sonic exploration
  • poignant lyrical storytelling
  • patient unfolding of themes
  • late-night introspective sessions
  • dynamic emotional contrasts

Maybe skip if you want

  • instant gratification seekers
  • short attention span listeners

Where this album fits

Themes
glam rock theatrics· space-age narratives· cultural transformation· identity exploration
Career context
Released in 2015, 'Five Years (1969–1973)' came at a time when David Bowie’s legacy was being re-evaluated following his passing earlier that year. This box set serves as a comprehensive retrospective of his early career, showcasing the evolution from his self-titled debut to the groundbreaking 'Ziggy Stardust'. It highlighted Bowie's versatility and creative evolution during a transformative period in music history.
Stylistic neighbors
Brian Eno· Roxy Music· Talking Heads
Sounds like this from elsewhere
Electric Warrior by T. Rex — Shares glam rock aesthetics and theatrical storytelling with a cosmic flair.
For Your Pleasure by Roxy Music — Explores avant-garde soundscapes and identity themes through lush production and artful lyricism.
Transformer by Lou Reed — Offers a blend of glam rock energy and introspective narratives reflecting cultural shifts.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Space Oddity 5:15
  • 2 Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed 6:53
  • 3 Letter to Hermione 2:36
  • 4 Cygnet Committee 9:35
  • 5 Janine 3:25
  • 6 An Occasional Dream 3:01
  • 7 The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud 4:51
  • 8 God Knows I’m Good 3:21
  • 9 Memory of a Free Festival 7:11

Disc 2

  • 1 The Width of a Circle 8:08
  • 2 All the Madmen 5:40
  • 3 Black Country Rock 3:36
  • 4 After All 3:55
  • 5 Running Gun Blues 3:15
  • 6 Saviour Machine 4:28
  • 7 She Shook Me Cold 4:16
  • 8 The Man Who Sold the World 3:58
  • 9 The Supermen 3:41

Disc 3

  • 1 Changes 3:35
  • 2 Oh! You Pretty Things 3:12
  • 3 Eight Line Poem 2:55
  • 4 Life on Mars? 3:51
  • 5 Kooks 2:53
  • 6 Quicksand 5:06
  • 7 Fill Your Heart 3:07
  • 8 Andy Warhol 3:56
  • 9 Song for Bob Dylan 4:12
  • 10 Queen Bitch 3:18
  • 11 The Bewlay Brothers 5:24

Disc 4

  • 1 Five Years 4:42
  • 2 Soul Love 3:33
  • 3 Moonage Daydream 4:39
  • 4 Starman 4:14
  • 5 It Ain’t Easy 2:57
  • 6 Lady Stardust 3:21
  • 7 Star 2:47
  • 8 Hang On to Yourself 2:38
  • 9 Ziggy Stardust 3:13
  • 10 Suffragette City 3:25
  • 11 Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide 2:59

Disc 5

  • 1 Watch That Man 4:30
  • 2 Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?) 5:08
  • 3 Drive‐In Saturday 4:31
  • 4 Panic in Detroit 4:27
  • 5 Cracked Actor 3:01
  • 6 Time 5:14
  • 7 The Prettiest Star 3:31
  • 8 Let’s Spend the Night Together 3:10
  • 9 The Jean Genie 4:07
  • 10 Lady Grinning Soul 3:53

Disc 6

  • 1 Rosalyn 2:21
  • 2 Here Comes the Night 3:08
  • 3 I Wish You Would 2:47
  • 4 See Emily Play 4:12
  • 5 Everything’s All Right 2:27
  • 6 I Can’t Explain 2:13
  • 7 Friday on My Mind 2:55
  • 8 Sorrow 2:53
  • 9 Don’t Bring Me Down 2:06
  • 10 Shapes of Things 2:53
  • 11 Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere 3:11
  • 12 Where Have All the Good Times Gone 2:44

Disc 7

  • 1 Introduction 0:15
  • 2 Hang On to Yourself 2:47
  • 3 Ziggy Stardust 3:23
  • 4 Changes 3:32
  • 5 The Supermen 2:56
  • 6 Life on Mars? 3:28
  • 7 Five Years 4:32
  • 8 Space Oddity 5:22
  • 9 Andy Warhol 3:57
  • 10 My Death 5:57
  • 11 The Width of a Circle 10:39
  • 12 Queen Bitch 3:00
  • 13 Moonage Daydream 4:38
  • 14 John, I’m Only Dancing 3:36
  • 15 Waiting for the Man 5:45
  • 16 The Jean Genie 4:02
  • 17 Suffragette City 4:25
  • 18 Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide 3:17

Disc 8

  • 1 Introduction 1:06
  • 2 Hang On to Yourself 2:55
  • 3 Ziggy Stardust 3:19
  • 4 Watch That Man 4:14
  • 5 Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud 3:15
  • 6 All the Young Dudes 1:38
  • 7 Oh! You Pretty Things 1:46
  • 8 Moonage Daydream 6:25
  • 9 Changes 3:36
  • 10 Space Oddity 5:05
  • 11 My Death 7:21

Disc 9

  • 1 Introduction 1:02
  • 2 Cracked Actor 3:03
  • 3 Time 5:31
  • 4 Width of a Circle 15:45
  • 5 Let’s Spend the Night Together 3:02
  • 6 Suffragette City 4:32
  • 7 White Light/White Heat 4:01
  • 8 Farewell Speech 0:39
  • 9 Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide 5:17

Disc 10

  • 1 Five Years 4:43
  • 2 Soul Love 3:33
  • 3 Moonage Daydream 4:39
  • 4 Starman 4:10
  • 5 It Ain’t Easy 2:59
  • 6 Lady Stardust 3:21
  • 7 Star 2:46
  • 8 Hang On to Yourself 2:38
  • 9 Ziggy Stardust 3:13
  • 10 Suffragette City 3:25
  • 11 Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide 2:58

Disc 11

  • 1 Space Oddity (original UK mono single edit) 4:42
  • 2 Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (original UK mono single version) 4:52
  • 3 Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola 5:06
  • 4 The Prettiest Star (original mono single version) 3:13
  • 5 Conversation Piece (mono version) 3:07
  • 6 Memory of a Free Festival, Part 1 4:03
  • 7 Memory of a Free Festival, Part 2 3:34
  • 8 All the Madmen (mono single edit) 3:15
  • 9 Janine (mono version) 3:23
  • 10 Holy Holy (original mono single version) 3:13
  • 11 Moonage Daydream (single version) 3:53
  • 12 Hang On to Yourself (single version) 2:52

Disc 12

  • 1 Changes (mono single version) 3:39
  • 2 Andy Warhol (mono single version) 3:07
  • 3 Starman (original single mix) 4:17
  • 4 John, I’m Only Dancing (original single version) 2:47
  • 5 The Jean Genie (original single mix) 4:08
  • 6 Drive‐In Saturday (German single edit) 4:03
  • 7 Round and Round 2:42
  • 8 John, I’m Only Dancing (sax version) 2:45
  • 9 Time (U.S. single edit) 3:43
  • 10 Amsterdam 3:27
  • 11 Holy Holy (Spiders version) 2:18
  • 12 Velvet Goldmine 3:10

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata