Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
David Bowie · 2018
594 min · 125 tracks · alternative rock · electronic · hard rock
A kaleidoscopic journey through the 80s, blending pop sensibilities with experimental rock textures.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- kaleidoscopic nostalgia for the 80s
- danceable tracks for gatherings
- varied moods across lengthy sessions
- catchy anthems with sing-along potential
- exploratory listening with rich textures
Maybe skip if you want
- prefer concise, standalone songs
- seek immediate gratification
Where this album fits
- Themes
- 1980s pop culture· cultural commentary· neon-lit nostalgia
- Career context
- When 'Loving the Alien (1983–1988)' was released in 2018, David Bowie had recently passed away, and this compilation served as a retrospective of his career during a transformative decade. This period marked Bowie's commercial peak and included iconic albums such as 'Let’s Dance' and 'Tonight'. The release highlighted both his mainstream success and artistic experimentation in a time of personal and musical evolution.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Brian Eno· Roxy Music· Talking Heads
- Sounds like this from elsewhere
-
Speaking in Tongues by Talking Heads — Shares the same experimental pop sensibility with a focus on cultural commentary and rhythmic innovation.Avalon by Roxy Music — Combines lush production and art pop aesthetics, evoking a similar sense of nostalgia and emotional depth.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
Disc 1
- 1 Modern Love 4:48
- 2 China Girl 5:33
- 3 Let’s Dance 7:37
- 4 Without You 3:09
- 5 Ricochet 5:13
- 6 Criminal World 4:25
- 7 Cat People (Putting Out Fire) 5:09
- 8 Shake It 3:52
Disc 2
- 1 Look Back in Anger 3:07
- 2 “Heroes” 4:53
- 3 What in the World 3:44
- 4 Golden Years 3:31
- 5 Fashion 2:43
- 6 Let’s Dance 4:34
- 7 Breaking Glass 3:00
- 8 Life on Mars? 4:07
- 9 Sorrow 2:49
- 10 Cat People (Putting Out Fire) 4:20
- 11 China Girl 5:27
- 12 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) 3:42
- 13 Rebel Rebel 2:24
Disc 3
- 1 White Light/White Heat 5:36
- 2 Station to Station 8:58
- 3 Cracked Actor 3:58
- 4 Ashes to Ashes 3:51
- 5 Space Oddity / Band Introduction 6:32
- 6 Young Americans 5:25
- 7 Fame 5:36
- 8 Modern Love 3:54
Disc 4
- 1 Loving the Alien 7:12
- 2 Don’t Look Down 4:11
- 3 God Only Knows 3:09
- 4 Tonight 3:45
- 5 Neighborhood Threat 3:12
- 6 Blue Jean 3:11
- 7 Tumble and Twirl 4:58
- 8 I Keep Forgettin’ 2:35
- 9 Dancing With the Big Boys 3:34
Disc 5
- 1 Day‐In Day‐Out 5:39
- 2 Time Will Crawl 4:20
- 3 Beat of Your Drum 5:06
- 4 Never Let Me Down 4:05
- 5 Zeroes 5:47
- 6 Glass Spider 5:34
- 7 Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) 5:06
- 8 New York’s in Love 4:34
- 9 ’87 and Cry 4:21
- 10 Bang Bang 4:30
Disc 6
- 1 Day‐In Day‐Out 5:26
- 2 Time Will Crawl 4:26
- 3 Beat of Your Drum 5:27
- 4 Never Let Me Down 4:26
- 5 Zeroes 5:06
- 6 Glass Spider 6:53
- 7 Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) 5:32
- 8 New York’s in Love 4:33
- 9 ’87 and Cry 4:25
- 10 Bang Bang 4:42
Disc 7
- 1 Up the Hill Backwards 3:51
- 2 Glass Spider 5:55
- 3 Day‐In Day‐Out 4:34
- 4 Bang Bang 4:02
- 5 Absolute Beginners 7:08
- 6 Loving the Alien 7:14
- 7 China Girl 4:55
- 8 Rebel Rebel 3:30
- 9 Fashion 5:04
- 10 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) 4:52
- 11 All the Mad Men 6:39
- 12 Never Let Me Down 3:56
Disc 8
- 1 Big Brother 4:47
- 2 ’87 and Cry 4:07
- 3 “Heroes” 5:10
- 4 Sons of the Silent Age 3:10
- 5 Time Will Crawl / Band Introduction 5:23
- 6 Young Americans 5:06
- 7 Beat of Your Drum 4:37
- 8 The Jean Genie 5:23
- 9 Let’s Dance 5:01
- 10 Fame 7:05
- 11 Time 5:11
- 12 Blue Jean 3:26
- 13 Modern Love 4:53
Disc 9
- 1 Shake It (re‐mix AKA long version) 5:21
- 2 Blue Jean (extended dance mix) 5:20
- 3 Dancing With the Big Boys (extended dance mix) 7:31
- 4 Tonight (vocal dance mix) 4:31
- 5 Don’t Look Down (extended dance mix) 4:55
- 6 Loving the Alien (extended dub mix) 7:15
- 7 Tumble and Twirl (extended dance mix) 5:05
- 8 Underground (extended dance mix) 7:54
- 9 Day‐In Day‐Out (Groucho mix) 6:28
- 10 Time Will Crawl (dance Crew mix) 5:34
- 11 Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (12″ mix) 6:27
- 12 Never Let Me Down (dub / a capella) 6:02
Disc 10
- 1 Let’s Dance (single version) 4:09
- 2 China Girl (single version) 4:17
- 3 Modern Love (single version) 3:59
- 4 This Is Not America (the theme from ‘The Falcon and the Snowman’) 3:51
- 5 Loving the Alien (re‐mixed version) 4:43
- 6 Don’t Look Down (re‐mixed version) 4:06
- 7 Dancing in the Street (Clearmountain mix) 3:11
- 8 Absolute Beginners 8:04
- 9 That’s Motivation 4:19
- 10 Volare 3:15
- 11 Labyrinth Opening Titles / Underground 3:20
- 12 Magic Dance 4:14
- 13 As the World Falls Down 4:51
- 14 Within You 3:29
- 15 Underground 5:57
Disc 11
- 1 When the Wind Blows (single version) 3:35
- 2 Day‐In Day‐Out (single version) 4:14
- 3 Julie 3:43
- 4 Beat of Your Drum (vinyl album edit) 4:34
- 5 Glass Spider (vinyl album edit) 4:56
- 6 Shining Star (Makin’ My Love) (vinyl album edit) 4:06
- 7 New York’s in Love (vinyl album edit) 3:59
- 8 ’87 and Cry (vinyl album edit) 3:55
- 9 Bang Bang (vinyl album edit) 4:02
- 10 Time Will Crawl (single version) 4:03
- 11 Girls (extended edit) 5:34
- 12 Never Let Me Down (7″ remix edit) 3:59
- 13 Bang Bang (live – promotional mix) 4:07
- 14 Tonight (live) 4:19
- 15 Let’s Dance (live) 3:25
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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