Maps of Music

Blackstar (2016)

Where the lyrics of Blackstar take you, and where it was really made.

Released on his 69th birthday, Blackstar became an unexpected farewell when Bowie died two days later.

Key places

Sessions at the Magic Shop (2016)

Recording site Magic Shop — Recording for Blackstar took place in secret at the Magic Shop in New York City. Bowie sang live with the band during these sessions before later vocal work was done elsewhere. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Vocal recording at Human Worldwide (2016)

Recording site Human Worldwide Studios — Human Worldwide Studios in New York City was the other studio used for recording Blackstar. Bowie moved here for proper recording, and most of his vocals were recorded from scratch. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Final mix at Electric Lady (2016)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — The final master mix of Blackstar was done at Electric Lady Studios in New York City by the English engineer Tom Elmhirst. Bowie and Visconti oversaw the mixing sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Blackstar (stylised as ★): the 26th and final studio album by David Bowie
• Released 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday
• Recorded in secret in New York City with longtime co-producer Tony Visconti
• Backing band: Donny McCaslin (saxophone), Jason Lindner (piano), Tim Lefebvre (bass), Mark Guiliana (drums)
• Ben Monder and James Murphy contributed additional guitar and percussion
• Contains "Lazarus" from the 2015 musical of the same name
• Re-recorded versions of 2014 songs "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)" and "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore"
• More experimental than its predecessor The Next Day (2013)
• Cover art designed by Jonathan Barnbrook

Background

• Preceded by the singles "Blackstar" and "Lazarus", both supported by music videos
• Bowie died two days after release, following a private 18-month battle with liver cancer
• Visconti described the album as a parting gift for Bowie's fans after his death
• The Next Day (2013) topped the album charts in twenty countries, including the UK

Recording

• Recording took place at the Magic Shop and Human Worldwide Studios in New York City
• Bowie had demoed all tracks before the sessions and encouraged experimentation within the band
• Final master mix by English engineer Tom Elmhirst at Electric Lady Studios
• Bowie was recording while suffering from liver cancer, diagnosed in the summer of 2014
• The album was finished by June

Cover

• A large black star with five star segments below it that spell out the word Bowie
• The title is stylised as the black star symbol ★ instead of the word "Blackstar"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London.
• Studied art, music and design; took up saxophone in 1961.
• Adopted the stage name David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.

Career

• Breakthrough with "Space Oddity" in 1969, reaching the UK top five.
• Glam rock success in 1972 with the Ziggy Stardust persona and album.
• Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", Lodger) with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti in the late 1970s.
• Greatest commercial success with Let's Dance in 1983.
• Fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine from 1988 to 1992 before resuming a solo career.
• Final studio album Blackstar was released two days before his death in 2016.

Legacy

• Sold over 100 million records worldwide.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave widespread acclaim to Blackstar as Bowie's most musically challenging album in decades
• Metacritic average of 87 out of 100 from 43 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• The New York Times' Jon Pareles described the album as emotive, cryptic and willful
• Critics praised the performances of the backing band, saying they added anxiety and intensity to the songs
• Some critics were lukewarm, with Slant Magazine finding the style fractured and lacking unity

Reappraisal

• Ultimate Classic Rock ranked it Bowie's twelfth-greatest album after his death
• Consequence of Sound ranked it Bowie's eighth-greatest album in 2018
• Classic Rock History ranked it Bowie's ninth-greatest album in 2020
• Named one of the best albums of 2016 by numerous publications
• Later named one of the greatest albums of the 2010s by several publications, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork

Records

• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 146,000 copies in the first week
• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 181,000 copies, Bowie's first US number one
• Peaked at number one in 24 countries
• Fifth best-selling album of the year worldwide according to the IFPI
• Sold more than 1,900,000 copies as of April 2017
• 59th Annual Grammy Awards (2017): Best Alternative Music Album, Best Recording Package, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• Title track won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance at the same ceremony
• Won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year in 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The cover shows a five-pointed star: black on white for the CD edition, all-black with a cut-out star on the vinyl release.
• On the vinyl release, a hidden starfield picture appears when the foldout sleeve is held up to a light source, and fans took more than four months to discover it.
• The lyrics of "Girl Loves Me" are accompanied by the plaque NASA attached to the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes in the 1970s.
• The "Lazarus" music video introduced Bowie's new character Button Eyes, a figure with bandaged, button eyes.
• The sleeve was the only Bowie sleeve not to feature an image of the artist himself.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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