“Pinups” Songs Ranked

Bowie was at the peak of his fame when “Pinups” was released, so it must have been a huge disappointment for fans when this came out. This easily ranks among one of his worst records, mainly due to the fact it’s a full-on cover album. How would I rank this mediocre outing?

You can check out some of my other Bowie lists below:

Bad

12 – Shapes of Things

The only song on the album that I can confidently say is bad, “Shapes of Things” sounds awful. A lot of the other songs aren’t memorable, but this stands out for all the wrong reasons.

Meh

11 – Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

Probably unsurprising to most of you, but this album contains a lot of “meh”. The most “meh” of the lot is the track “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, which is a waste of time (like this album in general to be honest).

10 – Rosalyn

I guess this is an OK rock song, but it’s just way too bland and uninspired for a man of Bowie’s talents.

9 – Everything’s Alright

A bit of fun I suppose, but I’d rather Bowie released original work than make an entire cover album (that gripe will get quite repetitive but it’s the main reason why I dislike this album so much).

8 – Friday on My Mind

This is probably the least “meh” of the lot. Does that make sense? Oh well, it’s my list and as long as it makes sense to me I’m satisfied.

OK

7 – I Wish You Would

A solid guitar riff and great vocals make this sound like it could be on “Aladdin Sane”, but I’m not the biggest fan of that album anyway.

6 – Don’t Bring Me Down

Kind of bluesy in its approach, “Don’t Bring Me Down” is fine if you just mindlessly give it a listen.

Good

5 – I Can’t Explain

As much as I dislike this album, I have to give it credit for at least putting out a few good covers. The first of these good covers is probably “I Can’t Explain”, which has no discernible reason to be better than the other tracks in “meh” and “OK” but I think I like this one more.

4 – Here Comes the Night

Luckily for Bowie, I already liked the original version of this song. The memorable vocals and melodic lines are still there, so this is definitely a good listen.

3 – See Emily Play

I’m not the biggest fan of early Pink Floyd, but the exception is “See Emily Play”. Bowie also does a pretty good version, but it will never be quite as psychedelically trippy as the original.

Great

2 – Where Have All the Good Times Gone

Maybe this is just a guilty pleasure track, but I really like everything about “Where Have All the Good Times Gone”. The simple riff is repetitive but catchy, and the choruses are a belt-out-loud kind of good.

Amazing

1 – Sorrow

A golden nugget hidden away in a pile of turd, I would have probably lost my mind listening to this if “Sorrow” wasn’t as good as it was. Probably Bowie’s best ever cover, and I’m glad he made this album if only to produce this gem of a track.

Aaaand that’s my list. A lot of the albums are pretty good from here on out, so I probably won’t be so negative in the future. Until then, check out some of my latest blog posts below: