10 '60s Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own

For a man that has many different periods of his career, David Bowie had a bit of a shaky start right out of the gate.

Long before he became the Ziggy Stardust character we know today, Bowie’s first attempt at rock was a baroque pop album that never registered with the public. It was time to look bigger, but his second step up sounded like it had come from a different galaxy.

Though it may be second on the timeline, many diehard fans point to Space Oddity as Bowie’s first proper album, with his trademark weirdness right at the forefront. From the first moment the title track comes in, it feels like you’re being transported into the cosmos as Bowie tells the now-iconic story of Major Tom’s failed mission into space.

However, the album is far from one-note, with almost every other song taking rock into new places, from the alien-folk of “Wild-Eyed Boy From Freecloud” to the grand epic “Cygnet Committee” to the beginnings of glam rock on “Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed.”

This album remains one of the greatest art rock albums of the era, but little did we know we were just getting acquainted with one of rock’s greatest eccentrics.