David Bowie first hit the big time a few years later than The Rolling Stones - it was his 1969 song Space Oddity which fired its way up the charts in the UK to reach the number 5 spot, ushering in the famously androgynous star into the spotlight. Merging rock with glam in the early 70s, Bowie would go on to become a key player in the fusion of rock and pop while at the same time gathering a legion of fans which numbered in the millions. What is perhaps most notable about his influence and lasting legacy on rock music is how chameleon-like he was - and remains - throughout his career, consistently reinventing and innovating as the decades passed. Bowie's unique talent was in the way in which he somehow managed to be both sophisticated and edgy - his compositions and arrangements were often complex, and yet the underlying songs were frequently catchy and accessible. For a performer with such a variable trajectory it's perhaps fitting that one of his greatest albums was titled Changes.
