David Bowie | Space Oddity | The Man Who Sold the World | Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | Aladdin Sane | Pin Ups | Diamond Dogs | Young Americans
Station to Station | Low | "Heroes" | Lodger | Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) | Let's Dance | Tonight | Never Let Me Down
Tin Machine | Black Tie White Noise | The Buddha of Suburbia | Outside | Earthling | 'hours...' | The Next Day | ★
Changesonebowie
- Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: "Strangers When We Meet", a surprisingly mellow-sounding song reminiscing on a failed relationship, placed at the very end of a surreal, sprawling rock opera about a brutal murder mystery. Somehow though, it still manages to work quite well, in part because of it being framed as a flashback by the preceding segue, and because it ends up serving as a suitable makeshift denouement to the unfinished story.
- Broken Base: A minor one exists as to whether or not this album's version of "Strangers When We Meet" is better or worse than the The Buddha of Suburbia original. Supporters of the 1993 version describe it as being technically superior, while supporters of the 1995 version describe it as sounding more musically and emotionally inspired. Others prefer to Take a Third Option and state that both versions are equally good for their own reasons and are best listened to in the context of their parent albums.
- Even Better Sequel: While The Buddha of Suburbia is already considered a major step up from the divisive Black Tie White Noise, Outside is seen as an even greater improvement, thrusting Bowie into the mid-'90s zeitgeist and more definitively marking the start of the artistic renaissance that would last until his death in 2016.
- Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Not only one of Bowie's darkest albums but also his longest (at 74:36); Bowie himself outright regretted making the album as long as it was without releasing it as a Distinct Double Album. Claims of this trope are therefore inevitable.
- Vindicated by History: Outside initially attracted mixed reviews for its mammoth length and unusual concept, with many journalists describing it as pretentious and overcomplicated. In the years since, however, its reception has become far more uniformly positive, with fans and critics hailing it as one of Bowie's greatest and most audacious albums (even if its length still raises eyebrows) and the most clear-cut indicator that he was back on track as an artist.
