It's often said how David Bowie is among the greatest musicians of all time. After all these years, that still stands as his music still feels timeless. However, not enough is spoken about how Bowie carries with his name one of the best discographies in all of musical history. Some would argue he has the best discography of all time.

It's hard to pick out a bad album from his discography. Most of David Bowie's albums are great, and even his worst albums are still solid to some degree. Given the fact that the man made a whopping 26 albums throughout his career, and most of them are stellar, it truly speaks to just how talented Bowie was both in his prime and past it. The only tricky thing is to rank his albums from worst to best. While there is nothing outright bad or egregiously terrible in his discography, there are still highs and low points, just like with any artist.

26 David Bowie

Self-Titled Debut Album

When one dives into David Bowie's discography from the beginning, one will find more shades of the artists who inspired Bowie and not as much reflections of the artist he'd become. The same can be said for most musicians, as most musicians are still finding their footing in the industry.

As musicians try to find their sound, they emulate the sounds they loved hearing from other musicians. That's exactly the case here. For his first album, Bowie fails to capture the unique voice he'd find in later years. It's not bad, per se, just uninspired by comparison. Songs like "Sell Me a Coat" are enjoyable, but are more Beatles-esque than anything else.

25 Reality

Too Straightforward by Bowie Standards

Reality would be David Bowie's 24th and, for 10 years, his final album. Knowing that this album began a decade-long drought for Bowie - understandably so, as David Bowie suffered a heart attack afterward while on tour that took him out of the spotlight for years - makes the album all the more bittersweet.

It's not a bad album, but an album that might be the most straightforward project. The word straightforward feels ... just wrong applied to a man who is constantly experimenting. But alas, this is basic rock 'n' roll, which for any other rocker would be fabulous, but Bowie isn't any other rocker.

24 Pin Ups

Uninspired, but Fun

Just six months after releasing Aladdin Sane, David Bowie released his seventh album. The quick turnaround came as a result of his label, RCA Records, wanting a new album by Christmas. Bowie wasn't as inspired for new material mere months after Aladdin Sane, so he dropped a cover album, giving a glam rock flavor to his favorite bands like The Who and Pink Floyd, among others. Surprisingly, while far from anything of true substance compared to past works, it's still enjoyable. Some tracks arguably sur their originals. Even at Bowie's least inspired, he makes fun music.

23 Earthling

Grows on a Listener

Earthling is an album that demands multiple listens to truly enjoy to the fullest. At first listen, it can be taken as alarming as, even for an artist who constantly evolves his sound, Earthling sounds strange and hard to categorize into a genre. But that's the beauty of David Bowie, he can't easily be put into a box. Earthling is such an unboxable project, and on a re-listen when the shock of the first listen wears off, it can be enjoyed a little easier.

22 Tonight

Makes the Most Out of Little

Considering that a few tracks - including the title track - are covers, and he only wrote two songs himself, David Bowie feels similarly uninspired here, but as established with Pin Ups, a fraction of Bowie's best is still better than most musicians. Even when his creative juices aren't flowing as thoroughly as past efforts, Bowie still has room to experiment on his 16th album, most notably adopting an uncharacteristic reggae sound for "Don't Look Down" in one of his more interesting musical choices.

21 Never Let Me Down

A Respectable Effort

Following the critical disappointment of Tonight, David Bowie actively tried to redeem himself through his 17th album. The reception - nor the attempt - was much better than its predecessor, but honestly, it's not that bad. Maybe it's mediocre compared to the greatness Bowie has offered before, but if readers throw those expectations to the back of their minds, the result is at least a respectable attempt to redeem himself. Songs like "Day-In Day-Out" and "Beat of Your Drum" are at least fun.

20 The Next Day

Back after a Decade

It's honestly a miracle and a blessing that David Bowie was even able to release this album, as it comes after a 10-year hiatus from music following a heart attack and preceding procedure. For him to manage to feel so lively after that experience and at the age of 66 is more impressive than anything he laid down in the studio for this project (respectfully speaking, as it's genuinely an achievement that's bigger than music). While he doesn't offer anything new, sound-wise, the album does evoke the sound and spirit of different sounds from Bowie's career, making this more of a meditative experience accompanied by Bowie's reflective lyrics.

19 Hours...

Bowie's Only Dated Project

There's something intrinsically 90s about this album. It feels like an album that came out in 1999. While not quite a bad thing, it may be a little disappointing for anyone taking notice to how ageless so many of his albums seem to be. It feels like a stasis of Christian rock that makes Hours... feel like a time capsule. That being said, it's a time capsule that doesn't take away from the quality of Bowie. Ironically, this is also a time capsule that feels calmingly chill in the same way that albums like Hunky Dory did before it.

18 Aladdin Sane

Slightly Disappointing Compared to What Came Before It

It's hard to leave David Bowie's sixth album out of any music discussions when it sports one of the most iconic and instantly recognizable album art covers in music history. Unfortunately, Aladdin Sane struggles to live up to the expectations of the previous album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars. That doesn't take away from its strength on its merits, as songs like "Cracked Actor" and "Time" are must-listens. The tracklist comes with high expectations based on its predecessor, and it was always going to be hard to live up to those expectations.

17 Diamond Dogs

A Beautiful Mess

David Bowie was highly, notoriously, on the influence of cocaine during this album. As a result, the atmosphere of his eighth album and the songs themselves are a little chaotic. Chaotic is sometimes the territory with Bowie, but it usually comes with a bit of direction. If his drug usage was at its peak in this era, then it made the music a little unfocused and lacking of synergy. However, Diamond Dogs, strangely enough, works in spite of itself. The high energy catered to the album is messy, but also indicative of the height of fast-paced hard rock.