2016 has seen the world lose many great icons — from actors and actresses, sports stars to musicians. The affect has been felt everywhere.

To me, there was no larger shock than the news that came on January 10, 2016. The news that David Bowie had died after losing a battle with cancer.

David Bowie was the ultimate star man. Leaving such a legacy behind there isn’t much the man didn’t do. He had number one hits, blockbuster films and offered a monumental amount of inspiration to fans everywhere.

Bowie made so much music, it is hard to pick out just one album he wrote that stands out from all the rest. But for me, some albums definitely stand apart. Here are his top three albums in my eyes and why.

3. “Reality” This was the start of my Bowie experience. In 2003, Bowie released his album “Reality” with guitarist Earl Slick, who has been around the punk and glam scene for many years. This would be the last album Bowie would ever tour.

Critics loved “Reality”, but fans never quite gave it the response to make it a hit album. I believe that this is by far the most underrated Bowie album out there. The hidden sounds and melodies that lurk in every song keeps your ears perked and searching for more.

Some of the songs that I loved the most from this album are “Reality” and “Never Get Old.” “Reality” is the rocker track on the album. It shows off Slick’s guitar skills and Bowie’s attention to detail. The lyrics during the chorus always give me chills and adrenalin when he screams, “Welcome to Reality!”.

Additionally, I believe “Never Get Old” is the song that has the most hidden things in it. These hidden elements keep me listening with intent every time.

2. “Blackstar”  Gut wrenching. There isn’t another way to describe this album. Before creating this album, Bowie was diagnosed with cancer and knew he was going to die. He wrote it with the intent that this would be his last album ever.

Blackstar is a goodbye and thank you to all his fans. Nobody knew he was ill, so when he died just two days after the release of this album his lyrics made a lot more sense, such as this verse in “Lazarus”

“Look up here, I’m in heaven. I’ve got scars that can’t be seen. I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen. Everybody knows me now”

The psychedelic jazz infused album was his last gift and it was by far one of his greatest.

1. “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” This is “the” Bowie album. Ziggy Stardust made the man a star. With every song being a hit and two of them major hits there isn’t another album that touches Ziggy.

The impact that this album made was monumental, not only for Bowie but for his fans too. In the song “Rock and Roll Suicide” Bowie screams the words “You’re Not Alone!” at the top of his lungs, trying to give people hope to be who they are.

Bowie himself was also heavily impacted by this album. During the Ziggy Stardust tour he decided to keep his band from this album for many years and called them “The Spiders from Mars.”

One band member who had worked on Bowie’s two previous albums and his two after albums after was a guitarist named Mark Ronson. Ronson, would go onto to create the iconic Bowie guitar sound and solidifying his name as one of the best guitarists in the 1970’s with this album.

The songs that came off this album that were huge were “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City”. Both went hard to wall rocking out. “Suffragette City” sang the classic backing line “Hey Man” and “Oh, Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am!” The lyrics from this song some how stayed around as some of his fans favorite lines.

The song “Ziggy Stardust” is a rock and roll power ballad about a musician who got to large and was destroyed by his fans. This is one of Bowie’s best songs.

Through outstanding songs and unforgettable albums, David Bowie was an absolute genius. He will not be forgotten and neither will his music.

Cameron Campbell is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]