David Bowie, the Picasso of Pop/Rock

           No, this is not Guns and Roses (or any famous Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band of the early 1990s). It's Tin Machine in 1989. Lead singer/songwriter and front man? David Bowie. The Picasso of Pop/Rock. Picasso had his Blue Period, his Rose Period, his Cubist Periods (Analytic and Synthetic), his African Period, his Surrealist Period, his Modern Art Period, etc....

Bowie had his:

- Folk Rock 
- Progressive/Psychedelic Rock
- Glam Rock
- Art/Concept Rock
- Funk
- Soul
- Krautrock/Ambient (Berlin Trilogy)
- Dance/Disco
- Punk Rock
- New Wave
- Pop
- Hard Rock/Heavy metal/Industrial/Alternative Rock
- Drum and Bass/Jungle
- Techno
- Avant-Garde Jazz

periods, with lots of overlapping. And I'm forgetting some. Like Picasso, David Bowie at times pioneered those musical styles, at others was inspired by them, popularized them and cross-pollinated them. I believe the comparison to be apt. What do you think?

          I became a David Bowie fan around 1995, later than most, even if I knew of him before (who didn't) and liked many of his songs. It happened after, for some reason I know forget, I bought both the Space Oddity and Ziggy Stardust albums on the same day.

          After that, I remember buying all his remastered CDs at the various (now-defunct) Tower music stores in New York (Union square, East 4th Street, Broadway and 66th Street) over a period of a few years, then keeping up with his latest output as it came out: Hours, Heathen, Reality. Then being blown away by his return album The Next Day in 2013. Then even more blown away by Blackstar, released on Bowie's 69th birthday, 01/08/2016. Then devastated by his shocking and totally unexpected death two days later. The man knew how to keep a secret and make sure his close entourage do the same. RIP David Bowie. You will be missed but you gave the world enough extraordinary music to satisfy many generations to come.