Heathen (studio album)
by David Bowie

Heathen by David Bowie
Year: 2002
Overall rank: 1,754th   
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 388 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2002 (28th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (279th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,754th)

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Heathen by David Bowie (CD, 2002)
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David Bowie Heathen 2002 US Original LP Vinyl ISO Records Rare C 86630 1st Press
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Heathen by David Bowie (CD, 2008)
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David Bowie bestography

Heathen is ranked 16th best out of 94 albums by David Bowie on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by David Bowie is The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars which is ranked number 7 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 43,381.

David Bowie album bestography « Higher ranked (1,358th)
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This album (1,754th)
Heathen
Lower ranked (2,231st) »
1. Outside

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jan
08
Thu
19:30
David Bowie Birthday Bash ft. The True Believers
SPACE, Evanston, United States. United States
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Jan
11
Sun
09:45
SCHOOL OF ROCK SEATTLE presents: Best of the 2010's / David Bowie / The Clash
The Crocodile, Seattle, United States. United States
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Jan
11
Sun
12:00
The Rock and Roll Playhouse plays Music of David Bowie + More for Kids
Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, United States. United States
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Heathen track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Average Rating: 81 (70 votes)Comments: View 3
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2.
Average Rating: 79 (69 votes)Comments: View 2
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3.
Average Rating: 81 (68 votes)Comments: View 2
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4.
Average Rating: 83 (88 votes)Comments: View 2
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5.
Average Rating: 79 (69 votes)Comments: View 3
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7.
Average Rating: 79 (70 votes)Comments: View 3
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10.
Average Rating: 84 (90 votes)Comments: View 2
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11.
Average Rating: 81 (64 votes)Comments: View 2
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12.
Average Rating: 78 (60 votes)Comments: View 2
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Heathen rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,754th | 2000s rank: 279th | 2002 rank: 28th

Heathen collection

Heathen ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 388 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 388 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
 !
11/25/2025 04:42 MadhattanJack   5,40565/100
 
75/100
 !
11/09/2025 14:45 Deckiller   86076/100
 
100/100
 !
10/27/2025 08:38 Andras   23177/100
 
70/100
 !
10/12/2025 19:40 Superunknown   28170/100
 
75/100
 !
09/02/2025 22:52 BurndenAce   1,02077/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 8% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.0/100, a mean average of 74.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.4.

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Heathen comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 21 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
100/100
From 10/27/2025 08:42 | #311487
Never got the hate for this album, by far the most underrated Bowie album, on my top 5 favorites by him, better than Heroes/Blackstar imho, at least as good as Low.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 09/24/2022 16:54 | #289936
It has some highlights though I wouldn't call it one of his best. Overall I agree it's one of his finest between Scary Monsters and Blackstar.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 09/26/2021 18:49 | #274245
I'm really surprised to see how little attention this album has received compared to many other Bowie albums. For me, this one is almost as good as Blackstar. It is very consistent, filled with great musicianship and originality and still definitely Bowie. A great album, one of Bowie's best if you ask me (his fourth best if you really want to know).

Sunday, I Would Be Your Slave and A Better Future are the real highlights here.
But every song is either good, great or juste plain amazing, except maybe Everyone Says Hi (which is weirdly the highest rated track here, I don't get it).
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 01/11/2021 06:11 | #264186
For me, Bowie's best album since "Let's Dance" 18 years prior.
Best song(s): Slow Burn; Afraid; I've Been Waiting for You
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 12/31/2020 15:24 | #263532
I Don't understand how this album is rated so low. the lowest song is ranked at 77 but the album is 75? This is one of Bowie's best, pleasantly surprised with the record coming off this late 80's and 90's albums.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/16/2020 15:23 | #255680
Very underrated Bowie album. One of his best.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/17/2020 03:52 | #253702
A more somber and mature album it has some very strong songs such as Sunday, Slow Burn & Afraid. You have to be in the right mood for it but it’s a grower.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/11/2020 10:31 | #251289
Has there been a better album produced by someone in their 50s? If so, it's probably one of Bowie's others. Sunday, what an opener. Then a cover of the great Frank Black's Cactus, and a great cover too. The beautiful Slip Away; I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spacecraft; Everyone Says Hi. This is packed with wonderful tracks. I love it.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 12/31/2019 16:55 | #246246
A strong record.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 02/21/2018 21:12 | #209123
All'epoca "Heathen" non mi era dispiaciuto, una volta accettato il fatto che il grande artista che Bowie era stato negli anni settanta non lo si sarebbe avuto più ( almeno fino a "Blackstar" ). Ci trovavo addirittura, a tratti, l'intensità di "Low" o di "Heroes"… A riascoltarlo, pur ridimensionandolo, rimane il migliore di quei tre dischi comunque mediocri…
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 2002
1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
2. Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol
3. A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay
4. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
5. Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age
6. You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene
7. Sea Change by Beck
8. ( ) [Svigaplatan] by Sigur Rós
9. By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Geogaddi by Boards Of Canada
11. In Absentia by Porcupine Tree
12. Up The Bracket by The Libertines
13. The Eminem Show by Eminem
14. American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash
15. Original Pirate Material by The Streets
16. O by Damien Rice
17. Audioslave by Audioslave
18. The Rising by Bruce Springsteen
19. Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
20. Neon Golden by The Notwist
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