Reality arrived a year after Heathen with the same producer and a looser grip. Bowie called it his most direct record in years, and it plays that way: "New Killer Star" opens with a guitar figure that does not let go, "Never Get Old" pushes forward, and covers of George Harrison and the Modern Lovers sit comfortably beside the originals. Tony Visconti kept the band close and the arrangements uncluttered. It became the last studio album before his decade of silence. Newly remastered in 2025. Street date: July 24.