Young Americans is easy to overlook, since David Bowie did most of these robot-soul space-funk tricks better two years later on Station to Station. But it broke him in the U.S., building on the Philly R&B style, with a young Luther Vandross debuting on background vocals. "Win," "Right‚" and "Fascination" are cult faves, while the disco-fused John Lennon duet "Fame" jolted both men's careers. The title song might be Bowie's best ever, with the rhythm inspiring his most passionate (and compassionate) love letter to his fans. Outtakes include "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Who Can I Be Now," two great gospel tracks cut at the last minute to make room for Lennon. But the prize rarity is DVD footage of Bowie on The Dick Cavett Show in 1974, all coke psychosis and shoulder pads. He sniffles, twitches, twirls his princely walking stick and generally makes a drug-addled ass of himself. Ah, fame.

“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."