Editing Pin Ups (section)

== Legacy ==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Eder AllMusic">{{cite web |last=Eder |first=Bruce |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pin-ups-mw0000034411 |title=''Pin Ups'' – David Bowie |access-date=20 March 2020 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905124113/https://www.allmusic.com/album/pin-ups-mw0000034411 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]''
| rev2Score = B−<ref name="christgau">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|location=Boston|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=978-0-89919-026-6|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: B|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70|access-date=22 February 2019|via=robertchristgau.com|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|archive-date=17 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517130444/https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=B&bk=70|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|chapter=Bowie, David|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|year=2011|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8 |page=2795 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=PA2795}}</ref>
| rev4 = [[MusicHound]]
| rev4score = 3/5<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=978-1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/151 151]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/151}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[New Musical Express]]''
| rev5score = 9/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=David Bowie: ''Aladdin Sane''/''Pin-Ups'' |last=Quantick |first=David |date=18 August 1990 |magazine=[[New Musical Express]] |page=37}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev6score = 5.9/10<ref name="Wolk Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21066-five-years-1969-1973/|title=David Bowie: ''Five Years 1969–1973''|first=Douglas|last=Wolk|author-link=Douglas Wolk|date=1 October 2015|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=13 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206231305/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21066-five-years-1969-1973/|archive-date=6 February 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=David Bowie|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|location=New York City|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/97 97–99]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev8score = 2/5<ref>{{cite web |url=http://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/showpage.php?file=wp-content/uploads/2013/10/reissues2.jpg |title=Stardust Memories |date=August 1990 |access-date=11 September 2017 |work=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |page=116 |last=Griffiths |first=Nick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912011356/http://selectmagazinescans.monkeon.co.uk/showpage.php?file=wp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F10%2Freissues2.jpg |archive-date=12 September 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev9score = 4/10{{sfn|Sheffield|1995|p=55}}
}}

''Pin Ups'' continues to receive mixed-to-negative reactions in later decades. When reviewing the album as part of the 2015 box set ''[[Five Years (1969–1973)]]'', ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'s}} [[Douglas Wolk]] was unfavorable. He cited sloppy execution and the overall idea "more interesting in theory", believing that all the originals were "vastly" superior and Bowie added nothing interesting to any of them. He further believed that it did not help that the Spiders from Mars were falling apart when recording it.<ref name="Wolk Pitchfork" /> Bruce Eder of [[AllMusic]] similarly found the album to be out of place with Bowie's output up to that point.<ref name="Eder AllMusic" /> He continued, "''Ziggy Stardust'' and ''Aladdin Sane'' had established Bowie as perhaps the most fiercely original of all England's glam rockers, so an album of covers didn't make any sense and was especially confusing for American fans", further criticising the song choices as unknown. Eder did praise Bowie's cover of "Sorrow" as a "distinct improvement" over the original.<ref name="Eder AllMusic" /> More positively, [[Dave Thompson (author)|Dave Thompson]] called ''Pin Ups'' "the underrated classic in David Bowie's glam-era crown".<ref name="Thompson">{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Dave |author1-link=Dave Thompson (author) |title='Pin-Ups' is the underrated classic of David Bowie's glam-era |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/music-history/pin-ups-is-the-underrated-classic-of-david-bowies-glam-era |website=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |access-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107163918/https://www.goldminemag.com/music-history/pin-ups-is-the-underrated-classic-of-david-bowies-glam-era |archive-date=7 November 2023 |date=10 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Bowie's biographers have given ''Pin Ups'' mixed reactions. Buckley describes it as "uneven but beloved by many".{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} O'Leary attributes its "scattershot feel" and "lack of a coherent style" to the dysfunctional nature of its recording,{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} while Sandford acknowledges the album's lack of originality in the song arrangements.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}} Doggett calls ''Pin Ups'' "an exercise in Pop Art", meaning it was "a reproduction and interpretation of work by [another artist], intended for a mass audience".{{sfn|Doggett|2012|pp=209–219}} James E. Perone, on the other hand, argues that ''Pin Ups'' predated the release of covers albums by other English artists, such as [[John Lennon]] with ''[[Rock 'n' Roll (John Lennon album)|Rock 'n' Roll]]'' (1975) and [[Elvis Costello]] with ''[[Almost Blue]]'' (1981) and ''[[Kojak Variety]]'' (1995).{{sfn|Perone|2007|pp=39–40}} Perone also recognises the album's musical influence, stating that Bowie's version of "Here Comes the Night" was a forerunner in the [[post-punk]] and [[New wave music|new wave]] sound of the late 1970s and early 1980s, presaging songs such as [[Culture Club]]'s "[[Karma Chameleon]]" (1983).{{sfn|Perone|2007|pp=39–40}} He contests that "Here Comes the Night" foreshadowed the [[Soul music|soul]] oriented directions of ''[[Young Americans]]'' (1975) and ''[[Station to Station]]'' (1976), while "See Emily Play" evokes the avant-garde experimentations of Bowie's late 1970s [[Berlin Trilogy]].{{sfn|Perone|2007|pp=39–40}}

{{quote box|quote=Being a collection of cover versions, it will never have the compelling allure of [Bowie's] other 1970s work, but [''Pin Ups''] remains a superb, energetic and greatly underrated throwaway, showcasing a band of musicians operating at the height of their powers.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}|source=—[[Nicholas Pegg]], 2016|width=30%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
Some biographers have analysed the album as an experiment in [[nostalgia]], which Doggett states "was already emerging as one of the dominant themes of the early seventies".{{sfn|Doggett|2012|pp=209–219}} Pegg writes that "it remains perhaps glam rock's most cogent expression of its own inherent nostalgia, an affectionate reminder of the process that had led to the charts of 1973."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} Buckley states that the album "began an era of pop archeology" and that it "came at a time of uncertainty, a time when many cast backward glances as pop entered its first retroactive phase".{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} In the ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]'', the critic [[Rob Sheffield]] agreed, characterising the album's "Swinging London oldies" as "atrophied nostalgia".{{sfn|Sheffield|1995|p=56}}

In 2013, in a ranking of Bowie's albums up to that point, Gabriela Claymore of ''[[Stereogum]]'' placed ''Pin Ups'' at number 18 (out of 25), calling it "The only one of Bowie's '70s records you can safely call 'inessential'. She felt it was out of place coming off of ''Aladdin Sane'', but stated, "For what it is, it's quite good".<ref name="stereogum" /> Following [[Death of David Bowie|Bowie's death in 2016]], Bryan Wawzenek of ''[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]'' ranked all of his 26 studio albums from worst to best, placing ''Pin Ups'' at number 21. He praised the song choices as "excellent", describing "Sorrow" as the highlight. However, he found that Bowie went "way, way, way over the top" on every other track. He concluded by stating: "In spite of all the effort, ''Pin Ups'' remains a slight affair."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wawzenek |first1=Bryan |title=David Bowie Albums Ranked Worst to Best |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-albums-ranked/ |website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]] |access-date=22 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001135747/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-albums-ranked/ |archive-date=1 October 2020 |date=11 January 2016}}</ref> In the context of Bowie's entire career, Eder views ''Pin Ups'' as an artistic statement, in that it represented a "swan song" for the Spiders from Mars and an "interlude" between the first and second phases of his international career, with his next album ''Diamond Dogs'' being the end of his glam rock era: "It's not a bad bridge between the two, and it has endured across the decades."<ref name="Eder AllMusic" />

Despite mixed reactions overall, some publications have praised ''Pin Ups'' as a covers album, calling it one of the finest in the genre. Pierre Perrone of ''[[The Independent]]'' and the writers of ''NME'' classified ''Pin Ups'' as one of the best cover albums in 2013 and 2019, respectively, with the former describing it as "[t]he covers album that launched a thousand copycats."<ref name="independent" /><ref>{{cite web |title=The most stunning covers albums of all time |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/best-covers-albums-ever-2507135 |website=NME |access-date=23 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123180411/https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/best-covers-albums-ever-2507135 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |date=11 June 2019}}</ref> [[Radio X (United Kingdom)|Radio X]] called it the best covers album ever in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pin Ups: The 20 best covers albums |url=https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/best-covers-albums/ |publisher=[[Radio X (United Kingdom)|Radio X]] |access-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107163743/https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/best-covers-albums/ |archive-date=7 November 2023 |date=19 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Eder states that today it is still dismissed by many as just another covers album,<ref name="Eder AllMusic" /> including Wolk, who in 2015 described it as "quick-and-sloppy".<ref name="Wolk Pitchfork" />

The American [[alternative rock]] band [[Human Drama]] imitated ''Pin Ups'' for the concept, cover artwork and packaging of their 1993 covers album ''[[Pinups (Human Drama album)|Pinups]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Raggett |first=Ned |title=''Pinups'' – Human Drama |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pin-ups-mw0000108820 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=30 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114154215/https://www.allmusic.com/album/pin-ups-mw0000108820 |archive-date=14 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Reissues ===
''Pin Ups'' has been reissued several times, on vinyl<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Dave|editor1-last=Kennedy|editor1-first=Paul|title=Goldmine Record Album Price Guide|location=US|publisher=Krause Publications|edition=10th|year=2019|isbn=978-1-44024-891-7|page=87}}</ref> and other media. The album was first released on [[compact disc]] by RCA in the mid-1980s.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes|title=Pinups|others=David Bowie|year=1984|publisher=RCA Records|location=US|type=CD booklet|id=PCD1-0291}}</ref> In 1990, it was reissued by [[Rykodisc]] with two bonus tracks: a cover of [[Bruce Springsteen]]'s "[[Growin' Up (song)|Growin' Up]]" (recorded during the sessions for ''Diamond Dogs'' and featuring [[Ronnie Wood]] on guitar{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=102}}) and "Amsterdam", the B-side to "Sorrow".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}<ref>{{Cite AV media notes|title=Pinups|others=David Bowie|year=1990|publisher=[[Rykodisc]]|location=US|type=CD booklet|id=RCD 10136}}</ref> This reissue charted at number 52 on the UK Albums Chart for one week in July 1990.<ref name="1990 chart">{{cite web |title=Pin Ups (1990 version) – full Official Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/pin-ups-(1990-version)/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=22 August 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922221843/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/pin-ups-(1990-version)/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was remastered in 1999 by [[Peter Mew]] at [[Abbey Road Studios]] for [[EMI]] and [[Virgin Records]], and issued on CD with no bonus tracks.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes|title=Pinups|others=David Bowie|year=1999|publisher=[[EMI]]/[[Virgin Records]]|location=US|type=CD booklet|id=7243 521903 0 0}}</ref> It was again remastered in 2015 for inclusion on the [[box set]] ''[[Five Years (1969–1973)|Five Years 1969–1973]]'' by [[Parlophone]] and rereleased separately, in 2015–2016, in CD, vinyl and digital formats.<ref name="five years box set">{{Cite AV media notes|title=Five Years (1969–1973)|title-link=Five Years (1969–1973)|others=[[David Bowie]]|year=2015|publisher=[[Parlophone]]|location=UK, Europe & US|type=Box set liner notes|id=DBXL 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbowie.com/news/five-years-1969-1973-box-set-due-september-54571|title=''FIVE YEARS 1969–1973'' box set due September|website=David Bowie Official Website|access-date=16 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218235114/http://www.davidbowie.com/news/five-years-1969-1973-box-set-due-september-54571|archive-date=18 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Spanos|first=Brittany |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowie-to-release-massive-box-set-five-years-1969-1973-63033/|title=David Bowie to Release Massive Box Set 'Five Years 1969–1973'|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=23 June 2015|access-date=16 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816041141/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-bowie-to-release-massive-box-set-five-years-1969-1973-63033/|archive-date=16 August 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Pin Ups'' was reissued as a limited edition half-speed mastered LP to celebrate its 50th anniversary on 20&nbsp;October 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2023/9/7/pin-ups-50th-anniversary-half-speed-mastered-lp-due-next-month|title=David Bowie – Pin Ups 50th Anniversary Half Speed Mastered LP|website=David Bowie Official Website|date=7 September 2023 |access-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102152440/https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2023/9/7/pin-ups-50th-anniversary-half-speed-mastered-lp-due-next-month|archive-date=2 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>