Social media has been flooded since David Bowie’s untimely death with videos of the Thin White Duke’s biggest hits. Songs like “Heroes,” “Fame,” “Suffragette City” and “Rebel, Rebel” sprung to mind for most because they are ingrained in pop culture on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Granted, a huge part of Bowie’s legacy is the songs weaved into our collective consciousness. But so are the deep cuts, flip sides, and lesser-known favorites. Here’s 8 overlooked gems that display the range and imagination of an artist that reimagined himself and always kept an open mind—from his early years as a teenage Mod to the waning days of a 69-year-old hip-hop connoisseur.

“Louie Louie Go Back Home”— B-side to “Liza Jane,” 1963

It’s hard to imagine a one-of-a-kind visionary like the future David Bowie following the status quo. But as a 17-year-old, he performed Rolling Stones style R&B, embraced Mod fashion and liberally borrowed vocal cues from John Lennon. His first band, the King Bees, released just one single, “Liza Jane.” The flipside, a cover of Paul Revere and the Raiders’ “Louie Louie Go Home,” shows the first signs of Bowie’s dynamic vocal range and knack for melodies. 

It’s also noteworthy that Bowie went by his real name at this point in his fledgling career. He later adopted an alias to avoid confusion with another rising star, the Monkees’ Davy Jones.

“Friday on My Mind”— Pin Ups, 1973 

Landing between seminal listens Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs, Bowie’s covers album could easily be dismissed as a mere footnote in glam history. It’s not horrible by any means—just poorly placed in the Bowie discography. Among that album’s high points is a spirited take on Australian rockers the Easybeats’ 1967 hit “Friday on My Mind.” Bowie’s homage to Stevie Wright’s dynamic vocal style is on point, while Mick Ronson’s guitar work furthers the riffs co-written by Easybeats rhythm guitarist George Young—better known as the go-to producer for brothers Angus and Malcolm’s band, AC/DC. Perhaps this song springs to mind because Wright also passed away recently, succumbing to a fatal bout with pneumonia on December 27, 2015.

“Warszawa”— Low, 1977 

Bowie’s famed “Berlin trilogy” of albums (Low, Heroes and Lodger) found him shifting from glam rock to an artsier approach alongside fellow pop chameleon Brian Eno. It’s hard to imagine hearing this drastic reinvention when it was fresh in ’77. Younger fans introduced to bleak soundscapes like “Warsawza” are hearing the roots of ambient indie rock and atmospheric film soundtracks. Those who heard this track when it was first released did so with few reference points, so it probably sounded as otherworldly as Bowie looked earlier that decade.

“The Secret Life of Arabia”— “Heroes”, 1977 

One of the best Bowie tracks aside from the obvious hides in plain sight. “The Secret Life of Arabia” closes a famous album named after a classic hit, but it remains a little too bizarre for mass consumption. Bowie’s unpredictable tonal changes and a groovy bass line carry an overlooked gem that’s a masterpiece of simplicity and self-parody.

“Under the God”— Tin Machine’s self-titled debut, 1989 

From 1988-92, Bowie cast his solo career aside to embrace the mainstream rock sound he helped mold as singer and guitarist of the Tin Machine. Lead single “Under the God” casts Bowie as a hard rock crooner backed by the veteran Sales brothers and unsung guitar virtuoso Reeves Gabrels. It was hardly an halcyon era for Bowie, but this song and its accompanying video brought a sense of fun and reckless abandonment to his sonic and visual palettes.

“I’m Afraid of Americans”—Earthlings, 1997

Twenty years later, Bowie co-wrote another overlooked gem with Eno. Originally written in 1995 during the Outside album sessions, a rough mix of the song was featured in universally panned skin flick Showgirls. Talk about a dubious debut. What might have been soundtrack fodder was given new life in 1997 when a new version of the song appeared on Bowie’s Earthling album. The single includes a more abrasive remix by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, adding “industrial crossover artist” to Bowie’s musical CV.

“New Killer Star”—Reality, 2003 

The cryptic line about a “great white scar over Battery Park” was interpreted in a 2009 biography by Marc Spitz as a reference to Bowie living in New York during the aftermath of 9/11. Others view the song and accompanying video as a warning against nuclear weapons and a condemning of US military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both interpretations cast Bowie as an artist whose musical style and lyrical content remained pliable to the end.

“Girl Loves Me”— Blackstar, 2016

Bowie reinvented himself to the end, brilliantly weaving the electronic hip-hop beats and freeform expression of Kendrick Lamar into his sound without coming across as a cultural tourist. This is best captured on “Girl Loves Me,” a distorted soundscape that could’ve worked ten years ago as a Dr. Octagon backing track.