View source for Pin Ups

{{short description|1973 studio album by David Bowie}}
{{other uses|Pin-up (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Pin Ups
| type       = Studio album
| artist     = [[David Bowie]]
| cover      = PinUps.jpg
| border     = yes
| alt        = A red-haired man with heavy makeup sitting with a female model 
| released   = {{Start date|1973|10|19|df=y}}
| recorded   = July–August 1973
| studio     = [[Château d'Hérouville]] ([[Hérouville-en-Vexin|Hérouville]])
| genre      = {{flatlist|
* [[Glam rock]]
* [[proto-punk]]
}}
| length     = {{duration|m=33|s=42}}
| label      = [[RCA Records|RCA]]
| producer   = {{flatlist|
* [[Ken Scott]]
* David Bowie
}}
| prev_title = [[Aladdin Sane]]
| prev_year  = 1973
| next_title = [[Diamond Dogs]]
| next_year  = 1974
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Pinups
 | type        = Studio album
 | single1     = [[Sorrow (The McCoys song)#David Bowie version|Sorrow]]
 | single1date = 12 October 1973
}}
}}

'''''Pin Ups''''' (also referred to as '''''Pinups''''' and '''''Pin-Ups'''''){{efn|An insert included with the original LP has the text "This album is called Pinups" and the title is written as one word, without a hyphen, on the LP cover and spine, although the original UK disc label spells the title with a hyphen.<ref name="liner notes" />}} is the seventh studio album by the English musician [[David Bowie]], released on 19{{nbsp}}October 1973 through [[RCA Records]]. Devised as a "stop-gap" album to appease his record label, it is a [[Cover version|covers album]], featuring [[glam rock]] and [[proto-punk]] versions of songs by 1960s bands who were influential to Bowie as a teenager, including the [[Pretty Things]], [[the Who]], [[the Yardbirds]] and [[Pink Floyd]].

The album was recorded from July to August 1973 at the [[Château d'Hérouville]] in [[Hérouville-en-Vexin|Hérouville]], France following the completion of the [[Ziggy Stardust Tour]]. It was Bowie's final album co-produced with [[Ken Scott]]. Two members of [[the Spiders from Mars]] backing band contributed, the guitarist [[Mick Ronson]] and the bassist [[Trevor Bolder]], while [[Mick Woodmansey]] was replaced by [[Aynsley Dunbar]] on drums. Following a surprise announcement at the end of the tour that the Spiders were breaking up, tensions were high during the sessions, which was reflected in the tracks. The album cover, featuring Bowie and the 1960s supermodel [[Twiggy]], was taken in [[Paris]] and originally intended for the cover of ''[[British Vogue]]'' magazine.

Released only six months after ''[[Aladdin Sane]]'' and preceded by a cover of [[the Merseys]]' song "[[Sorrow (The Merseys song)|Sorrow]]" as the [[lead single]], ''Pin Ups'' was a commercial success, topping the [[UK Albums Chart]], but received negative reviews from critics, who criticised the songs as generally inferior to the originals. Retrospective reviewers have described it as uneven, while others believe it had a good premise, but suffered from poor execution. Bowie's biographers have noted it as an experiment in [[nostalgia]]. Some publications have regarded it as one of the best covers albums. It has been reissued numerous times and was remastered in 2015 as part of the box set ''[[Five Years (1969–1973)]]''.

== Background ==
By 1973, [[David Bowie]] was at his commercial peak. At the end of July, five of his six albums were in the top 40 and three were in the top 15.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} Bowie's most recent LP, ''[[Aladdin Sane]]'', came out in April,{{sfn|Cann|2010|p=291}} but his label, [[RCA Records]], wanted a new album by Christmas. Having just completed the [[Ziggy Stardust Tour]], Bowie was exhausted from the extensive touring schedule. His manager at the time, [[Tony Defries]], was negotiating for larger royalties with Bowie's music publisher and recommended he not record any new compositions until negotiations were finished.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} Although he had intended his next project to be an adaptation of [[George Orwell]]'s novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1949), he devised a record of cover versions as a "stopgap" album.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}}

On the final date of the tour, 3&nbsp;July, Bowie unexpectedly announced that "this is the last show we'll ever do".{{efn|Later understood to mean that Bowie was retiring the Ziggy Stardust character.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}}}} The announcement drove a wedge between Bowie and his backing band, [[the Spiders from Mars]]&nbsp;– [[Mick Ronson]] (guitar), [[Trevor Bolder]] (bass) and [[Mick Woodmansey|Woody Woodmansey]] (drums)&nbsp;– specifically Bolder and Woodmansey, who were unaware of the announcement in advance.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} 
The two were also unhappy upon discovering the pianist [[Mike Garson]], who joined the tour after ''Aladdin Sane'', was being paid more than them.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} Shortly after the tour's end, Woodmansey was fired by Garson over a phone call.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} To record the covers album, Bowie brought back Garson, Ronson and the ''Aladdin Sane'' players Ken Fordham and [[Warren Peace|Geoffrey MacCormack]]. The session drummer [[Aynsley Dunbar]] replaced Woodmansey and Bolder returned after [[Jack Bruce]] of the band [[Cream (band)|Cream]] declined.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}

== Production ==
=== Composition ===
''Pin Ups'' was Bowie's tribute to bands that had inspired him as a teenager. Bowie later explained: "These are all bands which I used to go and hear play down the Marquee between 1964 and 1967. I've got all these records back at home."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} According to the biographer Chris O'Leary, he chose the tracks by "going through a stack of 45s in his rooms at the Hyde Park Hotel before leaving for France".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} The musician Scott Richardson,{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=484}} a [[Pretty Things]] fan, convinced Bowie to cover two of their songs. Other artists selected included [[the Yardbirds]], [[the Kinks]], [[Pink Floyd]] and [[the Who]].{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} The final tracklist includes the Pretty Things' "[[Rosalyn (song)|Rosalyn]]" and "[[Don't Bring Me Down (The Pretty Things song)|Don't Bring Me Down]]", [[Them (band)|Them]]'s "[[Here Comes the Night]]", Pink Floyd's "[[See Emily Play]]", [[the Mojos]]' "[[Everything's Alright (The Mojos song)|Everything's Alright]]", the Yardbirds' "[[Shapes of Things]]" and their rendition of [[Billy Boy Arnold]]'s "[[I Wish You Would (Billy Boy Arnold song)|I Wish You Would]]", [[the Easybeats]]' "[[Friday on My Mind]]", [[the Merseys]]' "[[Sorrow (The Merseys song)|Sorrow]]", [[the Who]]'s "[[I Can't Explain]]" and "[[Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere]]", and [[the Kinks]]' "[[Where Have All the Good Times Gone]]".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}}{{sfn|Doggett|2012|pp=209–219}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}} Bowie had also considered re-recording his 1966 single "[[The London Boys]]" but the idea was discarded.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}

The songs on ''Pin Ups'' feature the same arrangements as the originals, albeit performed in [[glam rock]] and [[proto-punk]] styles.<ref name="independent">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/cover-albums-the-best-and-worst-releases-in-the-genre-8764391.html | title=Cover albums: The best and worst releases in the genre | work=[[The Independent]] | date=16 August 2013 | access-date=6 July 2015 | last=Perrone |first=Pierre | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714094911/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/cover-albums-the-best-and-worst-releases-in-the-genre-8764391.html | archive-date=14 July 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="stereogum">{{cite web | url=http://www.stereogum.com/1291641/david-bowie-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/pinups/ | title=David Bowie Albums From Worst To Best: ''Pin Ups'' | website=[[Stereogum]] | date=18 March 2013 | access-date=6 July 2015 | last=Claymore |first=Gabriela | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627202712/http://www.stereogum.com/1291641/david-bowie-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/pinups/ | archive-date=27 June 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> Regarding this, Bowie explained: "We just took down the basic chord structures and worked from there{{nbsp}}... Some of them don't even need any working on – like 'Rosalyn' for example. But most of the arranging I have done by myself and Mick, and Aynsley too."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} The author [[Peter Doggett]] writes that only two tracks, "I Wish You Would" and "See Emily Play", contained varied arrangements from the originals.{{sfn|Doggett|2012|pp=209–219}}

=== Recording ===
[[File:Ken Scott - 2014-11-14 - Andy Mabbett.JPG|thumb|left|upright=0.65|alt=Ken Scott in 2014|''Pin Ups'' was the final collaboration between Bowie and producer [[Ken Scott]] ''(pictured in 2014)''.]]
''Pin Ups'' was recorded at the [[Château d'Hérouville]] in [[Hérouville-en-Vexin|Hérouville]], France, in sessions lasting for three weeks from July to August 1973.{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=484}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=305–306}}{{sfn|Thompson|2006|p=313}} The venue was chosen after being recommended by [[Marc Bolan]], whose band [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]] who had just recorded ''[[Tanx]]'' there.{{efn|The Château had also become popularised after [[Elton John]] recorded his 1972 album ''[[Honky Château]]'' there, an album that was engineered by Ken Scott shortly after finishing ''[[The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars|Ziggy Stardust]]'' (1972).{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=223}}}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Spitz|2009|p=223}} It was co-produced by Bowie and [[Ken Scott]] and marked the final collaboration between the two.{{sfn|Cann|2010|p=234}} According to O'Leary, rehearsing consisted of playing the band the original track a few times before recording began.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} Tensions were high during the sessions. Bolder, believing he was unwanted, recorded his bass parts quickly and left. Richardson recalled Ronson overworking himself: "He did everything in the studio, he tuned everybody's instruments, he worked on all the arrangements{{nbsp}}... [he had] a tremendous burden on him;"{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} he also grew wary of his future after the collapse of the Spiders. Scott was facing personal issues on top of pressure from his management company to leave over MainMan not paying him royalties, while Bowie had, in O'Leary's words, an "increasingly remote and truculent attitude in the studio".{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}}

A version of [[the Velvet Underground]]'s "[[White Light/White Heat (song)|White Light/White Heat]]" was recorded during the sessions but went unreleased; Bowie donated the backing track to Ronson for his 1975 solo album ''[[Play Don't Worry]]''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=311–312, 365}} [[The Beach Boys]]' "[[God Only Knows]]" was also attempted during the sessions, but was left abandoned.{{efn|Bowie later covered it for the aborted Astronettes project in October 1973, while he officially covered it for ''[[Tonight (David Bowie album)|Tonight]]'' (1984).{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=99–100, 365}}}} The sessions were put on hold in mid-July for the recording of the Scottish singer [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]]'s covers of Bowie's tracks "[[Watch That Man]]" and "[[The Man Who Sold the World (song)|The Man Who Sold the World]]". The ''Pin Ups'' personnel contributed to the recording.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=305–306}}

''Pin Ups'' was the first of two "1960s nostalgia" albums that Bowie had planned to release. The second would have contained Bowie covering his favourite American artists, but was never recorded. Rumoured tracks to have appeared for the project include [[the Stooges]]' "No Fun", [[the Lovin' Spoonful]]'s "[[Summer in the City (song)|Summer in the City]]" and [[Roxy Music]]'s "[[Ladytron (song)|Ladytron]]".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} Bowie also considered making a ''Pin Ups'' sequel: he had compiled a list of songs he wanted to cover, some of which showed up on his later releases of ''[[Heathen (David Bowie album)|Heathen]]'' (2002) and ''[[Reality (David Bowie album)|Reality]]'' (2003).<ref name=SOS03>{{cite journal | url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct03/articles/reality.htm | title=David Bowie & Tony Visconti Recording Reality | date=October 2003 | access-date=30 July 2013 | first=Richard | last=Buskin | journal=[[Sound on Sound]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606111145/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct03/articles/reality.htm | archive-date=6 June 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Artwork and packaging ==
[[File:Twiggy 1973 crop.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|English model [[Twiggy]] ''(pictured in 1973)'' appears on the cover of ''Pin Ups'' with Bowie.]]
The cover photo for ''Pin Ups'' reflected the theme of [[Swinging Sixties|swinging London]] by featuring the 1960s supermodel [[Twiggy]], who had previously been name-checked on ''Aladdin Sane''{{'}}s "[[Drive-In Saturday]]" as "Twig the Wonder Kid". The photo was taken midway through the recording sessions at a Paris studio by Twiggy's then-manager and partner [[Justin de Villeneuve]]; he recalled in 2010: "Twiggy and I had first heard David mention her on ''Aladdin Sane''{{nbsp}}... We loved the album so much I called David and asked him if he would like to do a shoot with Twiggy. He jumped at the idea."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}}<ref name="Phillips" /> Twiggy recalled in her autobiography ''In Black and White'' that she was "really quite nervous" meeting Bowie, but "he immediately put me at ease. He was everything I could have hoped for and more". During the shoot, Bowie and Twiggy had different skin tones, which ''Aladdin Sane'' make-up designer Pierre Laroche balanced out using make-up masks. Twiggy found the final result "enigmatic and strange", later calling it one of her favourite images and "possibly the most widely distributed photograph ever taken of me". The photo was originally slated to appear in ''[[British Vogue|Vogue]]'' magazine, although they did not want a man appearing on their front cover, so Bowie opted to use it as the album cover instead; de Villeneuve later recalled ''Vogue'' being infuriated by the decision.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}}<ref name="Phillips">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/16/photography-justin-villeneuve-best-shot|title=Justin de Villeneuve's best photograph: David Bowie and Twiggy|last=Phillips|first=Sarah|date=16 May 2012|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=8 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215914/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/16/photography-justin-villeneuve-best-shot|archive-date=4 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

The original LP's rear sleeve featured two photos by the photographer [[Mick Rock]], one of a concert shot from the Ziggy tour and another of Bowie wearing a double-breasted suit cradling a saxophone. Bowie wrote in the book ''Moonage Daydream'': "I chose the performance photos for the back cover as they were favourite Rock shots of mine. I also did the back cover layout with the colour combination of red writing on blue as it again hinted at Sixties psychedelia."{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}} A discarded idea for the sleeve came from photographer Alan Motz, who "wanted to shoot Bowie metamorphosing into an animal". This idea would be used for Bowie's next album, ''[[Diamond Dogs]]'' (1974).{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}}

== Release ==
[[File:Bryan Ferry (6891697914) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=Bryan Ferry in 2012|The album's release coincided with another covers album, ''[[These Foolish Things (album)|These Foolish Things]]'' by [[Bryan Ferry]] ''(pictured in 2012)''.]]
RCA issued the [[lead single]] "Sorrow", featuring a cover of [[Jacques Brel]]'s "[[Amsterdam (Jacques Brel song)|Amsterdam]]" as the B-side,{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}}{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=23}} on 12&nbsp;October 1973;{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=Partial Discography}} it had been delayed from its original release date of 28&nbsp;September.{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}} The single was a commercial success, peaking at number three on the [[UK Singles Chart]]{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} and stayed on the chart for 15 weeks, becoming one of his biggest hits.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} ''Pin Ups'' followed suit a week later on 19&nbsp;October,{{sfn|Cann|2010|pp=307–313}}<ref name="Eder AllMusic" /> issued with the catalogue number RS 1003,{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} only six months after his previous album ''Aladdin Sane''.{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=484}} On the album sleeve, Bowie was simply referred to as "Bowie". In America, the advertising campaign read: "''Pin Ups'' means favourites, and these are Bowie's favourite songs. It's the kind of music your parents will never let you play loud enough!"{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}

The album's release coincided with [[Roxy Music]]'s former singer [[Bryan Ferry]]'s covers album ''[[These Foolish Things (album)|These Foolish Things]]''.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}}{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=484}} As Ferry had recorded his album weeks before Bowie began work on ''Pin Ups'', Ferry was annoyed at the perceived copying of his project, calling it a "rip-off". According to Sandford, he allegedly went to his label [[Island Records]] to request they file an injunction to prevent ''Pin Ups'' from being released before ''These Foolish Things''.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}} Instead, O'Leary writes that Bowie phoned Ferry to inform him of ''Pin Ups'' and requested permission to record a Roxy Music song.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} Ferry later told biographer David Buckley, "At first I was a bit apprehensive, but Bowie's record turned out to be very different. I myself was always very anxious to be different from other people{{nbsp}}... and to forge my own furrow."{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} In the event, both albums were released as planned and charted on the same day,{{sfn|Doggett|2012|pp=209–219}} 3{{nbsp}}November 1973.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}}

===Commercial performance===
In the UK, ''Pin Ups'' came at the height of Bowie's popularity there. The album had advance copies of 150,000, which was 50,000 more than ''Aladdin Sane''.{{sfn|Buckley|2005|pp=165–171}} Upon release, it spent 39 weeks on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and peaked at number one, remaining there for five weeks,<ref>{{cite web |title=Pin Ups – full Official Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/pin-ups/ |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=22 August 2021 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928000111/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/pin-ups/ |url-status=live }}</ref> matching the performance of ''Aladdin Sane''.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} It brought the total number of Bowie albums concurrently on the UK chart to six.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}} In the US, the album peaked at number 23 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape]] chart and remained on the chart for 21 weeks.<ref name="Billboard200 1973" /> O'Leary writes that ''Pin Ups'' was essentially a "new Bowie album" in America since only three of the original tracks that were released as singles had reached the top 40.{{sfn|O'Leary|2015|loc=chap. 7}} 

''Pin Ups'' was also a commercial success elsewhere. It topped the [[Sverigetopplistan]] chart in Sweden,<ref name="swechart" /> and reached number three in Spain,<ref name="Spanchart" /> four in Australia and Finland,<ref name="auchart" /><ref name="Finchart" /> six in Brazil and the Netherlands,<ref name="Brazilchar" /><ref name="NETHchart" /> seven in Italy,<ref name="Italychart" /> and eight in Norway and Yugoslavia.<ref name="NORchart" /><ref name="Yugochart" /> Sandford writes that by Christmas 1973, the album was selling 30,000 copies a week.{{sfn|Sandford|1997|pp=114–116}} Upon release of the massive commercially successful ''[[Let's Dance (David Bowie album)|Let's Dance]]'' (1983), ''Pin Ups'' returned to the UK chart again,{{sfn|Buckley|2005|p=345}} peaking at number 57.{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}

== Critical reception ==
''Pin Ups'' received primarily negative reviews from music critics on release, with many criticising the songs as generally inferior to their original counterparts.<ref name="RS Shaw">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pin-ups-19731220 |title=Pin Ups |date=19 July 1973 |last=Shaw |first=Greg |access-date=1 October 2015 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004093034/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pin-ups-19731220 |archive-date=4 October 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MacDonald NME" /><ref name="NYTimes" /> In ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Greg Shaw believed that all the tracks were underproduced and Bowie's vocal performance was the album's "true failure", further saying his "excessively mannered voice" was "a ridiculously weak mismatch for the material" and that they were mixed too high to give the tracks the "edge" or "punch" they need to be effective.<ref name="RS Shaw" /> He concludes his review by saying, "While ''Pin Ups'' may be a failure, it is also a collection of great songs, most of which are given a more than adequate, and always loving, treatment. Maybe the fairest conclusion to draw is that Bowie can't sing any other way, did the best he could, and the result isn't all that bad."<ref name="RS Shaw" /> In the ''[[NME]]'', [[Ian MacDonald]] felt that by not differentiating the songs from the originals, the renditions lack value, ultimately stating the record failed to live up to expectations and predicted that "unless he puts a banger under his own behind, I can foresee nothing but artistic frustration for Bowie in the next few years."<ref name="MacDonald NME">{{cite magazine |last=MacDonald |first=Ian |author-link=Ian MacDonald |title=David Bowie: ''Pin-Ups'' |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/david-bowie-pin-ups |magazine=[[NME]] |date=20 October 1973 |access-date=22 August 2021 |via=[[Rock's Backpages]] |url-access=subscription |archive-date=22 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822161934/https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/david-bowie-pin-ups |url-status=live }}</ref> Loraine Alterman of ''[[The New York Times]]'' was also negative, saying the album "suffers from too much style and technique and not enough musical substance".<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite web |last=Alterman |first=Loraine |title=Pop; David Bowie Can't Beat the Band |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/11/archives/david-bowie-cant-beat-pop-david-bowie.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=27 November 2022 |date=11 November 1973 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=27 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127190405/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/11/archives/david-bowie-cant-beat-pop-david-bowie.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Discussing ''Pin Ups'' as a whole, ''[[Record Mirror]]'' found the album "unsatisfying, too cluttered musically and over-produced".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Album Reviews |magazine=[[Record Mirror]] |date=20 October 1973 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/70s/73/Record-Mirror-1973-10-20.pdf |page=27 |access-date=27 November 2022 |via=worldradiohistory.com |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309030854/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/70s/73/Record-Mirror-1973-10-20.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> A writer for ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' magazine also reacted negatively, declaring that Bowie "used R&B as a prop, not a springboard".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}} In ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]'', veteran critic [[Robert Christgau]] found the idea of the record good, but its overall execution subpar.<ref name="christgau" /> On the other hand, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' responded positively, stating that, "there's humor in this music if you want to take it as a look back in musical time."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top Album Picks |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=3 November 1973 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1973/Billboard%201973-11-03.pdf |page=56 |access-date=12 November 2022 |via=worldradiohistory.com |archive-date=31 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131074151/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1973/Billboard%201973-11-03.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Robert Hilburn]] was also positive in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Describing it as a "light, unpretentious, high-spirited album", he hailed ''Pin Ups'' as "one of the year's most inviting albums" and one that deserves special attention.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Hilburn |title=Bowie Plans Stage Version of 'Ziggy' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/381791179/ |magazine=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=6 November 1973 |page=57 |access-date=29 December 2021 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-access=subscription |archive-date=12 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112184545/https://www.newspapers.com/image/381791179/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== 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>

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
| headline     = Side one
| extra_column = Originally performed by
| title1       = [[Rosalyn (song)|Rosalyn]]
| writer1      = {{hlist|[[Jimmy Duncan (songwriter)|Jimmy Duncan]]|Bill Farley}}
| extra1       = [[Pretty Things]]
| length1      = 2:27
| title2       = [[Here Comes the Night]]
| writer2      = [[Bert Berns]]
| extra2       = [[Them (band)|Them]]
| length2      = 3:09
| title3       = [[I Wish You Would (Billy Boy Arnold song)|I Wish You Would]]
| writer3      = [[Billy Boy Arnold]]
| extra3       = [[The Yardbirds]]
| length3      = 2:40
| title4       = [[See Emily Play]]
| writer4      = [[Syd Barrett]]
| extra4       = [[Pink Floyd]]
| length4      = 4:03
| title5       = [[Everything's Alright (The Mojos song)|Everything's Alright]]
| writer5      = {{hlist|Nicky Crouch|John Konrad|Simon Stavely|Stuart James|Keith Karlson}}
| extra5       = [[The Mojos]]
| length5      = 2:26
| title6       = [[I Can't Explain]]
| writer6      = [[Pete Townshend]]
| extra6       = [[The Who]]
| length6      = 2:07
}}
{{Track listing
| headline     = Side two
| extra_column = Originally performed by
| title1       = [[Friday on My Mind]]
| writer1      = {{hlist|[[George Young (rock musician)|George Young]]|[[Harry Vanda]]}}
| extra1       = [[The Easybeats]]
| length1      = 3:18
| title2       = [[Sorrow (The McCoys song)|Sorrow]]
| writer2      = {{hlist|[[Bob Feldman]]|[[Jerry Goldstein (producer)|Jerry Goldstein]]|[[Richard Gottehrer]]}}
| extra2       = [[The Merseybeats|The Merseys]]
| length2      = 2:48
| title3       = [[Don't Bring Me Down (Pretty Things song)|Don't Bring Me Down]]
| writer3      = [[The Fairies (British band)|Johnnie Dee]]
| extra3       = Pretty Things
| length3      = 2:01
| title4       = [[Shapes of Things]]
| writer4      = {{hlist|[[Paul Samwell-Smith]]|[[Jim McCarty]]|[[Keith Relf]]}}
| extra4       = The Yardbirds
| length4      = 2:47
| title5       = [[Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere]]
| writer5      = {{hlist|[[Roger Daltrey]]|Townshend}}
| extra5       = The Who
| length5      = 3:04
| title6       = [[Where Have All the Good Times Gone]]
| writer6      = [[Ray Davies]]
| extra6       = [[The Kinks]]
| length6      = 2:35
}}

== Personnel ==
Album credits per the ''Pin Ups'' liner notes and biographer [[Nicholas Pegg]].{{sfn|Pegg|2016|pp=364–367}}<ref name="liner notes">{{Cite AV media notes|title=Pin Ups|others=[[David Bowie]]|year=1973|publisher=[[RCA Records]]|location=UK|type=liner notes|id=RS 1003}}</ref>

*[[David Bowie]]{{spaced ndash}} vocals, guitar, [[tenor saxophone|tenor]] and [[alto saxophone]], [[harmonica]], [[arrangement]]s, backing vocals, [[Moog synthesizer|Moog synthesiser]]
*[[Mick Ronson]]{{spaced ndash}} guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements
*[[Trevor Bolder]]{{spaced ndash}} bass guitar
*[[Aynsley Dunbar]]{{spaced ndash}} drums
*[[Mike Garson]]{{spaced ndash}} piano, [[organ (music)|organ]], [[harpsichord]], [[electric piano]]
*Ken Fordham{{spaced ndash}} [[baritone saxophone]]
*[[Warren Peace|G. A. MacCormack]]{{spaced ndash}} backing vocals

'''Production'''
*David Bowie{{spaced ndash}} producer
*[[Ken Scott]]{{spaced ndash}} producer
*Dennis MacKay{{spaced ndash}} [[recording engineer|engineer]]
*Andy Scott{{spaced ndash}} engineer

== Charts and certifications ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

=== Weekly charts ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+1973–74 weekly chart performance for ''Pin Ups''
!Chart (1973–74)
!Peak<br />Position
|-
|align="left"|Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="auchart">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>
|align="center"|4
|-
|align="left"|Brazil (Brazil Albums Chart)<ref name="Brazilchar">{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VqclAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22david+bowie%22+New+Musical+Express+1973&pg=PA72&article_id=1322,1406696|title=Brazil Albums Chart|website=Jornal do Brasil|date=4 November 1973|access-date= 17 March 2018|language=br}}</ref>
|align="center"|6
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|6|album=Pinups|artist=David Bowie|access-date=25 July 2020|refname=NETHchart}}
|-
| Finnish Albums ([[Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name="Finchart">{{cite book|url=https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=36|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2021|title=Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021|section=David Bowie|pages=36–37|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|language=fi|archive-date=22 January 2022|access-date=25 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122233715/https://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf#page=36|url-status=live}}</ref>
| align="center" | 4
|-
| Italian Albums (''[[Musica e dischi]]'')<ref name="Italychart">{{cite book|last=Racca|first=Guido|title=M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019|language=it|date=2019|publisher=Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp Print Us |isbn=978-1-0947-0500-2}}</ref>
| align="center" | 7
|-
|align="left"|Spanish Albums ([[Productores de Música de España|Promusicae]])<ref name="Spanchart">{{cite web|url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F8S1BWwXgAAx2Er?format=jpg&name=medium|title=Lista de albumes España 16 de Mayo de 1974|website=Disco Express|date=11 January 2016|access-date=17 March 2018|language=es}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|align="center"|3
|-
{{album chart|Norway|8|album=Pinups|artist=David Bowie|access-date=25 July 2020|refname=NORchart}}
|-
|align="left"| Swedish Albums ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref name="swechart">{{cite web|url=http://www.hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200872-0875.pdf|work=hitsallertijden.nl|title=Swedish Charts 1972–1975/Kvällstoppen|language=sv|access-date=27 October 2023|archive-date=29 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529134518/http://www.hitsallertijden.nl/charts/swedish%20charts/SwedishCharts%200872-0875.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
{{album chart|UK|1|artist=David Bowie|album=Pinups|rowheader=false|access-date=22 August 2021}}
|-
|US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape]]<ref name="Billboard200 1973">{{cite magazine |title=Bowie ''Pin Ups'' Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-bowie/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=24 August 2021 |archive-date=17 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117161928/https://www.billboard.com/artist/david-bowie/chart-history/tlp/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|align="center"|23
|-
|Yugoslavian Albums (Radio TV Revue & Studio)<ref name="Yugochart">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQkEAAAAMBAJ|title=Hits of the World|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|via=Google Books|volume=86|issue=27|page=42|issn=0006-2510|date=6 July 1974|access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref>
|align="center"|8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+1990 weekly chart performance for ''Pin Ups''
!Chart (1990)
!Peak<br />Position
|-
|scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="1990 chart" />
|align="center"|52
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+2016 weekly chart performance for ''Pin Ups''
!Chart (2016)
!Peak<br />Position
|-
{{album chart|France|191|album=Pinups|artist=David Bowie|access-date=25 July 2020}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+2023 weekly chart performance for ''Pin Ups''
!Chart (2023)
!Peak<br />Position
|-
|align="left"| Hungarian Physical Albums ([[Association of Hungarian Record Companies|MAHASZ]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2023. 43. hét |url=https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2023/43 |publisher=[[Association of Hungarian Record Companies|MAHASZ]] |access-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102180515/https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista-fizikai-hanghordozok/2023/43 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|align="center"| 24
|-
|}
{{col-2}}

=== Year-end charts ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1974 year-end chart performance for ''Pin Ups''
! Chart (1974)
! Position
|-
|scope="row"|Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref name="auchart" />
| 12
|}

=== Certifications ===
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Sales and certifications for ''Pin Ups''}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Pin Ups|type=album|artist=David Bowie|relyear=1974|region=Australia|award=Gold|certyear=1974|certref=<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1974/Billboard%201974-10-26.pdf|title=Australian Gold|date=26 October 1974|magazine=Billboard|page=78|via=American Radio History|access-date=20 November 2019|archive-date=5 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105151444/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1974/Billboard%201974-10-26.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Pin Ups|type=album|artist=David Bowie|relyear=1974|certyear=1973|id=5110-2561-2|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref= <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/70s/1973/Cash-Box-1973-12-29-OCR-Page-0120.pdf#search=%22life%20on%20mars%22|title=Great Britain — 1973 In Review|publisher=Cash Box|page=10|date=29 December 1973|access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=3,400,000|salesref=<ref name="wwsales">{{cite web |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/01/11/david-bowie-en-chiffres-un-artiste-culte-mais-pas-si-vendeur_4845289_4355770.html |title=David Bowie en chiffres : un artiste culte, mais pas si vendeur |access-date=11 January 2016 |website=Le Monde |last=Breteau |first=Pierre |date=11 January 2016 |archive-date=20 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820195959/https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/01/11/david-bowie-en-chiffres-un-artiste-culte-mais-pas-si-vendeur_4845289_4355770.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}
{{col-end}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book |last=Buckley |first=David |year=2005 |orig-year=1999 |title=Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story |location=London |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |isbn=978-0-7535-1002-5 }}
*{{cite book|last=Cann |first=Kevin |year=2010 |title=Any Day Now – David Bowie: The London Years: 1947–1974 |location=Croydon, Surrey|publisher=Adelita |isbn=978-0-9552017-7-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Doggett |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Doggett |year=2012 |title=The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e27t-ag4NakC |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0-06-202466-4 }}
*{{cite book |last=O'Leary |first=Chris |title=Rebel Rebel: All the Songs of David Bowie from '64 to '76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ggTmBwAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=[[John Hunt Publishing|Zero Books]] |location=Winchester |isbn=978-1-78099-244-0 }}
*{{cite book|last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated }}
*{{cite book |last=Perone |first=James E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C6bz2BFdPawC&pg=PA57 |title=The Words and Music of David Bowie |location=[[Westport, Connecticut]] |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-27599-245-3}}
*{{cite book|last=Sandford|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Sandford (biographer)|title=Bowie: Loving the Alien|location=London|publisher=Time Warner|year=1997|orig-year=First published 1996|isbn=978-0-306-80854-8|url=https://archive.org/details/bowielovingalien00sand}}
*{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=978-0-679-75574-6|chapter=David Bowie}}
*{{cite book|last=Spitz |first=Marc |author-link=Marc Spitz |title=Bowie: A Biography |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-307-71699-6|title-link=Bowie: A Biography |location=New York City }}
*{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Thompson (author) |title=Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie |year=2006 |location=[[Toronto]] |publisher=[[ECW Press]] |isbn=978-1-55022-733-8 }}
*{{cite book|last=Trynka |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Trynka |year=2011 |title=David Bowie – Starman: The Definitive Biography |location=New York City|publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |isbn=978-0-316-03225-4}}
{{Refend|30em}}

== External links ==
*{{Discogs master|type=album|22208|name=Pin Ups}}

{{David Bowie}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1973 albums]]
[[Category:David Bowie albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by David Bowie]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Ken Scott]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Mick Rock]]
[[Category:1970s covers albums]]
[[Category:EMI Records albums]]
[[Category:Parlophone albums]]
[[Category:RCA Records albums]]
[[Category:Rykodisc albums]]
[[Category:Virgin Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded in a home studio]]
[[Category:Protopunk albums]]