Loved By Someone Above
New member
If anyone wants to take on the next review then you're very welcome to it! I really want this thread to be completed.
Review Thread: The Chameleon: David Bowie Reviewed
- Thread starter Della H
- Start date
sadomiforgets
New member
Great work so far people. Enjoyable thread.
Margarita de la Rosa
New member
Then it's sorted 
On another note, are we gonna bother with '82's Baal EP? If anyone thinks so and doesn't have it, I'll send a link your way (pretty sure I've still got it in my megaupload files).
On another note, are we gonna bother with '82's Baal EP? If anyone thinks so and doesn't have it, I'll send a link your way (pretty sure I've still got it in my megaupload files).
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Year: 1972
- Five Years
- Soul Love
- Moonage Daydream
- Starman
- It Ain't Easy
- Lady Stardust
- Star
- Hang On To Yourself
- Ziggy Stardust
- Suffragette City
- Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
Year: 1972
The year is 1972, concert albums are all the rage, and a chameleon is on the loose. In a year known for some of the greatest albums of all time, this one always gets a mention alongside them. And it really isn’t hard to see why. From the first few minutes you’re already enthralled with the story. Anyone familiar with the album by this point will be singing along enthusiastically. Knowing every word from a multitude of repeated listens.
This is the kind of album you have here, this isn’t an album you get tired of. It only gets better and better the more familiar you get with it. You can even see for yourself thanks to our frienRAB at last.fm, the entire album is fully streamable. The whole album flows very well, if not entirely consistently. You’ll notice a lot of stylistic changes held together well by the plot.
Parts of the album, like Moonage Daydream feel very heavily produced, which adRAB to the desired futuristic-ish effect. The album even gets a spacey feel from time to time. Mick Ronson, as always is on top form, all of the solos here are efficiently done. I’ve always wanted him to do a bit more on the album, but the restraint here works well. The overt glam rock is just pure heaven; you’ll very quickly find yourself lost in the music.
I’ve always gotten a Beach Boys vibe from Star, the background “oohs” and vocals just add so much to the song. My favourite part of the album is the three songs leading to Ziggy’s stardom, Star, Hang On To Yourself and Ziggy Stardust. Just following the story here is insanely entertaining, and every time Ziggy Stardust comes on I can’t help but smile. Everyone knows the title track, but it really does need to be appreciated in the album context. Mick Ronson excels himself here, the solos, the riRAB, everything just works so well.
Following here is the insanely catchy Suffragette City, which has some of the most infectious guitar playing in the history of glam. And, of course, Wham bam thank you ma'am! If you don’t feel any form of emotion at the end of the album, then you’re a heartless, worthless poor excuse for a human and I want nothing more to do with you. Sitting here, swaying side to side, I can only wish it was possible to give more than maximum marks.
The album takes you through a rollercoaster of emotion, musical shifts and vocal hooks. David Bowie really outdoes himself here, this is a must have, regardless of your tastes.
10/10
chelschubz
New member
I'll do mine tomorrow.
I agree with Comus' review, it is certainly missing a little bit of punch. I find Love You Till Tuesday to be the best song on the album, tis marvellous.
Saying that, my favourite Bowie song from the sixties wasnt on this debut, I Dig Everything its called, proper moddy! Have a look around.
Saying that, my favourite Bowie song from the sixties wasnt on this debut, I Dig Everything its called, proper moddy! Have a look around.
HoosierAthlete
New member
Young Americans (1975)
1. Young Americans
2. Win
3. Fascination
4. Right
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me
6. Across the Universe
7. Can You Hear Me?
8. Fame
After the release of Diamond Dogs in 1974, Davey B here toured it through the US in a very theatrical and groundbreaking way. Besides this, the experiments with soul which began with Drive-In Saturday off of Aladdin Sane were taken to the stage, with Bowie adapting several parts of his back catalogue with a Philly soul/r'n'b/disco sounRAB (leading to some quite wonderful versions of songs like Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, as well as putting covers such as the Ohio Players' Here Today Gone Tomorrow and Knock On Wood into his setlists). Further hints of a move down the blue-eyed soul avenue were dropped on the said album, with songs like 1984 and Rock 'n' Roll With Me showing off a lot of the necessary characteristics.
It wasn't until a break between legs of the US tour that July that the full transformation occurred though. Bowie took his touring band into Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia to record a bunch of very soulful tunes he'd written (and, in some cases, unveiled) on the road. By the time the tour was due to continue, around a dozen songs were in the can. Before completing the album in New York that December (by recording Fame and Across the Universe in New York with some geezer called John Lennon), Bowie completely re-designed touring band, setlist and even set itself in order so that he could play these songs live as a bona fide soul singer with the backing choir he'd assembled in the studio (which included soon-to-be-mega-famous Luther Vandross). However the press reacted at the time (some quarters completely panned him for such a move), the transition was complete. David Bowie was now a soul man.
Don't let that monstrosity of a cover put you off though (if you've ever seen what he had in mind before that, you'd think of it as an improvement) - the resulting album is so much more convincing than that, and arguably the first real testament to the sheer diversity of the man's discography. Young Americans (the song) is, for starters, an absolute masterpiece (and just about the most bizarre song Lars von Trier could have chosen to go over the end credits to Dogville), being a truly delicious slice of uplifting blue-eyed soul, with some absolutely wonderful work from David Sanborn on the sax.
Win slows things down a bit and is, as you might have gathered from my posting the video below, one of my very favourite Bowie songs. Being one of the songs to be debuted live before the Philly sessions in July, it's a soaring and absolutely beautiful track that could easily have made a great single. The same can be said of both Fascination and Right - the funkier couplet which brings side A to a close, and not to mention a wholly convincing one.
[YOUTUBE]eLqJJmmB-dA[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]HABUcnLRcK4[/YOUTUBE]
For me, the album gets itself into a bit of trouble from a brilliant opening side with Somebody Up There Likes Me. That's not to say it's a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, being another well-written slice of soul in the same sort of vein as the title track. It's just that, clocking at 6 1/2 minutes as it does, it is far too long and, as we'll find out later, quite inferior to other songs recorded during the Sigma sessions. The same can be said of Bowie's Lennon-assisted cover of Across the Universe. Not a bad song at all (actually a very decent and uplifting rendition of the Beatles classic) but, given some of the songs which missed out on the final running order, one that should probably have been relegated to B-side status.
The slight weaknesses of those two songs in that sense make for the only real flaw of this album, given that the soaring, emotional and truly fantastic soul ballad Can You Hear Me follows them both immediately. Put it this way - if I could have some sort of MP3 playlist for passers-by to listen to on my epitaph, this song would be on it. Fame, the second songs Bowie and Lennon recorded together, serves as a terrific, funky album-closer, and one which provided Bowie with his first US number 1 single. It was also completely ripped-off by James Brown of all people for his own single Hot.
All in all, this is definitely an album that any beginners with Bowie's discography should look out, and is among his best for sure. I only give it a 9 for the small flaw that I've already addressed. Basically, as well as being one of Bowie's most curious albums, the recording sessions for it were among his most productive too. In all, another 6 songs are known to have been recorded; the no-holRAB-barred funk-out of John, I'm Only Dancing (Again), the infectious piece of r'n'b that is Who Can I Be Now, the beautiful soul ballad of It's Gonna Be Me, the terrific, up-tempo soul number After Today and two as-yet unreleased songs - the Gouster and Too Fat Polka (I always giggle when I think what that one must sound like).
Anyway, to sum up, this is a well-earned 9 of an album. Stick the two songs below in in the places of Somebody Up There Likes Me and Across the Universe and you've got another 10.
9/10
[YOUTUBE]L9otrePxGM0[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]K0NXPeF1k78[/YOUTUBE]
1. Young Americans
2. Win
3. Fascination
4. Right
5. Somebody Up There Likes Me
6. Across the Universe
7. Can You Hear Me?
8. Fame
After the release of Diamond Dogs in 1974, Davey B here toured it through the US in a very theatrical and groundbreaking way. Besides this, the experiments with soul which began with Drive-In Saturday off of Aladdin Sane were taken to the stage, with Bowie adapting several parts of his back catalogue with a Philly soul/r'n'b/disco sounRAB (leading to some quite wonderful versions of songs like Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, as well as putting covers such as the Ohio Players' Here Today Gone Tomorrow and Knock On Wood into his setlists). Further hints of a move down the blue-eyed soul avenue were dropped on the said album, with songs like 1984 and Rock 'n' Roll With Me showing off a lot of the necessary characteristics.
It wasn't until a break between legs of the US tour that July that the full transformation occurred though. Bowie took his touring band into Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia to record a bunch of very soulful tunes he'd written (and, in some cases, unveiled) on the road. By the time the tour was due to continue, around a dozen songs were in the can. Before completing the album in New York that December (by recording Fame and Across the Universe in New York with some geezer called John Lennon), Bowie completely re-designed touring band, setlist and even set itself in order so that he could play these songs live as a bona fide soul singer with the backing choir he'd assembled in the studio (which included soon-to-be-mega-famous Luther Vandross). However the press reacted at the time (some quarters completely panned him for such a move), the transition was complete. David Bowie was now a soul man.
Don't let that monstrosity of a cover put you off though (if you've ever seen what he had in mind before that, you'd think of it as an improvement) - the resulting album is so much more convincing than that, and arguably the first real testament to the sheer diversity of the man's discography. Young Americans (the song) is, for starters, an absolute masterpiece (and just about the most bizarre song Lars von Trier could have chosen to go over the end credits to Dogville), being a truly delicious slice of uplifting blue-eyed soul, with some absolutely wonderful work from David Sanborn on the sax.
Win slows things down a bit and is, as you might have gathered from my posting the video below, one of my very favourite Bowie songs. Being one of the songs to be debuted live before the Philly sessions in July, it's a soaring and absolutely beautiful track that could easily have made a great single. The same can be said of both Fascination and Right - the funkier couplet which brings side A to a close, and not to mention a wholly convincing one.
[YOUTUBE]eLqJJmmB-dA[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]HABUcnLRcK4[/YOUTUBE]
For me, the album gets itself into a bit of trouble from a brilliant opening side with Somebody Up There Likes Me. That's not to say it's a bad song by any stretch of the imagination, being another well-written slice of soul in the same sort of vein as the title track. It's just that, clocking at 6 1/2 minutes as it does, it is far too long and, as we'll find out later, quite inferior to other songs recorded during the Sigma sessions. The same can be said of Bowie's Lennon-assisted cover of Across the Universe. Not a bad song at all (actually a very decent and uplifting rendition of the Beatles classic) but, given some of the songs which missed out on the final running order, one that should probably have been relegated to B-side status.
The slight weaknesses of those two songs in that sense make for the only real flaw of this album, given that the soaring, emotional and truly fantastic soul ballad Can You Hear Me follows them both immediately. Put it this way - if I could have some sort of MP3 playlist for passers-by to listen to on my epitaph, this song would be on it. Fame, the second songs Bowie and Lennon recorded together, serves as a terrific, funky album-closer, and one which provided Bowie with his first US number 1 single. It was also completely ripped-off by James Brown of all people for his own single Hot.
All in all, this is definitely an album that any beginners with Bowie's discography should look out, and is among his best for sure. I only give it a 9 for the small flaw that I've already addressed. Basically, as well as being one of Bowie's most curious albums, the recording sessions for it were among his most productive too. In all, another 6 songs are known to have been recorded; the no-holRAB-barred funk-out of John, I'm Only Dancing (Again), the infectious piece of r'n'b that is Who Can I Be Now, the beautiful soul ballad of It's Gonna Be Me, the terrific, up-tempo soul number After Today and two as-yet unreleased songs - the Gouster and Too Fat Polka (I always giggle when I think what that one must sound like).
Anyway, to sum up, this is a well-earned 9 of an album. Stick the two songs below in in the places of Somebody Up There Likes Me and Across the Universe and you've got another 10.
9/10
[YOUTUBE]L9otrePxGM0[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]K0NXPeF1k78[/YOUTUBE]
Daniel Kim
New member
David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969)
1. Space Oddity
2. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed
3. (Don't Sit Down)
4. Letter to Hermione
5. Cygnet Committee
6. Janine
7. An Occasional Dream
8. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
9. God Knows I'm Good
10. Memory of a Free Festival
As you might be able to tell from the two record sleeve covers, David Bowie's second album has a strange history. Well, kind of. Following the spectacular commercial damp squib that was his debut, David Bowie and his manager Ken Pitt sought after the American market with a slightly more ambitious sophomore effort. Rather confusingly, this album was originally released as David Bowie in the UK and as Man Of WorRAB/Man Of Music in the US (this album being his debut LP to the American market). It was only upon its re-release in 1972, to capitalise on Bowie's becoming a household name, that it was re-titled Space Oddity, and even then it had two alternate covers (as pictured above).
Whatever the case, Space Oddity is what the album's officially known as now and the left-hand cover is the one we all know and poke fun at for being as corny as it is. Anyway, as I may or may not have said earlier, as the followup to a very unsuccessful debut, Space Oddity (as I'm gonna call it) is the sound of Bowie aiming for a mass audience but on top of that also spreading his wings a little as an artist. It's lyrical lamentations of lost love, elaborations on disenchantment and yarn-spinning fantasy tales see Bowie opting for a much more sombre and focused sound than on his debut as the production methoRAB of one Tony Visconti shape a fittingly ashen-faced folk-rock sound to dominate the album and compliment this.
The standout from this would be the title track, which is the odd one out here in many respects. First off, upon Bowie's telling him he wanted it on the album, Visconti dismissed it as a throwaway novelty which wouldn't fit on the album at all and perhaps tried too hard to pander to the masses (what with all that moon landing hysteria in the media at the time). After arguing for some time about it, a comprimise was reached whereby Visconti would have nothing to do with the song, whereupon Bowie called on his old mate Gus Dudgeon to do the dirty work. While the result of that session would give Bowie his first hit single and thus put him on the musical map, I'm personally not such a huge fan of the song to the point that I'd call it quite possibly Bowie's most overrated piece. The vocal harmonies during the chorus are very nice, but Dudgeon's production is far too cluttered for my tastes - all those guitar solos, vocal overdubs and string arrangements threaten to drown the song. Below is a little box of four videos. The top two are both of Space Oddity, but two very different versions. On the left is the version released as a single in 1969 and re-released in 1972, while on the right is an acoustic version recorded as released as a B-side in 1979 and is in my opinion how it should have been done in the first place.
[YOUTUBE]ssnxo4lNp8w[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]xBzKx6PA568[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]Sriwr6eu9yU[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]33VJj7DZ6Ko[/YOUTUBE]
Such is the bone I have to pick when it comes to this album. If some of the songs simply aren't very good others are totally over-produced and thus sound a bit on the dated side. The bottom two videos of that little box above this paragraph gives you another example of how this album should have been done. Overall, the album's hit and miss, as there are some great tunes on show here. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed is a jovial, rollicking knees-up of a song and Memory Of a Free Festival is a very quaint and emotional album-closer, while Cygnet Committee is easily the first masterpiece Bowie would record (even if it is a teeny bit overlong). There are a few decent yet not truly spectacular moments as well such as the pensive Janine and the yearning slow-burner Letter To Hermione. On the other hand though, there are plenty of the said over-produced moments and mediocre numbers (God Knows I'm Good and An Occasional Dream for example) to weigh the overall quality down.
It's not a popular view from my experience, but while it's a vast improvement on his debut, Space Oddity is very very far from my favourite Bowie album. It's not mediocre, seeing as there are a few terrific songs on there, but much much better was to come.
6.5/10
1. Space Oddity
2. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed
3. (Don't Sit Down)
4. Letter to Hermione
5. Cygnet Committee
6. Janine
7. An Occasional Dream
8. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud
9. God Knows I'm Good
10. Memory of a Free Festival
As you might be able to tell from the two record sleeve covers, David Bowie's second album has a strange history. Well, kind of. Following the spectacular commercial damp squib that was his debut, David Bowie and his manager Ken Pitt sought after the American market with a slightly more ambitious sophomore effort. Rather confusingly, this album was originally released as David Bowie in the UK and as Man Of WorRAB/Man Of Music in the US (this album being his debut LP to the American market). It was only upon its re-release in 1972, to capitalise on Bowie's becoming a household name, that it was re-titled Space Oddity, and even then it had two alternate covers (as pictured above).
Whatever the case, Space Oddity is what the album's officially known as now and the left-hand cover is the one we all know and poke fun at for being as corny as it is. Anyway, as I may or may not have said earlier, as the followup to a very unsuccessful debut, Space Oddity (as I'm gonna call it) is the sound of Bowie aiming for a mass audience but on top of that also spreading his wings a little as an artist. It's lyrical lamentations of lost love, elaborations on disenchantment and yarn-spinning fantasy tales see Bowie opting for a much more sombre and focused sound than on his debut as the production methoRAB of one Tony Visconti shape a fittingly ashen-faced folk-rock sound to dominate the album and compliment this.
The standout from this would be the title track, which is the odd one out here in many respects. First off, upon Bowie's telling him he wanted it on the album, Visconti dismissed it as a throwaway novelty which wouldn't fit on the album at all and perhaps tried too hard to pander to the masses (what with all that moon landing hysteria in the media at the time). After arguing for some time about it, a comprimise was reached whereby Visconti would have nothing to do with the song, whereupon Bowie called on his old mate Gus Dudgeon to do the dirty work. While the result of that session would give Bowie his first hit single and thus put him on the musical map, I'm personally not such a huge fan of the song to the point that I'd call it quite possibly Bowie's most overrated piece. The vocal harmonies during the chorus are very nice, but Dudgeon's production is far too cluttered for my tastes - all those guitar solos, vocal overdubs and string arrangements threaten to drown the song. Below is a little box of four videos. The top two are both of Space Oddity, but two very different versions. On the left is the version released as a single in 1969 and re-released in 1972, while on the right is an acoustic version recorded as released as a B-side in 1979 and is in my opinion how it should have been done in the first place.
[YOUTUBE]ssnxo4lNp8w[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]xBzKx6PA568[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]Sriwr6eu9yU[/YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]33VJj7DZ6Ko[/YOUTUBE]
Such is the bone I have to pick when it comes to this album. If some of the songs simply aren't very good others are totally over-produced and thus sound a bit on the dated side. The bottom two videos of that little box above this paragraph gives you another example of how this album should have been done. Overall, the album's hit and miss, as there are some great tunes on show here. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed is a jovial, rollicking knees-up of a song and Memory Of a Free Festival is a very quaint and emotional album-closer, while Cygnet Committee is easily the first masterpiece Bowie would record (even if it is a teeny bit overlong). There are a few decent yet not truly spectacular moments as well such as the pensive Janine and the yearning slow-burner Letter To Hermione. On the other hand though, there are plenty of the said over-produced moments and mediocre numbers (God Knows I'm Good and An Occasional Dream for example) to weigh the overall quality down.
It's not a popular view from my experience, but while it's a vast improvement on his debut, Space Oddity is very very far from my favourite Bowie album. It's not mediocre, seeing as there are a few terrific songs on there, but much much better was to come.
6.5/10
ParamoresOrangeHope
New member
fantastic review and i agree through and through.
one of the things you have to consider are the circumstances at the time. while funk had already seen its heyday, it was still very much a monumental era for soul that pervaded throughout American culture. it wasn't so much a change in genre but a re-awakening of African-American pride and independence (much akin to the Anglo-African reggae movement across the pond). although you could say that Bowie was capitalizing on the sounRAB of the times, it's wholly evident that his particular vision of the "Young Americans" he saw was an enduring record which somehow never managed to garner the collective praise that so many of his other works hold claim to.
one of the things you have to consider are the circumstances at the time. while funk had already seen its heyday, it was still very much a monumental era for soul that pervaded throughout American culture. it wasn't so much a change in genre but a re-awakening of African-American pride and independence (much akin to the Anglo-African reggae movement across the pond). although you could say that Bowie was capitalizing on the sounRAB of the times, it's wholly evident that his particular vision of the "Young Americans" he saw was an enduring record which somehow never managed to garner the collective praise that so many of his other works hold claim to.
guessgizmo
New member
David Bowie
Aladdin Sane (1973)
RCA RecorRAB
1: Watch That Man - 4:30
2: Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?) - 5:07
3: Drive-In Saturday - 4:36
4: Panic in Detroit - 4:27
5: Cracked Actor - 3:01
6: Time - 5:14
7: The Prettiest Star - 3:31
8: Let's Spend the Night Together - 3:10
9: The Jean Genie - 4:06
10: Lady Grinning Soul - 3:52
"The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" was pretty much Bowie's magnum opus and thus many saw it as being nearly impossible to top, not that "Aladdin Sane" managed to do so, but it certainly came very damn close.
This and "Pin Ups" would mark the closure of Bowie's glam rock Ziggy Stardust period. This was the last album to feature the lineup of Bowie, guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansy, with pianist Mike Garson filling in Rick Wakeman's shoes this time around.
That may sound like useless trivia, but that lineup was an important part of Bowie's glam rock sound, especially Ronson's chaotic guitar solos. This is a very piano oriented record, and Garson's jazzy, somewhat atonal style makes it a very uniqie record in the Bowie discography, and easly his most ambitious record at the time. A very bizarre yet sophisticated art rock album.
The bulk of the album was written during his 72 US tour. Each song was written in a certain city and reflects the various musical mooRAB and impressions Bowie felt at the time.
Watch That Man starts with a rocking Keith RicharRAB esque riff from Ronson and boogie piano from Garson, a lot of people call this song an imitation of Exile era Stones, but even so, I think it comes to show how talented Bowie was when he could imitate someone else's sound and improve on it in every way. Every Ziggy era Bowie album has at least one great track where Bowie just lets it all hang loose, for "Ziggy Stardust" it was Suffragette City and for "Hunky Dorey" it was Queen Bitch. But instead of being the closer, Bowie wisely made this the opener.
Because then the album goes into a completely different direction, starting with the title track. Aladdin Sane opens with a gorgeous classical piano melody, and is later joined by spacey sounding saxophone. Garson eventually kicks things off with an over the top solo that recalls freeform jazz, yet admist the avant garde influences, it's still a very hypnotic, sophisticated pop song. This is my favorite song on the album, it's certainly the weirdest.
Drive in Saturday brings things back to more "Ziggy Stardust" esque territory, this song could best be described as "Sci Fi doo wop", with doo wop background vocals, cosmic sounding synths and soulful saxophone. The story is just hilarious, it's set in a post appoclyptic Earth where people have forgotten how to reproduce, so they must watch old porn films to learn how. Isn't that great? Bowie really is the master of sci fi rock.
Panic in Detroit is built around a salsa rendition of the Bo Diddley beat and it indeed sounRAB very Detroit, it has a Martha and the Vendettas meets Iggy Pop vibe to it, punk with soul. It's such a chaotic but groovy song, the screeching guitars and the rather dissonant background vocals gives it a very dirty sound, another high point.
With Cracked Actor Bowie goes back to hard rock, Ronson really caries this song with a monster rock riff, this is the kinda thing New York Dolls were doing that same year, but Bowie does it even better. This one was written in LA and boy does it sound like it. Ronson really lets it rip with his solo on this one, it kinda reminRAB me of London Calling for some reason.
Time represents New Orleans, and characteristically opens with a ragtime style piano melody, but the song takes many twists and turns from there, Bowie goes all out vocally on this one. And Ronson once again has some tricks up his sleeve, his vibrato heavy guitar solos have to be heard to be believed.
Prettiest Star is a remake of a song Bowie had released earlier as a single. This is a song Bowie wrote to perform to his girlfriend as a wedding preposal. It has a music hall kinda feel and a great guitar riff, which in the original was played by Marc Bolan, Ronson recreates it almost note for note. It kinda sounRAB like something from a Queen song, and I mean that in a positive way. I really love Bowie's soft vocals on this song, and the saxes that come in. That's the great thing about Bowie, the little details he thinks of adding to a song that no one else would.
The next track has Bowie going back to Stones territory, this time doing an actual cover. This version of Let's Spend the Night Together is IMO better than the original. Bowie throws in some synths, it's faster and rauncier, Bowie once again beats The Stones at their own game.
Jean Genie is one of Bowie's most popular songs, however I think this is probably the worst song on the album, but that's not too much of a criticism considering the company it's in, it's a very bluesy song, Bowie really sings through his nose with this one, kinda reminRAB me of Lou Reed, this song represents New York, so that's what he was going for I guess. This one just dosen't jump out for me like the rest. But still a pretty good song, with some great licks from Ronson.
Lady Grinning Soul is a bit similar to the title track, Garson really puts his classical roots to work here with some gorgeous interplay with Bowie's smooth vocals, as well as some flamenco guitar and Sax, and a Gilmour-ish guitar outro from Ronson. A really beautiful song and you couldn't have asked for a better closer.
If you've heard "Hunky Dorey" and "Ziggy Stardust" but not this album then you're really missing out, this is a great companion for those albums and makes for one of the greatest trilogies in rock n roll history. Though it shows Bowie going into an even artier, dare I say pompier direction, of course that's why it's one of my favorites.
Bowie always knows when to quit before things get stale, and when it's time to do something different. This is pretty much his swan song for the Ziggy Stardust character, and you couldn't ask for a better one.
He would continue to reinvent himself, everything from the blue eyed soul of "Young Americans" to the proto new wave of his "Berlin" trilogy. He has so many styles, you're bound to like one of them, but this album is essential no matter who you are.
10\10
Adrianna Gabriella j
New member
Will have it up tomorrow or Sunday.
It's not the side effects of the cocaine,
I'm thinking that it must be love!
Bill Hicks once said that those against drugs should take a step back and look at their record collections, all that brilliant music was most likely very much made under the influence. One of the finest examples of this might be Bowie, and he was surely at his most coked up here. Funnily enough Station to Station is one of his best albums as well, and bitterly under-represented in the music world as a whole. Pretty impressive since he can't even remember recording it!
The album couldn't kick off better. The title track harks back to Width of a Circle with it's two part design, and manages to exhibit most likely all of the styles that Bowie had tried before now, along with some clear krautrock influences. Whats starts as an eery Kraftwerk influnced crooner, complete with 'darts in lovers eyes' evolves over 10 minutes into a full blown piano driven rocker which never fails to get me moving. A superb opener and without a doubt one of Bowie's finest overall.
Remember how i said i didn't care for 1984? If it had turned out like the dance masterpiece that is Golden Years i'd have been a lot kinder. The album's classic single is an intricate piece of disco infused soul, apart from perhaps Fashion it may well be my favourite of his in that vein.
Ballad time, World on a Wing is the big love song here and the finest soul moment here too. Bowie is fine voice here and it's the first instance of a more passionate delivery after the more lighthearted songs that preceded it. A fine way to end the first half.
Back to more of a groove with TVC15 kicking in, another great single and another highlight of mine. I don't know what i love more, the funky verses or the infectious as hell chorus, complete with the meaty guitar kicking in. One of his more underated singles. Stay continues on with the funky shit, complete with some fine layered disco guitars and great solos. The low point of the album if i had to pick one as it doesn't stand out quite as much as the other tracks, but given the circumstances it's hardly a massive crime.
Wild is the Wind is a fan favourite and rightly so, another beautiful ballad that reminRAB me of a Smiths song (or i guess vice-versa) so obviously i love it , the way it drifts on but doesn't outstay its welcome at all. The 'don't you know you're life itself' with the music stopping is one of my favourite moments in the album (after the obvious title track transition).
[YOUTUBE]T3ckKD6Xp2c[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]GHTeXdG_F5o[/YOUTUBE]
Most people would probably favour the Berlin era albums that followed rather than this album but i'm not sure, as good as Low is Station to Station gives it a run for it's money. At only 6 tracks the album is concise and doesn't waste a moment, with a fine design (2 upbeat songs then a ballad each side) which i think rivals Low's two halved affair. Competing or not, Station to Station is a brilliant album which is testiment to Bowie's performance, if he really was as out of it as is claimed. Easily has a place in my top 5.
Highlights: Station to Station, TVC15, Wild is the Wind
I'm thinking that it must be love!
Station to Station (1976)
1. Station to Station
2. Golden Years
3. World on a Wing
4. TVC15
5. Stay
6. Wild is the Wind
1. Station to Station
2. Golden Years
3. World on a Wing
4. TVC15
5. Stay
6. Wild is the Wind
Bill Hicks once said that those against drugs should take a step back and look at their record collections, all that brilliant music was most likely very much made under the influence. One of the finest examples of this might be Bowie, and he was surely at his most coked up here. Funnily enough Station to Station is one of his best albums as well, and bitterly under-represented in the music world as a whole. Pretty impressive since he can't even remember recording it!
The album couldn't kick off better. The title track harks back to Width of a Circle with it's two part design, and manages to exhibit most likely all of the styles that Bowie had tried before now, along with some clear krautrock influences. Whats starts as an eery Kraftwerk influnced crooner, complete with 'darts in lovers eyes' evolves over 10 minutes into a full blown piano driven rocker which never fails to get me moving. A superb opener and without a doubt one of Bowie's finest overall.
Remember how i said i didn't care for 1984? If it had turned out like the dance masterpiece that is Golden Years i'd have been a lot kinder. The album's classic single is an intricate piece of disco infused soul, apart from perhaps Fashion it may well be my favourite of his in that vein.
Ballad time, World on a Wing is the big love song here and the finest soul moment here too. Bowie is fine voice here and it's the first instance of a more passionate delivery after the more lighthearted songs that preceded it. A fine way to end the first half.
Back to more of a groove with TVC15 kicking in, another great single and another highlight of mine. I don't know what i love more, the funky verses or the infectious as hell chorus, complete with the meaty guitar kicking in. One of his more underated singles. Stay continues on with the funky shit, complete with some fine layered disco guitars and great solos. The low point of the album if i had to pick one as it doesn't stand out quite as much as the other tracks, but given the circumstances it's hardly a massive crime.
Wild is the Wind is a fan favourite and rightly so, another beautiful ballad that reminRAB me of a Smiths song (or i guess vice-versa) so obviously i love it , the way it drifts on but doesn't outstay its welcome at all. The 'don't you know you're life itself' with the music stopping is one of my favourite moments in the album (after the obvious title track transition).
[YOUTUBE]T3ckKD6Xp2c[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]GHTeXdG_F5o[/YOUTUBE]
Most people would probably favour the Berlin era albums that followed rather than this album but i'm not sure, as good as Low is Station to Station gives it a run for it's money. At only 6 tracks the album is concise and doesn't waste a moment, with a fine design (2 upbeat songs then a ballad each side) which i think rivals Low's two halved affair. Competing or not, Station to Station is a brilliant album which is testiment to Bowie's performance, if he really was as out of it as is claimed. Easily has a place in my top 5.
Highlights: Station to Station, TVC15, Wild is the Wind
9/10