Young Americans

One of Bowie's overlooked classics. Plastic soul as it was called, included highlights Fascination, Fame, Win, Young Americans, and a rare Bowie love song, Can You Hear Me.

In the '70's, Bowie's fans who'd thought of him as being rock n roll were bewildered as Bowie left standard AOR behind in favor of smooth and sweaty Sigma Sound Soul, collaborating with John Lennon on Fame, and with Luther Vandross on Fascination.

Music fans stuck on mainstream "classic rock" (now there's an argument for ya) and nothing else should probably veer more toward Diamond Dogs, Pin Ups, Aladdin Sane or Ziggy Stardust. Those who enjoy the style of the well-known songs on this album, though, will find this to be a real slowburn collection that seduces you with stealth. The more you eat the more you want!

Update: Now it can be told! David's Fame was followed by James Brown's soundalike Hot by only a few months. Although David's lyrics are more articulate and thoughtful, the music of the two songs is almost identical. Many people have emailed me to ask which song was the original and which song was probably plagiarized.

In an interview available on Evan's Teenage Wildlife, Carlos Alomar clears up the mystery. Fame was the original -- Carlos developed the music from their 1974 performances of Footstompin', which you can hear on the Rarestonebowie collection. One listen to this December 1974 performance on the Dick Cavett show makes it clear that Bowie's recording is the original, and JB must've been in a creative dry spell to be borrowing from #1 songs.

Film trailer to Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary

Ryko cover	Station To Station	RCA cover

Incredible album. One of Bowie's very best. The title track is ten minutes of Bowie at his most glorious. Stay features guitarist Earl Slick in electric funk meltdown, all six minutes of it. Golden Years isn't really representative of the album, but it's one of Bowie's best singles, and in a year (1976) that thoroughly sucked for AM radio hits, this one grabbed the listener like there was no tomorrow.

But wait, we're not done yet. TVC15, yet another of Bowie's most popular songs, shows up with amusing paranoia. Each side of the original album capped off with a six minute ballad. The opening title track makes the album, and you're only ten minutes deep into it. All the great songs that follow are just gravy.

The two bonus tracks were recorded live at the New York installment of what has been generally been considered

Bowie's best tour, the 1976 "Thin White Duke" tour. One other song from this show, a ferocious reading of Queen Bitch, pops up on a 1995 catchall compilation Rarestonebowie. We need to scold whoever is in charge of these things for not releasing this entire concert as a live album.

Station To Station
Station To Station Golden Years Word On A Wing	TVC15 Stay Wild Is The Wind
Bonus tracks: Word On A Wing (live 3/23/76, Nassau Coliseum) Stay (live 3/23/76, Nassau Coliseum)

 
 

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