David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971)

A year after releasing, The Man Who Sold the World, David Bowie returned in late 1971 with his first truly great album, Hunky Dory.  An eclectic album that takes in a wide range of styles, one The Beatles had done so well in the 60s and blur would do in the 90s. First song and single, “Changes” signifies Bowie’s chameleon like stylings.  This enduring track was both his first official US single and also the last song he performed in concert.  The horns and piano make it punchy while Bowie delivers one of the finest faux stutters this side of, “My Generation”.

“Oh! You Pretty Things” touches on both Nietzsche and Alesteir Crowley while Bowie wonders – “Oh, you pretty things/don’t you know you’re driving you mamas and papas insane?”  “Kooks” is a charming track written for newborn son Duncan where Bowie amusingly suggests that the lad “don’t pick fights with the bullies or the cads/cause I’m not much cop at punching other people’s Dads”. “Fill Your Heart” is the only track here not written by Bowie, one that let’s the listener know that “love cleans the mind” which is in contrast to the more serious and inward looking “Quicksand”.

A memorable dual acoustic guitar along with a snapping beat powers “Warhol”, a track that the artistic legend was reportedly not fond of. Bowie also references Robert Zimmerman throughout “A Song For Dylan” before presenting the Velvet Underground swagger of “Queen Bitch”, one of the finest album tracks here. MGMT would later ape the sound of album closer, “Bewley Brothers” where Bowie references his brother as the acoustic guitar swells in the chorus.

The space dreaming lad from Brixton once again looks skyward on one of his finest singles, “Life On Mars?”. One of Bowie’s most popular songs, he brings together various dreamlike imagery to wonder what life is like beyond our dreary lives. On both this single and the album, Hunky Dory is a giant leap from previous releases. It is on this landmark recording that Bowie really starts to find his voice on a set of songs that still sound fresh and new to this day.

10/10