Davie Bowie – Station to Station (1976)

David Bowie started writing the songs that would end up on Station to Station in 1975 while working on the movie The Man Who Fell to Earth.  Deep in a cocaine addiction, Bowie in this time period was surviving on a diet of just peppers and milk. Co-produced by Harry Maslin, the sound of the album carries on some of the funk/soul influences he explored on Young Americans and adds a bit of a croon with a European shininess on an album that went top five in both the UK and US.

The title track is a 10 minute epic that begins with the sound of a train then a slow, trudging march of sounds.  The song introduces his newest character, the Thin White Duke.  The song gets sped up in the second half where it turns into a tour de force of drums and piano while Bowie sings, “It’s too late to be grateful”.  “TVC 15” is based on a hallucination of the TV eating someone’s girlfriend, the fun upbeat track adds a bit of a sci-fi element to the themes.  The twin guitars of Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar turn “Stay” into a dirty, funky jam that also features the throbbing bass of George Murray.

The first single is the highlight.  “Golden Years” carries on the funk rock sound he previously explored on “Fame”. The guitar riffing that starts the track gets punctuated with finger snaps and handclaps that beam the groove to life before Bowie’s vocal brings a bit of a bit of blue eyed soul to the disco gloss. Its an extraordinary song that the band + Bowie really nail.  Station to Station sees Bowie make the sounds explored on Young Americans truly his own.  How he created the album while in a deep drug addiction, barely remembering anything about this period is a minor creative miracle.

9/10