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Young Americans - David Bowie

 


Year Released: 1975

Label: RCA

Year Bought: 2002

Sometimes I don't think its appreciated just how prolific David Bowie was in the '70s.

'Young Americans', released in 1975, was his seventh studio album of the decade, and came just three years after 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'.  Apart from 'Pin-Ups', it was all fantastic. I can only think of the Beatles as a comparison for quantity and quality.

'Young Americans' is the album that showed Ziggy truly was dead. Previous album 'Diamond Dogs' still had one foot in the glam camp, but this record is so far from that genre it sounds like it's been made by a completely different musician.

Dubbed "plastic soul" by Bowie himself, 'Young Americans' was recorded as he was pushing on with his red peppers, milk and cocaine diet. The Thin White Duke persona would be crystallised on the next album, 'Station to Station', but the transition was pretty much complete on this record.

The title track kicks off the record and it's an absolute classic. Sleazy lyrics – "It took him minutes, took her nowhere" - merged with a soul vibe and a brilliant end section which makes full use of his backing vocalists.

The backing vocalists on the record, including a pre-fame Luther Vandross, really add a whole new dimension to the music, giving it an authenticity it would otherwise have lacked.

The whole album has a real energy to it. Most of it was recorded live, and the musicianship feels so pure. The album marks his first work with long-time collaborator Earl Slick. There's also Carlos Alomar on there and just to add some more magic, John Lennon pops up on two tracks. 

Sometimes you get the impression Bowie is just in awe of the people he's working with, and happy to let them get on with it.

"Fascination" is a brilliant track that starts off funky and then builds up into a hot, sweaty chorus. Bowie's nasal glam vocal has gone from this album, and his delivery, particularly on 'Right', was incredibly influential on the wave of blue-eyed soul '80s singers. 

'Can You Hear Me' is a beautiful love song. One of the most genuine and direct he wrote in the '70s.

"Once we were lovers, can they understand? Closer than others I was your, I was your man."

The swelling strings, the way the saxophone holds off until half way through the song, the build up at the end of the chorus and then the stop. All brilliant. It's got a sense of restrain until the end when Bowie really lets rip and then it ends with just the backing vocals. Genius. 

The album ends with 'Fame', one of two Lennon collaborations on the record. It gave Bowie his first US number 1 - although only reached 17 in the UK - and while it's a great track, it feels a bit hollow. 

The only major flaw on the album is 'Across the Universe'. Recorded with Lennon, who of course wrote the thing, it's just a coked-up version with Bowie hamming all over it. You can almost hear the grinding jaw in his delivery. Including his fantastic version of Bruce Springsteen's 'It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City' - recorded during the same session - would have been a much more interesting choice.

Nevertheless, a great album. He really was a genius. 

9/10

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