Hunky Dory
Sometime towards the middle of 1971, ex-Herman's Hermits lead singer Peter Noone, released a lovely sounding pop ditty, Oh You Pretty Things trying to kickstart his solo career. He failed, as did the single but the song turned out to be written by one David Bowie and eventually became the second track on his much touted 1971 release, Hunky Dory.
David Bowie: Hunky Dory
Frequently turning up as many people's favorite David Bowie album, Hunky Dory was a radical departure from the Heavy Metal of the previous year's The Man Who Sold The World. Instead, it's Bowie's version of the singer-songwriter albums that were dominating the charts at the time, like:
Not that you could curl up in front of the fire and feel any affinity with Bowie's sensitivity, goodness, no! In hindsight, Hunky Dory was pivotal for several elements in the David Bowie quest for world domination: 1 It saw a quiet Bowie, getting to know his new band. Bass player Trevor Bolder, joining friends (from Hull band The Rats) Mick Ronson & Woody Woodmansey (who had worked on The Man Who Sold The World) completing the line-up that would soon become Ziggy's Spiders From Mars. 2 Bowie thanked his influences in song e.g. Andy Warhol in, well, Andy Warhol, with funky acoustic guitars and cool-sounding nonsense lyrics The Velvet Underground in Queen Bitch, Bowie's best ever straight out rock'n'roll song, even better than Ziggy's Suffragette City...a gay "he done me wrong" song Song For Bob Dylan a commentary on Dylan's disappointing album Self Portrait
3 ...and then, like the singer-songwriters, letting you into his head for a while...but what a strange place that was: Quicksand, referencing
...and then, The Bewlay Brothers, which closed the album with its impenetrable and mildly psychotic word games and images: "...I was stone and he was wax, so we could scream and still relax, unbelievable and we'd frighten the small children away. And our talk was old and dust would flow through our veins and Lo! it was midnight back o' the kitchen door, like the grim face on the cathedral floor. The solid book we wrote cannot be found today...and it was stalking time for The Moonboys, the Bewlay Brothers..." The Bewlay Brothers
coping with new fatherhood, the very cute and catchy Kooks: "...Will you stay in our Lover's story? Kooks
The well-loved Changes, a track that's popped up over the years in lots of movie soundtracks, earning Bowie a fortune.
Oh You Pretty Things, slower, less poppy than Noone's version with a lyric that actually refers to Bowie's post-Atlantean Aryan beliefs: "...Look out the window, what do I see, a crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me...You gotta make way for the Homo Superior..." Oh You Pretty Things
...and finally, Life On Mars the gay inversion of McCartney's She's Leaving Home from Sgt. Pepper, with the "girl", this time thrown out by her parents: "...It's a god-awful small affair Life On Mars
Still a favorite of mine, Hunky Dory was to many a mystifying prelude to Bowie's masterstroke, Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars but for those who care to look, it reveals its secrets quite clearly.
David Bowie: Hunky Dory "...I'd recommend this album...to any fan of David Bowie, although there isn't such a thing as a Bowie fan who doesn't own this masterpiece!..." Amazon reviewer S. Wilkinson "...1971's Hunky Dory is typically considered the first 'essential' David Bowie album. It's his most overt pop album, with catchy hooks and bouncy, upbeat melodies on most of the songs. Most of the songs feature strings, and superb piano work from Rick Wakeman (of Yes fame), thus, giving it a somewhat symphonic/jazzy pop feel. Changes fits this description perfectly and is a classic pop song to this day...The first of many essential Bowie albums, don't pass this gem up..." Amazon reviewer B "...Hunky Dory was Bowie's last album as a wannabe, just before he found fame with Ziggy Stardust. It's a fascinating work on many levels, displaying lyrical depth, wit and great musical variety...It is a bridge between his earlier music-hall style and the glamrock that was to follow...just the right mixture to ensure a timeless classic..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer Pieter "toypom" "...The most influential musician of his generation, and probably the next, at his native best. This is...raw Bowie, with nods to his own heroes and demons...from the hippy-trippy lullaby Kooks, thru (to the) quasi-religious Bewley Brothers, to the sweeping melodrama that is Quicksand, this precursor to Ziggy is a rare beast indeed - it never seems to age. Not only a classic album of the seventies, but a true generation spanning classic for every listener..." Amazon.co.uk reviewer "olsalty"
For more info, see:
Bowie At The Beeb is a remastered collection of LIVE performances during the years 1969-1972, containing LIVE versions of the following tracks from Hunky Dory:
David Bowie: Bowie At The Beeb "...a grand album for any Bowie devotees. It simply highlights the musical flair that Bowie always possessed. The LIVE recordings makes this set a gem, all tracks very unique and original. Possibly my favorite Bowie album, simply because of its rarity. You won't hear Bowie like this on any other CD..." Amazon.com reviewer Martin G. Walker
| |
|
The View From Bondi:
my book of short stories
& pop music soundtrack
The Beatles
- John Lennon
- Paul McCartney
- George Harrison
- Ringo Starr
David Bowie
Todd Rundgren
- Utopia
Joni Mitchell
King Crimson
- Adrian Belew
- Robert Fripp
Roxy Music
- Bryan Ferry
- Brian Eno
Albums You Should Know
- Comedy
- Cult
- For Thought
- Christopher Guest
- Historical
- Mainstream
- Woody Allen
- Peter Cook & Dudley Moore
- Monty Python
- Gurdjieff
- Hitler
Reduce Stress
- Articles
- My Deepest Blog
- Jokes
- Youtube Videos
Xango: Yoga In A Bottle
Lose Weight
| Site Map |