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Hunky Dory
David Bowie
1971
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!One of my favorite Bowie albums to date. Something about it is especially touching compared to later albumbs. It's tender and understated but also powerful. Bowie's undeniable talent comes through with a strength and softness like a velvet hammer. SO good.
With this album, Bowie really achieved one of the highest accolades he had ever or would ever receive in his life as an artist: having a cover of one of his songs appear in the soundtrack of Shrek 2.
Ziggy Stardust before he became Ziggy Stardust. Inventive, creative, and a joy to listen to. Best track: Life On Mars?
David Bowie has a unique sound all to his own and this album is a perfect encapsulation of that
This was an easy 5 for me. Been a Bowie stan for awhile now, and "Queen Bitch" is one of my all time favorite Bowie songs. Plus we got "Changes" and "Life on Mars," so come on we gotta give it up for this record. A lot of interesting subject matter on this one too. The tributes to Andy Warhol and Bobby D were cool to see. Also love hearing Bowie espousing occult teachings and getting freaky on "Quicksand." An all over good time album for me.
Feels like the last album he did for quite some time with obvious flashes of himself - Bewlay Brothers; Quicksand (both amazing) - in there, rather than whichever persona he had created. It's quite open about his influences, and it also feels like he's still trying on lots of different styles to see what fits. So you get some early glimpses of glam like Oh! You Pretty Things, and a VU homage/parody/rip-off, straight acoustic songs, show songs and all sorts of other stuff chucked into the mix. Also casually in the middle of it all one of the best songs of all time, and it opens with another all-time Bowie classic. Don't much care for Fill Your Heart or Andy Warhol, but I love everything else. It's a 5 alright.
I'll admit it, I have never listened to Bowie. I know him more as a pop culture figure and couldn't name a song if you asked. Was pleased to know many songs on this, but didn't know who sang them. Incredible album!
Great album, I've listened to it numerous times and it's grown on me, maybe even being better than Ziggy Stardust. Changes is such a great opener, one of the best actually. I also learned that a riff from Andy Warhol was the inspiration for one in Metallica's Master of Puppets. Who knew?
My favourite Bowie album. Simple but excellent songwriting. Some lesser known gems on here like Eight Line Poem which has more emotion with only a piano and a guitar in the intro than a lot of other bands have in their entire back catalogue.
Excellent album top to bottom with great music and clever lyrics describing life and society. Wide variety of themes and styles but it still builds momentum from one song to the next. Changes. Oh you pretty things, life on Mars, kooks, fill your heart. Andy Warhol.
I should really give this a 4 based on individual track ratings, but the peaks on here are elite. Probably 5th or 6th best Bowie album. Life On Mars aside, Queen Bitch has always been the highlight for me. 1. Changes - usually skip this because it's so overplayed but it's shit hot 9.5/10 2. Oh You Pretty Things - a highlight 9.5/10 3. Eight Line Poem - Doesn't do it for me 5/10 4. Life On Mars - possibly the best track of the 70's 11/10 5. Kooks - used to find this kind of annoying but it's harmless enough 7/10 6. Quicksand - forgot about this 8.5/10 7. Fill Your Heart - quirky 7/10 8. Andy Warhol - It's alright 7/10 9. Song For Bob Dylan - another classic 9/10 10. Queen Bitch - Top 10 Bowie tune 10/10 11. Bewley Brothers - Love it man such a unique track. Starving for me gravy - 9/10
Bowie was the greatest album artist of the 1970s, a period noted for great album artists (Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, The Clash, Led Zeppelin, Kraftwerk...), and Hunky Dory was his first album where he organically combined his varied artistic passions. In the credits, Bowie is credited as "The Actor" (though his films may make you think otherwise). As such, the listener senses a multiplicity to this album, that of numerous roles being adopted. Since this was Bowie's lifelong creative persona, and since this is the first album where he fully expounds on this iridescent philosophy. Indeed, the opening Changes serves as a manifesto. However, don't believe that this album, for all its theatricality, lacks tenderness and heart. The piano-led melodies are at turns bombastic and fragile, and the whole record demonstrates that Bowie settling into the role of Bowie was in pursuit of his muse. Indispensable, and yes, hunky dory.
I don't know why everyone hates "Kooks." "Kooks" rules. Without "Kooks," there is no Belle & Sebastian.
what a ride. this ablum is like forrest gumps box of chocolates (or paul mersons bag of Revels). you might get an absolute all time belter of a song, you might get a mime stuck in a phone box or you might get a song that didn't make it on to mary poppins. still throroughly enjoyable and it feels weird giving it a high score when there are songs on there that i would happily never hear again but the belters, well they're the reason everyone has such a hard on for Bowie.
An album that was certainly not up to the standard of singer-songwriters of the time, but it showed that Bowie was more than just a pop singer. (7/10) FT: Changes, Oh You Pretty Thing, Life On Mars, Queen Bitch
Goddamn, I love me some Bowie. This one's a treat from start to finish. Stuff like Changes, Life on Mars? Andy Warhol, and Song for Bob Dylan. Great album, would rec.
Wow, some classic hits, but loved the other tracks, still a little wierd but with a more folk background it was less jarring. Loved it!!
Side 1 is so good. Probably timeless songs. It does fall off on side 2 but still best Bowie album.
who doesn't love to wrap themselves up in a nice Bowie album? Changes, life on Mars, what delight.
For a long time this was my favorite Bowie album until I got swept up into the mythology of the Berlin Trilogy. I will say though that this may be the most enjoyable Bowie album and the most light hearted. He's definitely vibing on some Velvet Underground here.
masterpiece. Enjoyed the obvious hits but one that stood out, lyrically, was Quicksand.
Changes is a fantastic song. It's the platonic ideal of what an opening song should be on an album (The only one better is probably "Vicious" off of Lou Reed's Transformer, which Bowie produced a year later). It's full of charm and wit and transgression. It's Bowie on full charm, bombastic and triumphant. This album really could be Bowie's greatest hits for good reason. From the highs and majesty of "Life on Mars?" To the almost wailing, weird, mechanical "Andy Warhol" it is timeless. Like dream you never wish to wake from.
All I have to say is Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things and Life on Mars. It doesn't get much better than this. Bowie is a genius, and this is one of his best.
this is crazy, I was listening to this on the way to work this morning! perfect album, gets me choked up
an oldie but a goodie. its amazing. Changes to Oh! You Pretty Things is a classic 1-2 punch. Life on Mars. Kooks. Andy Wahol. You cannot hide from the hits!
Absolutely slaps start to finish. Andy Warhol is the best Bowie song ever written. Fight me if you disagree.
Jak sam tytul wskazuje bardzo klawy albumik, czwarty w dorobku Bowiego i chyba albumik ktory zapewnil mu komercyjno artystyczny sukces, bo mimo tego ze juz space oddity osiagnelo wysokie pozycje listowe, ale nastepny album nie byl juz takim sukcesem ze wzgledu na swoje dosc surowe brzmienie, natomiast hunky dory powrocil do dosc popowo folkowego stylu w jakim zaczynal, o wyjatkowosci tej plyty swiadczy tez to, ze wiekszosc kawalkow zostala skomponowana na pianinie, a nie na gitarce jak w poprzednich pracach, wiec nadaje mu unikalnego cieplego klimatu, jako ze jest to trzeci albumim bowiowy na liscie, to o samym artyscie nie ma co pisac, co by juz nie bylo napisane, sporo utworow jest bezposrednio lub posrednio skierowana do swoich idoli, wiec warholowy song sie znadzie, welvetowy, czy tez dylanowy, album mozna podzielic na dwie czesci, pierwsza hity i bangiery ktore prawie kazdy slyszal chocby w radio, natomiast druga bardziej personalna, jak wspominalem glownie o idolach, chyba cala pierwsza czesc mam juz na plejce, to nic nie dodaje, ale jako ze jest to jeden z moich ulubionych bowiowych albumikow, to raczej calosciowo sluchany, wokale jeszcze niezdarte zyciem rokowym, pianinko o ktorym juz wspominalem i unikatowy klimat, nie czesto sie spotyka albumiki wygrane tak zarowno arytysycznie jak i komercyjnie
Some of the greatest songs ever recorded but the whole piece is ultimately let down by a couple of awful ones. It's David Bowie though so you have to forgive the experiments don't you?
Was impressed, but I guess not super surprised at the consistency and production quality of this album. I think it is mainly comparing this to some of the other albums from the list so far. There are the main tracks I have heard before, but even towards the end of the album like Queen Bitch stood out
Una locura de álbum, con una profundidad lírica extraña en su tiempo fuera del terreno cantautor. Me parece maravilloso.
Would it be sacrilegious to say I might like this record better than Ziggy Stardust? It's a little more free, somehow, but maybe less consistent, too. Favourite track: "Life on Mars"
Šta reći na ovaj album? Definitivno IMHO je ovo njegov najbolji album bez premca, eventualno jako blizu može doći Low i The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Album koji me uvijek podsjeća na lijepe trenutke, kadgod ga pustim i znači mi. Od toliko kvalitetnin i odličnih albuma gospodina Stardusta, eto ovaj mi je s vremenom isplivao na prvo mjesto. *ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!!!!*
The first great Bowie album. First side is an absolute masterpiece. From the shocking "Changes" that marked his position as a leader than follower of trends. To the surreal nature of "Oh you pretty things" and "Life on Mars." To me, the two things that make Bowie stand out to the rest are his master utilization of the piano (where contemporaries rely on the guitar) and his clear expressionist voice, taking ideas or people of his life (e.g. Warhol, Dylan, his son) and giving them new life through emotional sound and songwriting.
This album is amazing. I can see why it is considered the beginning of Bowie's artistic success. Favorite songs are "Changes," "Oh! You Pretty Things," "Life on Mars?," "Kooks," "Quicksand," "Song for Bob Dylan," and "The Bewlay Brothers." If I had to choose my least favorite song, I guess it would be "Eight Line Poem," but I still enjoy that track.
Classic album. Huge leap in songwriting from his previous three albums featuring great melodies and driving instrumentation.
78. Não tem água, não tem ar, mas tem muito amor para dar. MotA: Life on Mars? "Still don't know what I was waitin' for / and my time was runnin' wild"
Big fan of David Bowie over here. Life on Mars is just so good! Hadn't heard much of this album otherwise, I'm glad to have had a listen through!
Fuck, I listen to this album all the time. Every single song is great, with some absolute classics among the first few songs on the album. Grabs you from the first song and takes you on an incredibly journey. The only bad thing about it is that the album is over before you know it 5/5
I enjoyed this album immensely, from start to finish. My fave songs are Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Kooks. 5/5 stars.
A surprisingly strong album, given that this was much earlier Bowie. And better all around than some of the other stuff I've heard. While I love the experimental stuff on later records, this was just consistently strong songwriting, cohesive sounds, and great performances.
5 stars. I’m pretty familiar with this album. I lump it in with Bowie’s other great albums (Ziggy Stardust, Heroes, Station to Station). This one feels more like a collection of songs that some of my other favorites, but maybe I’m being too hard on him
I still remember first being introduced to this album by a friend, who left me a very badly produced cassette copy. I listened to it for years. I also remember being reintroduced to the album over another friend's hi-fi. I haven't left Hunky Dory since. As to the album itself, I often argue with myself as to whether it is Bowie's best. And my answer is that this deliberation is pointless; all I should be doing is enjoy the album. And enjoy it I do: while many of the albums featured here are full of fillers, or contain songs that all sound the same, Hunky Dory is an exercise in the exact opposite: a collection of unique songs that coalesce into an album. A great album that's been with me for years and years.
This was the album that got be into Bowie in the first place. Queen Bitch was the first Bowie song I ever heard that I was consciously aware of as being a Bowie song. This entire album is perfect. Obviously it's full of hits, but even the 'lesser' tracks shine. Quicksand and Andy Warhol are some of my most favorite tracks ever.
Competes with Ziggy Stardust for best Bowie album and therefore competes with every other album in existence for best album of all time. The album which launched Bowie not just as a great songwriter but a true artist, the poetry, musicality, taste and verve of this collection of songs is beautiful and unmatched.
Aw, Changes is always just such a heart-warmer ❤️ Haven't really listened to Bowie albums before, and am gonna have to change that. This was pure delight, from start to finish. Fav new track: Fill Your Heart, I think (such pretty piano) but loads of candidates.
Look out, you rock and rollers. More melancholy than a lot of his other work, but still tempered with silliness. (Still fucking hate 'Kooks', though.)
Several on here I’ve never heard in addition to the super hits. Oh! you pretty things and Andy Warhol stand out and great songs new to me. It’s a 5
Hunky Dory is not quite as accessible as Ziggy Stardust (which was recorded around the same time) but it's arguably as good, if not better. It's Bowie's coming out album, and the songs and themes on display here set the blueprint for the super-stardom that was to come.
This album is essential. Changes, Queen Bitch, Life on Mars, I could go on and on. Bowie was a force! Oh Those Pretty Things is such a great song too. I love this album. I love Bowie, and I marvel at his genius.
Absolutely wonderful. This is all very good and then you have Life on Mars which is on another level to almost everything. Loved Mick Ronson's guitar on Andy Warhol as well.
I will probably give all of Bowie's albums 5 and this is no exception. The man was a master
the greatest glam album ever made. changes is a perfect glimpse into bowie's mindset and an incredible album opener. life on mars? is one of bowie's true masterpieces; it's an absolutely perfect song and one of the best pieces of music to come out of the 70s. kooks is a cliche, but interesting song. from what I've heard there seems to be a lot of hate towards quicksand in the bowie fandom, but it's one of my favorites off this album and by him in general.
I'd heard the hits, but no one told me how magical the rest of this album was. Easily now one of my all-time favorites. Bravo.
And then it transitions to this gorgeous minimalist guitar descant over the top of simple piano. It really like, crescendo's and then realises you might need a small break and slowly builds back up.
Classic Bowie that should be in everyone's Bowie selection. Love the whole Album and Prized Vinyl in my Bowie collection. Added bonus of Rick Wakeman on piano for "Life On Mars". All tracks are favourites and made me want a girlfriend with a "Bippity Boppity Hat!"
Classic. Nothing much else I could say, really. Every song on this record was phenomenal. Probably my favorite Bowie album.
Sehr schön, harmonisch, gefällt mir sehr gut, kann ich bewusst hören oder auch im Hintergrund spielen lassen.
Definitely a classic. I enjoyed pretty much every song on this album besides the well-known hits. I actually pulled some songs for my personal Playlist from this one. Best one in a while.
I already listen to and fucking love this album. One of the most listened to albums of 2021 for me.
I already love this album ♡ It's one of my favorites – among a handful of records from my dad's collection that I asked to keep. Sonically there's nothing like it. Delightfully self-contained yet expansive, "Hunky Dory" brings glory to the human race.
His fourth album? Even now, Bowie is extremely unique, both in sound and performance. Dramatic and attention grabbing. "Life on Mars" is undoubtable the most famous song here, and rightfully so but "Changes" makes for a great opener, with some of the themes repeated in subsequent songs. The lyrics "You've left us up to our necks in it" still feels true 50 years later... some things never change. Can't say anything terrible about this album now. I do remember the first time I tried to listen to this album was a struggle but it grew on me and is now one of my favourite frequents. I often have "Oh you pretty things" in my head. Very catchy as with many of the songs featured on this album. Also just love the play on words in the chorus. "Kooks" is very sweet but I also believe it to be the weakest link on this album, probably the only song I would consider skipping on a listen although I'm not a huge fan of "Fill Your Heart" either. "Quicksand" is a great inward perspective song with strange encouragement towards moving forward. "Warhol", "Song For Bob Dylan" and "Queen Bitch" are all tributes. The chorus in "SFBD" directly references songs by Velvet Underground, whose debut album uses a Warhol print on the cover. Another fun fact, Bowie played the part of Warhol in the 1996 movie based on the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat. "Queen Bitch" definitely deserves a mention by itself, definitely one of the most standout and memorable songs on Hunky Dory. "The Bewlay Brothers" rounds off the album nicely, slowing down the pace after the previous song, albeit the ending always unnerves me. Is it just coincidence that I received my first 1001 Bowie album on his birthday? (January 8th) Nice surprise either way.
Finally a Bowie! Definitely one of the best Bowie's at his peak. Apart from the obvious hits also has The Bewley Brothers, Kooks and Queen Bitch on it which are all excellent.
Its a 5 star banger, love so many songs on here and so pleased to finally have a Bowie in the 1001 line up. Assume a lot of him albums will be!
An absolute banger of an entire album. It's pure art and it changed everything. I bow down to Bowie yet again this is a solid 5 stars.
Heard before and even listened it the other day. One of my favourite albums, Bowie's first truly great album.
Changes, Life on Mars, Queen Bitch..... it's got bangers. And the rest of it is not that shabby either.
Pese a haber tantos discos de Bowie, tengo claro que este es uno de mis dos favoritos y que una de las cosas que lo hace serlo es el piano, presente en todas las rolas. Además, este es un disco balanceado, en el que no llega a lo dramático y obscuro de los últimos discos de su carrera, pero tampoco es el glam de pronto exagerado y a veces hasta lleno de disonancias de otros discos. Mi rola favorita del disco: Life on Mars? que de hecho creo que es mi favorita de toda su carrera.
Creo que esto es de lo más digerible de Bowie y me encantó. Grandes letras, gran música, totalmente un discazo.
Hi- Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Andy Warhol, Queen Bitch Amazing album, laid the groundwork for Ziggy Stardust, not a bad track in the bunch, it’s David Bowie
Oh, you pretty thing!, is what I have to say every time I listen to this album. Eleven beautiful songs, all beautifully composed, covering a variety of interesting topics, from art itself to fatherhood. The best art pop album ever made, and one of several Bowie albums that belong to the lists of best records ever made. It has "Changes", "Life on Mars?" and "Queen Bitch", what more do you need?
Timeless timeless classic. The best album of the 70 I live done on this list. as part of this I tried to listen to it afresh. I was surprised how much was piano based compared to most of his oeuvre. Cover art 5/5
The first really Bowie-like Bowie album. Contains a few deadset classics (Life on Mars?, Oh You Pretty Things, Changes), plus a few second-string Bowie numbers (Queen Bitch, Andy Warhol). The Spiders from Mars band coming together (augmented by Rick Wakeman), with only occasional flexings of the rock monster that band would become. Thi sis the first real flexing of Bowie's full powers, and the beginning of his awesome run of albums through the 1970s. While this album may have moments of weakness, it is hard to separate this from the whole run of Bowie's output, as the real kick-off point, laying down many of the themes he would return to throughout his career (changes, chameleons, the apocalypse, identity).
I was never a big Bowie fan growing up - I didn't dislike him, but didn't seek out his music to listen to. However, I've come to appreciate him more and more as I get older, so I was happy to give this album a close listen today. What a great album it is. For most great artists, I think they usually have a transition album where they start to come into their own. For the Beatles that album is Revolver for example. For David Bowie, I sense that this is his transition album. I'm not sure why, but I love that so many of the songs are about (or dedicated to) specific people. Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, and Bowie's newborn son. I think Queen Bitch could have easily been a Velvet Underground song - impressive that Bowie was able to effortlessly pick up on their style. Going in I was thinking 4 stars, but after listening again I'm going with 5 stars. Classic.
And so we arrive at last, at the first of many, many essential David Bowie albums. “Hunky Dory” is a fresh, eclectic gem, with some precursors of glam-Bowie and shape-shifting remnants of folk-Bowie. There’s a tendency to view it as an artist expanding his horizons while drawing ever closer to world-domination, but one of my favourite things about “Hunky Dory” is just how unfussy and homely it feels. It isn’t his all-out blockbuster (“Ziggy”), his most radical reinvention (“Station to Station”) or even his most fun offering (“Scary Monsters”… fight me). But “Hunky Dory” perfectly balances such high ambition with a self-assured, home-spun atmosphere. It’s a sitting-round the-fireplace album, a record just as suited to a low-key family gathering as at a house party (my kind of house party anyway). We get to hear Bowie making peace with cozy domesticity in the lolloping, heartwarming “Kooks”. He wears his influences on his sleeves and gushes over them in “Andy Warhol”, “Queen Bitch” (for The Velvet Underground) and “Song for Bob Dylan”. Even “Fill Your Heart”, sometimes dismissed as a lightweight cover, strikes the perfect twee-filled note with me. And all that praise is without even mentioning three career-defining works which made it onto the same album. “Changes”… wow. “Oh! You Pretty Things”… spectacular. “Life On Mars”… come on, man. The latter especially might be incredibly ambitious in arrangement, bombast and scope, but it still feels like it could have only been written by Bowie at this specific time in his life. Twenty-four years old, still figuring out his image, channelling the contemporaries he loved, on a course to the moon. And the soul of the whole set lies with “Quicksand”, bearing the line many fans repeated after his demise: “I’m not a prophet or a stone age man, just a mortal with potential of a superman, I’m living on…”
Una de les primeres obres mestres (no la primera) de Bowie, que tot just feia poc que encetava la seva época d'inspiració màxima, que hauria de durar uns quants anys. No hi ha una sola nota que estigui de més, un disc perfecte
Ce que j'aime de David Bowie c'est qu'il touche à plein de style musicaux et il a un soucis pour les mélodies. Ici on revient plus pop après The Man Who Sold The World. On a 3 gros hits sur cet album avec Changes, Oh You Pretty Things et Life on Mars? (et personnellement j'en ajouterais une quatrième avec Andy Warhol). Les autres pièces ne sont pas plates pour autant. Même si je préfère dans son ensemble The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, je crois que Hunky Dory est l'album qui fait le plus l'unanimité dans la maison.
Didn't think I was a big Bowie fan but enjoyed that album all the way through with several massive stand outs
Bowie at the height of his powers - a bunch of absolute bangers on this one. Fave track - I mean, "Life on Mars?" is absolutely iconic, and I can never not dig it. "Andy Warhol" really grabbed me on this listed through, too...
5/5 this album is fi-fi-fi-fi-fire! There’s sense of grief that is comforting throughout this entire album. Standouts: Changes 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Oh you pretty things (piano sounds fun) Life on mars🔥🔥 Quicksand🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Fill your heart (great juxtaposition to quicksand) 🔥 Andy warhol Queen Bitch 🔥🔥🔥 The new lay brothers 🔥🔥
Theatrical in a way that only Bowie could really do. Favorite tracks: "Life on Mars?", "Queen Bitch"
2 of the greatest songs ever, and some other pretty great songs too (Oh! You pretty things, Kooks, Quicksand, Queen Bitch). Probably Bowie’s 4th/5th best.
Good Bowie album. Front loaded with hits, but enjoyed most of it. Not sure I'm that keen on the chugging acoustic guitar that goes through a lot of it, but otherwise liked the songs, arrangements, production and instrumentation.
Could clearly hear the different instruments, particularly piano. Bowie’s voice is fruity and impossible to mistake. I knew all the songs even though I didn’t recognize the names of all of them.
Kuten Bowiella yleensäkin, hittibiisit ovat aivan timanttia. Kokonaisuutena en oikein saanut otetta tästä levystä, ja suuri osa biiseistä oli aika keskinkertaisia. Toisaalta jos levyn kappaleista melkein puolet on ikivihreitä hittejä niin vaikea antaa alle nelosta.
Great album. Will definitely keep on playlist. Besides the obvious classics some beautiful melodies - especially like Bewlay Brothers. Then there’s Fill your Heart which is wacky. Feel the album would make a great musical. Jen
Holy shit! This is the first time I've honestly listened to this album in it's entirety. Awesome album, familiar with maybe 3 songs but that changed today. Fucking Killer Album! RIP Mr. Bowie
It's David Bowie so it's gotta be good. Most of this album is simply good, but there are two songs here that I would say are my favourite songs of his: Changes and Life On Mars. While the album is a 4/5 those two songs are 6/5.
Another Bowie album I had only heard bits and pieces of. Changes and Life on Mars are great, ofc. Kooks reminds me of the Beach Boys or something, pop harmonies etc. It does fall off a little bit towards the end for me, but overall pretty good.
Classic Bowie! Lots of songs I'd never heard before, so it's good to listen to it in album form. I can hear the early stylings of future Bowie songs in a lot of these tracks (Queen Bitch = Suffragette City; Life on Mars?>Ziggy Stardust Album, etc.) Highlights: -Changes -Life on Mars? -Queen Bitch
Still known to me as the album with Life on mars. Fill your Heart, Andy warhol, and Bewlay Brothers were surprise hits though. Bowie is still best however
really enjoyed this - never been a bowie listener, but this is great. The style really changes song to song, but it all feels very BOWIE. I especially loves life on mars. Joyful, weird, fun.
The highs on this are very high. Life on Mars, Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Queen Bitch. The rest is decent but not that memorable. 4/5
A big change after The man who sold the world, this one trades the harder edge for the catchier tunes. Contains my favourite Bowie tune: Queen Bitch
Obviously a great album, with great vocals and a lot of classics on it! I really enjoyed it :)
Hyvää Bowieta! Parit hittibiisit ja lisäksi aiemmin itselleni tuntemattomia, mutta silti tarttuvia biisejä. Tykkäsin!
Brilliant ! I don’t like everything he did but this was early classic Bowie. Particularly love Changes and Kooks. ****
Turn and face the strange. Bowie Wednesday and Thursday, what a treat. What a shape shifter. What a great set of hits. Phwoar!!! 🦀🐓🦄🦓🦏🦇🐧🦈🕷
Pelkkien Changes ja Life on Mars? biisien takia voisi antaa vitosen, mutta ehkä kokonaisuutena nelonen kuvaa paremmin kokonaisuutta. Vaikea arvioida ja kuunnella David Bowien ikonisuuden ja karismaattisuuden ohitse tätä levyä, kun jo lähtökohtaisesti on päättänyt levyn olevan hyvä. 4+/5
Absolute masterpiece. Brilliant album but let down by one or two album tracks. Life on Mars, Kooks & Changes make up for it 10 fold though. Never got into Bowie’s later stuff prior to his death but his early decades were just banger after banger. Deserves its 4.
Eines meiner liebsten Bowie Alben, mir gefällt, dass es weniger experimentell ist. Diese krassen Geräusche der letzten Alben Bowie Alben hier fand ich doch etwas anstrengend.
Listening to first track and scrolling through the track list, it already feels like it's probably gonna be a 5. Never listen to Bowie routinely, but I still massively appreciate that he was a genius. I think, to match how I've reviewed other albums I'll give this a 4, cos even though I can appreciate it and there were classic tracks, its not something that'd make my regular rotation. 4/5
I committed to giving this one a good few listens as I really haven't listened to that much Bowie. Some brill piano on this album and a smattering of nice basslines The transition into the chorus of Oh You Pretty Things just slaps every time - I'd forgotten how great that song is. Queen Bitch was a nice new find for me. A nice album to perk up a slow afternoon
Hunky Dory is kind of like a road map to the rest of Bowie's output in the 70s. I'm always surprised that the album works so well, despite having such stylistically different sounding songs. Favs: Kooks, Queen Bitch, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars
Esperava outra coisa de David Bowie, este álbum surpreendeu me pela positiva. Fortes traços de rock e bastante bom de se ouvir. Nota:7/10
Now I have to choose between changes and life on mars, dont do this to me. Otherwise so good
Klar wohin die Reise geht mit Bowie Beim nebenbei hören geht's unter Ich werd drauf zurückkommen
Some iconic songs like changes and life on Mars that I could listen to all the time and then others that I’m not bothered about
Excellent album, very diverse with the style of songs. I only knew this as the life on Mars album, but now I see it's much more than that.
Good Bowie album. Changes is a classic and the rest of the album holds up well. I enjoyed most of it and would listen again. 7.8/10
Pretty good album, as expected. I consistently appreciate the polish on Bowie‘s albums, there’s always the right amount of instruments and vocals. Several good tracks
What is there to say about this masterpiece of an album. One of Bowie's best which makes it one of rock music's best. Hi-lights; Life on Mars, Changes, Quicksand...man side one is Epic! A somewhat quirky and weaker side 2 keeps this from being a 5 star album...4.5 stars
"Life on Mars?" is my favorite Bowie song. Easy album to listen to. Don't go crazy with David Bowie but I thought it was a solid album all throughout. 8/10.
Bowie's had a leader's hold on pop, but here you can here him going for it in a really accessible way. For that reason, there's a lot of "This is nice, and elevated by David." Now, I had never thought to draw a line between Bowie and White, but I caught something in Oh! You Pretty Things: Mostly the composition, but there's something to be said in comparing the piano to guitar and drums. I can't help letting Ziggy overshadow this record, but Hunky Dory was certainly a step in that direction. The powerful, building songwriting is in evidence in Quicksand. The songs-about-singers are incongruous, but hint at conceptuality. And again, it's Bowie: He gets a pass.
This is the first time that I’ve ever heard this album - but when I listened to it, I felt like I’d known it all my life. There was such familiarity in the songs, obviously with Changes, Life on Mars and All You Pretty Things - but all of the other tracks sounded like I’d been listening to them all my life. I’m rating this album 7/10.
Not my favourite Bowie album, but still very solid. "Life on Mars?" is one of my all time favourite David Bowie songs and stands out on this album. The other songs did not grab me as much, although after a few listens there were a couple that started to grow on me.
Super strong Bowie. A handful of classics, a set of strong 2nd tier catalog and the remaining are all pretty interesting or quirky.
Don't love as much as, say, Station to Station or Low. Queen Bitch has a great riff that I should learn how to play though.
Anytime a Bowie album pops up here or elsewhere I always end up thinking to myself, “I don’t listen to Bowie enough”
Some songs stand out to me - Changes and Life On Mars?, obviously, but also Andy Warhol. Taking jabs at Bob Dylan. Overall, not bad; some of those songs I would pick into my "best songs" list. But they wouldn't be near the top.
Solid album. Generally enjoy all vintage Bowie. Life on Mars? is probably my top Bowie song period. The full album is a good listen, but I don't think it has quite the impact to get the perfect 5 rating. 4/5
Reminds me of someone who was very special to me once upon a time. David bowie was an excellent storyteller and had an uncanny ability to make you want to dance to them
A transitional work, to be sure, but what a fascinating one! Some great tracks here, as well as some that could have seen the editing room floor, but all paint a picture of an enigmatic writer/performer building to something much, much larger.
"Life On Mars" siempre será un rolón, también me gustan "Song for Bob Dylan" y "Queen Bitch". 9/10
105. Hunky Dory - David Bowie 11 tracks. I had just recently decided that I wasn't a fan of Bowie, and then along comes this album that is quite hard to dislike, even though I might not like all the tracks. Now I'm all confused again. Do I actually like Bowie or not? 🤔 4/5
Several big tracks - not as consistent as Ziggy, but the lows weren’t as bad as Heroes.
I can appreciate it, but I still can't say I'm a Bowie fan. Favorite track - Life on Mars?, Andy Warhol
Always been aware of Bowies work but never felt the need to delve any deeper. So many good songs on here it could be a greatest hits. Life on Mars? - Greatest song written ?? Kooks - Questionable fade out !! Absolute top drawer.
Despite this hitting the skip when I was a kid and the row that ensued, I am not convinced I heard the second side of this, not as much as the first side. Some amazing tunes and some of the tracks touch on almost electronic status.
Didn't know he made Changes! Heard it long before and great way to start the album. Fun upbeat album worth another listen. Never listened to bowie much. Queen Bitch is good too and quicksand
-”Changes'' is obviously a pretty famous song that I’ve heard before. It’s basically guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Also, there is some cool bass going on in some parts -”Oh! You Pretty Things” is pretty good, I’ll have to relisten -”Andy Warhol” is pretty spooky and psychedelic. The whipping is cool. The whole thing is erratic but somehow fits together I think? -”Song for Bob Dylan” is better than any song Bob Dylan wrote lmao -Cool shreddy guitar in “Queen Bitch”
I've never been a big Bowie fan, but the more I hear his stuff the more I like it. I for sure like the typical radio hits but never really listened to anything outside that. He's massively talented and from what I've seen in interviews he appears very intelligent as well.
Bowie is one of the true originals. His works have been fringe in my expewrience, but it is gaining in my mind
Listen to quicksand. Send influence by chord progressions on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. Love this era of British psychedelic pop rock
What can I say about this one that hasn't already been said? I loved the piano all over, and the slight music hall feel in many of its parts. Beautiful from start to finish.
A great album. The more I've listened to it the more I enjoy it. So many great songs. Standouts: Changes, Life on Mars? Other greats: Oh you Pretty Things, Kooks, Queen Bitch 4/5
Somewhat mixed bag featuring a bunch of songs that are among Bowie's best and a bunch that... aren't. Dana Gillespie did "Andy Warhol" better (perhaps unsurprising since he wrote it for her in the first place) and "Fill You Heart"... just... no. (I understand why he swapped out "Bombers", cos the latter is really not very good either, but that wasn't the thing to replace it with.) But look at this thing: Changes, Oh You Pretty Things, Life on Mars, Kooks, Queen Bitch, Bewlay Brothers... I have to give the album four stars cos the individual good things about it are *so* good even if the whole album is kind of second-tier. Just think: Ziggy was only six months away...
Not really listened to a lot of Bowie, this should be interesting. You forget what a classic, and how pervasive Bowie was. Even though I'm not a particular fan, I still recognised a lot of those songs. Good album, enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't pull it out specifically to listen to again.
Great album. A couple of old favorites and some new music that was great to hear. Bowie was such a great artist.
Not my usual Bowie choice. Changes/Life on Mars are classic. Oh! You Pretty Things has a solid melody and catchy hook. Eight Line Poem a bit slow for my tastes. Kooks realising how many classical instruments are used on this album. It’s a bit hippie dippie for me. Quicksand also quite slow but beautiful instrumental. Fill Your Heart not feeling this one. Andy Warhol similar vibe. Song For Bob Dylan same. Queen Bitch is solid. A bit of sass to liven up the album. The Bewlay Brothers back to slow. Love Bowie, but most tracks lack an element of funkiness that I prefer in his later works.
Not the best Bowie album but it is a great transition from the 'folk-y' Bowie sound into the 'Ziggy Stardust' era. A great tribute to america in the 70's and a couple great influencers of the time(Dylan and Warhol). Overall a good listen.
I thought this was good... Bowie's softer side. Not in love with it. If I am painfully honest, That 70's Show kind of ruined "Changes" for me, because they would often use it for melodrama.
Changes, Oh pretty things and Life on Mars are great. Surprised that I liked Andy Warhol (nice acoustic guitar scales). The rest all sounded very similar, except for Bewlay Brothers - must have had some weird 'tea' when writing that one
Deze van Bowie kende ik nog niet zo goed. Niet alles is even sterk, maar nummers als Changes en Life on Mars maken veel goed.
J’aime son style unique. Je venais tout juste d’écouter Bob Dylan et là il propose a song for Bob Dylan. Il m’a bien eu le vlimeux. Enfin, je n’e connais pas tout son oeuvre mais j’ai l'impression qu’il a des albums avec plus de hits.
Bowie the cat fainted with excitement when he discovered that he was getting David Bowie two days straight, so while he is recovering there will be no namesake kitty review today. In my non-kitty opinion this album is good, it would be a highlight in the career of most people but this was Bowie still just finding his voice. There's some bangers and some filler but there was so much better to come from Mr. David Jones on later albums.
When I was a kid, one of my favourite heroes was Batman. There is something I found enticing about a very rich man doling out incredibly harsh punishment to people so poor that they have been forced into crime. Maybe he should use his funds to tackle some of the economic inequalities of Gotham City and call himself Social Housing and Investment in Education Man, but that would be a shit comic.
I didn't listen to this as much as I might have. There are some stunning tunes on here and Bowies creativity is irreplaceable, but overall it didn't get me as excited as I hoped it would.
On the surface, such a wide range of styles and sounds would make an album incoherent, but Bowie's improved songwriting and determined sense of style instead made Hunky Dory a touchstone for reinterpreting pop's traditions into fresh, postmodern pop music.
2 absolute hits and then another couple good songs. This is what I expected, hope I get another Bowie album, but won’t listen to this one again……..but wouldn’t walk away if it was on in the background.
I haven't been a big fan of David bowie, but was surprised this has some great songs! Will give his other albums a listen
I never got DB. This is alright (the remastering could have addressed the balance a little better). but not going to add to my listen again pile.
Похоже, что это самый известный альбом Дэвида Боуи. Live On Mars прекрасен, Changes крут. Мягкий инструментальный альбом. Поставил 3 звёзды только из да того, что всего трека 3-4 понравилось.
Still affected by the debates about Bowie between my dad (1*) and mum (5*). Used to side with my dad. I still err more on that side, but less than I used to when winding mum up. 3* because of changes.
End of the album was okay when the tone became more sombre, but the rest is meh. Not a fan of Bowie.
Compared to Scott4, this album carries the test of time better. An uneven album, Bowie does have an ability to carry themes across albums that makes you want to keep listening.
Wow! I really like the sound of this album. Really want to come back to this one - but on first couple listens I feel like a lot of the tracks were underwhelming compared to the musical complexity of "Life On Mars?" and the catchiness of "Changes". It's absolutely charming, but not fantastic all the way through. 7/10
I can't lie... I was a little disappointed by this album. For the last several years, I've helped up "Life on Mars?" as one of the greatest songs of the 70s, and I still agree, but I was kind of expecting a whole album of similar tracks. I realized that's not what I was going to get, and managed to still see the beauty in this album. I can see it really growing on me as I return to it, which I certainly will. Here's just a few thoughts. This album is beautiful and largely understated. Closing track "The Bewlay Brothers" reminds me less of a typical Bowie track and more like something Dylan would sing over. Speaking of Dylan, "Song for Bob Dylan" is another highlight, this one a little more fun and upbeat. Opening track "Changes" is iconic and fun, though I do wish the instrumental developed more. But let me end where I began. "Life on Mars?" is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love the lyrics, the vocal melody, the beautiful piano passages, and the amazing build-and-release tension leading up to the iconic chorus. This track sounds like the best Beatles song ever conceived of, recorded in Narnia. This song alone gives me a positive conception of the album. An absolute classic.
Confession time because it seems like one of those things you're not supposed to say in polite society but I don't particularly like David Bowie. He's got some great songs - more than a handful of them on this record - but it's that voice that I just don't get along with. He does too many things with it. It's too show off-y. I like understated voices. This is the exact opposite of understated. On the other hand, I played this record multiple times over the weekend. Without complaining. Maybe I could get used to that voice? 7/10
Glam rock masterpiece from Bowie because he is the greatest artist of all time etc etc. You know what, Bowie is maybe a little overrated! I like his songwriting and his approach to performance art, but I find the songs themselves pretty underwhelming. I like Ziggy Stardust! I enjoy Hunky Dory. I do not think this is is a great album. Did it make a splash when it landed? Oh god, it's clicking. His song writing is better than I gave it credit for. No, it's not "just alright". God dammit, how is he this good? I don't even like Bowie that much, but his skill is undeniable. Quicksand is introspective and thoughtful in it's purposeful piano playing, Andy Warhol is snappy and quick, both in guitar and lyrics. I don't know why but side 2 did more for me than side 1. Argh! Curse you, Bowie.
This was my first reccomendation. I didnt listen to the entire album. I did not realize the song Changes is on this album. I love that song, when I was young and I broke up with my first girlfriend, the lyrics helped me change my perspective on a sad situation. I didnt listen to the entire album, and for some reason I find it hard to get into older Bowie songs that I haven't listened to before. I might have to go back again and give it a good listen when I am in the mood to. Onto the next!
Changes and Life on Mars are great classic Bowie songs. First time hearing the rest of the album. 3/5
Eh. It's Bowie. It's good, occasionally great, but always Bowie. Sometimes I like a bit of Bowie. I rarely want an entire LP of Bowie. Changes is a great track, so is Life on Mars?, Fill Your Heart, and a few others. But after 3-5 tracks, it just fades into sameness for me.
Probably my favourite of the Bowie albums we've had so far in this project but I still don't really get the hype. Shout-out to the riff in 'Andy Warhol' being good enough for Metallica to steal it, though.
I've listened to a fair few Bowie albums as part of this project and have enjoyed them all but never really loved one (blackstar is probably the best so far). This one is no d
Herkenbare melodietjes en leuke liedjes. Ik vind dit wel een leuk album. Favorieten zijn "Changes", "Kooks" en "Fill Your Heart". ***
Already has two stone cold classics, the rest of it was not so special. Wasn't that impressed
Finally got a chance of listening to Bowie. Well, umm, not quite my thing but still quite pleasant to listen to.
Omaan makuun aika vähän ärsyttävä levy Taavetilta. Parempi kuin kakkonen mutta silti kolmonen on yläkanttiin.
A mixed bag. I was expecting to like this more than I did (obviously I know a fair few Bowie songs, but I don't think I've actually listened to an album before). Definitely front-loaded, Changs, Oh You Pretty Thing and Life on Mars the highlights, (3 of the first 4!), but did also quite like Quicksand as a slower one, and then it picks up at the end with the last two tracks. 3/5, probably would've been a 4 without tracks 7 thru 9.
This is the seventh album recommended from David Bowie. (Only 19 more to go!) I liked this album more than most of the previous recommendations. "Changes" is my favorite track. "Life on Mars?" is the only other track that I was familiar with before listening to the album. Bowie can be dark in strange ways that don't get along with me, but I didn't feel that weight from this album. I'm not sure if I would choose to listen to this on my own, but I wouldn't complain if someone else decided to listen to the album and I had to listen again.
I mean...it's David Bowie. But that's why I was surprised at how mediocre this album was. It's not that it was actively BAD, but given David Bowie's "legend" status, I did expect it to be better. "Changes" (my fave track) was awesome and it was all downhill from there. Also, footnote here that David Bowie was a fucking statutory rapist and just because a lot of male were doing it at the time doesn't make it okay. It's never okay to rape people and that shouldn't be a controversial opinion but it fucking seems to be. However, regardless of my opinion of the man in question, this art is just subpar. None of the Bowie classics on here aside from Changes. And that wasn't enough to rescue it from mediocrity. For that song alone I boost it to 3 stars.
Why changes the known track off of this? oh pretty things and queen bitch were much better! Still, not a lot of catchy tunes here. Can’t say I love this. 2.5 stars, rounding up for Bowie.
I like a few of his songs but I never really got all the hype around Bowie. Changes is great, Life On Mars? is pretty good. Everything else is pretty middling.
changes is dope af. the intro to andy warhol pmo but I like the rest of the song. rest is all decent at minimum
this wasn't a bad album but this was TWO BOWIE ALBUMS IN A ROW and like the fourth overall so far... I've had enough of Bowie now thanks dickhead author. 2/5 just because the sheer amount of Bowie in this list is starting to annoy me.
C'était très soft, je pense que Bowie peut faire mieux. Mais j'ai quand même bien aimé ch ch ch changeeeeeees
Album qui m’a laissé d’une indifférence. Évidement, j’étais déçu que ce soit cet album la de Bowie, malgré que c’est pas fini ! Je l’évite, rien de particulier Je lévite ch-ch-changes
Bowie, geweldige persoonlijkheid, maar muzikaal vind ik er altijd maar bar weinig aan. Eigenlijk ook maar een irritante stem.
Caught between the Bowie extremes of quirky, threadbare ballads and all-out pop-rock stardom. There are some excellent tracks on here ('Changes' and 'Queen Bitch' to name a few), but the entire product never really gels into a full LP.
Still don't understand what the big fuss is about Bowie. Some good verses and choruses but never in the same song. Half the tracks are directionless and despite there being plenty that should make it interesting, it largely isn't.
Okay
My mum's favourite album. A true classic.