Hunky Dory

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.

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.

Ziggy Stardust before he became Ziggy Stardust. Inventive, creative, and a joy to listen to. Best track: Life On Mars?

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!

I don't know why everyone hates "Kooks." "Kooks" rules. Without "Kooks," there is no Belle & Sebastian.

6th Bowie album out of the first 411. Come. On. I don't think I have much effort anymore with Bowie reviews; my last one (which felt like last week) was for Aladdin Sane and I made commentary about how I felt like I could copy/paste my previous Bowie review.... and since that absolutely once again applies here, I'll just *literally* copy/paste, while replacing a few specifics. I stand by it: -------copy/paste------ Without looking, I'd bet I could copy/paste my review from _Aladdin Sane_. It's a catchy-at-first early 70s rock album that I slowly get tired of because I'm just not able to really be moved by Bowie's music. It's fine - starting with "_Changes_" which is perhaps his most famous cut and deservedly-so. It's admittedly timeless and very well-crafted musically ..... And the cut "_Life On Mars?_" is a nice diversion from the initial track - but then it just gets...Bowie-ish. And if you're a Bowie fan I can see how you'd like this but his voice is always a little distracting for me. On a positive note, aside from "Low" which feels to me like an Eno record that Bowie happens to sing on, this is probably one of the more-enjoyable or perhaps immediately-accessible records of his but I'll never voluntarily put it on. It feels like I always use his voice as a cop-out because there are plenty of artists who I listen to that I don't necessarily like the singer's voice and I like the music. It's as simple as this even if I can't articulate it well: I don't connect with his music on any emotional level - can just appreciate it from a distance. -----end self-plagiarism----- TL;DR: I don't hate his music, I just don't really *like* it or ever connect with it and after so many years don't really care that much. 5/10 2 stars

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.

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

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

David Bowie has a unique sound all to his own and this album is a perfect encapsulation of that

There's nothing wrong with kooks!

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.

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.

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?

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.

The awe-inspiring ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes, followed by sweet, enjoyable songs.

This is the first Bowie album we’ve heard that did not raise my appreciation for him in any way. I’m sure I’ll get hate for this but It just doesn’t speak to me lyrically or sonically in any way. I’d rather just hear the Beatles or the Kinks, as this album feels like worse version of their songs. “Queen Bitch” was a highlight for me.

Not a big Bowie fan but I appreciate the impact and influence that he had on so many artists. For me, this is fine but not really special.

Just an incredible record. A landmark album.

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.

Peak Bowie. Doesn’t get better than this.

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

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.

It’s amazing to think that David Bowie was still a relative outsider when this album came out and that it sold poorly on first release. There is a lot here that points the way to the directions that his music would take with complex cinematic arrangements on Life on Mars alongside pop classics and lyrics namechecking Warhol, Dylan and the Velvet Underground. My high point is Kooks, an utterly charming song dedicated to his new born son.

Hunky Dory For a long time this was possibly my favourite Bowie album, although it has been superseded by others, and as a result I haven’t listened to this for quite a while. Of course it still is truly excellent. Despite on the surface being one of his most ‘conventional’ albums it really is full of odd little corners and strange/absorbing/literary/facist*/cryptic lyrics, all the while being carried by a cinematic musical momentum, whether folk, orchestral, music hall or guitar led rock. There are some fantastic strings and horns and brilliant arrangements and instrumentation. Also I only just made the connection that the producer, Ken Scott, is the same Ken Scott who was engineer for quite a few Beatles sessions.
*not really, he just mentions Himmler and homo superior a bit. I won’t necessarily go through song by song, as I genuinely like every one on here, but there are moments throughout that I love. The guitar in the intro of Eight Line Poem for example, or the Dr Who beeps on Andy Warhol and the acoustic guitar line intro. I like the music hall influences too, similar to Macca in that regard. And I’ve always loved the opening stanza of Oh! You Pretty Things. Also I took me a while to appreciate Quicksand, but it really is a superb song. I’ve also never noticed it before but the way he sings ‘still the days seem the same’ at 1.44 in Changes is very very Dylan. Life on Mars stood out today - not because I’m not aware of what an incredible song it is - but sometimes you hear something you’ve heard a thousand times in a slightly different way. Maybe it’s mood, what you are doing or how receptive your brain is but it just seems different and feels fresh. I suppose that’s the thing that separates the truly great artists (your Bowies, your Youngs, your Tamsin Archers, your Beatles, your Dylans) from the good, that the songs endure and evolve as time passes, you find moments or angles you never noticed before and it feels like a new song. It’s of course an easy 5. Not just a transformational album in his career but one of the greatest albums ever recorded. If he only ever released this album he would still be regarded as one of the greatest ever. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As my Polish friend zbig, may say — This kicks many asses

arguably where Bowie reached his full potential. an eclectic mix that isn't incoherent, kind of like a Beatles album

All y'all not giving this a 5 are the real kooks. This is some peak Bowie, elevated among an already great discography. Not a single weak point on here, and so many moments to savor individually. Album opens on an absolute classic, Changes. A catchy AF ode to the inescapable changes that time renders across us all. This bleeds over into the piano-led melody of Oh! You Pretty Things. Love the off-kilter sway of the chorus here. Built for shouting along to. Life on Mars? is up there with the best songs ever written IMO. And I love that Kooks is a song to his newly born son. Andy Warhol is a kooky one at the outset, but develops into a driven acoustic jam that, interestingly, Metallica interpolated a riff from into Master of Puppets. Queen Bitch is another energetic jam that taps a similar spirit to Suffragette City. I've listened to this album countless times and never tire of it.

My favorite Bowie album. Life on Mars and Kooks are for me the highlights on a great album.

Don't need to relisten, ceritifed hood classic. Every song after Life on Mars could be Bowie farting into a microphone and it's still a Top 50 all time record

This has never been my favorite of the "classic" Bowie albums, although listening again it seems I'm just being picky. What's a few lesser music-hall numbers when there's "Changes", "Oh! You Pretty Things", "Life On Mars?", and the goddam genius "Bewlay Brothers" ffs? Fun to trace the evolution of "White Light, White Heat" into "Queen Bitch" and then on to "Transformer" in hindsight. It's a 5*, glad to hear it again. Mark - if you like the more spooky/Nietzschean stuff (e.g. "Quicksand") but wished it rocked a bit harder, you'd probably like "The Man Who Sold The World", unlikely to be on here but (gun to the head) the better album

One of my very favorite albums by one of my very favorite artists. I misheard "Changes" when I was a young child and thought he was singing "Don't let them grow up in Olivette." Olivette is a suburb of St Louis, Missouri and I was amazed that this British bloke would get so specific. Like he was singing just to me. Bowie has somehow managed to maintain that intensely personal intimacy with my soul, even when he is singing about Mars, a place where I've spent much less time than St Louis.

Perfect from start to finish and “Quicksand” is one of the greatest songs Bowie ever wrote.

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.

Very original feeling songs, really enjoyed them. I didn’t like David Bowie before but I do now. I think it’s the fact that the songs are fairly unpredictable in tone and cadence, but at the right amount so it’s not crazy

the first of (i assume) many bowie albums. more mellow than his later ziggy and aladdin sane records. beautiful and soulful melodies. the first half is somewhat stronger than the latter.

Again, I am surprised how I could miss basically the complete work of David Bowie. It's a great album that had been unknown by me until today.

Oh you pretty thing!

Changes is such a jam of a song. Soooo easy to get into. Life on Mars? is also such a jam. I knew those songs pretty well going in but not a whole lot of others. Very different vibes overall from some of the other Bowie albums we've listened to which tracks (and I love). Andy Warhol's intro was a bit loopy I dig it. Also apparently there is a riff in Master of Puppets that paid homage to this song. Went back and listened and it's clear as day. Queen Bitch rules also I know that's a popular one. All in all an above average album with a few serious jams on it. Knocking a star because it doesn't live up to other Bowie I've heard which is probably unfair but it's my rating so suck it.

Not all of this works for me, but most does, and those songs are great. The closer, The Bewlay Brothers, has just hit me like some weird force.

Restoring the messy remains of classic rock with pop purpose lovingly swiped from Black sources, at its best this is a signpost for the road too infrequently travelled by proggers. At its worst, he proves susceptible to the same tendencies. In the middle, he pays tribute to Warhol and Dylan by name, but not to Lou Reed, even though Queen Bitch doesn't exist without the Velvets. Then again, two bouts of overt hero-worship is probably enough for one record. Freaks, kooks, and queers everywhere are addressed directly for maybe the first time ever. And how about those camped John Lennon vocals? Some of his best.

I'm glad Bowie started doing cocaine after this album.

Another classic. Pushing boundaries, but not so strange as to be inaccessible or unenjoyable.

This underscores to me that I prefer later Bowie to the earlier stuff. Changes is great, but the rest is nowhere near the highs of Station to Station or Low.

I'm always going to be happy to see David Bowie on this list. This is early 1970's Bowie, and it feels like a Bowie not fully formed, still exploring and finding his way, with the best of his work ahead of him. I see shades of what's to come, with Bowie exploring themes found in his other work (youth and pop culture, art, politics, philosophy) with the sense of individuality and surrealism/absurdity that became his hallmarks. Many of the songs here feature piano, but a couple of the later tracks show glimpses of glam rock and punk. The songs vary a lot in subject matter and feel, so I don't find it to be a very cohesive album, and there are a few tracks that, while not horrible by any means, I would probably seldom reach for as a Bowie fan, just because there are so many others that I love more. Obviously “Changes” and “Life on Mars?” are classics. I'm glad for the opportunity to hear him in his earlier career even if I consider it before his peak. 3.5 Lyric of note, from “Quicksand”: "I'm not a prophet or a stone age man Just a mortal with potential of a superman, I'm living on I'm tethered to the logic of homo sapien Can't take my eyes from the great salvation of bullshit faith If I don't explain what you ought to know You can tell me all about it on the next bardo I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought I ain't got the power anymore Don't believe in yourself Don't deceive with believe Knowledge comes with death's release”

I was late at the Bowie party. Like really late. In 2004 David Bowie canceled a concert at Roskilde Festival. The festival administration had a hard time finding a replacement. But they found a band: Slipknot. Lol! I was excited, 'caus Slipknot was more down my alley. However, at the festival I had a conversation with a girl who was really into Bowie, and she opened up my views on him. In the following years i bought a couple of his albums, and now I really enjoy his musical universe. Honky Dory is one of my favourite albums. For me, the start of the album is the best. My top tracks are "Changes", "Oh, you Pretty Things" and "Life on Mars?".

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.

Good start. I hate the intro to Andy Warhol I had a bad time with this album

Aoife said it's good

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.

Yes David yes

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!!

Chunky Tory: let the bodies pile high

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.

An incredible album that speaks for the time it was made

it's a five NEXT

i always appreciate some Bowie

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.

Life on Mars?

masterpiece. Enjoyed the obvious hits but one that stood out, lyrically, was Quicksand.

in his prime - top album

cinco veces cinco

amazing album, one of Bowie's best. period.

Ett mästerverk. En klassiker. En personlig favorit.

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

Great.

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!

fun listening

One of my favourite Bowie lps

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

An undeniable classic. Always love listening to this.

excellent david bowie. favorited

Don't @ me

One of the best albums of all time

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

Fantastic album. One of his best.

Awesome. Some killer vibes here

Please and thank you

Una locura de álbum, con una profundidad lírica extraña en su tiempo fuera del terreno cantautor. Me parece maravilloso.

Cha Cha Changes den ganzen Tag als Ohrwurm gehabt...

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"

A classic, with interesting and well crafted songs

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!!!!*

Love.

Good listen upbeat, fun

Hi everyone, I'm Mark.

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.

Brilliant

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

Superb

I enjoyed this album immensely, from start to finish. My fave songs are Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Kooks. 5/5 stars.