Hunky Dory

Bowie can do no wrong in my book. One of my favorite Bowie albums. Everything about this album is Hunky Dory and more.

Amazing album, already liked it but was nice to hear it again

I’m super biased cause I adore David Bowie, but this is probably one of his more mainstream albums. This is a total classic, maybe two skips, but a nearly perfect album all round.

Another 5 star for Bowie. Never having done the dive into Bowie that I should have it is a revelation to hear the albums now. Looking forward to more Bowie albums on this journey.

What can I say? This is a masterpiece. Maybe not the first, given that the rougher-sounding *The Man Who Sold The World* has left equally stellar moments to music history, even if they were less commercially successful at the time. Yet *Hunky Dory* still probably supersedes its predecessor, if only because it saw Bowie properly enacts his will to constantly mutate from one identity to another. It's all spelled out in the opener "Changes", one of three absolutely iconic songs in this album. The other two being "Oh You Pretty Things" and , of course, "Life On Mars?". About the latter, there's quite an interesting story behind it. The story goes that Bowie was first tasked to write the English adaptation of the French hit "Comme d'habitude", sung by Claude François (which would become the overblown *My Way*) but he lost the rights to the song, and so got inspired by the first song's dramatic chord changes to write something at least ten times better. What a genius move. We can all be thankful that he lost those rights, can't we? There are also three gems that are admittedly a notch less famous in this LP: the moving "Quicksands", the livelier and reckless "Queen Bitch", and the part-moody, part-moving, and part-extravagant closer "The Bewlay Brothers". And if the rest can be considered as "deeper cuts", they are still tunes that are extremely pleasurable to listen to. Especially the best Vaudevillian one of the bunch, "Kooks". As for "Andy Warhol" and "Song For Bob Dylan", they are catchy and playful acoustic guitar-driven winks to two absolutely legendary pop culture figures, with those two songs retrospectively signalling Bowie was on his way to join their ranks. Historical album, the first of many victory laps during David Bowie's career. Of course, it's gonna be in a list such as this! Number of albums left to review: the 80-ish extra LPs listed on this app, included because different past editions of the book have mentioned albums that have since been dropped in subsequent editions. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately (including this one, I've temporarily lost count here) Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter

A classic

Frankly ridiculous how strong this record is. A real all-killer, no-filler affair. No best-of collections required when there is back catalogue like this to unearth. There are of course several era-defining bangers (Changes, Pretty Things, Life on Mars, Queen Birch) but those are so well known already that it's some of the slightly deeper cuts (Bewlay Brothers, Fill Your Heart, Eight Line Poem, Quicksand) that really stick with me these days. Peak Bowie. Maybe his best.

Great pick

A classic

My first true classic. This is probably in the top 50 albums one should listen to. Even so, I was not familiar with a number of the tracks and it was fun to hear them in the curated order they were intended among those I know very well. "Changes" and "Life on Mars?" are the types of tracks that are played all the time but don't get old. Particularly enjoyed "Fill Your Heart," "Andy Warhol," "Queen Bitch" (found myself bopping to this one), and "The Bewlay Brothers" was a excellent end track. Really felt like a conclusion.

Best Bowie I have had yet! I was hooked immediately by the first song, and listening to the whole album was a journey. This sounded like he was having a lot of fun, I will definitely relisten. Stand-out: Kooks

Ugh. So when we first got all the Bowie albums, I was so annoyed because none of them sounded like this one. This one is great.

Immaculate pop craft. "Life on Mars?" is a certified classic, and the rest of the album is filled with super solid pop tunes as well. 5 stars

4.5/5

I do think the first half is stronger than the second half. But I just lock into Bowie’s stuff so I’m never having a bad time. 5/5

hook after hook, bop after bop. Not a foul step in this album

Higher peaks and lower valleys than ziggy stardust. But the peaks are so high it warrants a 5

Heard this before but this is way better than I remember. First listen I knew it was a solid early effort from Bowie, but on a second listen, it still ranks among his very best.

Absolute classic album. Hard to find any fault in it.

My favorite Bowie Album

Sometimes I’m surprised at how good of a song Changes is.

Just a classic

Her jukser jeg og går tilbake til et album jeg hadde hørt på forhånd! Hunky Dory er ren stemningsalbum, og åpningen av Changes gir meg alltid frysninger ved tanken over hva som kommer. Det blir ganske sært til tider, men energien er så konsekvent og trivelig. En sann klassiker! Beste sanger: Changes, Life On Mars og Kooks

I maybe being a bit basic but this is my favourite Bowie album - which so happens to include by favourite Bowie song: Queen Bitch.

My favorite Bowie album. I love every song, even kooks.

Phenomenal. Favorites are Kooks and Queen Bitch.

Eitt af ótal meistaraverkum þessum heimsins besta manns, og jú, besta plata ársins 1971.

Oh man although all Bowie albums are good - this is so far the most straightforward easy album to love. Killer beginning, great middle and a good ending.

Yay! Can't go wrong with David Bowie! So many good songs, Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Queen Bitch; and Kooks reminds me of his first album, an early 60's pop sound. I love the guitar riff on Andy Warhol and The Bewley Brothers is so weird, it's my new favorite song! Great album!

On “Hunky Dory,” David Bowie fuses glam rock, Beatlesesque pop and the drama of Broadway musicals to deliver some absolute bangers. "Changes" is a classic and "Oh! You Pretty Things" is an epic singalong anthem that I forgot was this good. "Life on Mars?" is another Bowie staple and "Queen Bitch" is one of his best hard rockers. There are some nice deeper cuts in between and a couple of oddball, experimental numbers but the strength of the highlights absolutely puts this in classic territory.

Love

It’s hard for him to miss

oh man this rocks. second half definitely slows down a bit unfortch, which makes me want to give this a 4,,, but I haven't given an album a 5 in a while so teehee

At last, a Bowie album! Brilliant, this is Bowie at his best but then I think Bowie was always at his best. Changes, Pretty things, Life on Mars, how do you chose a best song from that lot....

Fill your heart with love today, don’t play the game of time…

I saw him in the Barrowlands during his Earthling tour, and afterwards the first album I bought for a mammoth Bowie binge was this one. Love that it is for the most part lead by piano, there's some truly amazing songs on here. An easy 5 stars

Perfect album

Probs my favourite Bowie album

Nice, some classics

rockin album with many classic tracks

1001 albums #7 david bowie i love you all bangers!! 95/100

Absolute masterpiece. I was engaged with every song despite their dissimilarities is subject matter and musical styles. A classic.

Fav: Life On Mars? Least Fav: Kooks After so many David Bowie albums that I’ve rated 4, I’ve finally found one worthy of a 5/5

Overall: 10/10 This is my absolute favourite Bowie album and I've listened to it an insane amount. I can't really pin down why it's my favourite Bowie but I love how much piano there is on this album and every song is so dang catchy that I can't help but sing along every time I hear them. I hope I don't get every Bowie album early on cause I love him and I wanna space it out, especially with the ones I haven't heard as often. Fav Song: Life on Mars? Least Fav Song: Eight Line Poem

bumping this up a star just bc changes is so good

Great album. First Bowie album listened to in its entirety. Favorite songs: Life on Mars?, Bewlay Brothers, Changes (in that order). Least favorite Kooks. 5 stars.

Great album. 7 five star songs out of 11 tracks. Not a bad score.

What’s not to love?

not my favorite album but Life on Mars is a goat

Finally, a David Bowie album that we can all agree is worthy of a 5.

- 8/11 songs added to main playlist - Bit of a detached listen post Election Day - Another nostalgic listen - Never went through this front to back - Changes & Oh! You Pretty Things is making me feel a little better - So many different emotions. I can see this becoming one of my favorites - I just love David Bowie man - Might be the most talented musician of all time - Favorite song: Oh! You Pretty Things

Hidden gem album Poetry and piano Dance delightfully

This might be my favorite Bowie album so far. It's simple and approachable, something that albums like Aladdin Sane can struggle with at times, but still really creative and catchy. This album sounds like a bridge between eras, where you can here some very Beatles-esque songs like Oh! You Pretty Things and Kooks, but then stuff that is more unique in style like Life On Mars?. Strggling to pick a favorite because I like Changes, Kooks, and Quicksand a lot. I think I'll go with Kooks since it's brand new to me.

David Heaven

Bowie at his… bowiest, maybe? A delicate and eclectic piano-driven branch between two very different, more rocking directions (The Man who sold the World and Ziggy Stardust). All over the place in the best way possible.

Amazing. Feels like a huge influence on Nirvana, especially, in a weird way. "Life on Mars" is such a heartbreakingly relatable song. Falters ever-so-slightly on the annoying final track, but the imperfection just makes it all the more perfect.

start of his streak to produce quality music. Favorite track: Life on mars other picks: changes, oh you pretty things, queen bitch

210/1001 QUÉ MARAVILLA! 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

David Bowie is legend. Not much to be argued about. He is simply part of music histories very fabric. Very few artists ever reach, let alone continue to operate at, this level. Yet here we are, and here he is.

Нема што повеќе да се каже за овој албум. Ремек дело!

It’s Bowie. 5/5

Yes yes yes yes yes

Such an amazing album too, so easy to listen to, dreamy & ethereal. Old classics I'd forgotten, 'Changes', 'Oh! You Pretty Things' and 'Life on Mars'. New song to add to the rotation, 'Quicksand'.

Bowie had really found his voice by this album.

If anyone is giving this less than a 5 then they need to have a word, Queen Bitch alone makes it so, unbelievable album from one of the best to do it

Superb!! Hard to believe it is over 50 years old!

No notes

Wow I was surprised how many tracks I had missed when I’ve listened to this in the past. The whole album is loaded and might be up there for my favorite of his now. Rating: 4.8

Ohhhh yes

Classic - love this album. One of my favorites when I went down a Bowie rabbit hole in my earlier years and still stands up. The tracking is great - each song seems to be in the right place. Even my least favorite track, The Bewlay Brothers (still a good song), is just a great closer song.

Easy 5 for this one. There's a couple of songs that aren't amazing, but mostly this is Bowie at his best. Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Queen Bitch, Life on Mars. Fantastic.

'Changes', 'Life on Mars', 'Queen Bitch'... must I say more on what makes this an awesome album?

I don't think we need to deep dive into this. It's classic Bowie, the man was a musical god.

Another fantastic Bowie album, filled up with bangers.

Absolutely peerless amongst albums of its type. A beautiful, beautiful album.

One of my all-time favourite albums. Beautiful melodies and moving vocals; an exciting blend of glam rock, cinema, pop and folk. Clear inspiration for so many of the best indie bands in the decades that followed.

¡Gran álbum!

Delicious album

Classic. A little weird.

Hunky Dory! What can I say about this album except "chilling"? Bowie's music sends chills down my spine, and this masterpiece of an album is no exception. I opted to listen to it in vinyl, a choice which added to the already existing goosebumps. From "Life On Mars" and "Changes" to "Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Queen Bitch", every single song of this album is perfect. Despite its perfection however, I do not consider it to be Bowie's best work, something which speaks volumes about his musicianship. Nevertheless, it would be an insult to Bowie to rank this anything lower than 5/5. Without any shred of doubt, 5/5, no questions asked.

David Bowie is One of the fantastic heroes of the World.

Man, I'm only a quarter of the way through this list and I've already got half of the Bowie albums on here. Well, for now I have nothing to complain about. I absolutely love this album. The blend of 60s and 70s pop rock for this super unique and forward thinking album is great.

Comfort Album no. 1. Brings back memories of my parents, their daffy mates, playing with the bubble machine in a wooded garden and squat parties in derelict 18th century mansions.

New to me, but a classic

What’s there to say? Another great Bowie album. No weak tracks. “Life on Mars?” is a damn near perfect song. Bowie continues to be at his best here.

Love David Bowie getting to do his music - a couple of the songs are a little out there for me personally, but I love his voice and the fact that this album lets his lyrics and harmonies stand for themselves.

Boner alert

Classic symphonic rock

Great songs. Love the piano sound. Bowie’s voice is amazing. Nothing here to not like.

This is one of my favorite Bowie albums, possibly my number 1 favorite. He didn't have his big break until Ziggy Stardust, but I can only imagine how thrilled his new fans were after discovering that album to realize he already had this gem in his backlog.

More rock and more fun than Elton John.

IS THERE LIFE ON MAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAA-AA-AARZ? Also, Changes has one of my favorite intros in the classic rock canon.

I doubt I've listened to side two more than a handful of times though I've listened to side one countless times. Hard for me to rate other than as a 5 because it's been such a part of my life. Amazing song writing and vocals.

Absolutely epic album. No two Bowie albums sound alike. It makes them all essential listening. I’d call him the “anti-Morrissey”.

Another great Bowie album. another 5. Man did this guy could make music. Life On Mars is just beautiful.

This is a top ten Bowie album for me. I love everything on it except “Changes” which is one lf the only Bowie songs I actively dislike.

Oh, mr Bowie…💦💦

Great album with a lot of fun tracks. one of the best for Bowie. 4.5 starz

Is there life on Mars…?

This is my favourite all time Bowie album just sneaking ahead of a recent addition to the list Black Star. Saying favourite is perhaps wrong because due to my love hate of Bowie there are only a few albums of his which I personally like. He has a vast catalog and the majority are lauded by those in the know as classics and ground breaking. The reason I like Hunky Dory is perhaps why I don’t like a lot of what Bowie produced. That is it is a very easy album to get into whereas a lot of what he has recorded is a real challenge. There are some lovely memorable tunes and one or two of them are perhaps his most famous all time songs well known to those who only have a passing interest in music. Haven’t played this album in full for a while so a joy once again to do so. 5/5 5/8/24

First 5. So good. Life On Mars is a 10/5

This is such a great album. Quirky and spontaneous while melodic and mellow! It’s interesting listening back to some of these older records because the audio mixing was just so different. Constantly had to adjust the dial to hear if a song was actually playing and then the volume would spike out of nowhere like BAM!

Hunky Dory Cool album. I prefer his albums from the late 70’s. Changes and Life on Mars are really great songs. Also like the song for Bob Dylan. The rest of the album is good.

I liked this a lot. oh you pretty things was my fave

Easy 5 stars! I love everything that Bowie did in the 70s. Especially this one! I used to play Life On Mars on my earphones going to school years ago, definetely one of the songs of my life and idk, i spend years without listen this one and it seems a lot better than I used to remember. Actually the intire album is givin me this fellin now. I guess that musical maturity finally came to me hahahaha.

The more Bowie albums I listen to, the more I love David Bowie. I'm a little disappointed I didn't appreciate his work sooner, but he truly was a genius. When I was listening to this and saw it was earlier 70s, I had to see how close it fell to the Man Who Sold the World. Come to find out this album was next in line after that one. Totally different styles amongst albums has been one of the characteristics I like most about Bowie. Each album can be a reinvention of everything and still be excellent. There was a line I misheard about "Lemons on sale" and I kept thinking that I've never once considered a lemon purchase differently if it was on sale or not. Then I looked up the actual lyric and that made a lot more sense, particularly in the context of the time period. What is the point? I guess it is that even if there was a questionable, strange lyric in a song it still sounded good. This wasn't my favorite Bowie album. I'm most impressed at the stark contrast going from a heavy guitar sound to piano. Favorite track "Changes" 4.5/5

Absolutely legendary!!!

This is a beautiful Bowie effort. It has a few songs you already know as hits, and some lesser known songs that are masterpieces, "Life On Mars?" chief among them. Every last song is well-written, well-produced, interesting, and enjoyable.

Classic

Oh, mr. Bowie…💦💦💦

Favorite Tracks: Changes Oh! You Pretty Things Life On Mars?

ITS FUCKING BOWIE. Unfuckwithable. This one is one of the weird middle ground records with some classics but also a lot of the tunes have a similar feel. Kinda folky, kinda quiet, but you can tell the Glam is coming. This is another one of those records that is essential, actually, in the Bowie canon. It’s just that good. I’ll skip the track by track because it’s tedious but seriously this one is a masterpiece.

I like the dynamics of the piano in some of those songs.

Favorite Tracks: Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Fill Your Heart

I've been putting this off the whole day long, because Bowie was a treasure who has my profound respect but I've always suspected this might not necessarily translate into me liking his music. I've only had his "Young Americans" very early into this project which was easy to dislike - Bowie himself wasn't a fan. This one? Yes. Falls rather gently but perfectly into my rating system: ★★★★★ for albums I thoroughly enjoyed discovering.

I mean, awesome.

love hearing this one, also a common play on the tommie f zune. not quite as innovative as his later stuff but it reminds me a lot of the bend in that it’s an artist basically getting a perfect, more conventional album out before REALLY getting weird

timeless record. what made bowie great is that he made it cool to be weird. another thing i love about bowie is that during the early days of MTV he very publicly questioned why there were no black artists being played (even though michael jackson was literally the biggest act on the planet at the time). this album might be my favourite bowie album. so much quality from top to bottom. highlights: “life on mars?” “kooks” “queen bitch”…

historic album. little weird but in a good creative way

Much better than I remember. Even weaker tracks are good, this, is a groundbreaking album and still sounds fresh now. Essential

Damn near a masterpiece. The songs that I hadn’t heard were bangers and the songs I have heard are ultra bangers. “life on mars” is Bowie’s greatest creation. Insane to me that this album is from 71’ and his fourth album. Bowie is eternal. 10/10

Bowie IS the greatest artist of all time. He's certainly my favorite. And this album in my opinion is the quintessential Bowie album. A lot of people will say that's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. And while I also love that album, I honestly believe this album fits the bill better. While The Ziggy album is quite firmly commented in his glam era, Hunky Dory captures more of his overall sounds. There's some stuff that sounds like his earlier folksy-er outings. There's his poppy stuff from the time, and there's hints towards his glam rock outings to come. There's even some really experimental sounds here as well that he would continue to do for the rest of his career. Love Bowie and I love this album.

Ok so last time I got a Bowie album on here (which was a long time ago now, album #37) I probably rated it one star too high based on Bowie's name being on it. I'm pretty confident I'm not doing that this time, this is really great. This is Bowie's fourth album and its a primarily piano-driven pop rock album. This followed The Man Who Sold The World, which I guess was more guitar-driven rock, so this was a bit of a departure. This seems to be a bit of a turning point for Bowie where he finds his distinct style. There's a whole lot of great songs on here, it's pretty consistent top to bottom. "Changes" is an awesome opener, "Life on Mars?" is iconic Bowie, and both "Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Kooks" were great on side A. On the back side, it starts a bit slower, but picks up with three songs based on Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, and Lou Reed in a row. "Queen Bitch" (the for the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed) is possibly my favorite song on the album (it's hard ,"Changes" is great too), it honestly sounds like it could be a VU song, he captured the sound well. This is just great energy and songwriting the whole way through. I'm not deep into the Bowie discography at all, but I get why this one is well-loved (though it did seem to be a bit overlooked until his next album really hit it big). Favorite song: Changes Other: Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars?, Kooks, Quicksand, Fill Your Heart, Andy Warhol, Songs For Bob Dylan, Queen Bitch, The Bewlay Brothers 7/8/24

Slaps

"I think if David Bowie hadn't made music, I wouldn't be able to have my favorite color be pink."

This is my favorite David Bowie's album and the first full-length album I heard of him a decade ago. This holds a special place for me.

Nice

One of my favorite Bowie records with a few of his best songs: “Changes,” “Life On Mars,” and “Queen Bitch” being those for me. While a lot more classic work by him still to come in the 70s, this one is really good on its own.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Fuck yes. This album will brighten any day, and if you don't appreciate Bowie I don't want to know you.

Some really great songs on this album.

could i write poetry to this? y

-Changes is Changes, also the only one I'd previously listened to all the way through, no notes -Oh! You Pretty Things - love the shift around 1:20 in, the lyrics seem a bit bizarre, enjoyed tremendously, probably will re-listen -Eight Line Poem - his voice is fantastic, I think I'm getting why people love this man; also love the bluesy/mournful strings -Life on Mars? - okay so I've heard this before as well, just didn't recognize the title; absolutely vibe with the instrumentation, gives me the same fuzzy internal feeling as Bohemian Rhapsody - something about the buildup just does it for me -Kooks - very stripped down compared to the previous, almost a palate cleanser, cute lyrics and general optimistic vibes with just a little contempt for the establishment, feels like a sitcom opening -Quicksand - was not expecting a hard veer into esotericism what the hell, wish I could go back and have a drink with him; definitely need to re-listen and read along with the lyrics proper, what a gutpunch -Fill Your Heart - and now we've wrapped around to what I sound like while I'm on mushrooms, positivity to an almost saccharine degree but sonically beautiful -Andy Warhol - the synth transition and dialogue between the previous and this track remind me of more modern concept albums; I can't tell if he loves or hates Andy and I don't think I want to know; dig the folksy vibes, not keen on the monotonic plucking toward the end -Song for Bob Dylan - the electric guitar is fun throughout, no idea who the lyrics are referring to, had to look that up; definitely sounded like an ode to Bob and that seems correct; good idle listen, didn't get into it as much as the other tracks -Queen Bitch - yeah alright this is a bop, sounds like something I'd bounce to at a show; aside from Changes this feels the most intentional "pop" song on the album, arrangement seems simpler than others and is a very accessible listen -The Bewlay Brothers - alright we're back to weirdness; at this point lyrics were up in another tab so the backstory was spoiled for me; sucker for storytelling in songs, this is definitely a bit spooky but also reminds me of John Darnielle's work a lot; that last minute and change takes a hard turn and explains why said backstory is widely accepted; "kings of oblivion" would be a dope band name Overall would give a 4.5 if I could, but since this is the first album I'm doing I feel generous, we'll round up to 5

¿Art rock o art pop? Una colección bien hecha de pop setentero, con algunas pistas experimentales como Andy Warhol; que en general todas las pistas tienen unos arreglos y detalles bien atinados y agradables; en lo personal amo como Bowie usa el piano en este álbum, como una percusión. Me encanta, quiero más.

Beautiful

One of my favorite early Bowie albums

Nuce

"Bowie starts to become Bowie" perfect description! This album never gets old. Ans an ideal entry for the younger folk to discover his songwriting. Definitely belongs in the 5 star club.

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

Pretty sure that I have heard all the songs, but not in order that they were intended to be listened to on the album. Loved it

Okay, my last two Bowie albums had me worried that I didn't appreciate Bowie as I should. But this album reminded me of why he is brilliant. This album is pure creativity and fun. What a joy.

It's Bowie. Life on Mars is a mini-masterpiece that has been a part of my life for a long time. A few of my best friends growing up developed an obsession with this song, and we listened to it hundreds of time over the course of a summer we spent gazing at stars, being wildly irresponsible and overdramatic, taking late night walks, exploring psychedelics and pretending that adulthood would never come. That's Hunky Dory for me. To this day when we see each other, we kiss each other 12 times on the cheeks, just like we did then. Even if don't see each other for years, we remember that ritual, and even the memory makes me smile and slightly melancholic. These people taught me so much about friendship, love, being human, appreciating beauty.

Classic

Absolute classic - a beautiful example of art in musical form. Definitely setting the standard for other artists, as Bowie did throughout his lifetime. Amazing.

YES!

Great

Excellent album. Regrettably, I never gave this album (or Bowie in general) a focused, attentive listen. This is a really imaginative album that meanders across genres but asserts and maintains a uniqueness that has both emotional depth and pop accessibility. I'm excited to dive deep on more Bowie. *****

Full of bangers

Life on mars was like the first song i ever got into.

that was really fun

Incredible. Each song is written with so much charm and they’re all just delightful to listen to. Even ones I don’t remember liking as much like song for Bob Dylan and fill your heart I found myself enjoying. Life on mars? Is a classic and the way he hits the note at the end of the chorus is unbelievable and I love it every time. It also ends with a super underrated track the bewlay brothers which is really quite creepy with the voices at the end.

Great

A total classic piece of excellence from Bowie. Loved it when I first heard it many years ago, and appreciate it more and more as time goes on. Never mind 1001 albums to listen to, this would be in my top 10.

Another easy 5 🌟

- Was unsure how I felt after the first listen, so I gave it another spin and must now give this five stars. It is too unique to do otherwise. - Some classic Bowie tracks ("Changes", "Life on Mars?") punctuated by some very solid, lesser-known, often introspective songs ("Quicksand" is a great example). - There are no bad tracks here. There are some tracks that do not totally fit together, but every one is good, if not great, in its own right. I was a bit turned off by "Kooks" originally (never a fan of a song being shoehorned in, no matter the importance to the artist), but it is so heartwarmingly sweet, clever, and catchy that I just have to give it it's due.

great vocals, great lyrics and great sound, just classic bowie.

Probably my favorite Bowie album. So many classics on one album.

Trovata canzone che avevo bisogno di sentire e che alcune persone avrebbero bisogno di sentire ora non ho più voglia di morire yay

#1 album of all time, very possibly.

One of my favorite Bowie albums, although he can do no wrong in my book. His evolution from one album to the next is always amazing to me. This record in particular being between The Man Who Sold The World and Ziggy Stardust is completely different from either but still recognizable as something that only Bowie would do. I don't care how many of his albums are on this list, we always need more. This album would be a 5/5 for Changes and Life on Mars alone.

Thoughts before listening: Maybe my favorite Bowie album? If not it's definitely up there. I certainly heard this one and fell in love with it before I ever heard Ziggy Stardust. Review: This has "Life On Mars" on it which is an all-time great rock song, not to mention "Changes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Song for Bob Dylan", and "Queen Bitch". This is possibly the best album by one of the most important rock artists of all time. What surprised me the first time I heard this was just how much it rocked, with some awesome 70s glam rock riffs on these songs. Hard to give this anything other than 5-stars.

Magnificent

Changes // Oh! You Pretty Things // Life On Mars? // Kooks // Quicksand //

Superb! Bewlay brothers!

90% (5) ⭐

Pleasantly surprised from Dave on this one. For some reason his style really is one of kind and unique to where it holds my attention. Not too many people can have such a unique sound and make everything come together cohesively. Great work from Bowie here.

I can't find it now, but I remember reading an interview with one of David Bowie's ex-girlfriends from when he was high school aged. She talked about how he was unlike anyone she ever met, because he was unbelievably self-possessed and dramatic--he acted like every moment of his life was like a scene in a movie that he was starring in that was broadcast around the world, so he would throw himself completely into the minutiae of every moment of every day. I would imagine it would be fairly annoying to be in a romantic relationship with someone like that, but you can't argue with the results.

Woah this is so good

Jam after jam after jam after jam. How good is your album when "Queen Bitch" is only like the 3rd best song on here?

Amazing

Hvis det ikke er mit yndlings-bowie, så er det tæt på. Kun gode numre

Gad satme godt have set en David Bowie Eras Tour! Vild med hans glam piano man æra, en af hans bedste

A seminal album for me when I was a kid. I've listened to it so many times it's hard to objectively give it a second thought. Nonetheless, full marks for standing the test of time.

I have a bit of a Bowie bias, but hey it's my opinion. This is my second one after Ziggy Stardust, and while I think that album is slightly better, this one is just as charming and inspired. I can't give it lower than a 5.

I somehow hadn't heard this album all the way through before, but I loved it so much. It is bursting at the seams with energy, experimentation and emotion at every moment of its runtime. Absolutely one that I will revisit a lot in the coming weeks. Thank you, my dear androgynous British freak.

Perfect!

I was pretty excited to see this one pop up for today. This one’s an easy 5 for me. I’d probably have 5 albums tied for my favorite Bowie album and this is one of those 5. Hunky Dory is the first installment of a four album run from the production team of Bowie and Ken Scott. I feel like Ken Scott took what he learned engineering Beatles albums and really pushed the bounds of what Bowie and camp could do sonically here on Hunky Dory. The production duo continued this trend over the next three Bowie albums. The phenomenal musicianship from the soon-to-be-named Spiders From Mars, as well as Rick Wakeman’s beautiful piano playing on this album are very impressive. Then there’s Bowie’s stellar vocals and lyrics. His versatility is on full display on this album. The quieter soulful moments force you to lean in until the powerful and emotional performances hit you over the head. The song arrangements and instrumentation lend themselves perfectly to these dynamics which shows how well the band connected to Bowie’s vision and how well he could pull the best out of musicians. To me the album is perfectly sequenced to highlight the ebb and flow of the material. Hunky Dory is cohesive and every idea feels fleshed out to the best possible outcome while still feeling fresh and not over produced. The 70’s might be my favorite decade of music and this album is a shining example of why.

Easily one of the best albums ever.

What. An. Album. Crammed full of classics, weird and wonderful lyrics, a genre defining album.

Great album all around by a legendary artist

had a little doubt but yeah its a five, great musician!

Excellent song writing. Bowie is incomparable.

Starman Jams

This album is a total no-brainer to rate. Every single bit of this is great, even the less-known songs are amazing.

This album starts out strong with the absolute classic "Changes" and to my pleasant surprise, stays strong. Good variety and songwriting. Very happy to have been introduced to this entire album!

I keep thinkining I should give this a 4 but the great songs are spectacular and the sound of the whole album is so rich and beautiful, like he and everyone involved were working on a different world than the rest of music. I could toss the Song for Warhol and you would have a slightly better 5 star album

David Bowie is a cool guy who stands up against racism and has a black wife. I like him.

Groovy.

Bowie at his best. Highlights are "Kooks" and "Oh! You Pretty Things"

The more I listen to Bowie, the more I like him. Really enjoyed this album. It is fun and funky.

Peak Bowie for me

Classic Bowie!

Brilliant album. Pure joy from start to finish.

Iconic Bowie record

I’m a sucker for Bowie. This was the first big transition between Hippie and Ziggy. I was actually thinking about ‘Changes’ the other day and how applicable it feels right now. Thinking about my coworker prompting th changes, Queen Bitch also feels relevant. I ranted extensively about this album on Instagram so I will just say this: it’s still art; it’s still relevant; it’s still Bowie!

4.5 but rounded up. Nice variety and many classics... my favourite "Life on Mars?", thank you Bowie

I have to give this album 5 stars, even though it isn't even in my Top 5 Bowie albums. However, it has so many songs that are just timeless like "Changes," "Oh! You Pretty Things," "Andy Warhol," and some other really good songs. However, this album is not as good as The Man Who Sold the World or The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, to me.

Fantastic album. Bowie is weird in a very special way

So many great songs on here. There are a few that don’t grab me but still five stars overall.

Incredible collection of Bowie's amazing song writing skills culminating in a short contemporary rock album for its time. Legendary song Changes still acts as a beacon song for generations! My personal favorite is Queen Bitch, it was one of the great songs from childhood I heard in a video game.

Top class from Bowie on this one.

First album doing this that I’ve not heard before and absolutely loved. Obviously I know Changes and Life on Mars and Queen Bitch. Beautiful, smart and really fun album.

I found this album on vinyl about 10 years ago. Just tremendous. Not a lot of his hits but every song was great my favorite Bowie album.

Qué mejor que después de un receso regresar a éste reto musical de la mano de David Bowie. Estoy volviendo a éste disco con 34, después de que Bowie haya sido una de las bandas sonoras de mis veintitantos. Difícil decir algo que no se haya dicho más que destacar la particularidad única de su voz, de los músicos que lo acompañan y de cómo empezaba a moldear con estos trabajos la vanguardia que significaba su trabajo futuro. Muy bien 10

This one is easy. One of my favorite albums, period, and one of the essential albums of the early 70's. I love it when Bowie gets even weirder, but this album is just infectious hits straight through. And there's still plenty of weirdness starting to show too. I guess I always have a soft spot for these "transitional" albums when an artist is developing the sound/style they'll be most known for.

The best of his many great albums

This is not my favorite of Bowie’s discography, but it is still great! “Changes” and “Life on Mars” are all time great songs. I know people rag on “Kooks” but my toddler loved it and was dancing to it, so it’s endeared to me.

Some really solid songs - great progression beginning to end. A wonderful album.

As expected, fantastic album

Does any album have a stronger opening 3 songs?

An easy 5 out of 5 and that is before even pressing play again. One of my absolute favourites from one of the very greatest. Changes is incredible. It is one of the earliest songs I remember truly noticing and connecting with, and it still sounds fresh decades later. Then there is Life on Mars. A genuine masterpiece. It comfortably sits in my top ten songs of all time. Dramatic, emotional and completely unique. This album captures Bowie at his most inventive. Witty, melodic, theatrical and thoughtful all at once. The piano led songwriting gives it warmth, but there is still that unmistakable Bowie edge running through it. He blends pop, glam, folk and art rock effortlessly. There is not a weak moment here. Every track feels considered and essential. Favourite tracks: Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Life on Mars. As good as anything you will ever hear Least favourite: Not a bad song on the album Album artwork: Perfect. That soft focus, cinematic portrait is just as iconic as the music inside

Absolute genius. I'd never listened to this album. I was obviously aware of the hits from it, but nothing more. Not only did I love it, but I really heard the genius of the man coming through.

Love this album more than most!

The second David Bowie album I get in this series. The first I did not know but Hunky Dory is full of great well known songs. Great to listen to and reminds one of his genius as a musician.

My favorite Bowie. Life On Mars is his best song, but there is much more to this one

Muito bom, um clássico atemporal!!

Weirdness at its best

Love this album.

It hits on all 70s cylinders - the piano of Billy Joel, the guitars of the Beetles, the poetry like Dylan...the flamboyance of Elton John. One of the greats

Wow i was waiting for this one, an album that i discover just last year and i became a truly jug fan of it. This album is a step a head of its time, especially on the lyrics side. Bowie initiate his Glam rock era with this album and help define his iconic sound. The album is lyricaly incredible and musicaly more oriented toward pop, with song more driven by piano thab guitar expect with Queen Bitch (the only purely rock song on the album) The cover is also very cool shown a travestite Bowie (inspired by Hollywood actress like Marlène Dietrich). The album is full of good and incredible songs here they are: Changes is simply on of the best Bowie song ever, the album start with this song and talk about reinvention a common ground in all Bowie compositions (reivente himself). Oh you pretty things is an tribute to hus brother who suffer from Schizofrenia and commit suicide. This song is piano driver and look like a britisg cabaret song Eight line poem is a simple poem with some piano note not very impactfull i think but anyway Life on Mars? Ok it will be complicated to do this because there is no words to descrive how good this song is, no doubts on of the best song by Bowie, lyricaly, musicaly, the video clip ect ect this musical hall rock is timeless. This song is accually a response or a parody of My Way by Sinatra, the simple guitar work and the climax at the chorus make it an epic song and Bowie look wonderfull in the clip filmed in 1973. Kooks seems strange to me because i didin’t know what it meant, and i discover it was written for his child whi was born the previus year, the song is cute not childish but just a father who love his chilf very very beautifull. Quicksand as some strange lyrical inspirations like occutilsm, bouddism, Aleister Crowley, Churchill ect. I’m not sure to understand the song that why i dont like it that much. Same for Fill your heart wich is a sin’ly viola and piano song not bad simply not that impactfull but very in the tone of the album. There is 3 songs in the album that where inspired by american icon that Bowie admire, This on e is about Andy Warhol, the song is accoustic and have a cool guitar riff by Mick Ronson. I enjoy it, but apparently Warhol didn’t. A Song for Bob Dylan is a tribute to Bod Dylan, he is not tryin to like parody him or do a pastiche but simply a good tribute to a musician he like. Queen Bitch, Bowie can do anything including doing a Velvet Underground song whitout the velvet Underground and while still being himself. This song is more than a tribute to his friend and inspiration Lou Reed, but a pastiche with provocative lyrics anf the spirit. The song is perhaps the only real 100% rock song on the album with one of my favorite guitar riff in Bowie carrer (inspired by Eddie Cochrane) this song is also a early taste of was Bowie’s glam rock will look like. The song is about a guy (Queen Bitch) hungry for sex, drag quens and escorts. The song combine the early punk attitude of Lou Reed but the melody of Glam rock, my favorite song in the album for that. The Bewlay Brothers, is difficult to break trough its meaning because it has not , appaently the lyrics mean nothing and althougt not a big fan of it, it still showing Bowie caracter and genius. This album Is on of the best in Bowie’s carrer, his more pop rock approche will define his song for the next years in his best musical era (Glam rock) and help him becoming a rock n roll god with Ziggy Stardust. This album have so much to offer its perhaps the best introduction to David Bowie. (I take the space here to tell that i have lut the album Ziggy stardust a 4/5 stars cause it was my first album when i start doing this, and i wasnt the crazy big Bowie fan that i im today i a truely regret it i would have put a F’N 5/5 stars to Ziggy Stradust)

One of my favourite albums of all time

I’m about 40 albums into this journey, and so far, I’ve gotten THREE Bowie albums. That said, this has been my favorite one so far. Hell, I’d give it 5 stars just for “Changes.” That song holds a special place in my heart.

Classic

Tons of great songs, love hearing it

Amazing! Infinitely Relevant. So many great songs, lyrics riffs and sounds

One of my favorite Bowie albums so may be bias

Your mum's favourite Bowie album

the kind of idiosyncratic follow-up to smash hit record that i love. just chock full of interesting tunes that are definitively NOT the glam rock bowie was famous for

A pre-fame Bowie has long hair, wears a dress and writes an album that should've by rights made him the superstar he was going to become. A true classic album with not a duff track in sight. Rick Wakeman classical pub piano, Mick Ronson's sweet fat guitar and Bowie's asexual vocals are just *chef's kiss*. Shame on everyone at the time for not all rushing out and buying this album when it was orginally released. Best Tracks: Changes; Life on Mars?; Queen Bitch

I was starting to feel a little silly getting 50 albums in and giving only one 5 (my first album, Beatles), but here it is. Each track is different but the whole doesn't feel disjointed. What a pleasure.

Songs I knew from this beforehand were "Changes" and "Life on Mars?". It's that classic Bowie feel with something for both casual fans and ones who want a deeper dive. Great album within Bowie's catalog and in general.

Great album!

Loved it. Really.like the last song.

Bowie's Pop-y glam rock is a really tight sound. It uses blues, jazz, and older rock influences to make this bright, almost optimistic sound. I really liked this album, and obviously David Bowie is a genius and one of the all time greats.

Snap crackle pop that’s stuff tickles my ear buds.

No notes❗️🧑‍🍳🤌💋

the best

ooh, early Bowie! Probably the most consistent album from him I've heard so far, there's some great highs, and nothing that I'd really call a stinker on here. Makes me more excited for ziggy stardust/aladdin sane era, which I've never listened to

The king

One of my favorite Bowie albums. I even like Kooks!

What a f*cking great record. Maybe my favorite Bowie album. Lyrically, vocally, musically, production - everything is what you want from Bowie.

I think this is my second favorite Bowie album. The songwriting is excellent here. And Changes is a flat out great song. Will gladly put this one on, pretty much anytime.

Strangely enough, even though it holds some of my favorite Bowie songs, I hadn't listened to Hunky Dory in full before. Now I have, and I'm not surprised that I think it's pretty great. Highlights: Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life On Mars?, Kooks, Quicksand, Queen Bitch

It's just so damn good! Enough said.

Changes, Queen Bitch, and Life on Mars are all-timers for me. Not to mention Life on Mars and Queen Bitch being a direct through point to Ziggy. Even with a few of my lesser liked Bowie songs this is a five for me.

so Bowie.

There's a lot to like here. Just some absolute classics from the man. I was originally going to give it a 4 because there are a few songs that I don't love, but I'm giving it a 5 anyway because the highs are so very high.

I have never understood David Bowie or "gotten" his music until this album. Shame on me for having never listened to it beyond the couple hits I've heard. This album is a masterpiece. Loved every second of it and I think this is where you send someone like me who doesn't "get it."

I was curious if I’d enjoy this as much as I used to, it had probably been 5 years since my last full listen and it’s still great. It’s random and great, Changes and Pretty Things gets things started hot. Queen Bitch and Life on Mars are a couple of my Bowie favourites. Hunky Dory is a slight step behind Ziggy Stardust when it comes to my personal rank of Bowies work mostly bc it feels more like an album and less like a best of collection but this is still a 5 from me. 300 albums in and this is the 8th Bowie album I’ve received, I have to imagine this is the last one right? There’s no way Last Dance makes the cut right? Hunky Dory 5 stars!

Love this album, fave Bowie

best bowie

I Like this album form David Bowie. It was nice to hear it again.

5 - no question. This is one of the greatest albums of all time and has always been my favorite Bowie album. If there’s one knock against this, it’s that the lyrics are silly at times, but this whole things start to finish is incredible. Notable tracks include changes, oh you pretty things, life on mars, queen bitch, quicksand, and the bewlay brothers. A++

very good album. Enjoyed it quite a bit. But I generally resonate with him.

Loved in

Perfect, almost americana but Bowie

I like this version of Bowie (well, I'm learning I like most versions of Bowie).

I just like Bowie, so 5 seems right

Wonderful album. I’m not sure why I haven’t listened to more Bowie. Andy Warhol was a favorite.

Already know this album but nice to listen to with a critical mindset. Probably one of my lesser played Bowie albums. Life on Mars is objectively one of the best songs ever, surely? Changes is brilliant but I think the live Glastonbury version is the elite version. I really enjoyed Kooks, it made me smile thinking about impending fatherhood. I think you start to hear different strands of future Bowie come through towards the back end of the album. Always a fan of chord progressions in Bowie songs as they’re pretty creative and unorthodox relatively speaking.

Banger

What a treat. Absolutely excellent.

I always have a hard time keeping the Bowie albums straight - which ones I like, which ones I'm "supposed to like" (but don't really love). After listening to this one (several times) I like it a lot. I had "Life on Mars" stuck in my head for two days.

i love you hunky dory is this a 4.5 not a 5? maybe. but that isn't going to stop me. it has life on mars? on it anyway so it's automatically 5 stars.

Said I would rate this 4 stars but I can’t do it. It’s so fucking good… life changing album for teenage Elizabeth… it’s a 4.5 star album but I must round up for personal reasons….

Liked David Bowie, but particularly the Ziggy Stardust years (72-73) This is a 71 album, so just before Ziggy. Changes - well known, well liked. Great lyrics. Bit jazzy though. Pretty Things - bit quirky/jokes, but I love it Eight line Poem - so, so Life on Mars - Utterly brilliant classic Looks - I like it Quicksand - darkly deep Fill Your Heart - so so Andy Warhol - like it Song for Bob Dylan - pretty good, but not perfect Queen Bitch - Actually about transgender. Absolutely love the track. Brilliant The Bewlay Brothers - pure brilliant Bowie It's probably a 4, but because of the presence of brilliant tracks (plural) it gets 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 out of 5. Reminds of The Muppet Show for some reason.

Gorgeous, wonderful, upbeat, lovely. Adding to a playlist for both cleaning and also background party music.

Oh, you pretty thing! in my personal opinion, a really solid example of art-pop-rock, especially for its time. Bowie constantly pushed the narrative- especially in Changes because if his unique perspective on Nietzschean philosophy.

Love this album- have heard it many times before.

Life on Mars. An awesome David Bowie.

Life On Mars is one of my favorite songs ever. Between that track, Changes, Queen Bitch and Oh! You Pretty Things, I can't in good conscious put this below a 5, maybe a 4.5

favourite song: oh! you pretty things long been my favourite bowie album. simply fantastic. also, do people not like kooks? kooks is great. honourable mention for favourite song to andy warhol.

Life on Mars worth the price of admission alone, but oh, you get so much more. Buy this album, please.

4.6/5 Best Track: Life on Mars?

Bowie be best

One of the best albums of all time

true classic

This era of Bowie is unbeatable, like most of them to be fair. A few songs I'm not as hot on but there's something so captivating about his music even when it's not your favourite ones

Genre: Pop Instruments: 4/5 Modern Translation: 4/5 Dance Potential: 3/5 Listening Location: Commute to work Favourite Song: Changes (this is a timeless tune) Made me feel: Smiley, upbeat and boppy. This album came at the right time because I didn't sleep well. I enjoyed dissecting the music + lyrics (i.e. he compared Bob Dylan's voice to "sand and glue", which I liked because I wasn't into like Bob's album). I also liked that the songs were all very different. I haven't listened to much Bowie and will definitely listen to more now.

Perfect

The best Bowie album. I'll fight over that.

Fantastic, Changes! Life on Mars! Pretty Things! Kooks! Queen Bitch! Love love love this album. Bowie's best, and that's saying a lot!

I enjoyed this one enough to listen to it 3 times! I was never a huge Bowie fan, but I think I’ve grown to appreciate him more and more as time goes on. I’ve especially grown to love “Is There Life on Mars” - a song that never registered for me when I was younger.

So many David Bowie songs I had never heard and so many more to love. Brilliant & creative and every song on the album a pleasure to listen to. This album came before Ziggy Stardust! Can’t believe I did not have this album in my teen years. And of “Changes” has some of my favorite lyrics of all time…words that were used before one of my favorite movies…”The Breakfast Club” “And these children that you spit on As they try to change their worlds Their immune to your consultations They're quite aware of what they're going through”

My favorite Bowie album yet! It’s so energetic and unique.

Some really nice songs on here and overall a really enjoyable and well produced album

Probably not the most iconic or the subtlest of Bowie albums, but it’s still excellent. The Lou Reed/Velvet Underground influences are apparent, marking a shift in style from Bowie’s previous work.

One of his best

Fantastic and inventive

Probably my favourite Bowie album, and it's getting a 5 if only for Changes and Life on Mars. Even discarding those tracks, Kooks, Oh You, Fill your Heart, Andy Warhol, Queen Bitch, Quicksand, basically everything is fantastic here. The piano really shines, so props to Rick Wakeman. It's fun and mischievous, a nice lighter Bowie work, like walking round a quaint but busy English town in Spring. 10/12/23

Great older Bowie. Mix of acoustic and electric.

Every song is exciting. Definitely Bowie’ top

Ch ch ch ch ch ch chaaanges

Hunky Dory marked the beginning and the end. It marked the beginning of a persona that had been in the works for some time, needing an springboard for crystallization that would soon embody and define David Bowie for eternity. It also marked the end of the kind of outward expressions of admiration that is sprinkled throughout the album. Never again would he wax poetic about the likes of Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol and simply allowed the music, rather than the persons, to take root and showcase its impact on him. And impact is what has kept Hunky Dory from falling through the cracks over the course of fifty odd years, largely due to the presence of Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life on Mars? and Kooks. If those songs wouldn't have been enough to at least signal the world that David Bowie was due to be a supernova, then the world would have failed spectacularly. The poles that exists within Hunky Dory, the beginning and the end, is what makes this a potent and powerful entity in the Bowie discography; a near-perfect example of genius looking to burst at the seams.

Such a flawless album it needs more than five stars. Again, an album grooved on my brain and absolutely no need to play it again.

Some of David Bowies best!

thank GOD i have a good album!! listening to this all the way through again makes me embarrassed about not including it in my top 5 bowie albums recently. i made notes on each song as i listened: - changes, oh! you pretty things, life on mars: these three just make me so happy. they might be huge and potentially overplayed (especially life on mars) but in this case i don’t think it matters. i love them. “mickey mouse has grown up a cow” will always be a favourite line. the first verse of pretty things makes me feel so cosy and the rest of the lyrics are just so Good - eight line poem: i have often called this my favourite on the album; it might be my most listened to i adore it - kooks: so nostalgic, makes me think of my mum i miss her - quicksand: so beautiful, has my favourite lyrics of the whole album. very powerful song that makes me cry under the right circumstances. - fill your heart - SO FUNKY lovlovlov - andy warhol - least favourite but still nice. easily still a four-star song at least - song for bob dylan, the bewlay brothers: nothing of note to say other than they are so nice to sing and enjoy and be happy at the existence of - queen bitch: if eight line poem isn’t my favourite then this is. i think that’s a popular opinion and it definitely should be

hell yeah man

9/10

Great album