Reviews (page 9 of 14)
I think I enjoy Bowie when he's a bit more grounded. I like Ziggy Stardust but this might be my favorite album of his. 4.5/5
Hunky Dory, an album by David Bowie, is a piano-based masterpiece that showcases his more melodic side. The album's tracks are characterised by intricate piano arrangements and catchy melodies, demonstrating Bowie's diverse musical talents. His voice is clear and confident throughout, guiding listeners through a journey of introspection and self-discovery. The songs on Hunky Dory lay the groundwork for Bowie's future persona as Ziggy Stardust, with hints of the flamboyant style and theatricality that would define his later work. Tracks like Changes and Life on Mars? stand out as timeless classics, blending introspective lyrics with memorable hooks. Bowie's songwriting on this album is both poetic and introspective, exploring themes of identity, fame, and the human condition. The album's production is polished yet retains a sense of raw authenticity, capturing the essence of Bowie's artistic vision. Overall, Hunky Dory remains a pivotal album in Bowie's discography, showcasing his evolution as a musician and laying the foundation for the groundbreaking work to come. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 5 STAND OUT TRACK - Queen Bitch
Nú mun ég uppskera vandlætingarsvip frá einhverjum með því að viðurkenna að oft á tíðum finnst mér David Bowie frekar leiðinlegur tónlistarmaður nema einstaka lög sem mér hafa þótt skemmtileg. Þannig að ég hef ekki lagt það á mig að hlusta á hann en svo kemur þessi plata og hún er bara stórgóð. Ég hef örugglega misst af miklu með þessum fordómum mínum. Ég er greinilega þessi leiðinlegi.
I may be getting David Bowie fatigue at this point in the list but I can still appreciate this album at least. Not as crazy and innovative as others of his but still enjoyable with changes and life on mars as the standout.
Awesome and a bit goofy
Bowie is so solid. No album has been a 5, but they all have at least one banger. Changes rocks.
4.5
3.5 stars rounded up. Singles are the standouts, but there is also plenty of chaff like the songs named after people, which are skippable.
Yes
I was pleasantly surprised to be recommended a David Bowie album today. While most people divert their attention to "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" or "Heroes," Bowie's early work is innovative and plentiful too. "Hunky Dory" is an all-in-one package. In addition to the famous "Life In Mars", it contains the classics "Changes" and "Oh You Pretty Things." I've got no complaint about the album in general. Great piece of work.
The album as whole is quite amazing. Wildest sounds I’ve heard in an awhile and while there are definite queer undertones for some of the songs. I feel this album being the first to really take off Bowie as a whole. I love to see the inspiration he takes from Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol and The Velvet Underground. You can really see his talent and energy start to take off. I do seem to really draw more towards the first half of the album with songs like Life on Mars or Oh! You Pretty Things. I still see how this album is one of the greats and really stands the test of time. It still having some of the more cheerful and also thought provoking songs making it this really great piece.
Great album. Standout songs: Oh you pretty things Andy Warhol The Bewlay Brothers
Solid album front to back from one of music’s greatest to do it.
Great opening song with "changes". Absolute classic. Pretty things is very beatle-esque to me. Good track. Heavily piano driven which i like with a catchy chorus. Life on mars? need i say. What a belter. Makes you want to get out of your chair and sing from the rooftops. Plus it always reminds me of the BBC TV show. Overall a solid album with a few 5/5 tracks. Rating 4/5.
It’s tempting to give 5 stars for Life on Mars? and Changes (or even just LoM? on it’s own) but pound for pound this doesn’t quite hit the elite tier consistency of Bowie’s next album. Still an excellent, charming record with a good balance of melodic accessibility and compelling weirdness, though. 4.5
80/100 Best Songs: Life on Mars, Changes
Probably a 4.5 for me. I question if I will return to this album, so it get a 4.
Ch-ch-ch-chip 'n Dale ♪ (Turn and face the strange) ♪ It's just so nice on the ears
Jeg tror at det her er en af de første Bowie plader "jeg forstår".
1st time listening to this album. Side two is a different kind of Bowie for me but I really liked it.
I pogged so hard when oh! you pretty things went from rolling to rocking. Insane moment. Overall I love love love this album. Each song fits together very well while also being an unique experience in its own right. My favorites are definitely the first two tracks on this album and the only song I was iffy on was 8 line poem. This album is incredible man.
A lot of nice songs
There are some damn good Bowie albums before Hunky Dory, but this is the first *great* one. Not my absolute favorite, but truly fantastic. 4.5/5
This one is a classic. Bowie's catalog has something for everyone, and it's too hard to pick a favorite. Hunky Dory fits perfectly in the time in which it was released, 1971. Such a great year for music.
This is one of those albums that needs some time to really settle in; I have not heard it before, but it is evident there is an effort to make something special and push the boundaries of conventional pop songwriting. First exposure may appear to go off on tangents, but subsequent listens allows one to hear how each piece of the puzzle fits into the whole, and the original sprawling melodic lines and chord structures reveal more intention. Indeed, I had to re-write my review after the second listen. There are enough left turns in melody, chords, production, and instrumentation to keep the listener's interest, if you like less-conventional song writing as I do. Calling out his influences by name (e.g., John Lennon and Andy Warhol) helps to focus the listener on Bowie's particular grounding while immediately pushing those ambitions to the next level. Somehow he distills glam out from hard rock, theatrics out of theater, psychedelia out from spacey, heavily-delayed guitars, and is able to channel a unique glam pop psychedelia through piano-led orchestration without ever firmly stepping foot into one style too long. I always think of Bowie as an iconic artist--bigger than just a singer--but I never thought about him as a musician; I was moved to look up who played that great piano on this album and was happily surprised it was him. He is equally confident in his voice as his playing and songwriting, experimenting with variations of his abilities, echoing Lennon in "Changes," Dylan in "Song for Bob Dylan", and Lou Reed in "Queen Bitch." Always serving the song, he is both reverent and irreverent as needed.. It's evident that so many bands were influenced by Bowie; I hear everything from Elton John to MGMT and The Killers. I had previously picked up the wrong album by Bowie, liking only the single and not the rest, despite multiple listens. However, I can finally see what the fuss is about. One can dismiss this as self-indulgent and a whimsical flight of fancy but if you let it in, you'll be thankful that such an album exists to color the world and to normalize chasing one's own musings. Turn and face the strange.
Very enjoyable even though I'm not a huge David Bowie fan.
I liked this much more than I thought I would. I think perhaps I've matured into the sound.
This is an album. 4 stars
Genious musician
Generellt sett jävligt bra. Men vissa låtar bara suger.
Great feeling
4.0 + "Hunky Dory" has some of my most and least favorite Bowie songs on it. "Life on Mars?" with its operatic buildup and denouement over swelling and waning strings and timpani is a triumph. "Oh! You Pretty Things" is a beautifully philosophic head-bopper. "Queen Bitch" channels the grit and grime of Lou Reed's NYC, exploring the world of whores and shameful urges. But, there's a long, 3-song stretch in the middle that almost sullies this brilliance. "Kooks" and "Quicksand" are both interestingly arranged and multi-faceted, but Bowie gets a little too zany. I can't get over the way he sings them with a cutesy grin. "Fill Your Heart" is even worse. Most will agree that what makes a record great is the ability to listen to it all the way through without skipping songs. "Hunky Dory" just doesn't meet that bar for me. But I do return often for those 4 or 5 truly incredible tracks.
Second listen. It’s pretty unusual for me to give 2 4 stars in a row. It might be the first time? Anyways, I really like this album. Life on Mars is definitely the highlight for me while the other songs don’t really stick out as much.
Great album by a great artist
Some great songs but also some fillers.
Funky
I continue to find that I love David Bowie…the piano driven music is a change for him. The music has a different feel but is totally Bowie. I think I liked Alladin sane about the same but Loved the Ziggy Stardust album that followed this a whole lot more. Changes is an awesome way to start an album.
Great tunes. Not heard some before
Det er et ret fedt bowie album alligevel. Her nåede jeg ikke at kede mig. Klart et album som kan vokse på mig.
Jeg har aldrig fået hørt hele Bowie albums før Black Star. På Hunky Dory kender jeg nogle sange. Og hvilke sange. Life on Mars? ligger i skarp konkurrence med “Heroes” om at være min Bowie yndling. Changes og Andy Warhole er også blandt favoritterne. De restende sange svinger mellem at være sjove iørefaldende og kraftfulde perler. Det teatralske er normalt ikke min kop the, men i Bowies univers fungerer det helt fantastisk. Dagen tillod desværre ikke lige så mange gennemlytninger som jeg kunne have ønsket mig. Men jeg kommer til at genbesøge albummet igen. 4/5, men måske det kan komme op på en 5er ved nærmere bekendskab.
Bowie!
I'm really debating between 4 and 5 star on this one. There are some amazing tracks (Changes, Life on Mars, Queen Bitch, Pretty Things) but then there are some less desirable tracks (Kooks to point one out). I really like the Andy Warhol track. I heard this album didn't go platinum until the 80s. Bowie's genius was on display here but people didn't get it for a while. I can relate as it took me several years to "discover" Bowie. Somehow, I didn't know or I forgot that Bowie played the saxophone. He even plays the saxophone on Changes! Anyway, not quite there for a 5-star album. But some amazing highs!
great album
A solid Bowie album, though I think I might prefer others a little more? It’s been a while since I’ve dabbled in Bowie, so I have much to revisit and remember, but are least I’m hunky dory to listen to Hunky Dory.
primer album imprescindible de Bowie. Un 9
The first great Bowie album, this is chock full of excellent songs - it's where he demonstrated serious songwriting talent. Big Warhol/Factory/VU influence here in some of the songs.
He’s a superstar.
Interesting artistic album, I liked it. Maybe I got used to Bowie a bit, or maybe it's the shocking streak with garbage albums speaking from me, but I think a 4 with some goodwill is fair here. Most songs are at least decent, with a couple all time bangers. Best song for me is probably 'Life On Mars?'
Y'know, I wanna try something different here. I'm gonna comment on each song on the album. And this decision, by the way, has nothing really to do with the album itself; I just feel like it, mostly. So, to get down to it: "Changes": The song from the album I recognize the best thanks to the cover in SHREK 2 that Bowie features on. And in fact, I like that cover a bit better? A lot better, actually. I credit it mostly to how much older Bowie sounds there. I mean, of course after 30 years he would sound older, but seriously. Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, too, I'll fully admit that, but I really think I'm being genuine here. Even with that, that's not to knock the original here. "Oh! You Pretty Things": During all of the listening I did today, this is the one I came back to the most. I kept getting the title line stuck in my head. Although, of the album's first three main songs, I think I'd put it third of three. I mean, come on, it's just hard to compare when you're standing next to two giants. "Eight Line Poem": Oh, yeah, this. This is one of those "flow over" tracks I have, where I'm pretty likely to zone out during it when I'm doing full album listens. It can be a nice listen; I just don't think it's really worth listening to outside of the full album context or as a coda to "Oh! You Pretty Things". "Life On Mars?": Best song on the album, full stop. I remember the first couple of times I heard it. I probably had the wrong expectations because I kept hearing it described as a parody of "My Way", and I was disappointed when it didn't really sound anything like it, even in a broad "pastiche" sense. I've since gotten over that, and it's just **so good**. I've naturally memorized more lyrics from it outside of its chorus than I thought I would, which means a lot, believe. And for the record: yes, I **do** believe there's life on Mars—in the metaphorical sense this song means it in, anyway. "Kooks": It surprised me to read reviews here and keep seeing people say "Oh, I don't hate 'Kooks'; it's not **that bad**." Like, I'm not sure what I'd consider the "worst song" on the album, but I never thought it'd be this one. I've always liked it, at least because it's fun to sing with the "hung up on romancin'" line. Like, I'unno. It's just a nice, cute song. And a nice little break before what comes directly next, too. "Quicksand": OK, I know I just said I don't know what I'd call the worst song on the album, but if I were hard pressed... I mean, I don't even wanna say this one, 'cuz I know I'd just be saying it only because I find it the hardest song on the album to understand. Taking a guess, I thought it was about that feeling you get when you're lacking inspiration, but it might actually be about not knowing what happens after you die? Something about the "great beyond?" I really don't know, and I'm not terribly equipped to analyze poetic lyrics like this. I like the "Don't believe in yourself" refrain, anyway. "Fill Your Heart": If there's anything I wanna comment on here, it's the same thing Abigail Devoe pointed out when she talked about this song: how Bowie jumps into his falsetto during that last "free-EEEEE." Such a joy. "Andy Warhol": Most of the time I think about this song, it's about how Metallica later quoted it during "Master Of Puppets". And about how I can't **really** hear it? I'm sure it is, but sometimes I'm bad at picking up melodic references like that. Also just the fact that, eh, I'unno. It's fine. I like the "Andy walking, Andy tired" bit, but otherwise... Oh, and of course the chorus, too. I love me my chourses. At any rate, if I were Andy Warhol, I'd like it more than he actually didn't. "Song For Bob Dylan": One time I read on Wikipedia that this was considered the weakest song on the album, and that's how I've always thought of it. Is it really? Probably not, but of every song on this side of the record, I think I'd think about it the least. Even though I did reference/quote the opening lyrics back when I talked about HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED. I mean, you name me another song about Bob Dylan to quote, huh? "Queen Bitch": The best song on side two, hands down. "Bippity-boppity hat," I love it. One time while I was listening to this song, I imagined myself back in mid-1970's New York, dancing in a silk dress around some kind of Bohemian apartment with a glass of wine in hand. I was actually in my family's townhouse wearing a housecoat and holding a cup of water with red Kool-Aid flavoring that'd been squirted in, but, y'know, still. The spirit was there. Real lucky, that Lou Reed, to get this song made about him. "The Bewlay Brothers": The song that actually has the densest lyrics on the album, but I don't mind it as much as "Quicksand" because even Bowie himself said before recording a take not to pay attention to the lyrics. And most of the time, honestly, I don't. Before now, it's been another "flow over" track for me, where I zone out right before the final bit snaps me back in. Just like on "Eight Line Poem", I mostly blame it on the instrumental not being as attention grabbing as some of the other songs. But... Y'know, when I was relistening to this album at, like, 5AM, and I was staring into some of the dark corners of my family's townhouse... With this song filling my ears at the same time, it was actually a little unsettling, imagining what could be hiding in there. Jeez. Overall, let me say first I haven't sampled the entire Bowie ouvre. Heck, I only heard YOUNG AMERICANS just this month thanks to the generator. But I'm fairly certain that once I do, this'll still remain probably my favorite Bowie album. This or ZIGGY STARDUST. It dips a little for me on side two, but come on, it's got "Life On Mars?". Like INNERVISIONS having "Living For The City", that's worth enough points by itself.
I think I’m at a 4. The weird part is that I would usually round up and give an album like this a 5, but for this one, I just… don’t feel that way. It never really connected to me in that way some of the other albums I’ve given a 5 to, but it’s absolutely no less than a 4. Changes & Life on Mars are all-time classics, and I think this album supplements them with really strong stuff that just never quite hit those heights for me (save for Quicksand & Queen Bitch). It could bump up to a 5 later, but I feel pretty good with a 4.
I was never a big Bowie fan, but enjoyed the collection. Thanks.
This is what I imagined an album could be like. It's not just a random collection of pop hits, but a carefully crafted work of art.
Odd and satisfying. 4/5
Pas mal du tout
Still don't like his voice, but I preferred this one over Ziggy.
I like David Bowie, but never really know what to expect…which is part of what made him great. But sometimes it’s too far out there. This, however, is a solid work throughout.
More artsy and melodic compared to the Bowie works I'm used to (I believe this is directly before the Ziggy Stardust era). You can certainly hear flashes of Bowie that would come to be later in the decade following this release. Closer to a 4 than 3 if we're using the five-star scale.
Lekker
Pretty top-notch Bowie
This is a good album, it may be my favorite bowie album back to front outside of Ziggy of course. There are some great hits on here and some really good b-sides too.
Fantastic album.
It’s David Bowie what do you expect, really fun up beat album but the end isn’t as good as the start
So theatrical & fun
Iconic. Not his best, but certainly not the worst. ‘Life on Mars’ gave me butterflies.
The first 4 songs are all Hall-of-Famers... after that it's a B/B+.
4 stars for life on mars alone. What a song.
Bowie before Ziggy, but the pieces are all there. Some of his best songs. Life on Mars is an all-timer, epic piece of songwriting. Loved Queen Bitch and The Bewlay Bros as well.
Great vocals and the album that I have on Vinyl. Always good to listen
This is fun. Going to listen to more of david’s stuff
Changes Life On Mars?
Would be a 5/5 but it loses some points for whatever the beginning of “Andy Warhol” is
I say about 6/10 as it's not my style but I do like some songs
He was really firing on all cylinders during this time, huh? 4.49? Or 4.51?
Really liked some songs on here. Sometimes Bowie's vocals aren't the easiest on the ears
already heard this album a few times. the dawn of glam pop arises.. i like the piano melodies and his bizarre lyricism. really forgot about a lot of these songs that i used to love, like oh you pretty things and changes. there are some odd slow bits that definitely feel more like his first album but overall very interesting and its better knowing how revolutionary this would become. i need to get more into bowie in general. 7.5/10 fav tracks: oh you pretty things, life on mars?, changes, eight line poem
Creative, one of a kind.
Great album
saw someone say this is Ziggy stardust before he became Ziggy stardust and that is the perfect way to describe this album 8/10
Pretty great but wasn't mindblowing. - 8/10
Pretty good. I fell asleep the first time I listened so had to re listen. 8/10
David Bowie on this album is like the Dua Lipa of 70s pop. He cracked the code with songs that were just predictable enough but just exciting enough to be the perfect pop listen. 8.5/10
"Don't believe in yourself" is a great line, really good album overall, love life on mars 8.5/10
Iconic album, but didn't really blow me away. 7.5/10
Really strong start. Life on Mars is an amazing song. Got a little weird on the back half.
Easily my favorite of the Bowie albums we've heard so far...but for me it only gets into "good not great" territory. 3.5.
Have it, Like it.
mega
Great album! Life on mars is an all time great song and one of my favourites
Brilliant David Bowie ❤️
I lovelovelove David Bowie! Hunky Dory is not necessarily my favourite album but still one I greatly love.
En "Hunky Dory Bowie renueva su visión de la música con su mirada caleidoscópica de autor. En este disco lo mismo encontramos música pop con aires clásicos neoyorquinos (extraordinaria la apertura del disco con "Changes") como canciones al más puro estilo folk ("Song for Bob Dylan"), inclasificables joyas entre le glam rock y el art pop ("Life on Mars?") o incluso coqueteos con la música dance ("Kooks"). Me gustan especialmente "Life on Mars?" (cómo no) y "Changes", pero no puedo dejar de citar "Andy Warhol", originalmente escrita para que la cantara Dana Gillespie, cuya versión, publicada dos años más tarde, me parece sublime.
Changes - 10/10 Oh! You Pretty Thing - 9/10 Eight Line Poem - 8/10 Life on Mars? - 10/10 Kooks - 8/10 Quicksand - 8/10 Fill Your Heart - 8/10 Andy Warhol - 8/10 Song For Bob Dylan - 8/10 Queen Bitch - 8/10 The Bewlay Brothers - 8/10 TOTAL - 93/110
Favourite tracks: changes; oh you pretty things; life on mars; Andy Warhol; queen bitch
3.5 - I actually listened to this in 10th grade while working on a project for my creative writing class. I remember it being alright, but I was sad that I wasn't crazy about any of the deeper cuts. I was probably distracted while listening to it, so I thought it might be better this time around. I do appreciate some of the tracks more, but I am still a little bummed that I didn't like anything as much as the hits. The hits are amazing, though.
Enjoyed this. There's a surprising amount of diversity on this album given the "Ziggy Stardust" persona.
Great Album! David Bowie is great. Will have to add this album to my collection.
Good album with a couple of GREAT songs.
There's a reason David Bowie is awesome, and this album is one of those reasons.
it's a solid album with amazing highs like Life on Mars and Quicksand, but sometimes it does feel repetitive or forgettable in my opinion.
Probably need a few more times through to really appreciate it.
Psychedelic and relaxing. Some classics on there. Some I'd never heard of. I liked it a lot.
Oh joy.. Another Bowie album. Saying that... This does appear to be his best. Some great tracks, not too much filler. This might be the highest rating I can give to a Bowie album, given that I just fundamentally don't get it.
Now that we are repeating artists - ratings are more complicated. I like this one more than Heroes so have to rate it higher. If I like the next Bowie more than this - does it automatically get a ‘5’? Good songs here. Like the upbeat, jauntiness.
2015 remaster version Changes - Classic, heard before on Shrek. Oh! You Pretty Things - The piano is just fascinating. Eight Line Poem - Perfect. Life On Mars? - AMAZING, PERFECT, could be my favorite in this album if there's nothing better. Kooks - Some classic Rock for the body, beautiful. Quicksand - Makes me float on the air. Fill Your Heart - Makes me wanna enjoy life, it's a shame that I don't have one. Andy Warhol - The intro sounds like my GameBoy Advance, amazing. Song For Bob Dylan - Sounds like it's name, not into Rock Folk, but I like it. Queen Bitch - Badass, love it. The Bewlay Brothers - Experimental, surrounding, outstanding, my favorite. Top 3 The Bewlay Brothers. Quicksand. Life On Mars?
4.2. This is a good album with a couple of great songs.
Great early 70s glam rock, Bowie was unique and one-of-a-kind. I liked some of his other albums more, for example Ziggy, so after listening to this twice I'll give it a 4.
Feel like he is still setting into his style
Pretty fascinating. A new sound for Bowie, to me. His sound feels like ELO, Beatles, and Bob Dylan. It feels like he is still exploring his sound and trying to find his voice. Really cool to see so many different styles from him.
Album: Hunky Dory Artist: David Bowie Year: 1971 Genre: Art Pop Number on list: 240 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ David Bowie has been a master of the art for his entire career. Hunky Dory is no different. His musical style is able to captivate the audience in a really special way. Fave song: Changes Would I listen again? Yes
Great! Love this one. It's maybe my third or fourth favorite Bowie album.
This was just a delight to listen to. ‘Oh you pretty thing’ absolutely SLAPS. Can’t believe I didn’t know some of these songs. David Bowie’s whole vibe is just great. Will listen again.
Bowie is iconic
Great use of “weird” (in a good way) vocals and instrumentals.
Revolutionary
Life on Mars has so much musical umami
This one suprised me. I've never really listened to much Bowie but wow this was a good album.
I’ve enjoyed plenty of Bowie in my lifetime, but this is actually the first album of his I’ve listened to start to finish. This is great!
Superb!
Another great album by David Bowie. What is there more to say? Well, maybe that 'Low' is more interesting for example. Still a great listen with the top track 'Changes'.
Nice album, I didn't know any of the tracks, but good music. Nothing extraordinary, but sweet and calmly, I liked it.
Very cool album. Changes is probably my 2nd favorite Bowie song of all time. Awesome!
Changes and Life On Mars? are great and are the standout songs for me, but I also quite enjoyed Oh! You Pretty Things, Kooks, and Andy Warhol. The rest of the album can be a bit hit and miss.
angenehm, viel Gitarre, "Andy Warhol" ist funny, insgesamt sehr schön und gefühlvoll
Confession time - I’ve never listened to a Bowie album, which is ridiculous. I’ve heard all the classics, including the likes of ‘Changes’ from this album, which is super. I had no expectations and have to say that I enjoyed it.
Yes
Another of the high peaks of David Bowie's career, but not the highest. It has some spectacular tracks, Life On Mars? may be one of the best tracks of Bowie's career and music in general. The album has a certain monotony that makes it feel boring as the tracks go by. Changes: 9,5 Oh! You Pretty Things: 8,9 Eight Line Poem: 8,4 Life on Mars?: 10 Kooks: 8,6 Quicksand: 9 Fill Your Heart: 9,4 Andy Warhol: 8,7 Song for Bob Dylan: 9,2 Queen Bitch: 8,2 The Bewlay Brother: 8,6
First reaction: oooh! Yay! I'm excited about this one! Upon listening: I really like this. The first song sets an excellent tone for the album. Life on Mars continues to give me goosebumps every time I hear it. Did the kooks get their name from this album? After listening: this just got better as it went on. Really enjoyed this. would definitely listen again, need to listen through headphones next time. Research notes: 4th album. Written mainly on piano (vs guitar for previous albums). Critically well received but didn't chart until after the release of his new album (which blew up). Life on mars was only released as a single 2 years after this album - wtf! The kooks did get their name from this album - that song was written for his son.
The generation that was young at the time of the release (in their 60s and 70s now) kinda fucked up, didn't they? Unfortunately no Homo Superior happened. Sorry, David. The album is nice, kinda cheesy at times (see Fill Your Heart). Is There Life on Mars is still really really good. Metallica definitely was inspired by Andy Warhol riff in their Master of Puppets:)
Mad to think it's not his best
Decent classic Bowie ride
What a fantastic and beautiful experience. I’m lucky to now discover the magic of Bowie. I was always one of those guys that knew only his hits, and loved them. But for whatever reason I never dove deeper and listened to a full album. So excited to discover it all.
A very very enjoyable listen. It was pretty much a sure fire 5-star for me until the final two songs which didn’t strike me as being too interesting. 8/10
Best Bowie album?
Some truly great bangers
Veit at detta e favorittalbumet til veldig mange, men syns sanga som Kooks og Fill Your Heart ødelegge litt. Ellers stort sett høgt nivå. Da e tross alt ikkje alle album som kan skilta med Life on Mars
Ganske ok. Ikkje min favvo
I didn't listen to all the songs, but a nice album
David Bowie is insanely talented and the master of many genres. Very entertaining and cool instrumentation. Changes is the standout hit but all the tracks are cool.
Good album, also not as good as Ziggy Stardust, but that's a tough one to compare too. Will I listen to again: 80%
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It engages me and I actively enjoy most of the songs. Changes and Life on Mars go super hard.
Shrek song shrek song Andy warhol is a cool song
I really like the chill vibes with this. Bowie is great, as usual. Even though I like Bowie, I don’t think this is him at his best. It’s still very good. It’s just that some tracks are kind of duds compared to the rest of the tracks. Anywho, good album! You can’t go wrong with 70s Bowie.
Faktiskt inte lyssnat på Bowie tidigare - bättre än väntat.
Even some of the tracks are clearly 5, I have to save that for even greater albums…
Classique, pas pour tout le monde mais agréable en fin d’après-midi.
Pas mon préféré de Bowie mais good shit quand même.
Bowies my piano man with most of the compositions for the first half of the album but the track "queen bitch" really made my ears perk up. There is an uneasiness/ hidden excitement throughout that keep me replaying bits and peices of many songs.
"Hunky Dory" by David Bowie. It's got some interesting moments. Bowie's eclectic style is apparent, and there are a couple of tracks that stood out for me. "Life on Mars?" and "Changes" have this undeniable charm. However, the album as a whole didn't quite grab me as much as I expected. It's diverse, for sure, but at times, it felt a bit scattered, like Bowie was experimenting with different styles without a clear thread holding it all together. I appreciate the artistry, but I guess it didn't resonate with me as strongly as some other Bowie albums.
One of Bowie's best! Side one has the 2 monster hits and is a group of mostly piano driven ballads that really show his troubadour side with ethereal lyrics and beautiful melodies (especially Life on Mars!) Side 2 shows the more rocking bowie and though the songs are generally lesser known they still tell you that whether he's rocking out or displaying his singer songwriter side, the results are always compelling. 4.5 stars
Good individual songs but not super cohesive as a complete album in my opinion. This would get better on Ziggy Stardust.
Some of the best songs every written here, but unlike Bowie on the album cover, they're not quite as interestingly dressed as they could be.
Hunky Dora has several iconic Bowie songs, including my favorite Bowie song (Queen Bitch). And several really solid songs. But also a couple songs I can’t rate above 3. I really like the overall package, and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It’s the kind of album I can back to all along. But not quite essential, so I can’t pull the trigger on a 5 rating. Very close, but 4/5
Think of this as the proto-Ziggy Stardust album. It has some great hits (Changes, Life on Mars), but seems more like early Bowie than Starman Bowie. It's a great album though uneven.
3,5 Gutes Rock Album das in teilen etwas an little dark age erinnert.
Banger after banger Love everything side One Really love Fill Your Heart, positive vibes please The opening of Andy Warhol annoys me but I like the rest Queen Bitch is great too
Always loved Bowie, didn't know what to expect from this album as I only knew a few titles. Great albums, every songs went together really well. Loved it and will certainly listen to it again and again in the next days
Love Bowie, especially his earlier work.
Квалитетан албум, допада ми се. 8/10
One of Bowies best, a good listen
Ах этот магический Дэвид Боуи. На самом деле никогда по-большому счёту не был его фанатом. Но как же приятно слушать после долбящего в ушки панк-рока жестогоко. Life on Mars? супер приятная, всё очень музыкально и кайфово. Всё таки Дэвид был очень интересным человеком, со своим видением мира, которое очень ярко отражал в музыке. Уникальная манера исполнения, голос, песни, будто бы из других миров. Для меня не тупо топ, но слушать было довольно приятно. Плотная четырочка.
Top notch art pop
Some absolutely iconic songs here, probs because I loved Life on Mars the BBC series, but not all the songs vibed with me.
Starker Anfang, hervorzuheben sind vor allem: Changes, Life on Mars? und Quicksand. Teilweise sehr spirtuelle Texte, mit Bowies Stimme, welche in großen Teilen einfach über dem ganzen Album schwebt, umrahmt von tollen Instrumenten, vor allem Gitarre, Klavier. Lässt zum Ende hin aber nach.
Not much to say, but I haven't listened to Bowie's early stuff as much, but I love it. Really solidifies my love of the rest of his music in general.
Fun! 4 stars. I like Bowie not the least for its queerness.
Excelente
I quite enjoyed this! Multiple tracks I really loved, like queen bitch and andy warhol
Always good
a little bit weird and a lot bit good. maybe bowie at his peak here
Wo
3.5
Lots of great songs on this album. I was surprised by Oh! You Pretty Things, one of my favorites here and I've never heard of it before.
Go
I had never listened to a David Bowie album before, and I went in very excited. It wasn't quite everything I expected it to be, but still had some very strong tracks and none of the lows were very low.
Goed pop album, David Bowie blijft een ontzettend muzikale creatieve geest. Ontbreken van (voor mij) grote hits houdt het in de hoge 4.
know it super well already, great album
Now this is what I’m talking about. When I think about lions of rock and roll music, Bowie stands shoulder to should with the greats. And beyond that, Bowie’s friendship with Andy Warhol as celebrated on this album is one of the central characterizations of the 70s for me. I sometimes feel like I missed out by escaping a heroin addiction and never sleazing out at the Mattress Factory. Incidentally, I recommend Bowie’s turn as Andy Warhol in the movie “Basquiat.” Sort of fun to watch a friend portray the likeness of a friend in homage. I imagine this isn’t the last time we’ll see David Bowie on this list. This isn’t even my favorite era of his. But a really great album all around. A groundbreaking artist in so many ways. Enjoyed from start to finish and enjoyed having the weekend to hear it a couple of times.
The A side here is top notch Bowie, but the B side is pretty spotty. I could really do without “Fill Your Heart”, “Andy Warhol”, and “Song for Bob Dylan”. “Queen Bitch” and “Bewlay Brothers” make it all worthwhile though.
not a bowie fan but u cant deny hes pretty fucking good. would put any of the songs on a playlist but to listen to sometimes high/making art its perfect
Not every songs incredible, but changes, life on mars and queen bitch immediately found homes among my loved songs
Some all time great songs but also some forgettable ones.
so many classics on this, and I don't even consider myself a Bowie fan. 4.3/5 listened 3x
Great album.
7/10
I’ll definitely be listening to this one again. So many lyrics!
The start of a really good run of Bowie albums
Up until this album it struck me that Bowie stuck mostly to portraying characters. The album starts off with a song about “me” and it's like an actor breaking the fourth wall. That vibe continues for the first 3 songs and I wonder whether the narrative has turned to a 1st person perspective, or if Bowie is actually talking about himself at this point. The characters are definitely still there, but it’s nice to have some variety. Bowie is over the brief proto-metal kick (The Man Who Sold the World) and back to his Avant-rock ways. Pianos, saxophones, keyboards, pianos, strings, unconventional time signatures, multiple transitions and movements in a single song – I still can’t fathom how an artist comes up with stuff like this. Standout tracks to me (mostly cliche) are 'Changes', 'The BewlayBrothers', 'Oh! You Pretty Things', and 'Life on Mars?'
I like it.
Enjoyed!!
The album before the Ziggy Stardust period, starts with "Changes" and you can tell Ch-ch-ch-changes is coming and that's enough to make it 4 stars for me, add in "Kooks", "Oh! You Pretty Things", and "Life on Mars?" and you have a solid album. But you really have no idea of whats about to come...
Interesting
so GOOD, musical genius for a reason, a cohesive album but not necessarily to be heard in this order, reminds me why i loved the shrek soundtrack
Pretty good, some perfect songs but the album all in all isn't 100% perfect, I would give it 4.5 if i could.
For the first David Bowie album on this list I think this is solid 4 stars.
This was tough to rate. Every song was really different than the one before or after it. Some really worked for me, but others seemed annoyingly pop-ish. I was settling in on 3 for most of the experience … but after I finished it, I found myself wanting to play it again. To hear the lyrics if nothing else. So that bumped it up to a final 4.
The classic tracks on this are what raise it from being a fairly dull affair to the iconic work that it is.
Some classics, changes + life on mars. Poppy with a cheerful tune. With a lot of spacy sounds, feels very 70s
Bowie rules. Hunky Dory is another example of his finger being on the pulse of pop/rock/whatever. Couple low's on the album but the highs are very high. (changes, life on mars, pretty things)
IS THERE LIFE ON MAAAARS
Good Bowie album yuh
As good as it gets. Not a 5 because theres some misses, but god damn this is a good album.
Some good songs at the and some good at the start but it wasn't banger central
4th best Bowie album. I like Mitsy’s scale, 3.5.
3.7 rounding up to 4
Great album. I found some very nice songs in it.
solid Bowie right here
Some fun bops 4/5
Life on Mars? is one of the greatest song ever written. BEst Bowie album for me. The use of piano is also top notch
One of Bowie's best, all the songs rock and it's a fun album.
Started off strong, then idk
I liked Life on Mars, Andy Warhol and Oh! Your Pretty Things Andy Warhol has an interesting acoustic guitar riff that sounds inspired by more Latin American styles
Very good first half. Weak second half.
typical bowie means atypical than anyone else. A nice album with interesting songs combined with catchy ones
Life on Mars? is one of my top 5 Bowie songs. Filll Your Heart was real weird.
Liked this, melodic, interesting. I often find Bowie's songs too repetitive (thinking of things like "Rebel Rebel"), but none of that here.
good album with some absolute bangers in changes and life on mars. i didn't know the others but they were enjoyable to listen to at least. this really feels like bowie finding his niche, and I'm here for it. favorites: changes, life on mars?, queen bitch
As a lover of Bowie this album doesn't miss, it's got that classic Bowie feel about it and is a album that brings pure chill and good vibes. One of his best albums for sure. Stand out tracks are Changes (shout out to shrek 2), Oh! You Pretty Things and Life on Mars? (One of my all time fave Bowie songs) but there isn't a bad track on this album. This album just lessens the stresses of life as soon as you start listening to it.
Mfing classic
Bowie had “it”. A great album from a star.
Lost my notes on this one... Basically Bowie is hit or Miss with me, but this is one album of his I adore.
3.9 stars
Hits and generally good.
9/10 outstanding album. One of my Bowie favorites.
Not all the songs I liked but had some classics on it Spotify repeated the album and had not noticed was an enjoyable album.
I've only hear some of Bowie's hits before, but this album has definitely made me want to hear more. There were a few songs that were sub-par, but over all this was great. I guess there's a reason he's held is such high regard. 4.5/5
Good album which tails off towards the end. Amazing musical talent but requires more quality control.
an absolute classic and it makes life nice
BANGERS
Hey, it's Bowie. And a very good David Bowie album at that. Life on Mars? is an old favourite of mine, and the whole album holds up very well.
Bowie nearly at his best, and in one instance, reaching it (Life on Mars?)
Another album with some amazing songs by David Bowie. I think it should always be an automatic 4/5, and if most of the songs are great, then an easy 5. This time the legendary "On Mars" put a shade on the rest of the album, so I didn't really enjoy other tracks the same way. I will give it another go in the future, but for now it's just 4 stars.
4.5
Better than average Bowie, based mainly on the overall musicality but also for the (relative) restraint he shows in not overdoing things, as he usually does. Several plus songs, too, starting with "Changes" and thru "Life on Mars" and quite a few excellent, even earwormy hooks.
Probably not his best, but it's Bowie and there are some classic songs on this album.
Outstanding
This was David Bowie's gateway to himself. Already well established by the time he put out this album, the change in songwriting and some notable songs like Changes and Life on Mars? primed him to create Ziggy. Listening through this album takes a little effort, but it's worth it. 3.5/5
can't believe he stole that song from shrek 😔
Love it!
Some classic Bowie creativity here. Not as flashy or artistic as the later material but some bops and high levels of talent.
Hunky Dory is a really well-crafted album. It loses a bit of momentum toward the end, otherwise it would easily be a 5★.
We'll see if this is one of the boring Bowies are one of the great Bowies. Turns out it's his most approachable album with some real hits. Great listen.
So this is my 7th Bowie album in the 1001 project, and I am still no closer to understanding why he is revered as much as he is. That said, this is a solid album and the best of the 7 I have listened to. Changes and Life on Mars are very pleasant songs so I will be charitable and give this 4/5
Discazo 8/10
Favourites: • Oh! You Pretty Things • Life on Mars?
Just some of the best pop songs
Bipperty bopperty
It’s not my favourite Bowie album but it does have a few bangers.
Pretty cool record! Might have to give this a few more listens to really appreciate the record. Queen Bitch is probably my favorite so far.
This confirmed a minor complaint I have with Bowie. There are always some amazing concepts but the execution isn’t quite what I want. It’s sparse. I want a horn line or more from the accompanying vocals. To say it differently I just want Bowie doing everything he does but with a more assertive producer.
Not really listened to a full Bowie album before. Few bangers and some weird stuff.
Yeah this is a good one. Funny, I played it for Sadie a few months ago and didn't care for it as much as I did back in college when this was on constant repeat. But today it hit just right. It's not quite a five, perhaps, but the great ones are among his greatest. Life on Mars might even be his best song ever, which is saying something.
Perfect Bowie album
A banger of an album from Bowie, defo in his top three. Queen Bitch is the stand out ‘not greatest hits’ track
Picked up at the end, strong side B. I'm not a big Bowie fan and I only really like the ziggy stardust album, I can see why fans are into this record.
It’s getting close to peak Bowie. His summit would of course be Ziggy Stardust, but this is pretty close. Its generally mellower and has quite a bit of piano work and strings and features some of his best songs which include Changes, Life on Mars (which IMO is one of his most beautiful songs) and Queen bitch. Overall, this is album is amongst Bowie's very best and that's saying a lot.
Changes, Oh, You Pretty Things, Life on Mars (best song), Kooks, Fill Your Heart, Song for Bob Dylan, Queen Bitch and The Bewlay Brothers. His first real glam rock album and it fucks. Only a couple part that make me not give it 5 stars.
Soft 4 Queen Bitch is a 5, Life on Mars, Quicksand
Fantastic album. This is the type of David Bowie I've been waiting to hear on this list. 4.5/5 FS: Changes, Pretty Things, Mars, Quicksand, Warhol
Bowie's vision starts to take flight here. Life on Mars? and Queen Bitch are stone cold classics. Quicksand is an underrated gem. It's not 100% perfect but that will come later from Bowie. Still, it's a damn good album.
One of the great Bowie's albums, but still far from his Berlin's trilogy.
This one is not even in my top 5 David Bowie's album, but it's still a very great one. Changes, Oh You Pretty Thing, Life On Mars and Quicksand are top-tier songs.
Bowie is pop... Sort of? Kind of not any one thing. And this is one of his best. An easy 4 for me. And I'm sorry happy that Trent Reznor introduced him to me as a teenager.
This album has some of my absolute favourite Bowie songs on it. Life on Mars, Changes and Andy Warhol alone make this album great.
I love this album. Changes is a great song. David Bowie is great at making big and epic songs.
Really great album. Distinct songs with wierd chords structures and lyrics, but somehow it just works
My love for Bowie is through the roof, this album has Life on Mars which is just the best to belt out, his vocals are on point. Brought down in small part by limited notoriety of other hits on here, but amazing regardless
Starts slow and gets better
Much better than Ziggy for me, great album
very good
Easy listening, and nobody does it quite like Bowie
Rick Wakeman has said this is the best album he ever made: "... It’s faultless, such great musicians, there wasn’t anything that wasn’t right about that album." "Changes." "Andy Warhol." "Oh, You Pretty Things." "Life On Mars." All four of those songs are very high on my list of favorite Bowie songs. I think it's telling because Wakeman plays piano on most of them, but still Bowie songs. If it was just these songs alone it would be close to a 5. But the other songs... Some are really strong, like "Eight Line Poem" and "Kooks", but there are some that are definite b-sides, like "Fill Your Heart," which I felt was supposed to be more tongue-in-cheek than anything else. "Song For Bob Dylan" has a guitar feel more like Queen, but still it's pretty good. "Belway Brothers" has a bit of a cartoon-y end, which is... odd... And then it's over. And you're kind of hoping for a better ending, but no luck. I'm glad that Bowie shifted to more of a piano-based album, it really shows how much he expands in his ideas. "Kooks" is one of the songs he resurrects from his very very FIRST album. It still works, too. But ultimately, I can't give this a 5. A 5 is an album I would come back to again and again and listen to it start to finish. "Belway Brothers" and "Fill Your Heart" are just.... not as good as the other songs. And putting "Belway Brothers" at the end like that puts a sour taste in your mouth, like a bad aftertaste on a desert to an exquisite meal. It's a really good album and has some of my favorite tracks, but it's just not great.
The highs are so high but the b sides just don’t cut it to get it to a 5. Great listen overall though. Excellent production. I’m sure others will have more to say as I’m relatively unfamiliar with Bowie
A little annoyed by the voice, some cheesy lyrics, but otherwise sounds great. Needs more listening to really get into
Great vocals. Very emotional when mixed with the instrumentation.
It's Bowie. It's probably his best album. It has Andy Warhol and Queen Bitch on it. And the rest. What else can I say?
Such a great album, and considering he brought out the rise and fall of Ziggy stardust 6 months later is insane. Need to listen to more David Bowie
Wonderful Bowie album! Great singles, and a few of the deep cuts hit hard, as well. Favorite tracks: Changes, Life on Mars, Andy Warhol, Song for Bob Dylan 4.5/5
4.5/5. Pretty good. Not my favorite Bowie album, but it's certainly a good one. I enjoyed every song off this.
he’s such a goofball
À réécouter, je n'étais pas assez attentif, mais c'est exactement le genre de son que j'aime de Bowie. Un autre album qui se fait vraiment sentir comme une oeuvre complète intégrale et non un ensemble simple de chansons. 8/10
I HATE Changes, it annoys me irrationally. The rest was good, obviously.
Great album. Here when Bowie really stood out and made a difference from the average
Elsk!
Well balanced and accessible (all the piano helps, no doubt), this feels considerably less contrived and thus more substantial than many other Bowie outings. It's almost as if he just wanted to make music and write songs. "Changes" is a great song and "Oh! You Pretty Things" is decent, too, but a bit too theatrical from one's personal tastes. The same is true of "Eight-Line Poem," though is noodles pleasantly (especially the guitar parts). "Quicksand" coheres credibly; its sophistication merits the lavishness (both vocally and in the strings). "Kooks" feels Kinksish, likably so, and illustrates just how more might have been less for Bowie, had it ever occurred to him to do less. (The same could be said of the intriguing closer "Bewlay Brothers"). The last few songs are interesting – if only because of their subject matter (Warhol, Dylan, Lou Reed) – but not much more than that; they might even be interpreted, given the writer, as a sort of trolling or market positioning. "Life on Mars?" largely deserves all the lauding it's received, but as a prequel to Zigggy (along with "Queen Bitch"), one starts to get a bit nervous (or feels an allergic reaction) to the many excesses of the later record and future developments. Indeed, one's always had the operating theory that ambition – which took the form of habitual reinventions – was not necessarily the friend of Ziggy/Aladdin Sane/Thin White Duke/Tin Machine head/etcetcetc. To be clear: this is a strong record and perhaps one's favorite Bowie record, though that affections doesn't preclude one from seeing in it the seeds of all that makes for one's love-hate relationship, which could be more accurately described as ranging from grudging admiration to a somewhat disdainful sense of his being-overrated (especially by the editors of this book).
Loved! whimsical! High energy! Theatrical! Oh you pretty things was a fav! Was bopping my head and feeling fun
So many classics
Good stuff. Bowie is a legend for a reason.
Good album
Changes - tasty shit Oh! You Pretty Things - sounds like elton john and "i miss" by blackwave. Eight Line Poem - actually 8 lines, fun vocals Life on Mars - classic Kooks - meh Quicksand - surprisingly melancholic, love it Fill Your Heart - extreme kumbayah vibes Andy Warhol - chaos, but interesting chaos Song for Bob Dylan - cute tribute Queen Bitch - actually sounds like queen, solid The Bewlay Brothers - intriguing
Love how David Bowie was always so willing to reinvent himself, evolve, experiment, and try new art. This album has some superb tracks on it, and overall it is composed so beautifully. The more melodic, warmer, piano-based songs are a nice departure from the harder, guitar-driven rock of his previous albums, much as I love those too. As usual, the performances are excellent. I didn’t realize Rick Wakeman plays piano on this album. Fantastic. A lot of the songs on this album are either new to me or I just don’t remember hearing them, and I will give this album more attention so I can listen to the lyrics. He’s an excellent writer.
I’ll start by saying, I actually couldn’t gauge how I felt about this album when I started the first track. Don’t get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY love David Bowie’s music. It’s fun, energetic, raw, and most importantly it’s extremely catchy. On any other day, I would’ve been ecstatic to have this one come up. But just the night before, my next door neighbor kept my wife and I up most of the night by blasting loud, bass-heavy music that, and I quote “those darn kids love so much now a days! Dagnabit!!!” I know, I know, I sound a million years old! My apologies, old man rant over. So this morning when I turned on the album, suffice it to say I wasn’t sure if this album was gonna be my vibe. But I was wrong DEAD. WRONG. It was EXACTLY what I needed. When the first opening keys of “Changes” came on, I was instantly taken back to my days as a teenager; no bills, no rent, no responsibilities, just life at its most care-free. When your biggest worries we’re a test the next day, or what you and your friends were going to do over the weekend. Such a fun yet deep song about how life is an ever-evolving creature that feeds off what may come to be and the promise of tomorrow. But more importantly, how futile it is to fixate and focus on what may have come before, instead of embracing the possibilities, chances, opportunities that could be waiting just ahead. From there, it takes the listener on a wild journey with a multitude of different sounds, styles, and influences. From the loud highs of “Oh! You Pretty Things!”, “Life on Mars?”, “Andy Warhol”, and “Queen Bitch”; To the soft lows of “Eight Line Poem”, “Quicksand”, “Song for Bob Dylan”, and of course “The Bewlay Brothers”, this album was such a fun listen. So much so that I immediately had to listen to it again to let it all sink in further. Anyway, todays’ lesson kids: never doubt the healing power of Bowie 4.75/5⭐️- an album and it’s message that any generation can relate with;
Score: 70 David Bowie has too expansive of a discog for me to know where to start so it was fun to listen to an album. I really like some of the songs on here and others kind of just didn't stick with me too long. The last song was particularly interesting with a very strange outro. I'm sure there are better bowie albums
First time listening to a Bowie album in full and knowing only his hits.. it was pretty sick. This is all very good and then you have Life on Mars? which is on another level. A cool man and a cool album. I am looking forward to more.
Some classics but my least favourite Bowie from this era 4*
Wow. The best word I can use to describe this album is just artistic. Every track is written witch such a high level of intentionality and care, it’s wonderful. I mean, starting with Changes? What an opening track! Bowie’s meticulous craftsmanship allows for so much growth. Speaking of Changes again, the changes and crescendos are what give the song so much depth. It allows for a stronger emotional impact. Specificity is a perfectly utilized gift here. Faves: Changes, Life on Mars?, Oh! You Pretty Things!, Kooks
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Changes, Life on Mars, Queen bitch
Great collection of sounds with some classic Bowie
great 70s album
Liked it a lot. More of a 4.5
One of the highlights of David Bowie's wildly diverse output! This record features some of his best known songs, but also a very comforting collection of songs. The lyrics get cryptic as you can expect on a Bowie record. And the music is excellent, very piano driven and melodic. Rick Wakeman's contributions are key. Favorite lyrics: -So the days float through my eyes. But still the days seem the same. - I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought. And I ain't got the power anymore. Key tracks: Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, Life On Mars?, Kooks, Quicksand, Andy Warhol, Queen Bitch, The Bewlay Brothers. 8,5 out of 10