Young Americans

I can't really blame Bowie for being inspired by late 60s and early 70s soul music, but Young Americans is soul the way that the Bee Gee's Main Course is soul or 3 Dog Night is soul, that is, not so much. Only Fame is genuinely funky. I remember feeling a bit queasy when the other hit on the album, Young Americans, used to come on the radio. I was uncomfortable with how much fuss people made about it when much better real soul music came and went in a matter of weeks. But ain't that always the way it is? And come to think about it, part of what bothers me so much about the 1001 list is how colonialist it is, how small-minded, how parochial, giving an inordinate amount of space to anything white, male or anglophile and when they do include music which isn't, more often than not, it's a compromised, bastardized token example. Anyway, enough of my bitching. The rest of the album, with the exception of Fame, is just as inconsequential as the title cut. I will say that the session players acquit themselves quite well, and the album is beautifully recorded. I mean, the album isn't actively unpleasant to listen to, but this is a pretty shallow take on soul. Still, the only outright stinker is the out-of-place Beatles cover Across the Universe. I know it's fashionable to venerate Bowie these days, but not everything he did was wonderful, e.g. the Thin White Puke years. I'm just glad Bowie got Young Americans out of his system and went on to make the Berlin trilogy.

IS it me or is Bowie just overrated?

Genius, Become successful doing glam rock. Then completely change the style and genre. And knock it out the park again. Album flows magnificently. Songs are all on point. Bowie did this in 1975 influenced by funk. Everyone else followed in the 80s. Peerless 5/5

It’s David Bowie

Not my favorite from him but it’s hard to go wrong with Bowie

Wow. Not even a full year in and I've gotten all of Bowie's albums that are on the list. I understand some people's complaints that people shouldn't need more than 3 or so albums on the list. But honestly I think Bowie really is the GOAT and I'm happy he has as many albums on the list as he does. He's my favourite of all time. I'd be fine if he had more. He had an incredible range. Experimented a lot. He's totally deserving. As for this album, it's kind of underrated and overlooked. Some of the best vocals in his career. Just great stuff. Love this album. Love Bowie.

I've never listened much to David Bowie outside of his major hits, but I was captivated by the very first song; excited to hear the rest of it! Win - Absolutely loved. Great song. Fascination - was aight. Would listen to again Right - was groovy! Loved it. Somebody up There Likes Me, the chords used here are really great. Head bopper for sure. Can You Hear Me Across The Universe cover?! Featuring John Lennon on guitar and back-up vocals? A solid take! Enjoyed. ^^Reflecting on his contribution, Lennon later said: "I thought, great, because I'd never done a good version of that song myself. It's one of my favourite songs, but I didn't like my version of it." Bowie concurred, calling the Beatles' original version "very watery" and wanting to "hammer the hell out of it." - Wikipedia Can You Hear Me - Reminded me of Jimi Hendrix. Good track. Fame - Classic Bowie track I've listened to before, sounds a bit different from the rest of the album tonally, but a fine addition to end the album on. This album just made me a David Bowie fan. Great listening experience all around. Definitely coming back to this.

[Editorial Note: For this installment, I have enlisted ChatGPT to write the review. Primarily because I have love for much of Bowie’s music, but I’ve always been kind of indifferent to this record. It just doesn’t work for me in the same way that most of his other 70’s work does, even if there are few fantastic songs - like Young Americans, Fascination and Fame. So, I figured if anyone would find humor in a light-hearted, shit-talking review crafted by AI, David Bowie would probably be near the top of the list. I provided ChatGPT with a simple prompt: “write a funny review of David Bowie’s Young Americans album”. The first take wasn’t very humorous, so I provided a second prompt: “make it funnier and less reverent”. What you’ll read below is its response] Alright, buckle up, because this review is gonna be more sarcastic and less reverent than a cult meeting for David Bowie fans. So, "Young Americans." It's like David Bowie decided to go on a soul-searching trip to America, and came back with an album full of soul music. It's like the guy couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to be Ziggy Stardust or James Brown, so he decided to be both. And let's talk about the album cover for a second. Bowie looks like he's trying to seduce you with his soulful gaze, while also wearing a shirt that looks like it was made out of an old couch from the '70s. But hey, at least he's got that perfectly coiffed hair going for him. But seriously, the sax solos on this album are off the charts. It's like Bowie decided to hire a whole band of saxophonists and just let them loose on the album. And the lyrics? Well, let's just say that if you're looking for deep, meaningful poetry, you might want to look somewhere else. But if you're looking for lines like "Do you remember your President Nixon?" and "Ain't there one damn song that can make me break down and cry?", then this album has got you covered. Overall, "Young Americans" is like a weird mix of Bowie's classic sound and a bunch of soul and funk music thrown in for good measure. It's like he was trying to reinvent himself yet again, but ended up sounding like a confused alien trying to fit in with the cool kids. But hey, at least he's got that sexy saxophone to fall back on.

👨🏻‍🎤🤩🎸⭐️

Wow. David Bowie really was decades ahead of his time. And several years behind. The title track - Young Americans - starts off sounding exactly like the opening theme of a mid-90s sitcom. The rest of the album is, as Bowie described it himself - a facsimile of soul. He does well for a white boy, but I can't help but think that he's making a gesture at the genre rather than actually contributing to it or bringing the music foward. I suspect this album is considered influential because it is a change of direction from an established artist, shining a light on music that hadn't reached white suburbanites before - at least not in a way that could have been considered acceptable at the time. Knowing Bowie and his understanding and love of music, I think this is very much a case of cultural appreciation rather that appropriation, but that being said, Bowie cannot make (and he's admitted this himself with the definition of "plastic soul") this music his own. A famous white boy putting his money and influence into expanding the listenership of the genre is commendable. I think this - today - might not fly the way it did 45 years ago. It is a good album, and a paradigm shift for Bowie, giving a shot in the arm to soul, but ultimately being derivative in a direction that wasn't mastered.

From Young Americans to The Worst version of Across the Universe ever. How can such a great talent be so extremely hot or cold?

What a blast! From the iconic opening track all the way through to the equally iconic closer, this album is just such a treat. You get jazzy funky fun Bowie, crooning emotional weirdo Bowie, smouldering intensity soul Bowie, and boldly venturing into R&B Bowie too! It's an ever shifting sonic kaleidoscope of tones, moods, and styles that blend together with effortless cool. It's about as buttery as Bowie ever gets; we need a biscuit to sop him up! The perfect album for a night owl summer cruise on a hot sticky night with the windows down and nobody else on the road.

“It remains a beloved bright spot in a discography with more than its share."

The Thin White Duke at his best, post Heroin, pre Berlin and cleaning up his act this is a special album. His experiment with white boy soul and with the backing of Carlos Alomar on guitar and the wonderful Luther Vandross on backing vocals, highlights here The Eponymous "Young Americans" and of course his Lost Weekend output "Fame" co written by John Lennon. You can hear the influence of Gamble & Huff and TSOP throughout the album, the rock chameleon doing what he did the best. Love the whole thing and deservedly on the list in my opinion.

An album not talked too much about, though I believe it was his best. Love this album and wish even more people would listen to it.

Bowie does it again. A masterpiece and an ESSENTIAL soul reinvention in his discography. "Fame" is a PERFECT song.

:)

Some of his classics and a very Bowie Beatles cover is on this album. He’s a legend for a reason

I wish the rest of the songs on this album lived up to Fame, which is an unbelievably amazing song. I felt like Bowie was trying a style that didn't really fit as well with his voice...I liked it but didn't love it.

A serious contender for my favourite Bowie album. The only blemish being the inclusion of the lacklustre Across the Universe cover (Bowie loves doing a cover of a 60s band and making it shit - see Let's Spend the Night Together and God Only Knows) and worse, the exclusion of the earth-shatteringly great Who Can I Be Now, one of his greatest ever songs. The backers are the stars here. What an album. What a band. Bowie is the best at almost always having the right people around him. I guess if you don't like sax you won't like this, but I don't know what to say to you. Right is so low key brilliant. Somebody Up There Likes Me is high key brilliant. So is Win.

First and last songs outstanding. Album is very consistent but seems kind of dated.

Holy shit, what an amazing album. This was one of the few Bowie albums I wasn't familiar with; in my mind I think I'd dismissed it as a 'lesser' album between two great periods, and it was definitely under-represented on my 3-disc Greatest Hits collection I had growing up. Bowie is soulful and in fine form. The band is on point, the saxophone is borderline poronographic. 'Young Americans' is a bonafide banger and amazing way to open. 'Fame', 'Fascination', and 'Somebody...' are all funk masterpieces. The rest of the album is very, very strong and 'Across the Universe', for all its 70s excess, absolutely works for me. There's nothing artificial here, it still might not be my favourite Bowie album, but on its own merits, an easy 5/5 and one of the funnest ways to spend 40 minutes.

David Bowie slaps

Bowie was an alien, sent to earth to make records like this. Only he could make a soul album, have it sound nothing like soul, but instead create something this unique and generally awesome. I’ve read a lot of the criticisms of this, which are basically that it’s not soul? Who the fuck cares! We have plenty of soul - we need more Bowie! The Beatles liked Elvis, but as great as Elvis was I’m glad their music didn’t sound like his. Personally this album has grown on me over the years. I wrote off the title track as “too poppy” and on the day I got married heard it in a convenience store in VT and was overcome with gratitude and joy. Since then I’ve been borderline obsessed. Last night I was listening to it with my 4yo daughter. Pretty cool!! This time through Win, Fascination and Right stood out. Certain songs you “need to listen to with headphones” and that is exactly how I’d describe “Somebody up There Likes Me”. Hearing it today I was shocked by the number of layered tracks. The hand clap at 4 mins in, Bowie doing 3 or 4 different backing vocals to close the song, the guitar fills. Sick sick sick. Also sick, having John Lennon feature on your album. This does make me feel guilty for being critical of The Next Day. This man can do no wrong and it’s surely my dumb ears that couldn’t handle The Next Day. Bravo!

One of the great weirdo masterpieces. Normally a white dude playing funk would come off inauthentic or kitschy, but w/ Bowie the artificiality is part of the appeal, and he embraces it so hard that it somehow loops back around to feel authentic again. That plus every single song is a jam in its own right. I fucking love David Bowie.

If I could give this album more stars, I would. Truly one of the greatest artists to ever live and this album exemplifies his musical versatility and willingness experiment with new sounds. Obviously, Young Americans and Fame are the standout tracks, but this album has no misses.

Fascinating move by Bowie into an American soul sound whilst retaining an outsider’s sceptical eye. And no imitation here, but influence, making a fresh new sound. The constant reinvention Bowie had over his career whilst remaining a captivating artist is extraordinary. I suspect there’s an extra star here buy what can you do? It’s Bowie.

Amazing is the only word that does this album justice. The versatility of Bowie is just remarkabe and this album is like many of his pure masterpieces

Is it enough that the title track is possibly the greatest album opener in the history of music? It might be but it doesn't have to be because this album also contains "Fascination" perhaps the grooviest song of all time (or at least the grooviest Bowie tune.) Also, "Fame" features an actual Beatle, so there's that. I know this isn't as beloved as the Berlin trilogy or as iconic as the Ziggy Stardust stuff or as popular as the "Let's Dance" album (I absolutely love all that stuff too by the way) but if I had to pick one favorite Bowie album, it would be this one and maybe that's weird but I don't care, "Young Americans" is my favorite David Bowie album.

I've not listened to much of this bit of Bowie and it’s long overdue. This is brilliant.

Superb. I'd rate it six stars if that was an option.

Loved this. Really did. Was better than expected, and I expected good things. Bowie, at his peak, was a musical genius. This, from start to finish, was fantastic

Wow. This album is awesome. Again I found myself completely unfamiliar with the work of the artist, and I seriously dug this album.

Probably one of the few instances where Bowie’s voice made something worse. The instrumentals were all so good but the timbre of his voice is so nasal and thin that it just doesn’t fit over the funky/soulful beats. Still great though. 9

Fantastic album. Listened to as a whole, you can hear the influence from 70's funk and r&b. When I think of 80's multiculturalism, I think of this album.

Really enjoyed how free and emotional everything felt. All the songs were pretty long which I don’t always like, but the music was given a lot of time to breathe in between the lyrics which really just fit the feel of everything really well. Great album ❤️

4/5

A solid Bowie album, meaning it’s really good and better than the best record from most artists. For Bowie I’d rank it somewhere in the middle of his discography: it’s a good album start to end, but he certainly has several albums with higher highs. I highly doubt he was sober for the making of this record, this is David Bowie in 1975, but it is the most sober sounding of his albums from the 70’s in my opinion. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it also subdues this from standing out from others like Ziggy Stardust, Station to Station, or Low. The opening title track is great, as is Fame of course. In between are solid songs, none of which are particular highlights.

Young Americans Probably the album from his imperial phase I’ve listened to the least and probably the album I think about listening to the least, despite loving the title track and Fame, so I’m not as familiar with it as I probably should be, so it’s nice giving it a considered listen now. Win and Fascination are great, fascination in particular really stuck with me on this listen. Love the clavinet on Right and the harmonies/backing vocals are great. Somebody Up There Likes Me and Across the Universe are an undoubted dip, the latter particularly seems an odd choice and an odd arrangement. Can You Hear Me is great and of course Fame is superb too. You can really hear elements foreshadowing Station to Station, but without that album's darker and more complicated atmosphere Young Americans’ take on soul music has an air of detachment, of arms length aloofness that doesn't quite land fully. Still great though and a solid 4 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Playlist submission: Fame

Good album

David Bowie sure had an ability to sense trends in music and remake himself on the turn of a dime. I appreciate this album and its more soulful feel, but I'm more of a Ziggy Stardust kind of guy where the music felt a little more experimental and less derivative.

Was a huge fan of this "Plastic Soul" album during my Bowie phase (I spent the lion's share of my graduation gift money on his albums). This one made him something of a favored son in Philly which made it kind of special when I saw him twice there on his "farewell" tour. "They've cleaned up the Italian Market!" he shouted from the stage. Favorite is Win. Cassette flip side was tvc15 I believe.

mäh, i dont care for bowie

Thought I liked Bowie. Oh yeah, I do, but not this album. Falls into that category of over-produced 70s popular music, that I truly do not enjoy. Not really even any highlights in it for me. Bowie is a bit of a chameleon. He released the album Earthling in 1997, which I bought and really liked of course, but it had a real 90s sound.

Great album that shows how Bowie could bridge the style of glam rock to a more bluesy and soulful record. Great tunes like "Young Americans" and "Fame" with an interesting version of the Beatles "Across the Universe"

David Bowie is the Best....RIP,you are missed by the World...Ziggy Stardust.....

David Bowie, amazing as always

Excellent

I was too young for David Bowie’s first flourishing in the early 1970s. He was unapproachable cool in the early 80s in his “Modern Love” and “Let’s Dance” era. I can’t believe I’ve never listened to this entire album before. It is stunning.

Killer saxophone Full bodied, artsy pop rock Elevates your mood

perfeito

It was incredible!

5 out of 5. A top Bowie album for me, easily.

A uniquely memorable turn from Bowie that's one of my absolute favorites of his.

The Duke had arrived. Which artists today could go from an album like Diamond Dogs only to one year later make a totally different album like Young Americans. Two incredible but two very different albums. Young Americans is an incredibly solid album and one I've listened many times. Come on generator you've been suggesting great albums but all too familiar softballs. Challenge me.

An absolute creamer

Day311 - this is another great bowie album other than the across the universe cover that i didn’t care for

that's exactly what I like, my first 5/5 here

Another perfect albumm loved it all Best song: young Americans

Probably THE ALBUM that I fell in love with Bowie listening to. 5 stars

Ziggy Stardust forever <3

holy mackerel

Quintessential David Bowie. Fantastic.

David Bowie leaves behind Ziggy and becomes the great white duke. The shitty cover of across the universe non withstanding still a stellar album!

Bowie is one of those artists I’ve heard a lot of but haven’t done the full albums, but have been intending to. I only really knew Young Americans, Fame, and Across coming in. Reading more about him when we listened to Next Day (which I didn’t love) know that he has reinvented himself a few times and this was a bit of a soul-inspired phase. I think I like this Bowie sound the most, but I’m sure that will evolve as I get more into the discography. Thinking about the previous note that Sufjan needed to let loose on the vocals a bit, and this really brings that into focus: just so impressive how expressive and free Bowie is, so hard to capture that on record. The whole album feels so organic. Had to be fun as hell to be in that session with him and Lennon. This session player on the sax really brings it together, and looks like he’s played on just a ridiculous number of other big albums from the era. Have already listened to this one three times today and don’t know how or when I’m going to stop.

Surprising shift from his earlier albums, but still noticeably Bowie. Not a single sour spot or fat. Very fun album

Das ist ja nicht zu fassen. Ein für mich verborgenes Album von David Bowie mit einem schon ganz normalen Cover / Foto. Und dann mit solchen glanzvollen Songs: poppig, soulig. Ein wunderschönes Mainstream Album. Hochgenuss. David Bowie kann alles. Und das auf höchstem Niveau. Unfassbar schön.

Hell yea!!!!! Absolute beauty from the 70s. Sublime dance music for us all!

Top 3 Bowie Album for me. Just class. But maybe I’m biased, I just love young Americans.

So funky!

Noncing young yanks yamma yamma

Bowie's dive into 'Blue Eyed Soul' Young Americans and Fame are the best known hits rom this album but with songs like Fascination and Somebody Up There Likes Me, Bowie once again delves into a different genre to find what he likes. Features some fantastic backing musicians like David Sandborn on sax and a then unknown Luther Vandross on backing vocals and vocal arrangements.

Started the album, got horny, cranked the hog, finished the album, went back for round 2.

YAY 🎉 🎉 🎉 young americans- 10 no question. AINT THERE ONE DAMN SONG THAT CAN MAKE ME BREAK DOWN AND CRYYYY win- 7 or 8 fascination- 7 or 8 right- 9 somebody up there likes me- 7 across the universe- 7 or 8 can you hear me- 7 fame- 8

Another incredible Bowie album containing amazing performances from all the musicians involved. I feel Ike this is one of his more strait forward and cohesive albums. Sonically this might be my favorite album of his, up there with Blackstar. It’s less experimental than is usually expected but the songwriting really shines more because of it. Top tier Bowie for sure.

Magic master Bowie

Every track is a banger.

A short album but very very good! Young Americans a great find for me. Never thought much of Bowie but that changes here.

On the top of his game - the soul vibe. Excellent.

Great album. David Bowie is so ephemeral.

david bowie

Classic album that i hadn't heard all the way through. I'm a phish fan and they have a song called "david bowie" where the only lyrics are davids name. This album proves why that song exists

David very much getting his soulful groove on. Fabulous title track. I also adore Win - it mixes Diamond Dogs disturbia with soulful BVs and floaty gorgeousness. I love Can You Hear Me. Other tracks, eg Fascination and Somebody Up There, have a great groove, but do end up a bit repetitive. I've never really liked Fame, but it's interesting. It's really a 9.5 out of 10 for me, but I refuse not to round up cos BOWIE.

Wonderful.

Wow, I got Station to Station and Young Americans within a week of each other. This one has stayed with me more: though I'm not bothered about the Across the Universe cover, the rest is amazing. Returning to Bowie these days what sticks out to me is the cold detachment of his lyrics; he almost always chooses intellectual experimentation over genuine emotion. Fascination indeed.

just miss once king

I don’t have anything bad to say about this album, it’s so good

It's a good one!

Bowie's aight

I love Bowie. Period.

Classic!

I *am* young American. All night! One of my favorite samples in that song, too. I love when samples make you reimagine an original. “Fascination” is kinda gay. Omg speaking of Beatles covers and samples. I don’t really like “Can You Hear Me” that much… it’s hard to when “Fame” is an option. I also like “Who Can I Be Now?” quite a bit.

One of Bowies finest. I love it. Its a great start, Young American is one of my favourite songs. its amazing. Almost perfection considering its a change in direction and new sound for Bowie. The album has other belters like fame and fascination. Favourite song: Fame and Young Americans Least favourite: All good Album artwork: Amazing cover

Great

Mid-Youth Brittannia. Red hot, pop funk, rhythm and feel and all that's true and real and a 48-K Beatles cover snuck under the covers. Delightful

good one. might buy

his best

não é ícone a toa

Brilliant, and still far from his best work!

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