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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

:)

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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

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

Talking strictly about Bowie's songs without everything else his persona/career encompassed is a bit reductive, but here we are. This just reinforces my view of him as a "greatest hits" kind of artist. Album opens and closes with a couple bangers, does OK with a Beatles cover and then shuffles through whitesy funk a lot with a bunch of songs I've already mostly forgot about. I think it's the "I'll forget about this" that makes this seem so flat as an album.

This is not good. From the rampant commercialism of young Americans to the oh so ironic fame. This is an exercise in posturing. To cap it all there is a ghastly cover of across the universe to sit through. There are much better albums of his caterwauling. This is not one of them.

I know Bowie is considered one of the all-time greats, but Young Americans just didn’t do it for me. I can respect the shift into “plastic soul” and how experimental this was for him, but most of it felt flat. “Fame” is alright — probably the only track I’d revisit — but the rest just kind of blends together in a way that didn’t stick. And I have to dock a star for his version of “Across the Universe.” Some things are better left untouched, and that cover didn’t do Lennon/McCartney any favors.

Classic! I guess you can tell I was a teen in the 70’s

Sick.

This is great. The saxophone in this album on point. Makes me wanna do some cocaine and party with bowie!

own

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 ❤️

Really really good. Gospel Bowie was unexpected but really great. Bookends of iconic Bowie singles but everything in the middle was great too.

Nice blast from the past listen, enjoyed it.

Never had an Bowie ecxperience. It's wildly different.

4.5 Didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first two Bowie albums I got but it's still really good

A wonderful transition album where Bowie learned a new idiom. The funk and RnB jams are super satisfying, even if they sometimes feel that they are missing a little songwriting at their core. The backing vocals are rich and voluptuous (shout out Luther Vandross) and the band is on fire throughout. Bowie more than holds his own vocally despite not completely meshing with the musicians (the ‘plastic’ in ‘plastic soul). The additions of the tracks with Lennon somehow give the album an unfinished feel, but this record was a necessary piece of education for Bowie that paved the way to Station To Station, where he would make the sounds, rhythms and feels more his own, integrating them with his personal coke-fueled weirdness.

Bit surprised to see this Bowie album on the list as it's probably his worst of the 70's. Still, it's Bowie and got some really good songs on it!

Good album!

Really liked

Really funky. Young Americans and Fame are the highlights here, fame might actually be my favourite Bowie song. Great

Bu adamın yaptığı işleri beğenmemek elde değil

Not like my faaaavourite Bowie but listening in the context of this as a lead in to the pure genius of what came a year later makes it kinda fun. And the title track and Fame are some big old bangers

My late father was a big big David Bowie fan. So big he named me after him. So my name is David. If I wasn't named after him, my name would be Jens. That was my mother her chose. Before you think Jens? You must be German. No i'm Belgian. Anyway enough talk about my little little little self. I really enjoyed this album. For me personally it doesn't have a bad track on it. And no I don't say this because I was named after him. 4/5

Great album….Bowie changing his style yet again . A couple standouts ..really enjoyed it

It’s ok actually. Nice music.

8/10 - The more I listen to Bowie, the more I am impressed by his ability to be influenced by other styles and meld them into his own sound. Big fan of this album and its Funk/Soul underpinning.

The "plastic soul" album. Some interesting vocal arrangements. Perhaps Across The Universe could have been replaced by one of many outtakes from sessions but a solid piece of work nonetheless.

Great musicianship, groove, and vibe. Funky musicians make funky music. Each song is unique but the record is still cohesive.

Enjoyed this one, different sounding Bowie from other albums of his I have listened to

Enjoyable album to listen to. A pivotal career moment (but so many).

He's the goat

‘‘Twas smooth, catchy, lyrical, wonderful

This album taught me that there really is no such thing as too much saxophone.

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

I really dig this plastic soul era Bowie. Young Americans and Fame are two of his best ever songs and the two Bowie songs most likely to get a spin when I'm DJing. It's not his best album or even my favourite, but the band is hot and funky and soulful. There is a cocaine sheen over everything, but I really like 70s soul and so this album fits right into a sweet spot for me. Is it pastiche, or homage, or actual (blue-eyed) soul? Hard to tell, but I can listen to this all the way through very happily any time. The cover of All Across the Universe is the least essential track on the record.

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.

love an artist that's versatile. some incredible stuff but also weak boring stuff. cool album but like you're better off checking out bowies other stuff

Not totally successful for me as an album, but what if you switched the order for Young Americans and Fame? Somehow that feels like a better arc.

The “Plastic Soul” album. It stands because it helped introduce soul and R&B to a much larger audience, but it’s also clear that Bowie was wading foreign waters. ‘Fame’ is an all-time favorite of mine, the cultural significance is there, the songs are largely middling.

Not a favourite Bowie album. He’s not a soul artist. It’s no Low. Maybe repeated listens would help because the stand out tracks for me were the two big ones. Across the Universe (which has less of a soul vibe) is not good. Somebody up there likes me must have been listened to by George Michael.

This was a slog for me, most songs just chugging along with no great melody and a semi soul sound. I suppose at least it wasn't Tin Machine

Are you forcing me to listen to all his albums in a month?

I don't like this that much actually. I have a lot of respect for Bowie as an artist but I don't really like this? nevermind this is banging just slow which is nice I'm sure this album is fine I'm just stuck in the torment nexus

Heard Before? Yup. One of the several times I've tried to get into Bowie. Notes: - production is more or less perfect. great sounds, well placed. - so many ingredients i love: lots of keyboard work, cheesy sax, group background vocals, long vamps, false endings, compositional variety. - so why don't i care? - the problem, as often, lies in how despite my heart admiration for Bowie's stylistic risks, everything he did was done in a more interesting way by someone else. - i take that back about the long vamps. these songs are mostly underwritten and endless. kind of grating. Verdict: Bowie Bowie Bowie. And more Bowie. Your mileage may vary. Listen Again? Nope.

I know he's known for re-invention and innovation. This album does just sound like a mid 70's pop rock album though. Maybe Fame pushes the boundaries, or maybe I'm just an ignorant slut? Across The Universe is not a great cover either.

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.

DNF, just very boring and very unlike any other music by Bowie I know. Surprising in a not good way! Not a single favorite out this album, sorry

Awful

Goated

I love David Bowie so much. I never listen the hole album before. My favourite album from David Bowie is ‘Diamond Dogs’ but I feel like this suits me better.

so far rly cool, v dif from bowie's more well known sound. track 1 good, wanna listen in the car on a roadtrip w windows down. win was so fire to listen to high w the sun coming thru the window, lyrically rly interesting i gotta relisten. NEED to have sex listening to fascination omg this song is so hot. right was just okay tbh. somebody up there likes me was shockingly christian. across the universe kept going from really interesting to boring over n over idk it was weird. can ypu hear me was a rly cool song i liked it. i wanna see fame in a movie. idk what the context would be but it'd b fire in a movie.

Excellent blend of funk, R&B and glam rock. Some of the most infectious bass lines I've heard, and Bowie is at his most electric. Lot of hidden gems on the album as well, no real weak spots or low points. Top tracks: Win, Fascination, Fame

Hard to believe that this was 1975 given how modern the sound is.

One of the best!!!

Love Bowie 100/10

embarrassing asf i havent got into bowie up until this point. yeah i get it.

Brilliant

The Best

Really enjoyed. Very laid back and soulful.

I love David Bowie, a masterpiece of course

No idea I could be elevated via a music album.

One of my favorite Bowie albums!

This was great, it felt combative almost though i couldn’t tell you why. Just feels a bit like he’s in on something you’re not and you have to keep listening to try and get in on the bit.