Young Americans

I’m glad that David Bowie seemed to have a fun time with creating this album, as unfortunately it wasn’t quite as much fun to listen to. Nice in the background, but only Fame really excites me.

4/10 An album where David Bowie attempts funk but, weirdly enough, ends up doing easy listening.

One of the running jokes in the 1001 Albums community is how much Bowie is on the list, so I chuckled when I saw this, the SEVENTH Bowie album for me so far... I like this funk/soul era of Bowie. Not sure the Beatles cover was necessary, particularly that song, but it wasn't too bad. (And now reading the Wiki I see that Lennon actually collaborated with him on it - that changes things considerably. I suppose it WAS necessary?) I'm a little surprised I didn't know about Lennon's involvement with this album given my lifelong love of all things John, but I suspect I DID know about it at some point and have forgotten. Getting old sucks. I do not believe that anyone needs to hear seven David Bowie albums before they die. This one is more essential than a couple others on the list, though.

Un disco increible

Maybe not my favorite David Bowie career chapter, but hard to dispute a top-100 song at the end.

Treacherously close to 2-stars, but “Fame” saved this at the end

outside of the "across the universe" cover, this album is perfect. i don't even think the cover is bad, just not as good as the original and feels unneeded.

Sound like 80s from the 70s. Several great songs - a few bad ones.

Sigh... It's David Bowie I guess

I love this album in particular. I highly recommend it to those who only know Bowie through his hits. It's an album that showcases one of the most interesting facets of the Chameleon. You could call Young Americans "Bowie's Soul." My favorite song from Bowie's career is here: "Somebody Up There Likes Me"... which once again proves how much the GTA game franchise influenced my musical taste. Anyway, as I've said before, I'll say it again: Everything Bowie released between 1969 and 1983 = 5 stars

I only knew Young Americans and Fame. I hadn't heard the "plastic soul" of the rest of the album. Love it!

guapo

A very enjoyable album on which David takes the R&B/Soul detour. Not his best album but still on rotation at my place.

I haven't listened to much Bowie (just "Low" and "Aladdin Sane" so far), but I could tell this album was different from his typical fare at the time. Most of the songs were 80s-sounding numbers complete with soulful vocals, choir backing, and liberal use of saxophone. In fact, the song that sounded the most like Bowie was a John Lennon cover song, "Across the Universe". Because I'm not into 80s R&B, I wasn't a fan of this album. But sometimes artists feel the need to experiment with their music, and that's fine too.

09/13 Meh. Was okay

One of my favorite Bowie albums. He's got Vandross singing background out there, incredible stuff. Don't understand why this doesn't get the same praise as other Bowies but this is an incredible post-Ziggy statement in one of his transitional eras before the Berlin trilogy. As you can see from the most popular reviews people are very weird about this album. Don't listen to them - this is Bowie during his creative peak. Only critique is he didn't need the Across the Universe cover but I don't hate it to be honest. Standouts: Young Americans, Fascination, Right, Fame

Young americans - 5/5 Win - 2/5 Fascination - 3/5 Right - 4/5 Somebody up there likes me - 2/5 Across the universe - 4/5 Can you hear me - 4/5 Fame - 4/5 Who can I be now? - 3/5

Paez que me gusta Bowie

Review - a better album than I remember it being. Generally not my go-to Bowie era but the more I've listened the more I've found to enjoy. He's such a great vocalist and he really got to show that off in his soul era. The backing vocal lines are so great (I've seen that Luther Vandross wrote a lot of the backing vocals? One of Bowie's skills was surrounding himself with talent) Still not a top Bowie album for me, but if you need to hear a plastic soul album you can't do much better. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Went in with low expectations for Bowie, but got to admit this was a fun album. A few hits, and it was funky. Plenty of saxophone too… Rating: 7/10 Favorite Song: Fame

The ever-shifting Bowie goes soul, this album was the first collab with Carlos Alomar and also sees Bowie working with Lennon on a couple of tracks. Not the Bowie album I reach for most often, but still a classic.

Probably my least favourite of his 70s run of albums (with the exception of Pin Ups) but still has Fascination, Fame and the title track which are all superb

Not the best Bowie album but it’s got some strong tracks

Some of my favourite Bowie songs (and one of my favourite Beatles songs) on the same album.

I still don’t understand how Bowie gets away with his Nazi sympathies in the cultural consciousness but this is a good album, especially the title track. Three stars. Tom.

really not enjoying this. would actually say i hate this. i never thought there would be a world where i didn't like an across the universe cover

Some good songs here but a few that do nothing for me

For as much as I love Bowie this one had mostly escaped my attention. But what I wonderful little nugget. An obvious homage to the brand of soul being being vended by black American artists of the time, it unsurprisingly supersedes its source material to become uniquely Bowie pretty much from the title track on. Not every song sparkles with the timeless majesty of that track but they are all likable and listenable and, at times, sublime.

One of the ballsiest moves any artist has made. Still riding on the glam success of Ziggy Stardust in 1972, Bowie decided to record a soul album in ‘75 and pulled it off to great success. It took me a few years to get to know this record, but once I did it became one of my favs.

i like bowie but it's not my fave album. fame was my fave song

Some really nice guitar work on Right and some lovely sax riffs on Somebody Up There Likes Me

Nice album, was listening to it while going to school. Definitely vibes type of album, I had a strong glam vibe from it. Nothing really stands out to me, it didn't immediately capture me like other albums did but give it time. I'll listen to it again :)

la verdad no me mató, me faltó algo

Enjoyed this one

I probably had overly high expectations but I was a little underwhelmed by this. There were a couple of excellent tracks but the rest was a bit disappointing.

My least favorite 70s Bowie album, his voice and style don't work for this soul adjacent style of music

great vibes. Win - the surprise of the album

nice fun tunes, another 4 for Bowie

Everytime we have a Bowie album on this list, I think, how have I never sat down and listened to him. This was great. It is kind of mad how he can switch from this genre to more experimental, to whatever else he wants to make. this is just one of those solid albums that make this process easier

Pure quality this. Might be my favourite Bowie album we've had.

Classic Bowie.

Καλό ξέρω γω; Έχει το fame μέσα

I love Bowie so I was surprised by how meh I felt about this. Nothing stood out either as very good or very bad. It was fine.

Why does Bowie look like Carrie Fisher on the sleeve, here? this album kind of just is what it is. Fav tracks: Win

This is funky and cool. The opening track is the obvious standout. I let it play through twice and appreciated the full work more the second time around. 3.5/5

Cool how funky this album is. I don’t remember Bowie stuff being quite this bass heavy but maybe I’m wrong. It was enjoyable but not really something I expect I’ll go back to a ton. Young Americans is cool. Fame is unique. Horns had a nice touch. I really did not like the Across the Universe cover. Probably keeping it in the 3 range because of that. 3.25

Solid opening and closing tracks. Pretty meh in the middle. But still giving it the Bowie Bump. 3.75/4

Bra ett album jag redan lyssnat på en del, inte han bästa men där uppe i toppen absolut.

This cover of Across The Universe had made me very poorly. I think this album gives off a feeling of trying really, really hard. There is something effortful about it in an uncool way. Fascination, Fame and Young Americans work in isolation, but as a collective, this album has the same energy as girls at school who wanted to become singers, so they would croon by adding unnecessary trill and warble onto every note. I get that this soul inspiration is like a nice nod to an alternative genre and it's probably the result of a lot of passion, but I just find something about it so smarmy.

great

This sounds like if Ziggy Stardust had the 'BAD ENDING' and he has to live as as a human and not as a weird alien twink thing. 2/5

Bowie is really great. This wasn’t as strong as Stardust but I really enjoyed the title track and Fame was particularly funky. Bowie’s vocals are always incredibly strong.

nice album, wenig bes keis het mega usegstande aber has grundsätzlich gern glost

Favorite Song: Fame Least Favorite: Right

1973 release, has a peculiar version of "Across the Universe" by Lennon McCartney. Fame would be the single from this record, other songs seem to have mostly faded away.

I MEAN... how can you not like Bowie. This was funkiest bowie i've ever heard.

Reminded me of Rocky Horror. And I didn't really like Rocky Horror outside of Glee camp-yness of it all. I expected Across the Universe to be my favorite (ly Fiona) but god actually it kinda sucked. Can You Hear Me was nice and ofc Fame

Really enjoyed having this playing throughout the day. Fame is so funky it makes me need to move and bob around. I like it overall. The album cover I really dig too.

Funky David Bowie, why not. I do like David Bowie of course but of all his albums I Must Hear Before I Die is this really one of them? I think it’s telling that the most I perked up was in the split second when Across the Universe started before I processed that yeah that’s a Beatles song and I’d rather just hear the Beatles do it. Fame is pretty great but nothing in the rest leaps out at me. Meh. Second act montage needle drop in my biopic: “Young Americans”

david bowie in this album cover has the beautifully manicured fingernails and prenatal glow of the 1950s housewife I would have been promised if I had only been born 70 years earlier and also was a man, chat drop a response if you think i could have pulled femme top david bowie however don't drop a response though if you don't think I could I simply don't feel like hearing that right now we are about to go into a long weekend and I know I will need to preserve my vibes for an extra day, thanks! I liked this but I'm pacing myself in terms of David bowie albums on this list, I know there are about 15 of them and I want to have a solid range. Fame (FAME) however is one of David bowies nastiest little hits and I love it so much, his energy in that and young americans is divine. The rest of the songs on the album fall a bit flat at times although they make for a pretty good vibe. David bowies babiest makingest album

yay! plastic soul! this is a very cool record! look how pretty he is. i have definitely slept on young americans because there are just so many good bowie albums, but i really enjoyed this luther vandross (!!!) vocal arrangements, those background singers my god this album feels like a gentlemen’s amount of cocaine served on a silver platter i don’t think the across the universe cover was really needed, but the song works honestly better as a spacey bowie ballad imo favorites: title track & fame .. what a goddamn way to start and end an album. and fascination

Wasn’t really invested … fame is great but everything else just sounds a bit weak. 2.5

Not my favorite, but decent

It’s David Bowie. A couple of great songs.

Favorite Track: Young Americans

I've heard this describes as a transition album for Bowie and well, it is. That's not a knock on it; I think it's still a pretty solid album all around, maybe a little uneven. But it's smack dab in between his glam rock glory and his big swings in Berlin and understandably gets lost in that shuffle. Am I glad Bowie only spent one album exploring this kinda sound? Considering what he did next, yes. Am I glad it exists? Yes, again. Also, special s/o to the city of Philadelphia for it's contributions on this album. Yes, that's John Lennon adding backing vocals but don't overlook the fact that Luther goddamn Vandross is on there, too.

Always really liked this because it's a really good pastiche album. At the peak of my Bowie listening though, I'd usually rank it somewhere in the middle of his discography because for as good as it was, it was just a pastiche album with a few hot tracks. With time, I realize that it's actually one of his best albums because he comes in to try out a particular style, creates his own particular spin, and totally owns it.

The Across the Universe cover is diabolical and very out-of-place.

This i liked more than the al green thing but the vibes were quite similar. I dont listen to david bowie ever so im glad im getting some of that from this

Decent.

I am a big Bowie fan and I love that he attempted to be soulful. But, it just doesn’t quite work for me (too much plastic maybe). The two hits are perfect so that makes up for some of it. And props to David for discovering a young Luther Vandrous and using him on backing vocals.

It’s Bowie. That is all.

So, if this album shows one thing it is that Bowie isn't the infallible genus some make him out to be. Trying to appropriate black soul music he hardly manages to write any decent songs aside from the okay title track and, of course, Fame, which has an awesome sound, but also falls kind of flat being too long and repetitive. Across the Universe is just awful and I can't believe that Lennon not only signed off in this, but participated. Well, maybe he isn't infallible either...

Not my favourite Bowie period so therefore not an album I particularly liked. I've still got many Bowie albums to come, so will look forward to better in the future!

Tuesday, 25 August, 2026 Plastic Soul! First and last track are all timers. The rest is also great!

Album was a good listen. There were a few hits on it as well as other good songs, overall it is an easy listen and flows pretty well. It gets 4 stars since I think it is better than just your average 70's rock album.

I think many Bowie songs are incredibly wonderful, and at the same time many Bowie songs (including some of those I like) are quite weird - often strangely intense singing, over arrangements that sometimes hit the spot and sometimes miss. This album has Fame, which is a knockout, brought the funk to mainstream charts in a very creditable way. It also has the title track, which is weird but I’m used to it. But then, some other songs that are fully forgettable, the band work is decent but the song doesn’t reach me, I would accept they’re soul-influenced but I wouldn’t call them soul. I love some Bowie covers (Let’s Spend the Night Together is fire) but I don’t like this version of Across the Universe. So for me this album is Mix of Good and Bad, 5/10.

Americano bowie，TAKE IT RIGHT，值得反复聆听

Даже не знаю…думаю, мне придется его переслушать, чтоб распробовать, потому что сейчас мне кажется, что какие-то песни из альбома я б добавила в свой плейлист, если б привыкла к ним

A really good album from an artist about to find his groove. I enjoyed it a lot, Fame is an especially funky song🥰

maybe its because ive heard a lot of the music that comes after this, but this was pretty massively underwhelming outside of fame highlights: young americans fascination fame

Ok. Not the best

Win is amazing Everything was amazing

Generally speaking, I love David Bowie. I must admit I have never listened to this record though. Crazy to think now that this was a shocking change for Bowie. The record is rad, as expected.

Another Bowie album! Cool! Young Americans was a nice start. Something different from what I’ve come to expect, but I quite liked it. Win had an interesting, almost sensual sound to it. Fascination was very 70s. Very good though. Right was pretty fun. Someone up there likes me was honestly pretty alright. Can you hear me was ok. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t horrid. 3/5 ⭐️ 231/1089

Excellent. I love bluesy Bowie. I love all iterations of Bowie.

Ngl this quirked up white boy is goated with the sauce. Really though what a groovy ass album

I found myself begrudgingly liking songs which was a weird vibe because I know I like Bowie, but I guess this album was just a weird vibe for me.

Never understood the Bowie-hype. This is quite average.

Quite the change going from Black Star to this album. 3.5

Lite mysigt, vet inte om jag kommer lyssna igen dock.

i personally love david bowies work in general and i have already heard this album many times but i still find it an album that sparks joy. its very hearty with heavy influences from jazz music its lyrics too are very meaningfull tho some of them may look randoom or out context on the surface

the use of background singers is just so amazing here I love when album covers look like how the album sounds like

🙂

Luther Vandross strikes again!

I'm trying to imagine a listener who would give a David Bowie album with Young Americans, Fame, and a cover of Across the Universe less than five stars.

idk why but david bowie doesnt do it for me, imma keep sayin it, kinda overrated....?

No sé si es algo bueno o no tanto que este álbum sea taaan distinto al otro que tocó de Bowie. Muy bueno, me gustaron casi todas las canciones, sólido 4.

Oh my god there are so many David Bowie albums. This one is on the better end, but still doesn't rival his peak material.

not my fav bowie album but still good

He has such a cool range

I have Bowie fatigue. Still good, but not better than good

1975. Ninth studio album. The record showcased Bowie's interest in soul and R&B (different from the glam rock style of previous albums).

Excellent piece of music!

Not sure what I wanted out of this one but it all blended together in a bad way. Or at least in a boring way. 2/5

Favorite : Right

hm, disco for white americans of bowie's era. I was expecting more, but it was quite dissappointing the usecase would be a late dinner for my mother's friends

I like this Bowie transition. You can feel the influence of soul and funk in this one. Great album, will certainly listen to it again

Not his best

My new favourite Bowie album. A whole hour of nothing but great tunes and insane amounts of talent. Tony Visconti was cooking way too hard in the kitchen when he produced this one, as the mixing is on point from start to finish. Without this album, we wouldn't have got the legendary Luther Vandross, who Bowie discovered whilst recording the title track and subsequently hired him to arrange the rest of the album's backing vocals. The man had his finger on the pulse of what's good, that's for sure. Phenomenal blue-eyed soul stuff.

Day 367 Not Bowies strongest, still pretty damn good Highlights Young Americans Fascination Fame

David Bowie never misses.♥️

It was ok. Couple of good songs. Overall I thought it was a nice album.

Mid

three stars for fame

Not his best, but a Bowie day is always a great day. His dip into funk and soul is engaging and earned a few relistens.

Se o próprio Bowie dizia ser um "facsimile" do soul... Embora teha algumas canções icônicas, como a que dá título do disco e Fame, e curiosidades como a cover dos Beatles tendo John Lennon na guitarra, como disco está abaixo do que Bowie fez em outros trabalhos. Não seria minha indicação dele para ouvir antes de morrer.

Enjoyed this album, Lots of nice songs and covers. 1. Young Americans 2. Win 3. Can You Hear Me

Young Americans has that quality that i would come to expect from David Bowie. If i were to think of one difference between this album and his other albums. Then it would be that this album sounds a lot more jazzy than some of his others and has quite a few softer songs too. I'm definitely more of a fan of the former since when i think of Bowie, i think of some of his more high energy stuff, not really his slow ballads. I still thought the stuff that Bowie did do here was very good as it still had the orchestral goodness that i would expect from him. It is far from my favorite David Bowie album but overall, i still enjoyed it a lot. Best Song: Fame Worst Song: Young Americans

I love the Philly sound Bowie brings on for this album, with the horns and backing vocals. I think it’s a more coherent effort than Heroes, which dragged in its second half. Definitely will return!

This was tough to rate! Very different from the other Bowie albums I've gotten so far. It's going in such a different direction. I knew "Fame" of course, but also really enjoyed "Young Americans" "Win" "Fascination" and "Right" The second half of the album didn't grab me quite as much.

As much as the idea of white soul/R&B sounds a bit repulsive, David Bowie was very open about it and even helped the world discover some black stars in this album (Luther Vandross being a notable one). Honestly, the album sounded great and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another Bowie album, eh?

Awesome and complete in terms of sonority.

Far from my favourite Bowie record, this one is pretty hard work in places - drawn out, aimless and rambling. Fascination really stood out as something pretty good, but maybe that's just because the rest of it was so bad. His version of Across the Universe is excruciating - what was he thinking? Just awful. I've a life-long fascination with John Lennon, so Fame has always been of interest as one of the last things of note he was involved in before taking a five-year break to bring up his son. Historically interesting as the song is, it's pretty thin and plodding, and never really holds my interest for long.

The cheesy sax-pop phase does nothing for me here...

Pretty decent

ughh LOVE fame, but not a fan of the rest of the album. also the worst cover of across the universe.

Fame is one of my favorite songs but this album doesn’t compare to other Bowie’s.

Kende eigenlijk alleen Fame en de title track écht; erg leuk album

Verre van mijn favoriete Bowie plaat, maar gewoon leuke liedjes wel. Fascination is een banger.

Great sounds. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Very soft fall vibes. Would listen again. Didn’t realize i knew and like lover, you should have come over as much as I do!

David Bowie so…👏👏👏

good album, more funk / Motown than I would have thought of David Bowie - one of the early albums -1975

Musically sound. Just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy his voice.

Good Bowie, not Great Bowie.

Perfectly cromulent David Bowie album

It's funny how much this sounds like the rolling stones and I suspect it's because the rolling stones wholesale ripped off Bowie but were worse at doing it than he was. These are cocaine fueled rock songs of the 70's, but with a precursor to what would end up as glam rock. It's fun to listen to but it's not really my jam as far as repeated plays. Still good.

Young Americans encapsulates my take on Bowie in general...some highs some lows and just not enough to make me like his material as much as I want to. The title track is Bowie at his best and (not coincidentally) most accessible. "Right" is an overlooked R&B groove. Beyond that, things get dicey. "Fame" is the third best song on the album - that's pretty telling. And his cover of "Across the Universe" could be taken as the first attempt on Lennon. I can't imagine what the decision-making process was there.

Slay

God rest the dead but this shit sucks. 1/5

Classic bowie, young american's is a genius work with Lou Reed influence.

Title track was very solid, everything else wasn’t quite my jam. I’ve tried repeatedly to get into Bowie but I think he’s a little too weird for me.

Begin leuk, daarna eentonig

Cool and Fun. Like this DB.

A good solid Bowie album not probably as good as his best work but still a real tight enjoyable so album

Another Bowie I don't have. Starts so strong, and I like the sound and the idea. But maybe not an album's worth of an idea. Didn't know about the Lennon connection before. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No, 99/376 (26%) Will I get: Maybe

Very mid bowie album

good

Not my favorite Bowie: somehow, the music never quite takes off

I am tired of bitching about Bowie records on this site…which means I’m just tired of hearing so much Bowie on this site. I think this is the 4th one I’ve come upon. I’m not his biggest fan, although prior to this project I thought he was fine. I’ve learned something by doing this project: I’m not the biggest Bowie fan in the world. And this record showcases why: he’s got, tops, 3 songs per record that are actually worth hearing, and the rest of his work is pure filler. On Young Americans, we’ve got the title track, Fame, and Across the Universe (a cover). Everything else is a slog to get through. A greatest hits record that spans Bowie’s career would be great, but sifting through each individual album is fucking tedious. 5/10

So classic And yes i love it.,,

Really enjoyable.

Bowie can be a bit wanky bit this was expecially good from him

Fame and Young Americans are brilliant. The rest of the album is good, not standouts like those tracks. I enjoyed hearing Bowie playing around with Philly Soul, and it was most successful when he leaned more into the bass & rhythm. Across the Universe version was good..

This record has 2 great songs- all time classics- in Young Americans and Fame. The rest of the album is a mix of good and pretty good. I like how Bowie plays around with and shows appreciation for the funk and soul sounds from that period.

This album is better than I remembered it. Young AMericans and Fame are great songs. Fascination is quite good. The rest ... is kind of lackluster, but more listenable than my memory of it. Solid. Good performances. There just isn't enough strong material. Bowie was making albums absurdly quickly at the time.

It wasn't until this project that I realized I actually have a huge knowledge gap when it comes to Bowie. I thought I knew his music pretty well, and I liked him, although he wasn't a favorite. Then these albums pop up and I have no familiarity with them at all. Thinking back, I guess Bowie albums were around and in my life because my brother had them all and played them, and of course Bowie was very present both on pop radio in the 80s and also on alternative radio. But as it turns out I don't know much about his actual catalog even though I could sing at least a dozen of his songs by heart. A lot of reviews of this album (not in our group--I haven't read those yet!) were decidedly tepid. I thought I would dislike this as much as Heroes. But oddly... I kind of liked it? Not every song, certainly, and I detested his version of "Across the Universe." But aside from that, I enjoyed this record. Is that cringe?

The depth and use of various instrumentation sets this album in another league. David Bowie was ahead of his time.

Enjoyed some songs on this. Not really my thing but enjoyed Fame and Across the Universe

Liked: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Disliked: Total Songs: 8 Ratio: 8/8 Converted Score: 5/5 Top 3 1. Fascination 2. Young Americans 3. Right

You can’t go wrong with Bowie, he’s got a mode for every mood.

Excellent, soulful,laidback album which I haven't listened entirley through in several years. Great stuff.

I'm a fan of Bowie, but this is just not good. Soul-less soul...

8/10

3rd bowie album and just 10% in. this one is just ok

Pretty gay yo

Probably the vinyl I've spun the most on my adolescent record player. Great mix of what makes David Bowie and epic musician/performer!

Only the hits hit unfortunately

HOW IS EVERY SINGLE DAVID BOWIE ALBUM ON HERE. One of the better ones though

I actually kinda enjoyed this Bowie album. Maybe it is the Philly soul

80/100. A pivot into soul and R&B and he pulls it off with style. While not the most consistent album in his catalog, the highlights are easily among his finest work.

highly enjoyable. i love bowie but havent gotten around to listening to all of his stuff yet, really liked this albums sound and selection of songs

not bad at all! didn't expect to like this because i'm not a huge bowie fan, and honestly i can tell it's not his most artistically valuable work, but coming from someone who can appreciate a good pop tune this is quite nice! 4/5, but not sure if this deserves to be here

I thinks it is a album with a strong message Fav song - Fascination

I find Bowie albums always a bit mixed... some stunners, some filler. And this one isn't his best, for me. I feel that soul is not a very good match to his style and voice. A few great songs though Satisfaction for example, and Fame is a dead funky stunner (and doesn't fit the rest of the album). I don't care for the title song and even less for the Across the Universe cover. But I gave Queen Latifah a generous 3* yesterday (already regretting) so this needs to be a 4* (my scale is not linear).

bookending the album with Young Americans and Fame is all time. Young Americans might be my favorite David Bowie song. Luther Vandross surely has something to do with that.

Pretty good, fun chorus and horns in the background. Little inconsistent and a little low energy? More groovy so it mostly works, but a little more edge might have been nice

Huge David Bowie fan and there's a lot here to like, including of course Fame. Some fantastic vocals though do feel the album loses its way, especially in the bad cover of Across the Universe.

Fair enough david

I normally just like the singles when it comes to Bowie, but this while album is great. I probably enjoyed it now than any of his other albums

Is this my favorite Bowie record?! The sax is so perfect sounding amongst other things

awsome

Okay. I love Bowie. But not this album. Even this version of Young Americans and Across the Universe are unpleasant. But what is going on in those songs poorly, Fame brings in and brasses up. Makes up for a lot of boredom.

There are 23 Bowie albums on my shelves, but not this, and I've never heard it in its entirety before today. 'Fame' and 'Young Americans' rightly stand out amongst a somewhat unremarkable album, dominated by saxophone noodling throughout. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆☆(6/10) Total reviewed : 393 Already owned : 87 Purchased : 21 To buy : 3 Nope : 282

7/10 Fav Tracks: Fame, Win Heard before? --------–- ❌ Saved a new Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? -------–-- ✅ Will Listen Again? ---––– ✅ Album Cover ----------– Great

Den får 3/5 för det är inte direkt jättemelodiska låtar, men jag gillade fascination och någon annan låt... Det var ändå ett helt ok album men inte liksom jättebra sååå 3/5

Decent album, but nothing special

The best song is a Beatles song written by John Lennon and that’s all you need to know.

david bowie before he was david bowie

good, but doesn't hit like the berlin trilogy. 3.5

not a big fan of bowie

I don't usually listen to this genre but I really enjoyed it and found the songs very good.

Never knew Luther Vandross sang backup on this album!

7/10

One of the Bowie albums I enjoyed more than others back when I did my Bowie playthrough.

Was fine

Well, it finally happened: I got my first David Bowie album in this challenge. And naturally, I landed on the one where he decided to go R&B. Overall, Young Americans was a pretty mixed bag for me. Bowie’s voice sometimes worked with this style, and sometimes it really didn’t. I love the title track, and there were a few other songs that caught my attention, mostly because of the spacey, funky, and soulful instrumentation happening behind him. Even when the vocals weren’t completely clicking for me, there was usually something interesting going on musically. The first half was definitely stronger. It felt more varied and had more personality, while the second half started to lose me and became a little boring. The major exception is “Fame,” which wakes the album back up right near the end. There are some great sounds on here, but as a whole, Young Americans never fully came together for me.

I only knew Fame from this album. Very nice songs with a nice sax vibe.

3/6

Can’t argue with Bowie

my favorite bowie album :) i just like to ignore the beatles cover. everything else is literally MINT. probably gonna give it a 4 just because it does sour my view of the album holistically. it would be perfect if the cover wasn’t there though. thought across the universe would grow on me this time. it did not. it totally ruins the flow of the album for me. it’s so frustrating.

Filler for Bowie. Nothing her to compare to what went before, or what was to come. 1. Young Americans 2. Fame 3. ….

I am not a huge David Bowie fan but this album wasn't too bad. His songs are usually alright, but not really my style of music. It was okay having it in the background though.

I am used to either loving or hating his music, and this album confused me by not eliciting either reaction.

It’s Bowie!

It was fine. David Bowie is fine.

A little disco/easy listening for my tastes

I would have been SOOO annoying if I was young during this album. Even now, I recognized and enjoyed half the songs without even realizing they were on this album. Highlights: Young Americans, Across the Universe, Can You Hear Me, Fame

I dig all the horns and Fame is funky.

Super high highs, drags from time to time 3.5/5

I know David Bowie named this style "plastic soul" but - I really enjoy it. "Young Americans" (the song) is incredibly catchy. I was singing it all day. The rest of the tracks are either fun or interesting, with the exception of "Across the Universe," which falls apart for me due to Bowie's incredibly phony delivery. Not the best Bowie record but a really strong one all the same. FOUR STARS

It’s Bowie, so it’s great. Just not my favorite of his. It’s in one of those weird transitional phases he had, where there are glimmers of what was and what will be, but it doesn’t feel as cohesive yet.

Eins og mér hefur alltaf fundist titillagið æðislegt, þá var það þessi plata ásamt MWSTW sem síst heillaði mig fram að Let's dance. En það hefur breyst og mér finnst hún nú jafn æðisleg og hinar. Þetta remix frá 2016 er líka mikil framför.

I was today year's old when I learned that Fame didn't come from the 80s. This album was a surprise. I really respect Bowie...some of the albums that have been on here I've liked more than others. It start's off great and the first songs have bounce, shuffle, groove, awesome outros...until we hit Across the Universe. And Across the Universe isn't ALL bad. The band still works and does some good things, but Bowie's voice just doesn't do well here, it's almost like he's trying too hard. But if you're gonna pick an iconic song...and an iconic BEATLES song, you better deliver something immaculate. And this isn't that. Can You Hear Me? drags a little, too. But then Fame comes on and...goddamn, what a song. Bounce for days. Giving this a 4 because I really liked it. Overall a pretty tight album and I might come back to it.

me gusta mucho el recurso de los coros, las trompetas y todo lo traido del jazz mas q nada. muy bueno el cover de across the universe. Y la colaboracion con John Lennon en Fame

Langweilig; nichts besonderes

Man how I love David Bowie :,)

This is one of those Bowie albums that's on the outside looking in when I consider my favorites. I love the singles, Fame and Young Americans... though I prefer the single version of the album's title track. I haven't played the rest of the album very much, but there's a lot to like here. I find Win, Fascination, and Right to be the best section of the album, where Bowie's "plastic soul" is really firing on all cylinders. Somebody Up There Likes Me goes on a little too long without doing much... and the Across the Universe cover just doesn't work for me. All in all, this is still a very good record, but I still don't consider it one of Bowie's true essentials.

love me some bowie. didn't love his across the universe cover.. but this is funky, well produced and top tie bowie

RATING: 9/10 HIGHLIGHT: Win LOWLIGHT: Fame

125 in and I finally get one of the mythical Too Many Bowies. Maybe I'll finally get an Excess Costello tomorrow? Maybe even a Very Justified Beatles. And yeah, there aren't many Bowies that both check off the Unnecessary Addition and also the Likely Addition. I don't think we're getting Black Tie White Noise or even Diamond Dogs (though sure, that has Rebel Rebel, so maybe). And as that goes, this is probably the second I'd cut out besides The Last Day, which was very good but only essential in that it was truly added for the same reason Hackney Diamonds is being added, but is worlds more respectable. It's always impressive how Bowie can work a throwback. Young Americans does what so many America songs do… it takes something that feels nostalgic and upbeat and, well, American, and makes the dumbest Americans think it's pro-America. It's supremely catchy despite being almost impossible to follow lyrically past the chorus. On the other hand is Fame, which slinks and sleazes in a way that feels ahead of its time. In the middle, we get a lot of what Bowie would call “Plastic Soul.” This was the start of an era marked by too much cocaine and bad decisions. It was also a period of Bowie breaking into the US Mainstream (again, Americans can not be trusted to interpret songs about America), of experimenting with funk and proto-disco and embracing other black musical styles, of recording with John Lennon (he shows up on a reasonable Across the Universe cover and on “Fame” itself) and Luther Vandross before he was a name. So it's a weird moment where Bowie the musician and songwriter is not at his peak, but the album is still racking up reasons for inclusion. I suppose the idea of soulless Soul is interesting. Certainly he pulls that off (his backing vocalists are certainly acquitted, but Bowie himself often sounds listless and rambly). Side B makes a much better argument for the album than Side A, even with the Title track being the best on the album. Side A really leans into particularly banal work (what would make anyone write and record “win”?). For my money this is probably the least successful original album Bowie put out to this point, at least from a quality perspective. A very thin ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A pretty interesting album, especially since my last Bowie was Ziggy Stardust. The range of genres Bowie can cover is fascinating, and he kind of pulls it off here, even if it's not entirely my taste of music.

Bowie’s disco record? Not my favorite of his. But you could do worse than having Young Americans stuck in your head all day.

i think this guy might like john lennon

Bowie dabbling with blue-eyed soul, or as he apparently called it, "plastic soul", is interesting. Starts pretty strong, gets a little bit repetitive. Solid overall though. The cover of "Across the Universe" is pretty solid, I like the guitar flourishes they added. Other standouts: "Young Americans", "Somebody Up There Likes Me", "Fame".

Underwhelmed. Bowie knocks it out of the park with Young Americans, but nothing else rises back up to that level.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Kind of an entry level Bowie album...good, but nothing too far out. "Fame" and "Right" are probably my faves off this one.

Always think I like Bowie less than I actually do

Perfect loved every note

meh

Being hyper-critical there's a couple of songs that could be swapped out of John, I'm Only Dancing (Again), but difficult not to give it a 5.

Tracks to go back to: Right Somebody Up There Likes Me Across the Universe Can You Hear Me Fame Go back to at some point 07/7/26

classic

God, I love short LPs. Both Young Americans and Fame are in this. Those two songs got this album 4/5 stars.

Huh - not really sure if I like this white boy funk era Bowie. Enjoyed the music but I’d need more time with this album I think.

Out of all of the different David Bowie eras -- this is the one I forget about the most! Nothing terrible here but nothing FANTASTIC like some other Bowie stuff.

Obviously a classic and a well-rounded album

ngl sounded a musical soundtrack

Te amo david bowie, espectacular como siempre

favorite song: young americans & fame

The first half of the album really didn't do it for me but the second half certainly shined. Don't think it's a must listen but nonetheless it was a fun listen

Not one off david bowie's best works

Probably his weakest of the 70s run for me. Not sure his voice suits the material, and so many tracks have the hallmarks of cocaine-fueled jams at the end.

How could John Lennon let him slaughter "Across the Universe"? Bowie warbles like a doorstop.

Thought I would like this more than I did.

Another album chosen because of one single. But I guess that's how your average dumbass listens to music anyway.

why does every song have a fade out like LET ME HEAR THE END OF THE SONG

It's good!

a good time until we hit a cover of one of the worst Beatles songs out there. at least the guitar licks are better than butchering the pronunciation of "jai guru deva". anyway Fame is my favorite song here by a mile but i think that's more to do with the quality of that song than the quality of this album

enjoyable music lyrics barely hearable but the whole product is solid id rate it a 7 out of 10 and i bet it can be heard anytime unlike trend songs

Mid. Very American I guess...I like the tunes though.

has a lot of interesting moments but not as cohesive as other projects Would I listen again: I did to get a better idea of this album Deserves to be on this list: nah 3.2

This always felt like a strange direction for him to take, considering what had come previously but he was never straightforward obviously. Although there are some classics here that join his diverse greatest hits, this isn’t one of his that I would reach for as often.

I’m so ambivalent about this that it hurts. As much as I love Bowie, this album is just a wee bit below his usual greatness. On the other hand, what a huge risk as n artist to just shift into an entirely different genre, and not only that, but pull off this perfectly executed album. Definitely the primordial soup for the later and more brilliant life forms. Even so, Young Americans is primordial. It feels like Bowie and company are sort of playing with a style rather than feeling it. On the other hand, there’s a very heartfelt appreciation for that style. But in this case, Bowie isn’t creating anything new or using the R&B he emulates as a jumping off point to something better. It’s more of a tribute. Which is respectable. It just doesn’t feel genuine. With a few exceptions, the title track and Fame among them, of course. An important transitional work.

Has the classic bowie sound, a few songs are bangers, the others fine

Great album, even if it's not my favourite from Bowie. I've never been able to understand the need to cover "Across the Universe", though.

Really enjoyed this ! Need to listen to more Bowie

Bowie got pretty funky there. A nice change.

I'm very surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. Different then a lot of other Bowie albums. Probably because he was hanging out with John Lennon a lot during this time in his career.

Almost every song is a hit but what is this Across the Universe cover?

I expected to hate this, but this was the best Bowie album yet

Bowie was simply amazing and beyond creative...

I like Bowie, but this album was kind of boring for me today, even with the couple of radio hits. Fame is an incredible song, but not quite enough for me to boost the album up to 4...

Another day, another Bowie album. Boy this Dimery guy has got it bad for Bowie. Onto the album. Definitely a different sound from prior albums. Half way in, I thought, huh when was this made? It feels later than 1974, which I guess is what folks think he was a bit ahead of his time. The two big hits on the album, Young Americans, and Fame, are clearly interesting and unique. Other than that, nothing stuck me as particularly fantastic. Right has a funky thing that he stole from somewhere I'm sure. There was no reason to remake Across the Universe and he just did it worse than the Beatles.

Amazing Bowie!

Philly Plastic Soul...and the Debut of Luthor Vandross!!!

Didn’t like, amateur karaoke music

646/1001 2026.06.29 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Not really much to bop to in here but nothing bad either.

This was pretty fun. Except the cover of Across the Universe; that was odd.

The title and final tracks are the standouts of course. I hadn't realized Lennon played on this, and so the repeated, strident denials that "Nothing's gonna change my world" in his cover of Across the Universe seems poignantly prescient. Don't know though, would we call the rest cultural appropriation today?

It was okay bit dated

I liked the radio songs, Young Americans and Fame, but the rest of the songs just fell short for me.

Bowed

With rock I came before to this site, it came to me with soul, and now it presents in front of me with an album combining this new match made in heaven for me, all from a legendary artist I have yet not listened to the rightfully way and amount. Now I saw that this is a little more different than the other albums of his, and I can't wait to have them waiting on this list.

David Bowie never disappoints. Absolute Bowienema

Bowie is a musical genius. Always happy when him albums pop up on this list. This album is a solid album, not my favorite and not his worse.

I love rock'n'roll Bowie. Jazz/funk Bowie, not so much. There are some good moments but honestly not one song that I feel compelled to take with me on my way. I also found his cover of Across The Universe both pointless and painfully bad, so there's also that.

A good sample of what was to come

Young Americans was always one of my least favorite of the Bowie singles. (Fame is a favorite! Though there’s a later mix I like - Freedom 90 Gass Mix) Since I don’t like the song all that much, I assumed I wouldn’t like the album. I was wrong.

David Borie

Yes!!! This man is amazing. How good? This album is stellar, but not in the top five of Bowies. 4.5 star but I’ll round up to 5.

Bowie is altijd tof en afwisselend

Super leuk

What a killer Bowie album, a departure from the glam and into the funky rock soul and R&B. Love when an artist opens and closes an album with great tunes. Really sets the tone to start and ends leaving the listener wanting more. Love his experimentation with all the different instruments and he has a great blue eyed soul voice.

7/10

Favourite Songs: Fame

Album très court période où il en sortait un par an très cool style jazz rock Mention honorable pour l'enchainement Right / SUTLM / Across the universe / Can you hear me / Fame (pour bien finir)

An early Bowie album, not my usual listening appetite but still similar enough to not be jarring. 3/5.

Bookended by absolute classics, the rest of the record is a bit empty. The Beatles cover is fine, but doesn’t quite fulfill the hopes of Bowie covering Lennon.

I don't know why but, even though I've heard Fame a million times, I never expect David Bowie to be so funky. Going in, I didn't really know any other songs in this album, but Young Americans, Fascination, and Somebody Up There Likes Me are all super enjoyable and fantastic songs. Bowie is, simply, a cool dude.

kIND OF MID WITH SOME HITS.

Fantastic album

Blah

It hurts to dislike this one, because Bowie was really going for something interesting here, but it doesn’t work. He was trying, I can see now, to marry two emotional states that at first seem to be contradictory – emotionless dance music, robotic funk. And he doesn’t succeed (with one major exception). What he wanted was one thing, what happened was just R&B with all the excitement, all the juice, sucked out of it. The aforementioned exception is, of course, “Fame” – the combination of skeletal funk with Bowie’s consciously shouted, ugly vocals is so striking that the song is memorable almost in spite of itself – it’s one of the strangest pop tracks to ever become a classic. And, yeah, the title track has a good chorus, too. But this is best seen as an ambitious failure, a stepping stone to superior later albums. Best track: “Fame”

Yayyyy David Bowie made an album about ✨️me✨️

In the titular song I appreciate the approach to criticize the "American dream" especially from within by a citizen who was able to all the good and bad cause it's not solely pessimistic but rather it acts as a grounding force for the country at the time through the lense of David Bowie the album is clearly influenced by the soul genre very clearly and it is used tastefully but I don't fully know if it should be spread into nearly all the songs as much as it is, there is so much fun being had. 0 skips in the album, not everything is perfect but nothing is below a 6 and that is enough.

Over a quarter of the way through the 1001 and I’m only getting my first Bowie now. As a huge fan (he might just be my GOAT) and aware he has 8 albums in the book, this is actually the one I was least looking forward to reviewing. It’s pretty low in my total Bowie ranking, and certainly the one of the 8 I’ll be awarding the fewest stars to. It’s always been so, and I think it’s because the concept should totally work for me (I’m a big fan of 70s soul music too) and because I want so much to be blown away by it. But I’m just not. Today as I listened again, this time trying harder to figure out why it doesn’t grasp me, I probably enjoyed each song a little bit more individually than I ever have done before, but I still came away from the album as a whole dissatisfied. There are some exceptions of course. I couldn’t truly call myself a Bowie fan if I didn’t enjoy the title track. But while I can get off on the vibe of “Fame” I’ve never really been sold on its central songwriting. “Someone Up there Likes Me” is the moment here the idea of the album gels for me; I just believe it more than elsewhere, the moment where Bowie’s self-proclaimed “plastic soul” is least plastic. The sophistication of songwriting is more recognisably Bowie. I straight up don’t enjoy the Beatles cover. I didn’t like much of Pinups either, though I know incredibly well how capable he is of a quality cover (Fill Your Heart, Wild Is the Wind, Cactus, Pablo Picasso). My unpopular take has never had “Across the Universe” as a favourite Beatles song anyway, but on top of that it seems to have little in common with what’s going on elsewhere here. I think the bottom line is that when I’m listening to ‘Young Americans’ I’m hearing Bowie adjusting his writing to what he thinks will suit the surroundings and the outcome comes across as a group of shit-hot musicians doing excellent work but without the quality of material to merit their skills. There’s a good vibe and Bowie’s vocal performances are, by and large, up to his usual spectacular standards, but despite all the positives flying around, I can’t get on board as much as I’d like to. I’ve been glad to give it this much attention today though. Maybe next time I pull it from the shelf, I’ll be finally loving it.