Young Americans

85/100

4.5/5 - Soulish bowie. It’s an great album and the cover of across the universe is very good

A little hit or miss but Win, Fascination and Fame among my favorite Bowie songs. Fascination probably #1

Shorter than I thought, full of classics tho

Recognise young american song (1), good song, slightly repetitive, can tell its early bowie. verse 2 good lyrics. not the biggest win fan but the psychadelicy bits are fun (bridge) fascination is groovy across the universe bangsssss like a 7/10

Bring the funk

David Bowie is one of those artists who defies description. That's why I think it makes the most sense to consider his albums in this list separately from the others. In that sense, “Young Americans” is a good, but not outstanding, R&B album. The fact is, however, that this is not the music for which David Bowie was primarily known. Of course, “Young Americans” is therefore also an experimental excursion by a singer who simply likes to try things out. According to Wikipedia, this album represents something of a commercial breakthrough for him in the US. That surprised me, but it highlights its historical significance. As I mentioned at the beginning, I don't yet have a complete overview of Bowie's work. But I hope to gain one in the course of this challenge and that this isn't the peak yet.

Well, even on albums like this which are not my favorite ("Across the Universe" - Yuck!), it's still David Freaking Bowie and makes others sound like amateur hour. This is most definitely not a soul album- may be "soul-ish" at best. "Fame" is the obvious stand out track for me, with "Young Americans" next. Other songs are ok - nothing to write home about, but also nothing to make me want to switch to the next song...well, apart from "Across the Universe." *shiver*

Bowie is great. ★★★★

Bookended by Young Americans and Fame is sort of crazy?? I liked Win, but some things felt like filler (like I don’t need a cover of Across the Universe). I think I like his theatrical work better

As I would expect with Bowie: some greats, some strange, and some OK, but well done.

Good stuff.

Not my favourite Bowie but shit this is funky. Fav tracks: Young Americans, Fame Saved a song: Y RYM: N

Featuring Fame and Young Americans, I expected more tracks of this standard. Perhaps if I listened again they would grow on me but they felt like fillers. The production sound didn't do much for me either. Over produced on most tracks I thought but the the title track and Fame are simply perfection.

Very Soul. Very Funk. Very Bowie. And with John Lennon appearing on multiple tracks for backing vocals and backing guitar, what more could you ask for?

great Across the Universe cover, young Americans and Fame hold up

I quite liked it. It was very mellow and yet upbeat in some of its melodies. It was also so refreshingly new to my palette.

Faves: Young Americans

7/10 This marks the point when Bowie cast off his glam shackles for good and stepped into the world of ‘plastic soul’, as he would dub it. For an album that completed that full transition, this is stylistically a very consistent record. It slides its way competently and smoothly between more laid back sleazy soul and more funky up-beat grooves, never losing touch with the fun, pop music edge that would typically keep Bowie connected to the mainstream for most phases of his career. The songwriting is solid, if a little plain in places. There are moments when hooks come and go with regularity, and others where, despite a solid groove and vibe to the track, he never stumbles upon anything particularly memorable. That being said, there was rarely a point (except for the cover track) where he lost me. It was almost like it was wavering between being really good background music and something that was able to grab and engage my ear in a more substantial way. I never felt bored or uninterested, just didn’t always keep focus on it and found myself bopping along, my attention drifting elsewhere. From a production point of view, it is really well put together. There's quite a lot going on, particularly with the sharp staccato rhythms that built into those all encompassing grooves, but nothing ever felt crowded out or lost in the mix. The musicianship was excellent throughout. With this kind of music, staying in that pocket is crucial, and they tackled it with a tight swagger that kept the groove of the album pulsing along nicely. The backing vocals are great and work as a smoother contrast to Bowie’s more edgy delivery, and the man himself just has this vocal charisma that, despite him not being the world’s greatest singer, is endlessly engaging. This is a funny album where I think no real part of it (Beatles cover excepted) was anything less than solid, but it only really rose above that a few times. And despite that, I'm quite looking forward to having it on again in the future and it may end up growing on me. Young Americans - A smooth and groovy start. It’s got a nice, easy style about it and it's got some great hooks. There’s some really nice rhythmic blends across the different instruments. It’s got a pretty cheesy edge to it, but that’s part of the charm, I think. Bowie’s got that cool swagger about him that just makes it easy to buy into a song like this. Win - A laid back vibe. It paints a warm picture, but it’s perhaps a little unfocused in places. The first part of the chorus doesn’t quite connect for me, but the second half, from “all you’ve got to do is win”, is super smooth and works really well. The backing vocals are quality in particular here. It’s sleazy, no doubt, but with an edge of cool. Fascination - Ooh, funky. Co-written with Luther Vandross. It’s got a great groove and some really nice staccato rhythms across the different parts. The call and response between Bowie and the backing vocals is super cool. It’s a fun little song and it’s really well produced. There’s a lot going on in there, but it doesn’t feel crowded and it all comes together to create a really bouncy vibe. Like it. Right - Another solid, if unspectacular track. He’s got some really good grooves going on and the vibe and style is great, but I don’t feel it necessarily elevates above being a good slice of r&b to being something really standout. It’s good, and I again enjoy the interplay between the different vocalists, the groove also keeps me moving along with it, but I’m not sure it’s a massively memorable song. Somebody Up There Likes Me - This one kind of drifts a little further into the world of incredibly competent, well produced music that doesn’t do much to elevate itself above being really good background music. I like it, and I’m enjoying listening to it, but I can’t find myself being fully absorbed by it. That being said, there’s some great vocal work again, and Bowie’s throwing some nice bits of grit and swagger into his delivery, and some of the sax work is solid. Across The Universe - An unnecessary Beatles cover? Why not? Bowie got chummy with Lennon at this time and they did this one and Fame together. It’s just not a particularly good cover and doesn’t hold a candle to the original. It seems all together a bit too fierce and overdone to my ear. Lennon said this was better than the Beatles version. He was wrong. Can You Hear Me - This builds quite nicely and I like the string arrangements. There’s a nice flow to the composition and it’s another really easy listen. There’s a nice dynamic range across the track and Bowie really hams it up in a great way. There’s a nice bit of grit and drive to it towards the end, and the band do a great job with it all. Fame - Bookended by the hits. It’s undeniably funky, but in an oddly thin way, but I think that does emphasise the groove really well. There’s not a lot of low end drive to it, and everything is very staccato, but the hooks are really good. There’s some really great guitar work across this and the second half starts to have a bit of fun with the established groove, which is fun. It’s a bit weird to chuck this right at the tail end, but it certainly ends the album on a high.

I usually dislike "blue-eyed soul", often finding it artificial and derivative, and I was kind of ready to bash this album from the get-go... However, Bowie proved me wrong, showing me once again that preconceptions should never get in the way of good music. Sure, it did at first sound a bit like a bored artist toying with a musical genre he doesn’t even like that much. But it quickly became obvious that Bowie approached the source material with genuine respect, and he clearly had fun doing it. He also didn’t pretend to advance or better the genre – as he said himself, it’s just “plastic soul”, which means he was very aware of the artificial nature of his endeavor. I wasn’t sure Bowie could pull it, since his voice kind of lacks the power or raw emotion that defines soul music. But he made a real effort in this regard, using his own strengths (like his Curtis Mayfield-like falsetto) to give a convincing performance. What really got me on board, however, were the brilliant instrumentation and backing vocals. Despite a few weaker tracks, I find the end result really convincing, especially with brilliant songs like Right or Fascination. Overall, it’s really good soul music with an interesting art rock twist ; it manages to pay tribute to the genre while at the same time creating something truly Bowiesque. A nice discovery for me ! 7/10

Funk. Soul. Grooves. Horns! Sax! Highly danceable. Despite being a decent Bowie fan and knowing a few songs from this album, I’m not sure I’d ever listened to the whole thing. What a mistake! This is incredible. Also I do miss true covers being parts of major artists albums. Adele did a few! Sturgill Simpson too. But it’s rare. I was almost surprised when this was THE “across the universe.”

Not his best but still has amazing songs on it

jävligt bra! så najs att han bara kan trolla ur sig ett otroligt fett soulalbum mitt i allt. somebody up ther likes me är en otroligt bra låt som bara pågår.

Can the imitation be more real than the thing itself? Bowie’s “plastic soul” has the touch and taste of flesh and blood. 4.25/5

More Bowie is always welcome Fave track: Young American

Some recognizable songs on here for sure. Bowie is one of those artists I want to like so much more than I do. He’s the coolest, but after listening to this album I was struggling with anything to say about it. I’m chalking that up as it’s a fine album, but nothing really pulled me one way or the other. Will need to revisit this one again. * I revisted the album, it's better than I remembered. Changing my rating from 3 to 4.

It's Bowie it was always gonna be good

Yes yes yes

Un très bon album. Mais si celui-ci fait la liste, je calcule qu'il y a au moins 8 autres albums de Bowie qui devraient figurer dans la liste.

Cool album. I dig

Very nice, but Bowie is always nice

There are some great Bowie songs on this album that get a huge amount of radio exposure, but I don’t think this album is representative of Bowie at his best or most creative as an original artist. 3.5⭐️

Enjoyed, of course

All very good except the title track which is near perfection and the god awful “Across the Universe” cover

I don't think David Bowie had the right kind of voice for soul music... Or else I just don't like his voice very much. In any case, I think this is a good album, but I didn't enjoy the vocals enough to give it five stars, or to want it in my collection.

Not that familiar with David Bowie beyond his most popular; I didn’t know he could chill like that. Vibes, relaxing.

Famw

Classic Bowie

7/10 Favorite: Across the Universe

Even with my Bowie bias this can only get a 4. Young Americans is great and win is excellent. Other songs on the album are good but more sorta middling with a few highlights

Really good Bowie Album. It's short and to the point. Very enjoyable!

Great, funky, fun to listen to.

Har lyssnat på den redan :3

Soulful

Elsker alle Beatles referencerne!!!

dosta dobar. premda su mi središnje pjesme malo predugo vukle i iako mi se neki momenti kao npr. prateći vokali i nisu toliko svidjeli, prva i zadnja stvar su jednostavno predobre

Not my favourite but it's Bowie so....

ohh han de bowie glaub chli lieber, s glam rock züg hetmer nöd immer gfalle young americans coole ahfang zum album de hindergrundgsang isch sehr effektiv (falls das sinn macht) ihgsetzt win isch ultra schön mite blöser fascination hetmi jz gad chli an manfred mann erinneret hahah, isch das s clavinet? hmm die letschte paar lieder findi zwar immerno schön warm aber gönd chli ah mier verbii FAQAAAAAME

I really loved this album. It's a cool mix of funky pop and dreamy R&B. The Beatles cover was also a fun surprise!

I struggle with Bowie. This is pretty easily accessible though. It's not gonna be a frequent replay from me, but I genuinely enjoyed it.

david bowie can GROOVE and its pretty awesome, i liked this one alot. also unexpected across the universe cover which he does really well. 8/10

Bowie's venture into soul and calling it "plastic soul" shows that he was very well aware of how hard it was to navigate this genre with all its forms. I think he did a good job by giving it the right edge. "Win" is my favourite track. I do enjoy other albums by him more, but you can't go wrong here. It's easily one of his most danceable albums.

David in his coked out soul brother era. You can hear a young Luther Vandross on some of these tracks. Another solid album from one of the greats.

BANGER INTRO

Lush and swishy dreamboat. Loses it a bit towards the end with the flimsy Beatles cover, but I really enjoyed it.

Pretty good, I enjoyed the funk sort of style of this album.

Smiled all the way during my short errand run

7.94 - fine album. Nothing spectacular, but I liked his voice. Best: Young Americans (8.4). Worst: Somebody Up There Likes Me, Across the Universe (7.8)

Smooth and soulful, not my favorite Bowie album, but another good entry to his amazing discography.

Very interesting album. I didn't expect it to be this way. Very jazzy, sometimes disco, different genres, and very entertaining. I wouldn't mind listening to it again. 3,75/5.

Rann ljúflega í gegn, að fíla fönksándið

It was really easy to enjoy this album. It’s a near 5, but I still wanted more from it because it really flew by. The first and last songs are so good, but the rest don’t match as much. Though, the album as a whole is solid. I like the more soulful energy, and it makes for some nice soundscapes.

Butt his best but still good

A low 4 for me, which makes it mid table Bowie

fabulous

Highlight Song/s: Young Americans and Somebody up There Likes Me This is a album that I always meant to listen to at least once and I hadn't done that until this point in time. Bowie completely shifting from guitar-based rock music to soul and funk music just cause he can and proving in the process he isn't a one-trick pony! This album has quite luscious arrangements. I particularly like the backing vocals as my favourite 'THING,' this album gives you. A fair chunk of all the songs are anthemic starting with the explosive intro of the song Young Americans. And it seems once the chorus hits in any of the songs, it tends to be extremely long. Which I'm ambivalent about. I think the cover of the Beatles song Across The Universe is pretty cool, both of the versions are good in their own way; also Lennon plays guitar on that track, which is cool! This album is pretty good, definitely not as good as Station to Station (the next and similar-styled album.) I believe the opener and closer songs on the album are quite strong, it helps pull the album together and make it feel cohesive.

Not usually a Bowie fan. This album was surprising and hella groovy. Best: Fascination.

Cover ? Interesting

David Bowie was so entranced by American soul and R&B music that he was inspired to write and record Young American. Bowie's "plastic soul" is a delight. Young American is a fun and freewheeling ride. I could've done without the "Across the Universe" cover, but this album still ranks among Bowie's best work.

It's Bowie.

Bowie's take on soul and R&B, it may not be his best work but its interesting and important in the sense that it kickstarted the best run of albums Bowie would ever release in the next 5 years, powered by experimentation, cocaine and further rehabilitation. "Fame" is an absolute banger

Good album but not my favourite

Pretty fucking good although a little repetitive in some parts. It was not a very long album? 4/5 because it's Bowie.

Not Bowie's best but still fantastic. Love that it was inspired by soul music and it really shows. Pretty great from front to back.

Some of the production on this is a little dated-sounding. "Fame" is a five-star song, and the rest is good, but later Bowie albums are better.

In this album Bowie makes a u-turn from Glam Rock and experiments if you like into Blue-Eyed Soul that it is called nowadays.He tries to blend ''black'' music with white and because it is said that he was the first,this album is considered as a very influential one and is the reason why it's on the list.It is though a very hard task almost impossible back in the days so i can say it was a fair try and a very courageous and brave thing to do as an artist.As this was my first ever listen to this album excerpt the Fame song i will break down the songs one by one: Young Americans reminded me a bit of Grace Jones's La Vie En Rose,the vocals though really downgrades the song here,the line''i heard the news today oh boy'' is a node to Lennon i hope, Win has a seductive lush sax intro,sexy vocals,quite sensual song,the distant sax sounds here really made the difference to me,great song,really impressed me, I think i got some Jimi Hedrix vibes as well, Fascination funky wah wah guitars are amazing,groovy bass as well,i absolutely love the soul vibes and the warmth i get from this one, Right gave me strong Stevie Wonder vibes from the beginning,Bowie is trying very hard to sound ''black'' at times,maybe a bit,too much, Somebody Up There Likes Me starts off beautifully (although the sax starts to hit on my nerves when it hits higher notes-thank god it is mixed low here),quite good song,quite soulful, Across The Universe is a Beatles cover and I think John Lennon plays the guitar here,it's a historical moment,a Bowie's admiration i know, but still the vocals just doesn't feels right to me,Lennon though praised Bowie's version by saying that he liked better this than the original, Can You Hear Me is a beautiful soul song with soft bongos and some orchestral carpeting,low sax playing for sexiness,and dreamy guitar, Fame is the star here,the lyrics and the irony,the most Bowiest song of all in this album and maybe the only one that actually makes Bowie successful at what he wanted to prove,groovy and funky as hell,i remember Eurythmic's take on this one which was actually quite good! Overall it's a good album but i think Bowie didn't quite accomplished what he was trying to show us here,i mean i've read that even he wasn't quite pleased with this album.

Ekki uppáhalds Bávíinn minn en þetta er nú samt hann. Titillagið er all time classic. Margt ekki jafn gott þarna. Dabbi var alltaf að athuga nýja hluti og finna sig. Þarna fann hann smá hliðarspor.

Bowie er alltaf góður. Fín plata og alltaf til í að prófa eitthvað nýtt. Og af hverju þá ekki að prófa smá plastsoul.

Probably the best Bowie album I've gotten since Ziggy Stardust (also got Heroes and Low). Easily the catchiest of them with the exception of Ziggy. Pretty good crack at R&B, soul, and funk and just more proof that Bowie is a chameleon who can adapt to anything. Of course, Young Americans and Fame are great, but songs like Fascination and Right are great as well.

Total departure for Bowie in 1974, embraces the Philly-soul sound w complete devotion, helping define it in the process. Sound is fun, unserious, party-ready. Bookended by two of Bowie’s best-ever tracks and pretty strong throughout. These high points offset only by unnecessary length of some of the album tracks.

This is great. Of this album, I had only really heard Fame, which honestly was one of my least favorite on the album. I love the Beatles remixes on here and will definitely come back to it. The compositions are cool and it definitely feels like a late 60s early 70s vibe

Quite interesting to get this one on the back of Aladdin Sane (how random is this really?!) but almost a 180 in tone for a guy who was known for constant reinvention. Completely left the glam rock behind and went almost yacht rock in parts, in a good way? Another album where I knew a few songs (the bookend tracks, which are the "hits" and probably still the best songs) but hadn't listened to the rest. Some great grooves throughout (Fame being my favorite), funky instrumentation, but the backing vocals are what really stand out. I read that this was a then-unknown Luther Vandross which is a fun bit of trivia. Nice take on Across the Universe. Overall quite good, don't think this is a genius-level work but solid.

è un album veramente strano per essere di Bowie. è un mix di rock, soul, funk e chissà cos'altro, e nonostante alcune canzoni la tirino per le lunghe, a me è piaciuto tanto. good job Dave

Cool soul genre exercise

Solid album. Some standouts but others I wouldn't reach out for

David Bowie’s Young Americans. The Thin White Duke went full soul. Lennon dropped in, Luther Vandross sang backup, and Bowie called it “plastic soul.” Fake? Na. Brilliant? Absolutely.

Fame pushed this one to a 4, quintessential Bowie

Listened to Bowie quite a bit over the years but never really return to this album much. It's interesting enough in its/his change to blue eyed soul, but the songs don't really land often enough for me, from the great the title track and fame to well bad, whatever it is he does to across the universe, and I like soul, but this is just interesting but middling for me regarding Bowie. And it wasn't the 1st blue eyed soul so it doesn't carry that distinction. It was an important change in Bowies career and middling Bowie is better than lots, but thats not necessarily justification for this list. 3.5 Stars

Good album, very telaxed and chill for Bowie. It has moments of brilliance and some let downs (Accross the Universe obvi) but overall I enjoyed hearing bowie in this vein. I did not know this one beforehand, (aside from Fame) though I love Bowie, which made that listen very enjoyable for me. Though the simplicity kinda shocked me at first, it is only after a couple of listen that I got the vision. It is a good hommage to a different sound, one he seems to claim as a parent to his own sound. Is it as iconic as the rest? No, and it doesn't have a smash like sime of his other record. But mellow Bowie is still great, still a legend and the Lenon influence is interesting.

Not the best Bowie album I’ve had so far but still bloody good. Very different from anything I’ve heard of his before, on that point the title track used to play at my old job all the time and it was years until I realised it was Bowie. Not a bad song on here and I even enjoyed The Beatles cover which I am sometimes picky about, hard to improve on perfection lol. Top Track - Fame

Love Dave

i did not expect to like this as much as i did. bowie was one of those unique artists that could sing pretty much any genre. with this album, he experimented in “blue eyes soul”, and he crushed it, as the kids say. highlights: “young americans” “fascination” “fame”

It's good but I'm sure it's not his best.

Pretty great

I'm just glad that whichever record exec gave Bowie a chance had the guts to do it. This album is all over the place with style and genre and Bowie eats it up. He'll do what he wants, when he wants and some great sound came from it.

A complete dance party. I loved every second of it.

Great album!! Love Bowie and most of his work. Haven't listened to this particular album that much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, as usual. 4/5 for my pook🎉

Fame deserves 5+ stars on its own but the singles pull a lot of weight on this album so 4 overall

Loved it!

its David Bowie. We are saved. Not his peak but is still a good album. I like the title track and the cover of Across The Universe. 3.5/5

Heard it before. A sax heavy funky album which I love. And somehow The Beatles are involved too 4/5

Really liked this Bowie album, short but well composed. Had a solid 70s feel to it with the horn section.

Честно говоря, Heroes мне показался поинтереснее. Не, вы не подумайте. Это хороший рок/соул альбом, с классным звучанием. Но как-то не хватило той экспериментальщины, которую я слышал на Heroes. Завершающий трек Fame - легендарный на все 100%. А больше особенно и нечего сказать.

Not a particular Bowie favorite and it feels like something about the production or something in the first few songs isn't striking, I dunno, but it is also an album full of David Bowie songs and they all feel like part of the exciting experience, on any of his many albums on this list he's still going to be special

Some excellent tracks here. But a little too much sax (yes, I said it!) on some keep me from rounding up.

Bowie really challenges me with the songs between the mega hit bookends of this album, begging the question of why he chose to do certain things on each song. It’s a rollercoaster, but it rounds upwards.

Digging the 70's vibe on this album. Enjoyable.

PLEASE I NEED A BAD ALBUM

So smooth and dramatic

super

3.5 stars. David Bowie's foray into soul/R&B. Instrumental in "Win" and "Across the Universe" is good but lyrics and vocals detract from it. Standout is the funky "Fame".

really nice

Bien. Un disco de Bowie.

Not my favourite by Bowie but good.

Young American Fame

Are the Bowie albums I'm getting acutally getting better, or is he just growing on me? So far I've had Heroes, Ziggy Stardust, and Aladdin Sane. I gave them all 3s, but I liked each one slightly more than the previous. Young Americans bounces around between ratings, just like the other ones. Starts out with the title track, which is a total banger. Then it kind of sinks for a few tracks. Somebody Up There Likes Me brings it back up with some killer saxophone. Accross The Universe was good, relaxing with some nice guitar. It was fairly repetitive, which normally turns me off, but I enjoyed this one. Can You Hear Me was chill and fun. Fame kicks off with a great beat, and keeps that energy going throughout. The weaker tracks would bring the average down to, once again, a 3. But I think I overall enjoyed this one enough to push it up to a 4. Best song: Young Americans

Hearing Bowie return to his gospel roots to tell the story of a dying American dream is a magical experience that makes the album a clear vessel to deliver the title track. That being said, the rest of the album still holds water with gospel/soul/pop blended together in a very grounded version of David Bowie.

Fame is an all timer, over all a really solid listen

Not my favorite Bowie, but still a lot of good stuff here.

Young Americans is Bowie at his boldest, diving headfirst into “plastic soul.” The production is stellar, the sax and background vocals elevate every track, and Bowie himself performs admirably in this new lane. Still, for all his charisma, he’s not a true soul singer, and the album can’t quite match the depth of the real legends he was emulating. A fascinating experiment and a strong listen, but not full marks.

excellent

Bowie's hat tip to soul. He described it not as a soul album but an ode to soul (or something), and if you judge it based on that, I think it holds up. That it was such an abrupt but quality pivot from Ziggy Stardust is impressive. Proves that Bowie was master of several genres. End of day, though, it's not his best work. But Bowie deserves more than one album here, and I'm happy with the inclusion of this one.

Great album didn’t own this one -so I only ever heard “Young Americans” and “Fame” but the whole album is great! I can hear David Sanborn all over this album! Great bass also 4 stars!!!

3.5/5

A couple of classic Bowie tracks - Young Americans and Fame - and a perfect representation of Bowie as a chameleon. It is a bit weird having a white British man sing soul music and this isn't as good as music from actual soul artists, but it's still very good overall.

One what I wouldn’t describe as a monumental album David Bowie managed to produce of the all time genre defining songs, Young Americans and Fame. Two songs people would kill to have in a career, he had on one record!

Rock

bowie at his funkiest - also sees him explore soul music, thus perfectly showcasing his incredible versatility. not one of my favourite bowie albums but definitely an important one in terms of shaping his creative direction. the two singles really stood out for me (the first and last track) and the beatles cover was pretty cool too.

Fun listen - 3.5/5

Ah back in the day where you had a chance to release a classic album every year. “What’s it going to be this time?” “Well, there are these great backup singers in town and uhmmm some fuckin’ saxophone?” “It’s a hit!”

Funky and fun!

Despite my brother having played me his vinyl years ago and trying it myself more recently through streaming, this album hadn't connected with me beyond the great title song and Fame. Today listening to it on a journey home from long weekend away in Scarborough for my 50th birthday I enjoyed it more, even if still have some reservations on the qualify of a few songs and his singing on them, they're a little loose and lacking in his normal precision and form. Still further to go with this one I think!

Is it any wonder?

4.1

I’m not a huge fan of David Bowie, but I liked this album. My only annoyance was the huge amount of saxophone throughout the album. Truly an awful instrument.

I always wondered why people thought this guy was so good. Now I know.

A few lassic tracks. Funky, soul vibe. Great vocals and lyrics, interesting features.

Du haut de mon ignorance totale de David Bowie, je peux comprendre sa popularité.

Plastic soul power. Strong

With this, David Bowie has become the first artist to give me a 6th album on this generator. I mean, it makes sense if you look at the numbers. David Bowie has more albums on this list than any other artist with a whopping NINE entries. You know what? I'm mostly okay with this. 9 albums is a little high, but like 7 or 8? That's good. David Bowie's discography is filled with stellar albums (mostly from the 70s) with a good amount of stylistic change-ups to warrant numerous entries on a list like this. However, of all the albums he has on this list, Young Americans may just be the most cuttable. It's either that or The Next Day. Despite that, this is still 70s Bowie we're talking about here, so you know what that means? I love Young Americans. This album's great. It is one of the weaker albums of his I've heard, but I still love it. The big thing here is the influences on this album in particular, with two that seem to be the biggest focuses; the soul genre at large and John Lennon. I'll start with Lennon since his influence is more in the making of the album rather than its actual music. John Lennon has a few notable places of importance on this album. He played guitar and backing vocals on a few songs. That's nice. One of the songs on the album is a cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe." That's nice. It's a good cover. And of course, Lennon helped co-write this album's biggest hit, that being the excellent closer "Fame." Amazing song. I love that guitar. It's funky. Speaking of funk, this album sure was influenced by it and soul. This has led to the album being dubbed "plastic soul" or "blue-eyed soul" over the decades. I like it. I think it's good that Bowie was trying new things with these albums. However, that does kind of tie into one of the reasons as to why this album could be cut and not the other Bowie albums on the list. While this album does have some phenomenal songs, including the aforementioned "Fame" and the amazing opening title track, the "soul-influenced Bowie" era definitely reached its overall creative peak with this album's coke-fueled followup, Station to Station, an album that I strongly prefer. That's not to say that Young Americans is bad. I've had nothing but good things to say. However, its inclusion could be seen as a little redundant. Still, Young Americans is another classic album from a musical legend. It's got some cool influences that are respected in the music and I really like the album's songs. High 4/5.

Faaaame!

I love David Bowie, but this is my least favorite album of his on this list. If I could, I would substitute Scary Monsters, which is one of my top 3 Bowie albums, for Young Americans. The songs, Young Americans and Fame, are incredible, but I'm not overly fond of the "plastic soul" portion of this album. The weird cover of Across The Universe just feels wrong. Usually, I'm all for weird and unique interpretations of covers, but that song feels forced. Still, it's a David Bowie album and the worst DB album is still better than a lot of the albums on this list.

I love David Bowie, but this album didn't feel as great as ziggy stardust.

I've already listened to his album (8). One of Bowie's most easygoing albums. A fun listen, with soulful sax solos and Fame as the cherry on top.

Very mellow, sexy

Not his best work, but a decent album.

A solid album from Bowie. Shifting away from glam rock and going for a more groovy and funky sound is a tough move to make, but Bowie makes it look effortless. The opening and closing tracks (Young Americans and Fame) are probably the best, but in between them are plenty of decent funk and R&B songs.

I'm realizing that I don't really know what David Bowie is all about. That may be by design. I know the radio hits and I know that musicians the world over think he's awesome but I wasn't really ready for this album. Lots of R&B, much more mellow than I thought. The only one I really knew was Fame and I kinda think it's one of the weaker entries. Knowledge gained.

This isn't Bowie's pièce de résistance or anything, but it still has two powerhouse songs bookending the album. The middle is made up of six songs that provide the filler between his massive hits, but also add some incredible deep tracks to his discography. "Win" comes in after the energetic title track and immediately mellows out the vibe with its laid back instrumental work. The vocals, both David's and the background singers, are entrancing (what a pretentious thing to say!). "Fascination" and "Right" give some funky range. "Somebody Up There Likes Me" is honestly a little bluesy without being too 'white man tries to do the blues'. He definitely stays in his lane, which is something that can't be said for the next track. His cover of "Across the Universe" was wholly unnecessary. Throws off the entire project for me. The second to last song, "Can You Hear Me", is much like the second. It's right next to a big hit with massive energy. It's mellow and laid back. It takes us out of the dream that is the middle of the record. The whole album is arranged beautifully. I love this thing. 4/5

Good

Mostly very good, sometimes very great

This is another great Bowie album! Definitely a departure from his normal glam rock sound and more of a funky, soulful, and r&b vibe. ‘Fame’ is obviously the standout track and one of the best Bowie songs. This album also has a great cover of The Beatles with ‘Across the Universe’! The title track is strong and the other songs on the album were solid as well. I definitely give this album a thumbs up and I would listen to it again!

Nice one. I like Fame and Fascination.

Solid Bowie album with a few classic songs.

This was good i will have to come back to

Funky Banger

Classic

Not my favorite Bowie. At only eight songs you would think they’d all be at least solid, and yet i skipped many. Now imagine if this was an EP of the title track, Fame, Across the Universe and one other, maybe Fascination. Now that would be at least a four star entry.

A little bit of soul and slow funk here, a bit of a reach from his usual but I think it works pretty well

Iconic. Right length. Would have done without across the universe

A musical chameleon changes its sound.

Uh oh... more Bowie. It feels like I just finished ranting hot takes about Heroes... here we go again... maybe. I will say... I think I enjoyed this more overall. It's more consistent. It picks a sound, a vibe and really explores it thoroughly. And David sings the whole time, which is a plus (no instrumental tracks, thank god). I think he at one point described it as plastic soul which is a pretty strong description. It sounds like David Bowie, filtering soul music through his weird and specific experience... and making something new. It's not just Bowie does soul karaoke, he brings his own spin to it and creates something different, which is really cool. However, I'm sure there are some funk/soul artists who are like "wtf man, you stole our sound" (but who knows, that's just speculation - i hope this record got people to check out more funk and soul music, a gateway record). I love the backing vocals. I love the sax all over this thing. It's just got a cool, groovy, funky vibe the whole time. HIs vocals are great, but the lyrics don't stick out to me as much as a normal bowie album. Every song is over 4 minutes, which is good and bad. When he hits a good groove/vibe, he really explores it. But if you're not into a song, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. My first listen in headphones on my own, i was feeling a 3. But then I was hanging with some friends and threw it on some nice speakers while having some drinks... and it kinda made me like it more. Just a good record you can bob your head to the whole time. I'm thinking more a 3.5... rounded up to a 4. Specific track thoughts... Young Americans - I love this song. Love the sax. Love the piano. The backup vocals in the chorus are mind-blowing. Just gorgeous. Hot take: I think this song goes on a bit long. I loveee it but i think i'd love it even more if it was like a 4 minute song. They really milk it. Win - another great chorus with the backing vocalists. Fascination - this is an awesome track. I did not know it going into this album. What a great find. Love the momentum. The chorus is so good. Again the backing vocals are incredible. Apparently it's on a grand theft auto soundtrack so it's known very well by anyone who was a teen boy in 2008 (i know this because i put on the album and my friend was like "holy shit, this has fascinations on it, loved it in GTA 4"). I don't know how i wasn't also exposed to this song at that time. I did play this game briefly. Can You Hear Me - Just this great dramatic slow jam. I'm a fan. Across the Universe - Sigh. This cover just doesn't work for me. I do like the choice to replace some of the vocal lines with instruments doing the melody. It is a very passionate performance. The little Nothing repetition with the fast drum beat is cool. I just don't think this song works in this style. I kinda wish I could hear Bowie do a different Beatles song in this style. I dunno... maybe don't let me down? There's probably 50 beatles songs I'd rather hear him cover in this plastic soul style. This one does not work for me. Fame - it's a hit. It's a great song. Groovy as hell. That guitar line is iconic.

Gosh I love David Bowie and I do love everything he does but this one didn’t blow me away like some of his others… fun album tho! Low 4 for me prob

Quelques jours après Hunky Dory, un autre album de Bowie, mais assez différent. Plus mellow, plus soul. Plus dans mes cordes. Je suis étonné : Hunky Dory est paru en 1971, dans sa période plus folk (sa période glam commence en 72 avec l’album suivant, The Rise...), et, quatre ans et cinq (!) albums plus tard, il entre dans sa phase soul. La période soul n’est pas très longue : deux albums seulement. Ça me donne le goût d’écouter le suivant (Station to Station) ensuite. La période suivant, c’est les expérimentations berlinoises avec Eno. Suivent enfin sa période pop (je ne sais pas si j’ai hâte) et la période finale (des années 90 jusqu’à sa mort) avec les deux très beaux albums finaux. Mais, revenons à Young Americans. Les quatre premières tounes sont vraiment très fortes ! Go David ! En tous les cas, c’est presque un album parfait. La deuxième face est un peu plus faible : son cover de Across the Universe n’est pas à mon goût et la toune trois commence de manière peu intéressante (mais se rattrape avant la fin). Et Fame comme grande finale !

Bowie is an icon, in large part due to his ability to reinvent himself. This requires constant experimentation, and not every song is perfect. Fame and Young Americans are well regarded hits. In an alternate universe, Fascination and Somebody Up There Likes Me would be as well. The Beatles cover is great, though nothing revelatory. The rest are fine, but nothing really special

Favourite Bowie album so far. Title track and Fame are great tunes and was pleasantly surprised by the Beatles cover.

wonderful, always

Fame

Baller as always. Great Bowie album

En bra skiva, men det är endel utfyllnad i jämförelse med andra klassiska Bowie

Very decent album that merits multiple relistens.

Not my favorite Bowie album, but still good.

Toppenplatta! Men på ett helt annat sätt än Ziggy vilket är kul

Stil!

Bowie’s best ever vocals on title track. Ending track Fame (with Lennon on vocals) also very familiar but never heard album in its entirety before. Had no idea Bowie covered All Across The Universe, albeit nowhere near as good as The Beatles. Great album, cool as always. Bit short.

Heard this in the end of college in my "i gotta learn to understand bowie more" phase. It was maybe my favorite one? At least one that stood out as pretty consistent. The instrumentals started to finally pop and his voice chilled out lol

Wow! Funk/Soul/Disco Bowie?!? I'm here for it.

Dad- 9.5 Mom- 9 Mike- NA Lori- 6.5 Michael- 8 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 8.25

Bowie is my man. First concert I went to without adult supervision was Bowie. Life changing. Forever grateful for David Bowie. This album fuckin rules. Closing the alum with Fame goes so hard. Epic

I love Bowie's venture into Soul. It's such a marvelous album but it's not my favorite from him. I feel like it's so great mainly because it's Bowie and this album includes a few of his most well-known singles. I think this is a such an interesting departure from his previous sound, but it feels more like a transition album. I will always love Bowie, but this is a 4 instead of a 5 for me. There's just better Bowie albums out there! Though if you love Soul and you love Bowie, this album is a marvelous juncture of the two. The popular singles from this album are the stand outs and the rest of the songs can drag through the middle. The beginning with Young Americans and then the end with Fame and Across the Universe? Okay Bowie!!! I see you!!!!

So I wasn’t sure what to expect with this album but I was still pleasantly surprised. The obvious huge hits at the beginning and ending of this album are both amazing but they definitely overshadow the bulk of the middle of the middle of the album. But that being said I really enjoyed this album that was very clearly designed to be a straight soul album. I don’t think this album had the variety that I adore Bowie for, but I think the fully realized soul album was a very cool change of pace for him. As far as which songs I saved it was kind of a perfect split down the middle. Four of eight. I didn’t care for the slower songs like right and can you hear me. But I loved the two huge hits and Somebody up there likes me along with Across the universe. Honestly this album is a total gem even if I technically wasn’t blown away by half of the album.

I didnt really like him back then, but compared to most of the crap these days he is good

It's his kinds R&B album. Seriously every Bowie album I get is just damn good.

I’ve been looking forward to my first Bowie album, knowing there are so many on the list. But it’s taken 190 days for one to finally arrive. I was never a huge fan of Bowie growing up, but his music is difficult to avoid as you go through life and I’ve liked most of what I’ve heard. But his is the first time I’ve sat down and listened to a full album… and this isn’t really what I expected. It’s almost ‘middle of the road’ funky soul. What I'd have expected to hear on 'old person' radio? Not at all what I thought a David Bowie album would be like. But maybe that’s the point? Did he ever produce what people expected him to? I don’t know the answer to that but I suppose I’ll find out when I get the next Bowie album on the list. 

 So.. unexpected, but I’m not saying I didn’t like it. I rarely mark tracks individually, but for this album I did. Can’t be arsed to list them all but the average is 4.25. So there you have it.

History has been kind to this album and what was driving Bowie at the time. Some of the castoffs deserved to be on the album, and it might have been a more cohesive record, but with Fame it probably wouldn’t have sold as well.

It's ok. Fame is the best song.

J - 4/5 Best Track - "Fame" F - 2/5

Oh, is ‘Young Americans’ a David Bowie song? Had no idea! This list has completely changed my perception of Bowie totally. Think I had mostly heard the Ziggy Stardust album before and some of his hit songs, but I now realize what a breadth he has to his songmaking, along with even more hits I wasn’t aware of! This album doesn’t sound like any other Bowie record, but it’s still very good. Opener track is obviously one you recognize, but I found myself really enjoying the rest as well! Would definitely come back to this.

Great album, a complete change from previous albums and sounds grwat

I am not sure if it is because this was the first real exposure I had to David Bowie or it really is for me just what makes me like David Bowie regardless of when and where I heard it, but this, for me IS David Bowie in a form I would recommend to people. Some of may all time favorite songs are on here. Now, with that said, I must say that in some ways I get that this is also the most commercial and POP that he gets. And I will not discount his "weirder" stuff so readily. This album by itself does not make him an ICON. Yet it is a good starting point, no doubt.

Slaps lol

Bowie est mon artiste préféré et ça ne changera pas. Si cet album est excellent, devrait-il être célébré pour son innovation quand Bowie emprunte tellement au style Motown et aux artistes noir-es? Peut-être est-ce moi qui ne m'y connais pas assez pour voir ce qu'il y a apporté. La qualité d'exécution générale et son propre charisme sont indéniables, sa personnalité inimitable. On passe de l’énergie contagieuse de la première pièce à une intériorité feutrée, une assurance enivrante, une tension sexuelle... Les ambiances et univers se succèdent avec succès. Mais c’est dans «Fame» que Bowie se permet le plus d’être Bowie, de décoller et de tordre les coins, de distendre la réalité.

Groovy, opener and closer are top notch

A lot of pleasant songs

Part blue-eyed soul swerve, part semi-requited love letter to his pal John Lennon (beyond just "Fame" and "Across the Universe," note, for example, the Beatlesque arpeggios on "Won"), multiple parts attempt to keep up with Lennon's Lost Weekend habits, with attendant consequences (the backup singers overpower Bowie on "Fascination" like he's losing a battle with the voices in his head). Come to think of it, this is perhaps the least Bowie Bowie album - the sound of someone tired of his old persona, trying on a new one, not sure who he really wants to be and fighting valiantly to keep the demons at bay. I play it less than Low or Ziggy but I think I respect it equally.

Standouts Young Americans Win Fascination Somebody Up There Likes Me

Probably my favorite Bowie album.

David bowie

Wonderful

I LIKE IT PICASSO

This was great. Had Heroes the day before and this is so much better. With the exception of a truly awful cover of Across the Universe. Don't know what possessed Bowie with that one.

I love the hits but skip the music the other songs

incredibly funky motown-esque offering from David Bowie that incorporates tight basslines, high energy vocals, choirs, and other elements that absolutely slap.

Good one!

Have loved this album for a good while. Good energy, great lyrics propelled by the back-up singers. 'Right' being the standout track for me.

There’s nothing that tries so hard and yet does so little as 70s prog

Weird cover of the Beatles, but otherwise a great album.

One of Bowie's most underrated 70s albums got some quality songs. Most enjoyable.

The Good: We understand that this album is for the Young Americans! The Bad: Not being a Young American… The Ugly: Wondering if Bowie would still want to call the song/album such in today’s epoch? I get it, there are people who feel that this is cultural misappropriation. The same people who will scream in your face if you are eating a hamburger… Me, on first spin, this album did not do it for me… yet today, I find myself doing some cleaning, while the album is gently doing it’s thing in the background, and I have to say that I am starting to really enjoy it. Would I agree that this is soul music? Not for me, as I equate soul music with a specific sound and voice, and though the unknown Luther V pops in to show it should be done, DB just does not have that vocal style. But damnit, the songs are all catchy, and I have been humming the title track for the past 24 hours, so that should mean something. Don’t know if the album just happened to have caught me at a certain mental state, and that if I would listen to it in 3 weeks I would start having issues with the over-used saxophone. But today, today I am going to dish out 4* well deserved!

You can’t go wrong with any of the Bowie albums on this list, but this one is probably my least favourite (together with The Next Day). Bowie himself described this as “plastic soul” and I feel like that’s a pretty fitting term. This is by no means a bad album and I enjoy it quite a bit (especially Fascination and Fame), but in my opinion Station To Station that followed the next year perfected the soulful, funky sound that Bowie started with this album.

It’s good just not my style

Pues me gustó mucho, aunq dos albums d Bowie seguidos si q es un poco too much. Fame es un temazo eso sí, las otras tb me gustaron pero no me destacan demasiado. Le pondría 3 estrellas pero como estoy feliz por mi canción y pq tres treses me parecen demasiado poco para Bowie le pongo 4.

Enjoyable. Varied.

An excursion into soul between Bowie's glam rock era and the more experimental late-70s work. It's not my favourite Bowie album by any means but I really liked Somebody up There Likes Me.

Very good album, classic Bowie! Love all the songs here. 8.1/10

Da verbowie mi widermal vor em Dave, klatsche ganz lut id händ, heb min huet, schmeisse vier sternli id rundi und Mach grad no en bürtselbaum. De Dave macht widermal vieles richtig bi dem Album

hed spass gmacht

One of my favorite Bowie records. It gets some unfair criticism for the "blue eyed soul" of it all but I think it genuinely comes off as sincere instead of imitation. Anyone paying attention to his career up to this point knows he was always influenced by r&b/soul. It was only a matter of time.

I love 70's Bowie. Anything up to Let's Dance really. Smack in the middle of this prolific period, Young Americans takes a swing at American funk/soul....and only kind of gets there. Bowie himself noted this record as plastic soul and that sounds about right. It gives off a kind of an uncanny valley effect if you are trying to listen to a soul record. Whatever it is trying to be though, it is a good solid effort. The backing band is stellar this time around. The tracks are well layered and some of those funk jams are tight, giving of Stevie Wonder vibes. Also contained within is possibly one of the worst Beatles covers ever put on record. Yikes. We will blame that one on the coke....

Well spaced album with the 3 big songs at beginning, middle, and end. Decent album tracks. If this was an unknown act I'd be raving but this is the guy who did Jean Genie, Suffragette City, Starman etc. and this is a drop from that level

The opener is magnificent, and the closer is great too, but hardly anyone talks about the rest of the album, save for perhaps the infamous cover of Across the Universe, which I will admit is probably the worst track here. However, the rest of the album carries that same white boy funk that Fame masters, and had me grooving along with it for the entirety of the A-side. I was actually surprised by the tone of some of these, with tracks like Right having darker undertones, which I wasn't expecting with this record. It is an extremely commercial album, and yeah, it is kind of obvious with context that this was made with tons of drugs involved, but I think it deserves the mild recognition it has garnered over time, and while it certainly isn't one of his best, this is a solid step into a genre you would think someone like Bowie would have no business in, and that's what makes it all the more impressive.

Great work as expected from David Bowie, I felt like an 80's principal character and I love the across the universe performance, little different than the Beatles but really good tbh

Really great stuff. The backing band and personnel are top notch.

Young Americans - 5/5 Win - 4/5 Fascination - 4/5 Right - 5/5 Somebody up There Likes Me - 4/5 Across the Universe - 2/5 Can You Hear Me - 4/5 Fame - 5/5 Average score: 4.2/5 (rounding down) solid. i was so certain i'd give this album 5 stars... then i heard that atrocious cover of Across the Universe. i just don't think his style of singing suited that song

Groovy and hypnotic

4/5

Wonderfully fun. Bowie is in peak form as a crooner. This is a 4.

Even when Bowie made an album heavily carried by the titular opening track and the famous closer, it was still a super solid record.

Loving David Bowie has taken years, but I am there. Fun and dynamic....though i still struggle with sax solos

Across the Universe is a great song, but this album is no Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust... or Hunky Dory. Still, it's Bowie, the dude was a genius.

Solid work from Bowie again.

Loved Fame and title track Young Americans

I think 4 is fair - even Bowie doing things I'm not crazily into is still interesting! :) Not sure it was "vital" like Blackstar, Heroes, Ziggy Stardust etc, but I can see why someone might disagree (I liked it)! :)

This, unbelievably was the first time I've ever listened to the whole album in one sitting. A revelation indeed. Brilliant album.

4.5

3.5

Light 4.5

The Title track, Fame and Facination are obvious highlights in fact all of side one really kicks. Side 2 is hampered by a rather drab Across The Universe, but other than Fame really doesn't live up to side 1 8.75 ★★★★

4.5

A higher mid-tier Bowie release. Opener title track is barnstormer plastic soul and the rest of the first half is generally strong. Cover of Across The Universe is a little overwrought and questionable but metatextually links with the John Lennon co-written Fame at the end which is the one other unquestionable funkytastic gem off of this. Low 4.

What stands out to me most on this album is the backing instrumentals and vocals. I am a known Bowie hater and I know that, but this was my most enjoyable of the Bowie listens that I have had this far. As Zach pointed out, one cool thing about Bowie is that his albums follow the time period that they were made in very well. It then makes sense that I like the sound of this album as the late 70s hold some of my more favorite musical pallates. 7/10

Thin White Duke era Bowie, what else needs to be said. All his albums in the 1970s, including Young Americans are perfect music for when we go up to outer space. Also cool that John Lennon is on a lot of these tracks as guitar or backing vocals.

I fucked with this, I love Bowie

Funky, plastic soul. It’s David Bowie, what’s not to like? Highlights: Young Americans, Fascination, Fame.

It's Bowie, but not my favorite album of his.

I really enjoyed this album considering the genre Bowie went with this time. I understand why he called it “plastic soul”, but it still does a better job than many other white artists trying to mimic the style back then. Definitely an enjoyable ride.

Muy genial nunca le había prestado mucha atención. no ando muy inspirada para reviews, perdón, Bowie :)

Young Americans and fame are great songs obviously, and somebody up there likes me is pretty good, but otherwise just ok

Probably my favorite Bowie album. 4.0

David Bowie!

I finally found some David Bowie i can stand to listen to!

bowie in his strength 70's vibe

Soulful Bowie

Very nice found a few good tracks

Stu I love that you know about Luther as a background singer (?!) for YA 🥰🥰🥰

Outstanding work. He’s one of a kind. This is the 3rd album on this list and is my favorite so far. More approachable and not as far out on the edge as the exploratory Berlin albums. Across the Universe cover is absolutely brilliant.

A short and sweet album. Fan of "Young Americans" And, well, "Fame"...iconic.

From folky to one hit wonder/novelty to extraterrestrial glam rocker to soul singer in just 6 years. That is the Bowie way. This album introduced his long time guitarist as well as discovering Luther Vandross. He would only pause on this sound for one album before continuing his adventure but what an aperitif this is. A great album by any metric. But transitioning between the Ziggy Stardust era the berlin years - this pit stop is all the more extraordinary. This is a career path for most musicians. But for Bowie it's just another excellent band with another great roster of songs. 4.5 stars.

Excellent album with a couple of iconic songs!

I remember when we met David on Houmous & Chutney’s 1974 tour of Zambia, we said it to him then. He’s not an album artist. Just a best of. Noone wants to hear anything but his hits. He wasn’t happy! He wrote Fame after that. 3.9

There are parts of this Bowie album that are absolutely outstanding. The opener and closer are great and I actually never knew who sang Fame, so that's cool. And the opening of Right has that special Bowie flare to it that makes it sound truly unique in a foreign genre to him. I do enjoy a lot of the album, but it does feel like an immitation rather than something confident or genuine for large stretches, compared to something like EW&F or The Isley Brothers.

Great album

David Bowie is another musical icon that I don’t own many albums from. I know the hits from his catalog but have always been a bit stumped on his popularity. Not that the songs are bad, but why he is so popular. This album didn’t really define it any better for me. I did enjoy the hit tracks “Fame” and “Young Americans” along with other non hit tracks like “Fascination”, “Across the Universe”, and my personal favorite from the album, the funk inspired “Right”. Overall it’s a great album but maybe there are better Bowie albums. Although I’m still trying to understand the Bowie mystique.

All hail The Sovereign of the Guild of Calamitous Intent! Best: "Young Americans" (an absolute classic) Worst: "Can You Hear Me" (string section made it sound like it was intended for Barbra Streisand)

So a few years back I did the full Bowie discography, in chronological order. Bowie was interesting as I found just about every album he had one or two zingers and then the rest was pretty much filler. It's like he knew how to get at least one hit on every album! Bowie was a master at changing with the time, as this album saw the end of his glam rock era, and he begun to explore R&B and Funk, perfect as music was moving into the disco era. This album has a more than one zinger for sure, but I think he had a little help from his friend John Lennon. Favorites, Young Americans, Facination, and Fame.

Zemlech guet vorallem de Tetelsong. Halt klassisch David Bowie

I've written on more than one David Bowie albums that this is where I felt that he grew into his voice and I stick to that, he largely drops the shrill, nasally style. It's not completely gone, he still kind of does it when he hits higher notes, but the baseline for his voice seems much lower. His voice also suits the soul style, and I really like the backing vocals, which compliment his really well There's a bit of a grand, cinematic quality, like on Somebody Up There Likes Me but especially Win. That would fit in perfectly in some rainy city landscape with lights reflecting off of the wet pavement. I rarely have such specific mental images from music (outside of nostalgia or memories) but that was vivid Fascination is so nostalgic for me, I loved when it came on on the radio in GTA IV. It's pretty high up in my list of Bowie's best stuff Highlights: Fascination, Win, Fame, Young Americans

Not my favorite Bowie album. Some good stuff on here, but just doesn't resonate with me.

4.5/5. Cool John Lennon cameo.

Title track is fun and young love u David. He really went all out on the vocals. And the Beatles references? Okaaayyyyy The second track gets more into the whole "plastic soul" thing. like it love fascination enjoy right. can see it growing on me with some listens somebody up there's good i've been noticing that most of these tracks range from fine to good at the beggining but go off at the end and become great. loved the ending of somebody oh right the mandatory bowie cover that he included once per album in the 70's. the original is better. and fiona apples's version is even better. he gives the same "going-off-at-the-end" performance here but it doesn't it the same. okay cut, but a skip can you hear me is a fine track. don't have an urge to hear it again tho. good performances tho. might grow on me with more listens I already knew fame before i listened, and it's definitely with of the better tracks here. overall, this is a pretty good listen. the weakest spot is across the universe, but the rest of the album makes up for it. a very interesting step off the expected path for Bowie, and if this is what he had to do before making the genius that is Station to Station, then I'll gladly take it.

Not one of his best but still has some great tracks. A 3.5

Pretty rubbish. For a Bowie album. It's only got the two stellar singles.

Álbum que se tiene que escuchar completo. R&B

How many more Bowie albums are there? It's enough already! The above my my initial reaction. This is actually a very funky, listenable album that I enjoyed a lot! I love David Sanborn's little signature exclamation points of sax on the end of Bowie's sentences. Liked Songs Added: Young Americans Fame

Very good! Timeless. Great vocals. Catchy tunes.

My favourite Bowie so far. But that’s mostly due to nice funk and soul instrumentals. Bowies singing is often weirdly low in the mix.

Classic and would def listen to on my own.

Not one of my favourite Bowie albums. Listening all the way through I was reminded of its quality. What a guy. Most consistently brilliant artist of the 1970s?

I loved this album, it was very beautiful and soulful. For the Bowie albums we have listed to its the one that made the most sense and flowed the best. Is it a little more commercial? Yes, but it also made sense.

I didn't get this album at first. Then my wife explained to me that it's a soul album. ooooooohhhh... that makes sense. Great instrumentation and playing. Dig the sax and the funky guitar riffs. Great backing vocals and I especially like Bowie's vocals on Fame. Can't "imagine" any one else singing that song.

I guess I can like plastic a lot, in the right circumstances.

Really enjoyed Bowie does soul. Fame is an absolute all timer

Solid album. Bowie has such a cool blend of styles and vibes. A really good album

Can't go wrong with this era Bowie. Props to him for covering two of my favorite Beatles moments: "Across the Universe" is a great cover of a Beatles song (even if the original is better) and during "Young Americans" he says "I heard the news today, oh boy" which is a tribute to "A Day In The Life" (one of my favorite Beatles songs). This is a fantastic album. So many fun moments. Solid 4 for sure. The instrumentals are so great and this is a top tier Bowie album. "Fame" is legendary. Fun Fact: John Lennon co-wrote "Fame" with Bowie. Additionally, Lennon played guitar and sang back-up vocals on "Across the Universe." Ironically, Lennon said he liked Bowie's version more and said it was "great because I'd never done a good version of that song myself. It's one of my favorite songs, but I didn't like my version of it." Note: Lennon famously was egotistical and never gave compliments, so this is high praise. Liked Songs: "Young Americans" , "Right" , "Somebody up There Likes Me" , "Across the Universe" , "Can You Hear Me" , "Fame"

i enjoy this but it’s not amongst my fave bowie sounds. FAYYMEEEEEE!! however, is absolutely iconic!

How David Bowie got his groove back. I'm not usually a fan of blue-eyed soul but Bowie proves an exception in a lot of things, including this. Fun to hear a random Beck sample (used pretty appropriately given Midnite Vultures was also Beck's sexy lounge album) and while most of the songs aren't as strong as 'Young Americans' or 'Fame,' it was a largely enjoyable listen.

Not my kind of Bowie but it was good and it was funky!

Early Bowie

Great Bowie album

aquest àlbum és colega meu. Bowie desquiciat (i alliberat del personatge)

ja goed, lekker begin van de 1001 albums

82% Best: Fascination; Right; Somebody up There Likes Me; Fame Must-Hear? Sure

Heeft Bowie eigenlijk slechte albums (waarschijnlijk wel, kan niet anders met zo'n carrière)? Dit is er alvast geen van! Fame en Young Americans zijn uiteraard één van zijn topnummers. De rest is ook niet slecht. Zeker eens de moeite! 3.6

Great album, can't really go wrong with Bowie. Top notch production and performances. Rating: 4.0

Quite good but nothing to throw me out of my chair 3.6

Alltså är ju david bowie men denna är verkligen minst märkvärdig från hans gyllene tid

Kedvenc/Favourite: Fascination Jó volt, néhány szám rajta különösen jó. Ugyanakkor szerintem vannak jobb David Bowie albumok, ez még kicsit kiforratlan. Néha elhúzódik egy-egy dal, vagy olyan háttérzenéssé válik, de amik nagyon jók rajta, azok tényleg lenyűgözőek. It was good, some songs on it were particularly good. However, I think there are better David Bowie albums out there, this one is still a bit undeveloped. Sometimes songs drag on or become background music-ish, but the ones that are really good on it are truly impressive.

A fine album.

the sax on this album absolutely FUCKS Bowie is doing everything he can and I'm loving it ++ little surprise beatles cover

Great great