Young Americans

Sorry David. You're just not for me.

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

Love me some Bowie but not the strongest album

Bowie displays his ability to jump genres yet again. Not my fave album but well worth a listen. Fame still and Changes still sound fresh 50 years later.

Nothing to say. It’s David Bowie

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

Smiled all the way during my short errand run

Take the song “right” and head east

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)

Nothing close to the Bowie songs that I enjoy. Shows range I guess.

Overall not too bad. Don't care for his voice too much but I really like the experimentation with sounds and instrumentation. Especially the synth that is killer in a lot of the songs.

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.

This album is such an amazing time capsule for Bowie and the rocketship he was boarding.

Rann ljúflega í gegn, að fíla fönksándið

Nokkuð góður Bowie hérna. Tvö banger lög en annað samt miðlungs.

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.

Not Bowies best album, although I appreciate the soul approach. Fascination and Fame are absolut great tracks, otherwise the rest does not really awake any groove in me.

Not my favourite Bowie album but still some good moments

Butt his best but still good

It was on my 100th listen of the title track of Young Americans that I spotted the surprisingly overt Beatles A Day in the Life interpolation. I could have done with that being the only Beatles reference on the album as the overwrought cover of Across the Universe is really unflattering for Bowie’s voice. This album vacillates between excellent and okay, with the exception being that cover. For this reason it’s a record listeners usually just pull the singles from. Having said that, it’s a testament to Bowie’s talent that this constitutes average for him.

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

Боуіманія продовжується. Авторський погляд на фанк та голубокий соул. Мені на деяких піснях вокальні партії здалися занадто кітчевими. Розумію, що це фішка і так задумувалось, але для мене скоріше в мінус. Fame класна закривашка та витягнула трохи враження

Тут буде вся дискографія Боуі, я впевнений.

fabulous

Not my favourite Bowie album. I don't mind the style, I just think the material is a little below par, apart from the singles. Decent in places, but not enough to match his best work - this is more "interesting" than "enjoyable" to be honest.

Fabulous album. I have only heard his hits and no albums all the way through as with this one, but I have to imagine one of his best.

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.

love

A couple of stand our tracks, especially Fame, but the rest tends to the bland.

souly

Ugh, definitely not one of his finer works and certainly not a personal favourite of mine. There's a few highlights (Fame is obviously a great song) but overall it left me a little cold. If you want soul music there's better options. The cover of Across the Universe just felt tacked on. I can't give it a great score just because it's Bowie - it's probably a 2.5 at best.

Cover ? Interesting

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

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.

that cover of across the universe was...something. 3/5 7.5/10

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

crazy to think this is nine albums deep for Bowie and he still kept innovating. I thought it sounded a little different but upon reading the write up I saw the soul R&B influence and it just clicked. Funky Bowie just works.

Maybe my favorite Bowie album. The title track always reminds me of my friend The Beav. We used to drive around bumping it and singing along. Good times. Rest In Piss buddy

It's Bowie.

everyone seems to love Bowie, and I definitely don't dislike his music, but this album...didn't have anything memorable on it :/

I can't get behind this Bowie hype. Each time I get one of his albums, I'm underwhelmed 2/3

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

It's okay, not sure I would go back to the album on my own

Great fun! Might need to be in another frame of mind to fully appreciate it, but some banging tunes throughout

I think I'm Bowie Burnt-Out, because I saw this album come up and I was like "ah, shit." Had to force myself to go through it. Turned out alright!

The album gradually gets better as the bowie-isms in his voice melt into the soul base. Reaching its height on fame. I wonder if this order of songs is also the order they were written in for that purpose or this is just a coincidence or I am hearing stuff that isn't there.

Bowie is a classic. Every rendition and reiteration is novel. Respect.

It's Bowie. That's all ya need to know.

Starting to think Bowie might be overrated. Fame is a banger, young Americans is pretty good, most the other songs are mid to boring, then the across the universe cover is pure trash

Fun album. The ensembles are great. Didn't do too much for me personally, but it was a fun enough listen.

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.

This must be what Bowie sounds like to people who hate Bowie.

David Bowie may not be a natural soul singer, but 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 is still a fascinating detour in his career. His self-described “plastic soul” phase delivers a sleek, well-produced sound that’s more interesting than genuinely moving. The title track and 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘦 are standouts, but his take on 𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 feels oddly misplaced — even if John Lennon himself didn’t love the Beatles original. It’s a solid experiment, just not one of Bowie’s more convincing reinventions.

Do I have depression? Do I listen to music wrong? I dunno, it's fine. It's fine.

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.

The chameleon of rock takes his Philly soul turn and incorporates Luther Vandross and John Lennon! Excellent tunes, fantastic band, a soul legend !

Eh, it's fine. I'm not a big Bowie fan but I get the impression this isn't one of his best.

David Bowie has some great albums, but I don't think this is one of them. It got a lot of attention on release for the big genre swing, but in 2025 it mostly sounds like Bowie doing R&B not nearly as well as the artists who helped invent it. "Fame" is great, but I could do without most of 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.

Real roller coaster ride there. Some good tracks that cannot overcome the boat anchor that is across the universe cover

Some nice songs

3rd Bowie in a week's span. This was my least favorite so far, but still some great songs here. Really liked the title track. 3.5/5.

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.

Not a lot of feelings about this one. I don’t get the over-the-top love for David Bowie, but neither do I hate him. I felt like I was watching a SNL parody of a cheesy family sitcom while listening to Young Americans. Across the Universe was an instant-skip on my second listen through. Fame really the only song I enjoyed listening to.

Good music but honestly I feel he has better albums

Bowie! With back up singers and full backing band!

Good album

Didn’t know what to expect. It was decent but really only one or two songs I enjoyed.

Not my favourite David Bowie album, still a bop. It’s understandable why Fame is the most well known track on here.

This is the first Bowie album I've listened to. I found Bowie's vocals unpleasantly chaotic and also very grating (which he attributed to his heavy cocaine use during this part of his career). His forced and limited vocal range does not lend itself well to Black soul, and this is especially clear when contrasted with Luther Vandross' sublime backup vocals. The accompaniment, especially Carlos Alomar's funky guitar, was great, but its ease contrasted with Bowie's apparent unease in this genre was too disorienting for this album to be any good. When Bowie leaned more into rock/funk I didn't mind it at all, and I did enjoy "Fame."

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

Stabil, cooles Album.

Second Bowie album on the list and think this is the latter. Seems quite a detour and a very different feel to the multicoloured, glam, experimentalist. Great groove and feel from the off. Bit of a drop off for ‘Win’ and then back to it for ‘Fascination’. A hoot Luther Vandross was an unknown backing singer on this. Interesting take on ‘Across The Universe’ - not sure I’m keen. Actually, worse than that. It’s offensive to Johnny boy. Urgh. Ermmm, I don’t think I like this album, even though it’s saved at the last by ‘Fame’. Good opener, mixed from there

alright

Feels dated, too much saxophone

Cool soul genre exercise

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

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

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

Probably my fav Bowie album relative to general recognition - I don't think this is widely considered top tier but it probably edges into my top 5 of his. The 4 song run from Win through Somebody up There likely my most dipped into Bowie album section, for the intricate song structure and backing vocal arrangements. Right is particularly unique - the almost call-and- response backing vocals kick in, giving way to a song where they gradually take over as Bowie's vocals gradually fade into the background and disappear for the last minute of the song entirely.

This is one of the few Bowie albums that have passed me by and that I’dnever listened to previously. I was surprised to discover how early it was released as I’ve always assumed this was an early to mid 80s album, maybe the sax on the title track corrupted my thinking! As ever, the album shows how accomplished a songwriter and musician Bowie is. I particularly adore the backing vocals on this album. As usual it’s a pretty eclectic affair, but it doesn’t reach the soaring heights of some of his other work. 3 stars feels, harsh, 4 feels overly generous. It’s one of those albums where the rating system feels too restrictive.

good album

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

it was nice i guess not his best though

One or two good songs but the rest didn't really stand out. The "Across the universe" cover was terrible and unnecessary

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.

Bowie album 4/9. Bowie!! You’re back. Oh snap, this is the one with “Fame” on it. I love that song. Sure enough, it was my favorite song on the album as well. The more of these I listen to, the harder it is to rank them against each other. Do I like this better than the Berlin Trilogy? Without a doubt. Is it better than Heroes? Debatable. Probably. Is this finally getting a 4? Hard to say. It’s mostly filler, but it’s undeniably better than the purely instrumental filler I’m used to hearing from Bowie’s other albums in my opinion. I think this may be the most consistently good Bowie album I’ve heard so far from top to bottom. His vocals are an amazing part of every song here, and there’s a fair bit of differentiation from song to song as well. It’s never boring, but as usual, nothing really just stands out and blows my mind. To quote one of the best reviews on the site, “It’s David Bowie”, so you know it’s at least going to be worth listening to. I love how Funky this one is at times, and the backing vocalists all kick ass. It’s probably my favorite of the 4 albums I’ve heard so far. Ok Bowie, 5 more albums to go. Until next time buddy.

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

perfect saturday morning stroll around town

Bowie is like the one white man who can do soul

Love Dave

Nothing less for DB

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”

Too much saxophone, couple of good ones notwithstanding.

Wildly different offering - all out funk.

Not Bowie's best, but maybe novel since it mixes so much saxophone with guitar? I dunno, but I'd have put 5 other Bowie albums on here before that one.

Starts and ends strong. Everything in the middle is a hard pass.

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

Pretty great

Way too many sax solos and overblown gospel choruses. Not one of his best

I like the soul and funk elements of the music but feel as though the album overall misses the mark. Great messaging on several songs which I appreciate. Fame is the Hit and it’s last. Not a fan.

This album is a little all over the place. The hits are there but then there's an unnecessary cover of Across the Universe and some other forgettable tracks. But, funky Fascination might be the sleeper star.

I enjoyed this more than the previous two Bowie albums from the 2010s.

Very good

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.

What an awesome way to end the week.

2:Bowie albums in a row and again this doesn't really hit for me with only the title track and "Fame" standing out

This is probably my third favorite album by David Bowie. Young Americans the song is a banger and you've also got Across The Universe and ending with Fame. In my opinion it goes like this in terms of the greatest Bowie Albums from my collection. 1. Low 2. Scary Monsters 3. Young Americans

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

Solid album

I don't really like it.

I was surprised but how disappointing this album is overall, given that I actually quite like a lot of Bowie. Beyond Fame and Can you Hear Me it seemed a bit derivative

I get that it’s good but this one bored me such a lot.

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🎉

Fun, theatrical, very 70s. Lotta sax. Not my favourite bowie period.

Bowie is one of my favorite artists. He’s a bona fide genius with an incredible catalog of diverse and fascinating music. This record, however, is not one of his better ones and I’m honestly shocked someone thinks this is essential. Young Americans is a decent track, some solid blue eyed soul. Fame is excellent. The rest is pretty tepid warmed over R&B from an artist who did not excel in that genre. Frankly, some of his worst songwriting on display here. A vanity project that never should have been on this list.

- Much more my vibe than yesterday - Love 70s music - I was interrupted many times while listening

5, might be my favourite zavid album

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

While still not a huge Bowie fan, I like this album much more than Heroes. Also love Fame!

Музыка: 8/10 Разнообразие: 6/10 Тематика и вайб: 8/10 Цепляемость (отдельные песни зашли): 6/10 Реиграбельность (можно ли рандомно врубить на фон): 7/10 Итог: 7.0

Loved it!

Wish I could give this two and a half stars - I respect the hell out of Bowie but as many times as I try, his stuff just isn't for me. Other than the well known songs, much of the albums just kinda falls into the background.

HOnestly not a huge fan of this one. Kinda a mess tonally, not really sure what's going on in it. Maybe just not my kind of music but really don't care for this, his voice doesnt work that well on this sorta backing track.

No songs saved, but still Bowie. 3.

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

Yacht rock bollocks from the emperor in his new clothes.

Not my style of music

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

Not my fav Bowie, but it's still Bowie. Fame is 10/10 banger tho.

- sehr schön - beatles inspired? - calming voice and style - mit dem und em self titled album bini schön i sini musig ine cho u wirde eue meh lose😊

Saxophone ft. David Bowie

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

Love it, love it, love it. One of my all times favourites!! 😍

Repeat listen

Bon discardo del Bows

Eu gostei, todo o álbum parece uzar os mesmos instrumentos mas iá, é divertidinho

Totally a 70s “rock” album. Everything sounds like “Young American” or “Fame”. Meh.

Young Americans is a great song, rest of the album not so much.

So smooth and dramatic

Bookended with classic Bowie songs. Stuff in middle was just alright, sounded reminded me of funk and just not what I expected (from what little I knew apparently)

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".

Difficult listen for me - what did David do to ‘Across the Universe’? Laibach managed to pull it off! I love Ziggy but poor old Dave just doesn’t do it for me otherwise! Young Americans is great - don’t love Fame!

really nice

Bien. Un disco de Bowie.

Eh. Fame is the main reason to listen to this album. Other than that skip it.

Tem algumas músicas boas, mas como álbum da para cortar algumas faixas

David Bowie being a bit funky. A very boring album for me.

23/9/25 16:01

Not my favourite by Bowie but good.

Bowie trying his best to push the boundaries and create a new type of sophistication w structures and layers. Not working for me.

Fuck across the universe cover

This one is carried by the two (great) singles. Otherwise, rather disappointing.

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

Plenty of 'necessary' Bowie records. This isn't one of them, and the fact that he's already in here like eight other times makes the inclusion of Young Americans even more egregious.

88/1001 David Bowie - Young Americans Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ❓ Bowie does soul and it's absolutely fine. The only tracks that properly standout are the singles - Young Americans and Fame, but the rest are just there being decent enough, with the exception of the Across the Universe cover, which is awful. Yes, whilst this provided a gear change sonically for Bowie from his previous glam rock era, you could argue of cultural appropriation. I would have liked to have hoped this was more cultural appreciation and him trying to broaden people's musical tastes at the time.

Probably one of his weakest albums

Young Americans is not Bowie's best album, but it was still a fun listen. I enjoy the small soul influence on his typical pop, and I think the record was far from bad

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.

Слишком весёлый и торжественный

Not bad but not my favorite work of his. Fame was my favorite song

Vamos começar traçando a linha na areia. Eu abomino e sou estritamente contra algo que chamo de “Apartheid Cultural”. A idéia antiquada de que existem gêneros de arte que apenas pessoas de uma certa etnia podem produzir. É algo comum que dizem a respeito deste disco, que Bowie se apropria da música preta em sua produção. Soul foi criado por negros? Sim, não há dúvida. Mas por que isso deve impedir Bowie de se expressar artisticamente através deste meio? Vou dar um exemplo, pense na banda Bloc Party, e pense como seria absurdo dizer que o vocalista dela, que é negro, está se apropriando de música branca (Indie Alternativo). Bem bobo isso, não? Então prefiro tirar a cor de pele da arte. Arte boa é boa independente de quem a faz. Tenho esta perspectiva. Além do mais, Bowie foi tremendamente respeitoso na produção deste álbum. Em todo momento, ele salientou que estava produzindo “Soul dos Olhos Azuis”, ou até mesmo, “Soul de plástico”. Que sua música é apenas uma interpretação do gênero original. E além de tudo, este disco foi um dos motivos do alavancamento da carreira de Luther Vandross. Então obviamente sua criação fez mais bem ao mundo do que mal. Abaixe os punhos. Bora falar sobre o álbum em si agora. Fantástico ele. No meu ranking da discografia de Bowie, ele está em #10 (o total é 26). Nada mal. O Bowie tinha uma facilidade imensa de se integrar em gêneros diferentes e trazer a eles o seu inconfundível espírito único. Ele o fez com Glam, o fez com Jungle (nos anos 90), o fez com Folk, e aqui o fez com Soul. Sua interpretação deste magnânimo gênero é requintada. Gliterina. A produção das faixas é imaculada, impecável. Todos os elementos são encaixadinhos… O saxofone de ótimo gosto, os vocais de suporte, a voz do próprio Bowie. O conteúdo lírico, é um disco evidentemente dançante, como se espera. Ritmos incessantes. Muita gente reclama do cover de Across The Universe. Eu até entendo a discordância, foi realmente uma escolha inusual, mas na execução ele não me ofende nem um pouco. Eu até gosto, dentro do contexto do álbum. E é a segunda menção Beatleniana do disco, além da interpolação de “I heard the news today, oh boy” na faixa titular. O que eu não gosto é da faixa Can You Hear Me. Essa sim eu acredito que seja um demérito do álbum. Nada demais, não acho uma canção ruim, só acho que ela retira um pouco do momento das faixas anteriores. Mas não é o suficiente para eu reduzir a minha nota final do disco. Blue-eyed soul!! E a participação do Bowie em Soul Train? Histórica. Grande disco, bravo. 5/5

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

It's Bowie. It's good. But not his best. Neither as experimental, or conceptual, or peak poppy as his other albums.

3.3 1x

Varmaan parasta Bowieta mitä oon kuullut. Soulia ja funkkia genreltään. Chilliä ja kesäistä. Fame oli tuttu biisinä, mutta instrumentaali oli kanssa tuttu ihan kuin sitä olis samplattu jossain toisessa biisissä. Parhaat: Fame, Win, Young Americans

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

Outside of the singles, I get kinda bored with this. But man are those singles great.

Maybe I just don't like music

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.

I mean, its aaaaaaaalllrrrriiiigght but it's far from the best Bowie has to offer, hard to tell how much drugs he was on here to think that a soul record was the answer...

Couple good tracks. The rest, meh

Not my favourite Bowie record. Too much sax and back up singers. A few real solid jams though. Right is borderline ATJ territory for me.

Didn't grow up listening to Bowie.. Discovered his sound later life. Enjoyed the sounds on this album

Sounds very 80s for 75. Couple songs on there

Never been a big Bowie fan. I’d never heard this record. After four listens though, I think maybe it’s great. I could do without Across the Universe, the big singles are pretty played out, but mostly an otherwise surprisingly soulful record.

It was good but I enjoyed the earlier Bowie album this list suggested.

Y.A., Fame, Win and Fascination are great to good. No reason at all for this record to be here. And that's coming from a Bowie fan

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!!!

Maybe my favourite Bowie record! The horn lines, the string arrangements, the songwriting, the lyricism, the guitar riffs, the vocals... Love it back to front. Easy 5

pretty classic shiz

Always happy to listen to more David Bowie! This album in its entirety was less familiar to me, but opened with great and recognizable energy with the title track. I just love Bowie’s sound and vocal range and the shift from Glam Rock to a more R&B/Soul sound is apparent. Ultimately this is an artist I am a big fan of, so while this isn’t my favorite album of his I appreciate the experimentation of styles and respect him that much more for it.

3.5/5

just good vibes all around. another artist that i enjoy, but never really sit and listen to. could come back to this album anytime.

Cover Art Review - 8/10 -A great photo of David Bowie - this was not my favorite look for him - almost skeleton thin with a strange affect to his personality, but iconic with the hair, cig and bracelets. Musically - in the zone. Title track is a top five Bowie song imo - so much going on in this song musically, I can't even begin. Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Earl Slick, John Lennon, Carlos Alomar....Ridiculous lineup of musicians on this album.

Apart from a few songs (title track, Fame), feels very much like a transitional record. Not all of the white boy schmaltz sticks for me. Across the Universe cover is baffling.

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!

This was decent. Some of the ones in the middle lost me a bit; young americans (first) and fame (last) are my faves but overall a solid pick.

This is probably the closest Bowie has ever gotten to hitting for me. I really liked the soul influence and heavy use of horns. But partway through the I’ll-advised Beatles cover on the album I realized, I just really don’t like how Bowie sings. That’s what’s turned me off all these years. Fame is a banger though, so we end up landing middle of the road with this one as a whole

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.

Listenable but doesn't do much for me

his cover of across the universe left something to be desired

Fun listen - 3.5/5

This album has some great saxophone but unfortunately that wasn't enough to keep me interested.

Typical Bowie. One of my favorite artists. But he made so many albums that only a few stand out as amazing albums. 2-4 huge hits. The rest just average. 3.5

Another banger, very groovy

69/1001 :: David Bowie - Young Americans Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ➖ Rating: 6 Fav Tracks: Fame, Right Listen before you die: No I love David Bowie and I wanted to love this album. I didn’t. Apple Music has this an essential album. I guess because it Bowie’s disco (kinda) album? Maybe I need to listen to this more but I really loved Fame and not much else. The Beatles cover was interesting but I prefer the original. Right is a cool song and the title track is fine but definitely not my favorite Bowie song. That's all I got for this right now; I wonder if I’ll buy this in the used bin one day…

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!”

This record is a classic in every right.

Starting an album with Young Americans is risky because it’s only downhill from there. The Beatles cover Across the Universe is horrendous but the album is saved with Fame

Funky and fun!

He has done way better

Some really good songs

Not my favorite Bowie album, fair, not great

I have a soft spot for musicians who explore new boundaries. Bowie excelled at this throughout his career. I was fun seeing him explore soul, and a little funk, on this album. Very different than his previous work and the productions that followed. Not my favorite Bowie album, but I enjoyed the listen.

David Bowie is a bad man. Infinitely funky & soulful. All the funk converges in Fame, which is so damn funky it hurts. I don't think there is a weak song here. Loved it.

This was solid and enjoyable in parts … the instrumentals are fun and it’s crazy seeing Bowie of glam rock I’ve heard in priors album in this space … I think I prefer the more experimental Bowie there as this rates out as a solid 3

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!

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

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.

This is #day388 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about some plastic soul from The Thin White Duke? Well, I'm not really sure. For one, it's kind of fun, but overall, I have mixed feelings about the whole affair. I'm mostly fine with the musical backdrop, though. My only highlight is "Fame," I guess. Otherwise, this record could have been swapped for The Man Who Sold The World or Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), or just dropped. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day389.

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

I'm a fan of Bowie's. And I appreciate that some people really love his pseudo-soul period. I really don't. Besides his two mid-80s albums, this is the album out of his catalogue that could most easily do without. Including the rather unnecessary Across The Universe cover in which Bowie sounds like a parody of himself. The one redeeming song is the pleasantly funky Fame at the end.

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

It's a classic, one of many Bowie's classics. Really fucking tasty throughout, don't know what else to say.

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

Plastic soul power. Strong

Never heard this record, but it was cool to hear where Fame came from

This one hit me right in the sweet spot. Funky. Full. Alive. The whole thing works as a complete piece. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Young Americans - Fascination - Right - Somebody up There Likes Me - Fame

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.

Not my jam

Faaaame!

May I say I find it a bit inauthentic? Not bad obviously. Also I have a deep hatred for the title track as I was forced to listen to it hundreds of times and it feels like it never ends

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.

Not my cup of tea. I love 80s music but this was a little too ballads-y for me.

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.

3/5

Somebody up there had Luther Vandross in the backing vocals. Young Americans, the Collab with Lennon as well...what a vibey album. Although Bowie called it a plastic soul album, some sort of critique of celebrity and perhaps the warning of glossy celebrity sneaking god knows what in the mental loading dock

Very mellow, sexy

Not the best Bowie album, but a respectable entry.

I only made it two or three songs in. I appreciate that it was adventurous but it wasn’t for me

More infuriatingly erratic stuff from Mr. Bowie. Certainly better than Aladdin Sane, but miles apart from “Rise and Fall….” I tried really hard to like it, and it was getting there. Ultimately, if Bowie wasn’t always signing over the music, it would be a 4. But he is, so it isn’t.

Not his best work, but a decent album.

I thought Bowie was supposed to be good. This was awful.

Hated it

Not in his top 5 albums but still a couple of classics on there

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.

A solid album, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table.

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.

It's alright, definitely interesting as a whole, but nothing standout for me

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

I’ve been radicalized by a pal and now think Bowie is mostly a Greatest Hits Artist. This one is a great example. I saw Young Americans and I thought “Oh yeah this is one of the good ones.” But after listening… is it? The first song is great and the last song is great. There’s a lot of filler and the Beatles cover sucks pretty bad. I think there’s like 7 more Bowies to come for me on here, I wonder if they’re mostly all like this. I suspect they are!

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!

I love everything Bowie did so I am biased but this is a great record. Full of funk and very relaxing to listen to. Win and fascination are my favorites from this but the only track I don’t love is the across the universe cover. I will continue to keep this in my rotation, just never gets old

Nice one. I like Fame and Fascination.

Solid Bowie album with a few classic songs.

yayyyy

Odd variety of vibes, not my style

Man, I did not mesh with this album much at all. From the dated sound to the backing choirs, to even Bowies exaggerated vocal style, Young Americans didn't really work for me. Conceptually, I get it, but in practice I don't love it. The album has a saxy, soulful vibe that I associate with seeing 70s sitcom reruns on TV Land at my grandparents house. It gives me an eerie uncanny feeling (I don't know why) but that's the vibe I had for my listen. Standouts were "Across the Universe" - didn't love the cover as a whole but had some good parts - and "Fame" This is my least favorite Bowie album so far. It's just kind of a snoozefest and I couldn't get really into. 2/5

feels a lot like Dark Side of the Moon. very mellow and nice for relaxing. love the textures the guitar brought to mind. tracks I liked: - Fascination - Right - Can You Hear Me pretty okay, did not blow my mind, but still liked it a lot.

This was good i will have to come back to

Funky Banger

Bowie.

Classic

Oj vilken besvikelse. Väldigt slätstruket. Tycker inte det finns nån låt som sticker ut..möjligen fame som är lite intressant. Men det är överlag en väldigt tråkig skiva. Zzz.

Stark inledning på denna. Young americans är ju bra och gillar även efterföljande Win. Därefter lite mer blandat - har inte riktigt förstått storheten med Fame. Han sjunger genomgående väldigt bra och det är en skapligt bra skiva på totalen. Stark trea.

Smooth sax elevator music is not for me.

🪩

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.

Timeless detached cool

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

Wait, this was AFTER Aladdin Sane? What the actual fuck

This sounds nothing like what his other albums do

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

Pretty forgettable. Not one of the big Bowie albums. I only knew the title track.

A musical chameleon changes its sound.

Funky and fun but not really my style

Fine, solid.

Love Bowie and this is a great album

3.5 stars This is a fun album. Young Americans is fantastic (love the interpolation of A Day in the Life), and Fame is fun. There isn’t really a bad song on the album (though I don’t love the Across the Universe cover), but I don’t necessarily need a full album of soul songs by Bowie. On that topic… can we just take a minute to talk about how fucking creepy and weirdly blood quantum racist it is to call this music “blue-eyed soul”? This must be the only genre that has a racial sub-category. Was this term invented so that racist American radio stations could play soul music but reassure everyone that the artists are white? That’s what I gathered from my quick Googling. That’s fucking weird and we should stop perpetuating it. I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about race and cultural appropriation in music. As long as there’s inequity, race is part of the conversation. But I really think we can retire terminology that centres essentialized physical characteristics.

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.

It’s funny that the album seen as one of Bowie’s “experimental” albums is actually celebrates one of the more commonly popular genres of the time (soul/R&B). So his experiment is to try to be typical. And it works…mostly. I think to say it’s a miss-step is maybe an overstatement, but to say it’s unfitting of his style and artistic direction is accurate. It’s always a little strange to hear one artist famous for a certain genre step into another, but because he was so talented, he did a serviceable job. The highlight, of course, is Fame. None of the other tracks actually stood out to me at all. John Lennon’s Midas touch (guitar and vocals on Across the Universe and Fame) of course saves this album. Overall, not bad, but also not even close to his best.