Young Americans

I used to adore this album but man the album cuts were kind of a slog. Title track, win, and fame RULE though. Win is a top 5 Bowie song for me it reminds of me 10th grade. 3.5

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 !

Genre: Blue-Eyed Soul Sort of a forgettable, sort-of bland take on soul and soft rock, bookended by two absolutely powerhouse Bowie classics, Young Americans and Fame. There are some other good ones here (Win, Fascination), but the rest isn’t anywhere close to his best. Seems like a Bowie album that’s extracurricular, except for the two bangers. 3/5

Bowie apparently never committed to saying he was doing soul music here, so at least we all agree on that. Who knows whether he was saying it because he didn't nail the sound he was looking for, or because it was intentionally just a little bit off. In either case, calling it "plastic soul" or "a facsimile of soul" is more accurate than calling it soul music. But my major takeaway has less to do with the soul influence he was trying to channel and more to do with the new wave sound he was accidentally creating. If I didn't know when this album was issued in 1975, I would have guessed it came out five or ten years later. I'm impressed by how ahead of it's time this felt and ended up listening to it three times. I gave Hunky Dory 4/5 stars, and my feelings about this record are much less ambiguous. I wouldn't have liked this one as much when I was in high school, but it made a bigger impression this year. I guess I'm a Bowie fan.

+2 for title track and fame

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

Absolutely loved this. This is my favourite David Bowie album now over Ziggy Stardust. Amazing vocals and production ticking every category to make an album I love. There isn’t really anything I disliked about this project every song was diverse and great. Some favourites were Right, Somebody up There Likes Me and Can You Hear Me all being 10/10 songs. I’m very happy with this and I’m giving it a 9.5 4.7/5

Loved every moment, as a David Bowie fan boy this album encapsulated every aspect of his music that I just can't get enough of.

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

Interesting mix of music

wonderful, always

Fame

Exceptionally, super fantastic opening track in 'Young Americans' and an equally exceptional penultimate track in 'Fame' but....there was a huge amount of saxophone. Great sound, great production but not his greatest. I feel really bad about giving it only 3 stars.

Hot and cold

Some covers had grit near the start but a lot of this just felt unessesary.

A solid album. Not a huge Bowie fan but thi wasn’t alright.

Young Americans is good, album is solid, w a few little gems in there as well. Just watch a very david bowie esque movie so this fits in well with that. Lots of saxophone

Great bookend tracks, with a hideous cover of Across The Universe in the heart of the album. A pivot of music generes was due for Bowie, but it is not a great album in full. 3/5

One Bowie album that for sure could've sat this one out.

6/10 bowie the only white boy to get it on soul train

The Bowie Soul album. So much saxophone

Great album. Variety of styles.

Baller as always. Great Bowie album

This is much better than the previous David Bowie album I listened to. The funk beats were fun and this was much lighter in tone.

Great start, great finish. Don’t love the stuff in between (but I still love you, David Bowie).

a lot funkier and groovy than ziggy stardust from what I can remember. Pretty alright.

What a phenomenal album. Had never listened before. Sometimes he reminds me of the Beatles and other times it’s straight funky like Sly or EW&F. He’s so eclectic and I love it. I’m a new fan for sure.

Two great tracks surrounded by forgettable quasi soul songs. Eh. The hits are massive, the rest is fine. So it goes with Bowie.

I liked a song on here.

Easy listening, classic rock

Спокойная музыка без претензий на хитовость, для фона иногда подойдёт. 6 из 10.

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

Very decent album that merits multiple relistens.

I like a lot of Bowie songs, but none of them are on this album. "Young Americans" is okay, but it's the best of the bunch.

3/5 - Why did I need to hear this album before I die? To fill in a gap of what I know about David Bowie. This isn’t a Bowie record I’m going to revisit, but Fascination and Right were both worth discovering. The collaboration with John Lennon was also new to me. I didn’t expect to hear a cover of Across the Universe.

The album that made him a black star and projected on a path away from glam rock and his bisexual characterizations of imaginable stars. Produced and recorded in my home town of Philadelphia-Philly soul time. Plenty of guest artists

big time

Not my favorite Bowie album, but still good.

Album started off strong. I really liked Young Americans, but was not a fan of the following track Win. Fascination was okay, I enjoyed the cowbell. The next couple tracks as well were just okay to me as well, they have the signature Bowie sound but are kind of generic. I’ve heard Fame a lot before, but I didn’t really care for it. Perhaps my sour mood kept me from enjoying this album this morning, but I feel like it’s the weakest Bowie album on this list. 3 stars.

Good stuff but a mere 6 months later he was on a completely different level so it’s a 3 for me

This is my 2d Bowie album after "Ziggy Stardust." I gave that a 4 and I think this is better. Not only are the songs great but the way the album is sequenced is pretty perfect.

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

Intressant med lite ny stil jämfört med hans mer glammiga grejer, gillar detta mer!

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

not my favorite album of his but not bad

pretty boring (might be because I was doing math while listening to it...) I liked "Win" and "Fame". "Across the universe" cover was good.

Love this album. Can’t go wrong with Bowie

I appreciate Bowie as one of the greats of all time, but I also found I didn't think much of this. Just didn't interest me, but not bad by any means.

Sounded pretty good!

Dayvedd BowEyyyy. The guy oozed rizz back when it was just called charisma. This album kinda sat between the ziggy years and 80s Jareth the Goblin King years. It's a bit of a precursor for what's to come. Bit like my feelings on this album. Just very in-between. Not awful, but not amazing.

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

Not my favorite Bowie album. I like some of the auxiliary instruments, some cool organs in the mix. But not my fav.

The bridge to Let's Dance?

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!!!!

Fame was the only good song on this one. 2/5

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.

Alveg hreint hin fínasta plata hjá honum Bowie. Hann á það til að vera annaðhvort góður eða bara ekki í mínum huga en þetta er Bowie í góðu formi. Góð lög og eitthvað sem ég vil hlusta oftar á.

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

Where is David Bowie and what have you done to him?

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

Let’s be honest, David Bowie is a fantastic musician who makes great music. But not all of his music is great. This album had the two hit songs and then maybe one more that I somewhat enjoyed. As an album, this falls flat. Still good mind you, but not worthy of a 5 star review in my book.

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.

Easy going, some hit potential but didn't stuck with me. Potentially no candidate for this list.

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.

bowie = immediate 5 stars

It's ok. Fame is the best song.

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

1. Young Americans - 10 The sax opens the track brilliant before the amazing vocals of Bowie lead the track. As it progresses, it continues to build into amazing sound. Everything about this track is so enjoyable to listen to. 2. Win - 7 The instruments in the open are great. Bowie's vocals are ok but lyrically the song is a bit random. It's not his strongest stuff by any stretch of the imagination. Background vocals add a lot of good sound to help you get through the track. 3. Fascination - 10 Guitar sounds great in the opening part of this track and Bowie's vocals are incredibly addicting to listen to. Background vocals are an awesome flavour and Bowie's vocals do an amazing job of leading in the drums and remaining instruments. Overall the track sounds amazing. 4. Right - 10 AMAZING guitar and sax on this track. The best track on the album by far. Bowie's vocal range is explored very well on this track as well. It's an amazing vibe with an incredible sound. 5. Somebody Up There Likes Me - 10 Brilliant instruments to open. The sax solo with piano support is absolutely incredible. Bowie's vocals are great and the background vocals elevate this song yet again. The wailing sax is brilliant during it's second solo in the bridge. Fantastic track. 6. Across The Universe - 8 It's a decent track. The vocal change in Bowie's style on this track is definitely out of place for the album and this could have easily been a track on Aladdin Sane as opposed to here. It's not a bad track overall, bit repetitive if anything but overall it's decent. 7. Can You Hear Me - 9 Brilliant ending with the vocals. A very smooth song. Sax is the star of the show here. Solid stuff. 8. Fame - 10 Brilliant track to end on. The waning vocals shouting fame with long spaces for the instruments to breathe is a superb touch. Outstanding track to end the album on. Average Rating: 9.25 Adjusted to a 5-Point Scale: 4.63 Rounded Up: 5 Stars

Esquecível! Com tantos discos maravilhosos de Bowie, não vale a pena gastar tempo com este. Muito americanizado: guitarras funkeadas, backing vocals soul music e sax brega de David Sanborn.

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.

Surprisingly good funk album by David Bowie. Both “Young Americans” and “Fame” are decent songs, and well know. The other songs funk songs like “Fascination” hold their own. I’m impressed how much Bowie’s style changes between albums while steel remaining good. To the bad. I think the cover of “Across the universe” is subpar. I think “Fame” is also quite overrated. This is not Bowie’s best work but it still is an enjoyable listen. Strong 3.

There's just some way better David Bowie albums. There are classics like Fame and the title track but just not my favourite of his

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

I have learned that I can never understand David Bowie, sadly.

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

I cared to listen to two songs.

I've been Bowie agnostic for a long time but this removed all barriers. I love this. Now I see.

Did not make an impression on me in the slightest.

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.

Tässä bowiessa on soulia ja rnb elementtejä. Mielestäni parempaakin Bowieta on, tämänkin kuitenkin läpi kuunteli.

Another David Bowie album. While he has a unique voice this album didn't appeal to me.

Excellent opener and closer but Bowie’s putting the mid in middle

Groovy, opener and closer are top notch

Okay, I need to give it another shake

A lot of pleasant songs

The worst song is his Across The Universe cover, but I can look past that because: 1. John Lennon is on the song and I find that pretty cool; 2. This album is just that good that I can look past one decent song. Young Americans was always one of, if not, my all time favorite Bowie song, so why am I just now listening to the album when I got it randomly today? I don't know but I'm kicking myself for not listening to it sooner. I love it. I miss David Bowie so much.

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.

I really can't say that I have listened to much Bowie outside his greatest few hits. He does not sound at all like I thought he would, but I did enjoy the album. The music is more rhythmic than I expected. There was repetition but it was not monotonous. I'll be interested to compare this one to the other Bowie albums on here.

First Bowie album on here that I thought was average.

I have almost no feelings toward this album. Didn't like it but didn't dislike it.

Standouts Young Americans Win Fascination Somebody Up There Likes Me

Nowhere near his best

Ok this list is kissing David Bowie's ass I mean come on. I like Bowie just as much as the next guy but for fucks sake its like every other album. Good album, but I'm getting sick of listening to Bowie.

This was alright Bowie. I lost interest to some extent in the middle part but Fame is great and picked it right back up. 3.5

this is the wandering in the desert period of Bowie for me. listening to it again for the first time in quite some time it's got some good stuff on it, it's just not i want or expect from Bowie and that's more my problem than his

[david bowie enjoyer]: yeah i enjoyed this. 3.5

Fame absolutely kills but this contains my hands down least favorite version of Across the Universe

Probably my favorite Bowie album.

A weaker Bowie album is still a Bowie album 🤷

Bit meh, can see why it's not spoken of much Cool art though

This isn't my favourite Bowie album, but it sets the blueprint for artists who completely reinvent themselves with each new album. The true "eras" artist. Shame about the awful Beatles cover.

The best Bowie album musically in my opinion. I'd give a 4.5 if I could

Leaving glam behind (as much as Bowie can leave glam behind) Bowie embraces soul music with stunning results. The album has such faces as John Lennon, Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick, David Sanborn as well as a then unknown Luthor Vandross. It's a stomper and if not the best album of 1975 certainly the most unexpected. Viva Bowie!

David bowie

Too much soul for me

The Philly soul is evident the influence is there .

Love

It was alright. Nothing amazing, but it sounded nice and was fun to listen to.

Not really sure why this exists or is on this list, I am not a David Bowie fan nor have I ever purposefully listened to a David Bowie song or album before, but I am certain he has better records. I really liked the first song and was really expecting the quality to keep up since the album was on the list of greatest albums ever but instead it got worse and worse until he did one of the world's worst Beatles covers. Progressively more and more atonal and annoying every song. The fuck is wrong with this guy? I'm getting pissed off just typing this. Also wasn't he a pedophile? Anyway I hope he dies soon *checks notes* oh goodie! Fav song: Young Americans (which I actually like for the record)

Wonderful

Can’t believe the guy who played Castor/Zeus in TRON legacy is also a musician! Who knew?!

Not a bad album. Not overly great to these ears, but not bad!

I like Bowie soul. The darker, funkier version of Bowie is my style.

Bowie is clearly a talented vocalist and songwriter. The title track is a classic. The rest of the album is heavily influenced by the jazz and funk of the 1970's. Overall, a nice album but not really my favorite.

Guess I don't really like David Bowie that much. I somewhat appreciate the sound he's going for, with the more "American style" choir stuff he's going for, and the funkiness. - I just don't think it's that well executed. Also, I did not appreciate the cover of "Across the Universe" but maybe that's just me being stuck-up and close-minded. Waiting for Bowie to "click" for me...

Pretty good

Solid.

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

Decent album - enjoyed

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

Dancy and groovy but not all the songs hit and some tend to stay slightly too long. 6/10

Soul music isn't really my thing, but definitely an innovative album

I really love this album. Unfortunately, David Bowie is British, meaning this album gets 1 star.

Ah, Harry Styles dad. hahahaha. Not really in to Bowie's music, and this is not at all what I was expecting. It's funky and cool, but so many other artists and bands did the genre more justice. I wanted rock to be honest. "Somebody up There Likes Me" came close, but no cigar. I already know "Fame", I don't really like that track.

Interesting album…I liked it!

Good one!

Decent but not my favourite of his material. Had heard Fame before - banger.

I don’t know. This isn’t even a top five album for him. As a huge Bowie fan, this isn’t one I’d even recommend.

Okay. It's fine. I liked Stations to Stations or whatever lots more. The only song I really enjoyed was Fame, but even that wasn't like "wow revolutionary." It was ok. Maybe a high 2.

I like the guy... Later music was better

Oh hell yeah. Bowie almost always will get five stars from me, but this one gets extra love. So goddamned good. Take me back to an era when an album cover like this could exist. Masterpiece after masterpiece on this album.

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.

возможно ЭТО был альбом на котором я остановилась. в любом случае Боуи фатиг уже была в полный рост. сейчас норм, но домой о таком писать не буду

Quirky soul beats, fancy vocals. Better than the glam Bowie

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

This is fun and cool. Not orthodox funk/rnb but it’s neat hearing a very Bowie take on it. First and last tracks are the big hits; the middle feels less memorable.

This took a few listens to stick, so I'm going to go against my assumptions and bring this down to a 3. Loved Young Americans, Right, and (of course) Fame.

Bookended by classic tracks, I just can't get there with this one. Station To Station and the Berlin Trilogy around the corner just highlights that Young Americans and the two albums that precede it are a blip in the quality that Bowie was capable to put out. But will always appreciate his ability to switch genres album to album. What a legend.

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

Bowie is way over represented on this list. To me he’s always been more flash than substance with his various eras/personas. I can get on board with “Fame” but the rest leaves me cold. “Across The Universe” was horrible.

Typ sista var bra, nice att ha i bakgrunden typ!

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

Overall: 6/10 Bowie had so many different eras and personas that it's almost impossible to love everything he did. This is one that I don't particularly enjoy as much as his other works. It's his attempt at making soul music. There's moments of brilliance to be had. I like the title track and Fame always manages to make me excited. Nothing else really stands out. That's not to say any of it is bad (except his cover of Across the Universe), but they don't do much for me. Thankfully, every Bowie album I've yet to get is albums that I love so I'm looking forward to those. Fav Song: Fame Least Fav Song: Across the Universe

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!

could i write poetry to this? y

I'm not going to repeat myself again, so I will refer the reader to my several previous entries regarding the music of David Bowie.

My ninth and (hopefully) last David Bowie album on this list. It's wild nearly 1% of the albums of the albums on this list are from David Bowie. I get it I guess, but come on. I find this to be a pretty uneven album, bookended by a couple fantastic and well known songs.

This album starts and ends with two classics: "Young Americans" and "Fame." The rest ranges from very good ("Fascination") to solid ("Right") and pretty average/subpar ("Can You Hear Me"). Oh, and there's also a mind bogglingly awful cover of "Across the Universe." I admire Bowie’s effort to make the song his own, but this ain’t it lol All in all, this isn’t really a high point in Bowie’s career. He’d go on to release arguably the greatest three-album run in history with the Berlin Trilogy. You could even argue that some ideas on this album, especially the funk influences, would later reappear on Station to Station, where they’re much more refined and blended with more interesting Art Rock ideas. It’s hard to explain, but this album has kind of a “cheesy, but ironically cheesy” vibe at points. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but I can’t put it into words any better than that. Overall, I’d give it a solid 3.5.

It is a Bowie album alright; "Fame" is a choice cut

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

Easily one of my favorite albums of his! I love the themes used throughout! This touches on everything from pop stardom to loneliness. His vocals are so good throughout!!!

Man I had not heard as much of bowie as I thought I had. Its all that white funk like fame. Pretty good.

otra vez????? uhmmmmmm vale...... bien pero no me lo escuché entero debo confesar

Bueno, no se si es porque estoy contento por la canción de Iris o algo, pero no estuvo terrible. Casi salto por la ventana al ver que tenia que oir mas David Bowie pero al final buenoo. Que no se me malinterprete, de 8 canciones sobran la mitad, pero "Fame" o "Fascination" están guay la verdad, y las 4 malas son escuchables. Tiene un vibe 1000 veces mejor que el otro que escuche ayer, las bases son hasta similares a las del disco de Stevie, así funkáticas buen rollito. No sabia que el pesao este tenía el lado chill. Igualmente, de alguna forma, es capaz de cantar aún peor, y es una pena. Es el unico motivo por el que no se merece estar al nivel con el de Stevie, el cual es un canatante espectacular. David bowie se dedica a soltar notas al azar haciendo voces raras a ver si cuadran bien. Vaya notas el colega. La producción suena a culo, pero bueno, es el 74 tampoco lo voy a juzgar Nose supongo que 7/10 Y 3.5/5 pero queda el 3 pq no es igual de bueno a don Estebancito Milagro y su canciones en el tono de la vida.

Bueno otra vez david bowie yayyyy! A ver, este álbum creo que me gustó un poco menos que el anterior, así que le daré 3 estrellas porque sigue siendo david bowie y siguen gustándome las canciones (version de Across the Universe ni tan mal)

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.

So good I almost forgot to rate it

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.

I have always been intimidated by David Bowie's albums, even though I love many of the individual songs on this album. This exceeded my already high expectations, it didn't feel like there was a note misplaced, and sandwiching such a sonic experience in between Young Americans the song and Fame was just perfection. Loved this.

2,5

Big Bowie fan but I never really listen to this album, usually sticking to the albums before this.

Not my favorite Bowie, but I do recognize the significance of it within his career as his transition from glam rock to more funk/soul inspired music. He has some great songs on here (Young Americans, Fame) and some definite flops. The backing vocalalists (including Luther Vandross) on this are especially good, and really contribute to a very different sound for Bowie. It's gonna get a 5 but only because of my personal biases, I totally get why this one isn't everyone's cup of tea.

This man had the delivery of a rewound cassette.

Not the most essential Bowie but he’s never inessential

The title track is outstanding. The remainder of the album can't sustain the awesomeness

This is an amazing album. One of Bowie's best

Один из моих любимых альбомов Боуи. Такие отличные песни... кроме «Fame» (хотя и она неплохая).

i've always like david bowie but have never listened holistically to his discography / known much about him honestly. This was just so unlike the David that I knew! There were a few songs on here i liked more than others (really liked across the universe), but apart from those few it was kinda just background noise for 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

Doung americans ano dazumals sind ez die verbieterete 60jährige amis wo eus täglich mit bedenkliche nachrichte vorzeigt werded. Naja isch wahrsch nöd em bowie sini schuld, nime ah das sind die wo das nöd glosst hend? Aber susch wie immer sicher nöd schlecht, wenn öpis vum david davster chund. Aber würki guet ischs leider au nöd. Gmütlich zum lose Mit eim bangertrack würi gern es 4i geh

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.

Bowie doesn't do much here. The production is great, but overshadows him. Putrid cover of "Across the Universe"

Not terrible but also not memorable. Couple of great tracks!

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

All time good songs, very listenable and repayable, almost every song is a hit.

the amount of his albums on this list makes me dislike them more unfortunately

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.

7/10 Very strong start to a Bowie album, but sadly it drops off hard at the end. This felt like a more personal album to me. He shows some development and new themes here. Favorite Tracks: *Fascination*, Somebody Up there likes me, Young Americans, Right

Nails on a chalkboard

I’ve said it before on this list and I’ll say it again, outside of a couple of songs, Bowie isn’t really for me. I’ve tried to like his stuff but I just can’t get into it. That being said, I liked this more than the other stuff I’ve had but it’s fine. His cover of Across the Universe was interesting but I don’t think it competes with The Beatles original.

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

Amazing opening, legendary closing. The in-between is good, but it doesn’t compare - and given the number of Bowie albums already on this list, Young Americans might have been one to omit.

Ja leuk toch bowie, speelt lekker weg, across the universe, geinig covertje. Al bij al blijf ik dit album toch écht wel opleggen hoor. Drie sterren, we zijn streng.

3 - decent carried hard by fame

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.

I really like Bowie...like a lot. He's just so cool as a person. He's this enormously famous person but something about him just seems down to earth. That said, this album just didn't strike the same chord for me. Maybe it's my hatred of John Lennon or the disco-style sound on this album. Loved the lyrics, loved some tracks (Young Americans) but a bit less than what I expect from David.

I think maybe overall as albums I don’t love most Bowie albums. I love individual songs a hell of a lot and the man himself of course. Fame is an all-timer and I also dug the Across the Universe cover I somehow don’t think I’d heard before. Many cool moments but yeah as a collective I just don’t really think the album does a whole lot for my tastes.

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)! :)

As a major Bowie boy, this was admittedly never my favourite from his classic run of records. But it still is that good. Awesome blend of his idiosyncratic songwriting & vocal stylings with sumptuous r & b rhythms & textures. The guest spots from Luther Vandross, David Sanborn and John Lennon really help make this a special album as well.

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 ★★★★

I prefer my soul warmer, but the title track and "Fame" are great. 3.5 stars

I think this is a super cool album. Probably the first of many curveballs in Bowie's discography. It incorporates elements of soul and funk, but still sounds very much like a David Bowie album. It sounds like the 1970s in the best way possible, with that phased guitar and sax. Lots of highlights here including the title track, "Fame", "Fascination", the spacey lounge lizard version of "Across the Universe", and especially "Win", one of Bowie's greatest and most underrated songs. "Right" is probably the only track that doesn't quite do it for me, but that's a minor complaint. 5 stars.

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.

This is great! Love David’s singing on this and the backing vocals are A+. Only misstep is The Beatles cover. Everything else is luscious. 4.5 stars but will round up to 5 for this project.

Enjoyed this, feels like premium music

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

5eme album de DB proposé par le générateur. Cet album est très décevant par rapport aux précédents ('Low', Aladdin Sane', 'Hunky Dory' et 'Ziggy Stardust'). L'esprit rock des albums plus anciens est complètement abandonné pour un R&B qui présente peu d’intérêt pour moi. Ou est passée sa créativité ? L'album n'est pas désagréable à écouter (sauf 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' interminable ...), mais je n'y ai rien trouvé à retenir. =>2/5

Decent album, but not my favourite from Mr. Bowie.

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.

A funky album with every track being introspective. Favourite Track(s): Young Americans, Fascination Least Favourite Track(s): Win

I fucked with this, I love Bowie

Great album, one of Bowies best, IMHO. Everyone should listen to this - often.

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

This is my 5th David Bowie album and my favorite so far. Back in the day, Fame was the only song I was familiar with and didn’t care for it at all…but it has grown on me over the years and now I enjoy hearing it when it comes on. I enjoyed the rest of this album and found it easy to listen to, although some of the songs would have benefited from being a little shorter. I liked this arrangement of Across the Universe, but unfortunately found Bowie’s vocals to be way over the top. This album is really 3.5 stars, but I will rate it a three.

Nice

Look, this ain't my fave; the songs have too much of a gospel/crooner influence and there's not need for the Beatles cover, but goddamn, it's Bowie. It's good. Worth it for Fame alone.

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

Not one of the greats but worth 3 stars for Fame

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 :)

I've listened to this entire album once or twice in the past but it's like new to me again. It's short at 8 songs and 40 minutes. The title track is an absolute classic, it has it all and still gets a ton of airplay 50 yrs later. "Win" feels forced to me, it has an odd vibe and maybe should have been the final track. "Fascination" has some Stevie Wonder bass and a disco tinge going through it, by the end it's a sing-a-long. Wasn't a fan of "Right", it was busy, but 12M people disagree so it's got a fan following. "Somebody Up There..." was also ambitious and a bit busy for me, lots of layers and too long & repetitive for me. Interesting take on "Across The Universe" which is such a slow and lovely original, this one's a bit more upbeat and pleading but a tad dramatic. "Can You Hear Me" is ok, kinda boring and theatrical. The icing on the backend is the mega-classic "Fame" (100M listens) which is just funky and fun, mixed incredibly, has a bumping bassline, steller drumming and a great vocal delivery. It's almost out of place so that's why it's the final track. I don't see the reasoning behind including this in the T1001, it's just good but it's not great. Starts and finishes incredibly strong but what's in the middle isn't T1001 worthy. His influence goes without question so that gets him bonus points. 3.5 stars. Check out The Cure's version of "Young Americans" sometime, it's fun and has a unique take.

Interesting

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!

As far as Bowie albums go this one is kind of a pass for me. Other than the title track, Right and Fame it's just OK. Compared to other records of the time it's pretty good. That's enough for a 3.

bowie in his strength 70's vibe

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

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

Personal faves of the moment: Right & Somebody up There Likes Me

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

Sick.

Not my favorite Bowie album.

Never been a huge Bowie fan…this didn’t really change my opinion much.

He's the goat

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

Few had so purple a patch as Bowie in the 1970s. While the phrase 'purple patch' largely suggests quality, its defining characteristic is quantity - a purple patch is one of high-productivity, where good work hopefully begets good work. It finds the artist in a creative mindset with the resources to generate creative output. Bowie was in that position for a good while here. However, such creative outpouring doesn't always produce coherent or complete products. Rather, the albums produced are snapshots of that flow in motion and, depending on when that snapshot is taken, we can capture the moving artist in imbalanced pose. A few months earlier and Young Americans would have been The Gouster, a more aggressive soul-style album, with John, I'm Only Dancing Again and It's Gonna Be Me. Another version may have had Footstompin'/Shimmy Like My Sister Kate. A few months later and it all sounds more like Stay from Station to Station. While there are great songs on Young Americans, it is altogether too slow, its singles too much out-of-step with its core attributes, its Beatles cover too awful. David Bowie always photographs well, but, in this snapshot, he is in an awkward position. Whereas the Berlin trilogy of albums plays like a fluid flickbook of Muybridge images, describing a complete action, Young Americans, despite its smooth sound, is not part of a smooth transition. He's a little rigid, a bit uncertain. The plastic of plastic soul is probably right. Bowie may have been a chameleon, but a chameleon gradually changes colour, slowly shifting from one shade to another. That he stayed in this mode for only one album, with only small traces of it in the follow-up, suggest he knew himself that he wasn't at home in the environment. Would it have been better with I Am A Lazer on it? Probably. 3 Young Americans is brilliant at the start, brilliant at the end and also has a middle. The run of Fascination/Right/Somebody Up There… is listenable but a little dull; worthy enough genre exercises. Then the mesmerising abyss that is Across the Universe. I may have stared too long this weekend. I love (The Beatles’) Across the Universe a lot. It’s a really beautiful song. Credit to Bowie too for a genuine reworking rather than a dry cover; he rips parts out (‘jai guru deva om’ is gone), squares the beat into striking rigidity, changes the verse melody, adds vocal harmonies (!) and throws in a couple of minutes of nothing (‘NOTH ING, NOTH ING, NOTH ING!!!…’) Whatever Bowie was looking for in his mauling of the song, I am sure he didn’t find it. It’s truly, everlastingly, horrifying and alongside the title track it is what I think of when I think of this album. This is also one of Bowie’s worst album covers in my opinion; the fonts, the backlit hair, and smoking, which is bad for you! Still, the opening two tracks and the closing two tracks are exquisite and sure that’s half the album. 3/5

I liked this! 3 stars.

Soulful Bowie

‘‘Twas smooth, catchy, lyrical, wonderful

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

David Bowie quando estava fingindo ser negro e completamente apaixonado por John Lennon poderia soar apropriação cultural, mas a verdade é que umas das fases mais criativas dele passa por qualquer questão. A faixa título e Fame são definitivamente meus destaques, mas o álbum é todo perfeitinho. Um dos melhores produzidos. 4,5/5

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

Unlikely to ever listen to any of the songs ever again 2/5.

own

Fantastic album all the way through. Nothing but bangers. Fame is a nearly perfect song, not just funk rock not more like funk kraut-rock. A real argument in favor of cocaine. Make sure to check out all of the outtakes, there's a whole other album there.

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

John Lennon co-penned a song, Luther Vandross managed the background vocals. Change of style for Bowie and it worked.

I don't know. It's ok. Not great by any means. There is some weird fascination with Bowie on this list, Do we really need to hear 9 different albums from him when we can't even get a single Sublime album? Fame is my favorite off this one and will be going on the 1001 playlist. ~ 2 Stars

It's no Ziggy but i enjoyed it more this time

The 3rd (I think) Bowie album I've gotten on this list. This one is the closest to what I think of when I hear someone talking about him and I like it. Great voice, good songs and a coherent vibe throughout.

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

Glam Rock goes Soul/RnB. Kann man hören, ein Highlight ist es für mich nicht. 3/5

J: 2 N: 4. La canción del día del apagón #28A.

4/28/25. Not my favorite Bowie album but love that he tried funk and soul. Fame is one of my all-time favorite songs.

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

Albums got SOUL

Not sure what I was expecting here, but it definitely wasn't a head-on funk/soul effort with some songs I might hear on a disco floor. I'm guessing this album had a lot more impact when it was released and Bowie was still known for Ziggy Stardust-type productions than it does in out-of-context listening here. As it is, there are some solid tracks that show Bowie at his best. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of tracks that are rather unimpressive. I guess I have to give him credit for taking on a new genre and style, but I can also criticize that effort for its faults. I can't help but think 90% of the album would've been better had an actual soul singer been performing instead of Bowie. I'm sure the fact that it was Bowie is what made it popular, though. The strongest songs are the ones I've heard before- Young Americans and Fame. The rest ranged from fine to weak. And what was that Beatles cover? It wasn't awful, just weird. Overall: 2.5/5

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

6/10

DB must've heard Stevie Wonder and thought he'd have a peice of that. It's all funky clavinet, gospel backup singers, smooth jazz horns and wailing RnB sax. Fame is an all time great song the rest is just a pretty fun genre tribute .

Classic.

4.5/5. Cool John Lennon cameo.

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

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

After indulging the last vestiges of Ziggy on Diamond Dogs (gloriously on Rebel Rebel), Bowie embraced blue-eyed R&B and Soul. The opening and closing tracks are forever engraved in cultural memory.

Beautiful.

Awful

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