Young Americans

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.

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

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.

Solid album

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

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

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

No songs saved, but still Bowie. 3.

Not my style of music

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

Repeat listen

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

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)

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!

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

23/9/25 16:01

Fuck across the universe cover

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

pretty classic shiz

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.

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

his cover of across the universe left something to be desired

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

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…

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

He has done way better

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.

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

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.

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

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

3/5

Not the best Bowie album, but a respectable entry.

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 in his top 5 albums but still a couple of classics on there

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

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

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!

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.

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.

🪩

Timeless detached cool

This sounds nothing like what his other albums do

Funky and fun but not really my style

Fine, solid.

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.

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.

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

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

Interesting mix of music

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

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

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.

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

Easy listening, classic rock

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

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.

big time

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Did not make an impression on me in the slightest.

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

Okay, I need to give it another shake

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.

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

[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

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.

Too much soul for me

The Philly soul is evident the influence is there .

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

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.

Decent album - enjoyed

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

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.

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

I like the guy... Later music was better

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

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.

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

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

could i write poetry to this? y

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

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)

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

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

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Enjoyed this, feels like premium music

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

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

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.

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.

Not one of the greats but worth 3 stars for Fame

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 .

i def wanna listen again sometime

nice in the background

Bowie has so many great, groundbreaking albums, but this is not one of them. Beyond the hits, nothing sits and sticks around.

I've never listened to a Bowie record...so glad I did!

Звук показался ужасно архаичным в плохом смысле.

Not the best Bowie

Some good tunes, familiar and not, but not a greatest of all time for me.

Not his best work although there are a couple of decent songs on it

Young Americans is seemingly a tribute album to John Lennon. John shows up in several ways: the background singers in the title song singing “ I heard the news today, oh boy” which comes from the Beatles song ‘A Day In the Life”, David later covers John’s song ‘Across The Universe’, and then to cap the album off, John co-writes ‘Fame’, sings backup with David and plays the main guitar riff. They were clearly close friends at this point in time. I always wanted to love this album but I just don’t. Other than the title song and Fame, these songs lie flat. Bowie is a true artist, so the intent here is great, and it’s not for a lack of trying. This album certainly has plenty of love thrown its way. I just prefer so many of his other albums from the 70’s to this.

Solid pop album.

6/10 - good all around album with the right amount of funk and classic rock vibes

liked songs: Fascination, Fame Not a big fan of the cover of Across The Universe. This is an ok Bowie album. Far from his best. 3

Average

Kind of disappointing. I was familiar with the two big tracks: Young Americans and Fame. Of course I know the Beatles song Across the Universe, though I didn't know Bowie covered it. And it's neat that Win was sampled by Beck on Debra, though I like Beck's song a lot more. The rest of album has parts that remind me of the Rolling Stones and parts that are closer to 80's pop. But it's not an especially good album.

Fame is one of Bowie's Top 5 for me, and Young Americans and the Beatles cover hold their own. But a lot of this is either surprisingly forgettable and even occasionally cheesy in a way I presume isn't deliberate. Sax party!

Não é o meu álbum favorito do Bowie, mas muito consistente

An interesting genre experience. It is quite conscious of its own "plasticness" which I find intriguing, but aside from Fame I found it just alright.

Classic Bowie, sounds like bowie. Not my favorite of his albums, but still has his heart and soul. Fame and Across the Universe are the best songs on the album

Couple great songs on here but Bowie never really speaks to me. Enjoyed listening though.

A couple good songs but I still just don't get the hype.

Not the best or most important album Bowie has made. But hey, he worked with John Lennon, covered the Beatles and made it all sound fresh and new, again. But no, it's not really my thing.

Bowies’s tip of the hat to American r n b. A few good songs but also some very generic and forgettable songs. Fame, Young Americans are classics and Fascination stuck out for me.

Any Bowie day is a good day! And this one has its good qualities. David Bowie, as always, was ahead of the curve - this time digging into funk/soul influences well before more other non-black musicians would do so. “Young Americans” is awesome, but my highlight here has to be “Fascination” for how much it stuck in my head and how forward-thinking it was. Bowie shows the Beatles a lot of love on this album as well, the cover of “Across the Universe” is super solid, and yet another shining example of how much he sells out on his vocal performances. At the same time, I had a hard time grasping some of the melodies and ideas in this record. All the pieces are there, excellent performances left and right. Just not the most memorable/sticky Bowie albums. I hold him to a very very high standard. Great by any other artists standard, good by Bowie standards

Good album. Didn't blow me away but good easy listening. I enjoyed the jazzy bits, wish there was more of that. Standouts: Somebody up There Likes Me Rating: 3.55/5

A couple of great songs on this album, but I'm not a big fan of David Bowie's soul era. Much prefer the glam rock side of Bowie.

Definitely a fun album with a nice vibe, but at the same time, that's nothing especially interesting or exciting about this. I enjoyed listening to it, but nothing stood out, and I don't think I'm going to return to it. 7/10

Two Bowie albums within a week. Uhm, it was good.

My first Bowie album and it's a somewhat contentious one that some like and some dislike. I feel as though this is quite hit and miss. Some decent to very good stuff and also some stuff which is just a little slow, plodding and boring. The title track opens this up and it's catchy, upbeat and cheerful. 'Fascination' for me is the best song on the album. It has a real funkiness to it, the bass is great and the electric guitar has the little frills and licks as well as the saxophone. The backing vocals really add to the song too. The next track 'Right' follows in the same vein. 'Somebody Up There Likes Me' really builds to something great during its six and a half minute runtime. Another really good bit of sax in this one. The closer 'Fame' is another very funky track. So to summarise. Eight tracks. Three very good ones, two decent ones, and three meh ones. Three stars.

6/10

There are better Bowie albums. There are better soul albums. This is unnecessary

Yet another very OK David Bowie Album.

When I first heard, Young Americans, I was already a fan of David Bowie, I love the albums with his band, The Spiders From Mars and Diamond Dogs was a good effort. He took it a set further with Young Americans, abandoning the glam-rock sound of Ziggy and the apocalyptic themes of Dogs for an American, white-boy Philly Soul sound that seemed worlds away from his previous albums. I guess, that's what set Bowie apart from the mainstream, he went beyond what might be considered a comfort-zone and explored music he had interest and passion(?) for, as the Soul Man, his next persona. My first thought when I heard this record was that I didn't like it, it felt forced and I questioned it's authenticity of soul and funk. I didn't hate it, but I avoided listening to the title track and Golden Years for years on the radio while struggling with Bowie's ever changing sound in the 70's and 80's. As time has passed, I've eased up on my non-interest in music that wasn't purely rock or punk and have come to appreciate and actually enjoy this phase of his career. Young Americans has some decent tracks on it, but a lot of it blends together (blandly) and doesn't stand out or have the impact of the "hits". I still think there's a lot better soul and funk options out there that should be listened to instead of this, but you have to credit Bowie for trying new ideas and bringing attention to this genre to the mainstream. I admit that "Golden Years" is a great song, maybe one of his best.

Not too bad. But nothing really excites me either. Was fun listening on my way home. I knew this album was old, but the production was a bit disappointing? At some point I found it almost impossible to hear his voice. I remembered I turned up the volume couples of times but still can’t hear him clearly. (I was comparing it with Boston by Boston - 1976) Musically, I think the album is beautiful and refreshing. A nice 3 star.

so, i've never actually really given David Bowie a good listen through. I get that hes big, I mean he's David fricken Bowie. dude is cemented in music legend and was one heck of an artist. I think the only album I dabbled in before this was Ziggy Stardust, which fun fact was his 5th album (released in 1972) and Young Americans was his 9th album, released just three years later. all this to say... this album is just fine for me. i enjoyed listening to it, but it didn't blow me away. even with the preconceived notion of Bowie being the weird spaceman and having this alter ego, i kept that aside for this album and just as a album released in the mid 70's... its aight. i can have it on in the background and really enjoy it, but just as easily listen to something else. I do hope we hear more Bowie, as I think he's such an important musical figure that I personally don't know a lot about... but I probably won't seek out his discography on my own.

Better than our first Bowie album, but still not a lot to take away from this one. Fame is by far the biggest hit, and the cover of Across the Universe isn't bad by any means, but the rest is mostly unremarkable. I appreciate the more R&B sound of Bowie, but so far, both albums have not been the masterpieces I expected with how people hold him and his music with such high regard.

Taking heavy inspiration from RnB/Motown/Soul, as apparent by the album title. I think this type of sound was perfected by Prince but I think there's still some bangers. Fame, Young Americans and Somebody Up There Likes Me are my favs

Decent album but I’m not sure how often I’ll go back to it

I'm quite a fan of David Bowie, but I didn't feel like there was much on this album beyond the two most well known tracks to return to.

6/10

THINKIN: Go white boy go. PERSONALLY: on one level it’s a 5 out of 5 for sentimental reasons, but on this listen through I found I couldn’t stand the Across the Universe cover. ALT TITLE: Rubber Soul

geht so

Solid album but not one I'll listen to again ant time soon. Fame is great

If you are a fan of the glam rock scene this is an album for you.

Highly overrated.

The album was okay...not my kind of music, but it was decent to listen to.

fame was prolly the only song i had heard before

Bowie has a base level of competence but I'm not going to return to this. It's not surprising that Fame and Young Americans are the two songs which have entered the Bowie canon.

Another classic album that I know 2 songs from (title track and Fame, well of course I know Across the Universe but never heard Bowie's version). This album is OK, I love the title track, always have, Bowie's soulful free form on the outro is unmatched. And he shows a lot of that throughout the album, focusing heavily on soul stylings. But unfortunately, not much of it really grabs me.

Young Americans and Fame

This foray into smith R&B feels weak, aside from Fame the songs feel mired in style while lacking the essence of what makes R&B pop fun.

I really enjoyed the title track to this, which was a great start because I had an idea in my head that I don’t really like Bowie from what I’ve heard before. This sounded so much different to his other stuff I’ve heard initially, then his typically odd shit creeps in, but thankfully not to the extent I feel it usually does I enjoyed the song ‘Right’ too. Fame was proper cool. Felt like a black man in the 70s wearing flared green trousers and stomper boots with them big star shopped sunglasses when it was just the beat. Then he started singing and those green trousers suddenly became assless, and rather than the glasses seeming all groovy and jive, they suddenly represented more of an Elton John aesthetic. But still, didn’t mind it tbh. Up and down this album for me, but not to the extent I loved anything or hated anything… Even though he’s rocking a proper Donald trim on the artwork, I’m giving it a harsh 3

The style and arrangements on this sound very soul and motown influenced. You can imagine Stevie or Smokey singing Young Americans. Great funky riffs, girl group backing vocals, sharp snare sound, cool basslines and saxophones going off the rails. Yet again another testament to Bowie's ability to wander between styles from one album to the next. Not my favourite, and the Across The Universe cover was bad, but a respectable 3.

As much I appreciate this album for the versatility it displays - Bowie can sustain a basic soul/pop record w/o weirding out all that much - I find it thin if I'm being honest, as well as incoherent: 'Fascination, takes a part of me'; 'Fame bully for you chilly for me / Got to get a rain check on pain.' It's not that he can't be soulful - he certainly can be - it's that if he was going for 'plastic soul,' he got something closer to the real thing, and just didn't quite make the cut. 'Young Americans' has an undeniable chorus, his cover of 'Across the Universe' is capable, and 'Fame' is a justifiable favorite. But I don't know what to do with: 'Can you hear me? / Can you feel me inside? / Show your love, love.' If it's sincere, it's bad; if it's ironic, what's alleged?

Typical David Bowie tunes. A good album overall with a couple of memorable tracks.

It’s pretty good, but I honestly can’t stand the cover of Across the Universe

Definitely not the best of Bowie.

In the eloquent words of my beloved friend, Emma, this album was: Ok

Ok

Gostei de Young Americans. Achei interessante o cover de Across The Universe, e algumas outras músicas. Bom álbum

Bowie. Solid 3.

Not my favorite Bowie. Lots of saxophones, I mean a lot. But it’s still Bowie.

Day 88 - Feb 16th, 2025 Call me a homophobe, but David Bowie is so fucking mid

This could definitely get to 4 stars on more listens, but for one listen Bowie's interpretation of Philly Soul/R&B is a 3.5

Some good songs here.

Fame doing a lot of heavy lifting on this album

Plenty good, not earth-shattering. Fifth Bowie album so far.

Fun vibe a couple of bops. Fame is crazy!

Classic

Feel the same as any other bowie. Good production, dislike everything else

-wow a fifth David Bowie album and not even 1/4 done this… they really gonna have me listen to this man’s whole catalogue -I actually kinda liked this one even though it apparently gets a bad rap.. it’s not amazing but it’s much more interesting than The Next Day at least. it’s a different yet largely abandoned direction from Bowie, and there are some decent songs on here -Favorites are Young Americans and Win

En del goa låtar, med rätt tydligt Bowie-sound, en del tråkigare låtar och nån enstaka 80tals-saxofon-konstighet. Det mesta går att lyssna på men det är bara Fame som sticker ut för mig

Pretty good. Funky

Young Americans and Fame are highlights for me, but the rest is kind of meh to average.

I didn't love this.

Bowie does his best attempt at soul without abandoning his glam/pop rock sensibilities. Relative to all music, Young Americans is fun, short, and inoffensive. Bowie takes a back seat in favor of the music, and to his credit the instrumentation/orchestration is well done. However, I think Bowie's contributions get overshadowed by the other vocalists and performances. It is nowhere near the best that the genre has to offer, and, frankly, what Bowie has to offer. Can't be a hater if this is an album you really enjoy, but I was largely unmoved. A+ album cover though. 3.5/5

I like "Young Americans" plus the nice saxophone tunes on this. But even the second well-known track "Fame" is not my favour. It is a shame to say - but this album from his Bowieness doesn´t convince me at all.

Good album. Give Bowie credit where credit is due: he never rested on his laurels. He always tried different things; from his ever-changing personas to tackling different genres of music. I think he is a little over his skis on some of these songs on this album and he struggled a bit with his take on soul. However, he has a nice voice and it is a very listenable album.

Ich mag seine Stimme sehr, die Musik an sich plätscherte eher vor sich hin, nervte aber nicht aktiv, die Songs waren etwas lang und gingen alle in die gleiche Richtung. 2 1/2, runde auf.

It pains me to give Bowie only 3 stars, but here we are. Despite a couple of classics, most of the songs on this album were kinda forgettable. I did not enjoy the Beatles cover. His voice juts felt wrong for it.

Bowie goes funk Favorite song: Fame

The first 3-star Bowie album I’ve listened to. “Fame” is awesome, but the other songs just feel sterile. Why cover “Across the Universe” if you can’t improve on it somehow?

Some bangers in here, but far from Bowies best imho.

first track is a banger, groovy album overall

niet slecht... maar ik raak meer en meer overtuigd dat Bowie meer een singles man is ipv een album man

I think Bowie is officially in the Queen tier of their singles being really good but for the most part I don't care for their albums 6/10

It’s good. I have heard it a long time ago.

Never my favorite artist

title track is brilliant, rest is disappointing

Bowie was brilliant. But after perfecting his own incredible sound, his subsequent dabbling in other genres (electronica, Philly Soul) produced some mediocre albums. Bowie's vocal stylings were always more Joe Strummer than Donny Hathaway. Excepting the bookends, which are incredible tracks, his punk-rock vocal instincts simply don't work over the lush, beautifully recorded (if occasionally by-the-numbers) Philly-Soul tracks. Had this album been sung by any of the backing singers, Solomon Burke, Hathaway, Darryl Hall or one of a thousand other Soul singers, it may be worth listening to. With Bowie's voice it isn't. Definitely another of this list's mediocre albums by a brilliant artist, joining Metallica, U2, Bruce Springsteen, the Cure, the Black Keys, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Paul Simon, Prince, Miles Davis, and the Go-Betweens. Given the GREAT music that those acts are responsible for, It's remarkable. A whole start for the title track; the rest earns a D.

I can appreciate the music for the time it came out and the artistry. However, I find myself listening to this similarly to how I listen to jazz. It’s great to have on and I thoroughly enjoy it when I focus in, but a majority of the time it doesn’t keep my attention and acts as really good background music

Young Americans is David Bowie's ninth studio album, and his break through LP in the United States. This was a departure from his previous work; with Young Americans, Bowie wandered into "white soul," his version of American R&B and soul. The album includes "Fame," Bowie's first #1 single in the US. Amongst Bowie's extensive catalog, this is not regarded as his best work. However, Young Americans is a significant milestone in his career, not only for the success in the US, but also for the beginning of Bowie's career as a musical chameleon. His exploration of sounds and styles - beyond his early "Ziggy Stardust" phase - continued throughout his career.

This record doesn’t match the absolute greatness Bowie is capable of. I would be lying if I said it was shit or that I didn’t enjoy it, but the whole time it felt like something was missing, I really didn’t feel Bowie’s character in these tracks at all. The call-and-response Bowie does with the back vocals is hilarious at times, and sometimes it does work… when it’s not awkwardly placed. However the quality is still there and the album does have its moments, if you take it just for what it is you get a very good, very enjoyable soul record, but, for me at least, not a very good Bowie record. Best: Young Americans, Fame, Fascination Worst: Win 3/5

A couple of hits. It's condescending to suggest he crossed the color lines in music and broke through those barriers when we're3 talking about a wildly successful white musician working "down" while ignoring everyone in black culture who were breaking through going "up". Weird album, but this whole list is biased toward Bowie. I won't be surprised if I listen to his entire discography before I'm through.

This is my fourth Bowie album I've been handed so far (and I believe there's still more to come!). I love the man. I love a lot of his music and I love the fact that he never let himself be put into a box and labeled. He did his thing when he wanted to do it and wouldn't let anyone tell him otherwise. This was such an interesting choice for him. The overall sound of this album is tough to describe. It's hard at times, floaty in others, but it always has these incredibly strong backing singers attached to it, almost always has horns involved, and it always finds a groove. I really didn't need his cover of "Across the Universe." It's kind of a funky, gospel take on an otherwise thoughtful and hopeful song. I don't think it worked, personally. I don't begrudge him for trying, but I don't think it added much to the album and I don't think it was necessary. This was such a weird offering from Bowie. It definitely isn't one of the ones that stands out from the pack of his I've heard so far, nor will it be at the end when I've heard all his entries on this list, either. But it's still Bowie, and there are some damn fine grooves on this album. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Young Americans, Fascination, Somebody up There Likes Me, Fame

Not Bowie’s finest imo but enjoyable all the same. Can I please have something that isn’t late 60s-Mid 70s tomorrow please

Three or four songs are ok.

David Bowie rock, nothing really stood out

5/10. Not many highlights. he just has better works

I wasn't a big fan of this Soul / R&B / Funk period in David Bowie's musical evolution, and have mixed feelings about the title track. However, the final track, "Fame", (written in collaboration with John Lennon), is one of my favourite Bowie tracks. Even with the collaboration of John Lennon, I'm not overly impressed with the cover of "Across the Universe", but that's possibly because I'm so familiar with the original version by The Beatles.

I’ve like lots of the Bowie albums from beginning to end. This album feels like it was before its time. It was at the front of disco and some of the songs feel that way. I like a couple of songs…don’t love the Across the universe cover very much. It’s an okay album, just not on par with some of his other stuff.

Better Bowie than most.

Alright music. Great sounds on guitar.

It’s the one with Fame in it

This is where Bowie began to lose me

3/5

It's Bowie, so it's obviously good, but I can name 10 or more albums I like better than this. Good time though.

Some ups and downs to talk about here. The album covers is so horrendously low-budget that it wraps around to being kind of good. It's a grainy close-up of Bowie putting on an unconvincing seductive face, two fonts that are ugly and hard to read, and some cheap sparkly plastic stuff from your local dollar store for good measure. The music itself is very strong, though until the final track, the songs feel just a little incomplete somehow. It doesn't help that Bowie's singing is wavery, lazily theatrical (even more than usual for mid-70s Davie), and can barely hold a melody. It's also mixed uncomfortably, sounding both in-your-face and partially muffled by the other instruments at the same time. Anyone who thinks his vocal here sounds better than on Low or Hunky Dory has a very odd taste in vocals. And I know there's at least one of you in the list of reviews here. The album really shines when you focus on all the instruments other than Bowie's voice, as well as the compositions in general. The backing vocals are gorgeous in just about every track. Incredibly tasteful sax solos are sprinkled throughout the album and I'm mesmerised every time they appear. The guitar style and especially the dynamic bass playing are clearly influenced by funk, and showcase the prototype of what would later populate much of 80s funk, pop, soul, and early R&B. This is the first album, chronologically, where Bowie commits to a setlist of jam sessions. I think it works pretty well, though Bowie's voice brings it down significantly. 3/5 Key tracks: Young Americans, Fascination, Fame

solid. not bowies best, but a good sound. didn’t know he covered across the universe. didn’t need to know that either. sorry.

Great album. Added a couple songs to my library

Bowie is sometimes meh

Today it’s the beginning of summer holidays, and we listened to this in the pool (along with PJ’s Ten). Funky! Reminder to check where it slots in with Parliament and Television, which this record feels poised between. I would listen to it again. I don’t feel like I’ve ever totally connected with Bowie, and this wasn’t the moment either. Let’s see what else is in store … (Dot liked it.)

3/5 stars, overall dull but fame pushed it up right at the end

I love Bowie, but soul is not his wheelhouse. Title track is great, the rest was fine. Not offensive, but not particularly captivating.

Good listen.

I just don’t get Bowie. Besides “Young Americans” and “Fame,” this was just dull (aside from a truly annoying cover of “Across the Universe”).

I liked the consistency of this album. Best tracks: Young Americans, Fame, and (new to me) Right.

Im a Bowie fan, but sometimes the shapeshifting isnt 100% successful. This album had some obvious classics, but the rest of the album doesnt really stand out.

Young Americans ok muzika, taka chill za neki kafič in ima dobre back vokale. Across the universe ga kr slappa samo ni neki presežek. 5/10 album, nič posebnega, kar bi si moral zapomnit ali da bi se mi vtisnilo v spomin

Rapidly oscillates between incredible and meh

Fascination is a dope track Right intro is really good I dont like fame as much as i thought i would

Bookended by two massive hits, the rest of this album meanders through just-okay to better-than-okay soulful soft pop sounds of the decade. The weight of the bookends alone can't drag it up to a 4, but it's a solid 3+ overall.