David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Published in 1971
For the third week in "Why the fuck have I never listened to an album by this artist, what am I slow?" July, I have chosen to disclose one of these albums that is truly shameful. True some people have probably never heard some of my favorite artists, and I am sure my music knowledge is imperfect to most, but this is truly shameful.
You see, I have never owned a David Bowie album. Well, that's not precisely true.
The only David Bowie album I have ever owned is a greatest hits compilation.
I know, boo hiss, boo hiss. But I have a good reason, and it is due to me getting really into this album. I think I have figured out why albums have never appealed to me for David Bowie. It's because his songs are too good.
Yes, Matt I Write A Blog Glorifying The Art Form That is The Complete Album Butler may be admitting that sometimes singles are better than albums. Sometimes a song is so good that it overshadows that which surrounds it that it is a let down to listen to the rest of it.
Hunky Dory is so trancendent in it's first half that the second half an only be a disappointment. Seriously. Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Life on Mars on one side of an album? Yeah, the game is over. We all lost. David Bowie cracked the code to the universe and this is what came pouring out of it.
Look, just listen to Life on Mars right now. I'll wait.
That is the moment that the first side of this album leaves off on. What the fuck can you do after that? Where can you go from there?
So, ultimately we get to the back of this album. What do you want me to say? It's not great, for David Bowie. It could be great not in this context, and I quite like the songs, but compared to where we started, what can one do other than be a little disappointed.
It's still an album by one of the greatest artists of all time. It's still has three of my favorite songs. It's never going to be topped by a Nickleback album. It's just impossible for it to sustain the amazing pace of the first half.
This album is classic and perfect as it is. If you like a single by David Bowie you should be listening to it already, and if you don't know David Bowie, we should hang out and you'll love him.
"The third silence was his"
Matt
I've had a sad love affair with David Bowie since I was about 12 when my dad forced me to listen to a few of his albums...and then I met a girl who was his travelling nanny and realized that was a job I could have had, but didn't. Oh life.
ReplyDelete