Which album do you think is Bowie's best?

@poetryofbeing

Ай бұрын

I know it's probably the more popular answer but i have to go with Ziggy Stardust .

@alanclayton9277

Ай бұрын

gotta be ziggy. full of different dynamics, ronson's guitar a big personality on top of bowie's prominent strummed acoustic. the confidence of the artist was undimmed at this point and the whole show was outlandish. the almost casually delivered electric introduction for ziggy stardust ( hammer on hammer off? ) before david's OH YEAH one of pop rocks iconic moments.

@alegiono

Ай бұрын

Ziggy Stardust.

@fredkrissman6527

Ай бұрын

My personal intro to DavidB, ZiggyStar.

@RinostarGames

Ай бұрын

Station to Station, definitely. I also love Aladdin Sane, which no one seems to ever say.

Bowie's best years were collaborating with Mick Ronson who was also a classically trained musician. His arrangements & contributions were the polish that ultimately made these songs shine.

Changes is a great opening track, and The Bewlay Brothers is a great closing track. Those songs tie the album together imo

"oh, you pretty things". Is so good. Actually the whole album is slept on

I really appreciate what you do. I’m old enough to remember watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and hearing folks like Bowie and Tull when they were new. Still, you bring a fresh perspective. It’s really great. Thanks.

I just came across your channel, and what I will say is !what! my mind is blown away not only are you spot on with your critique but the way you deliver with so much emotion and clarity that I am kicking myself for not finding you earlier, I see you have been on for 3 years so I once caught up I do look forward to joining you on real-time till then God Bless oh yes PS you are so easy on the eyes.

I always think it's surprising that Rick Wakeman added his keyboard parts after the songs were recorded. Bowie played him the songs on an old 12 string, Rick apparently asked him why he was playing such an instrument and Bowie said because if they sound good on that then they'll sound good on anything. Bowie asked him to join his band the same day he was offered the job in Yes.

Thx Fathom! You’re such an engaging teacher! It was the opening maj7 chords that hooked me in the song Changes. Then that riff was irresistible! It just got better and better! You’re wonderful!

Garffff you are so awesome this was so fun I learned so much good Bowie magic

That was great, thank you.

Love your analysis of the song, which made me appreciate the song, as well as, the CD I have in my collection. Though technical at points, you truly break down song accurately. However, my favourite album by Bowie is "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars". It really introduces heavier version of Glam Rock that I enjoy. P.S.: I also love the psychedelic touch of the Byrds as well. Thank You.

Wowie Zowie! Such a lively and entertaining take on one of my favorite David Bowie albums. Those were the days, this, Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Sold the World were so special. Mr. Bowie was indeed a Starman waiting in the sky. Thanks Fathom.

Fun fact: as well as being in the charts at the same time as Without You, Levon and Get It On, did you know it was the SAME PIANO? They were all recorded at Trident Studios in London. Unlike Abbey Road, it was a sufficiently poky studio that there was only room for one piano; and a lot of artists specifically sought out that piano in particular for its sound. So as well as the whole of Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, it's also the same piano that's heard on Martha My Dear, Honey Pie and Hey Jude; the whole of Nilsson Schmilsson; the first three Queen Albums, including the single Killer Queen; a whole ton of early Elton John, including Your Song; Carly Simon's Your So Vain; Ringo's It Don't Come Easy. All on the same bloomin' piano! I love the lines, "And those children that you spit on as they try and change their world, are immune to your consultation, they're quite aware what they're going through" - I feel that more listeners from the time should heed these words.

@fathommusicnz

Ай бұрын

Oh no way! That is absolutely awesome. I did not know that.

@Adam-qi7no

Ай бұрын

@@fathommusicnz Oh, and Lou Reed's Perfect Day and Satellite of Love! I reckon it probably has to be the most prolific single instrument in all of rock recording, at least the one we can confirm as being the same instrument.

Love your work Fathom. Thanks

Bowies best album depends on which genre you prefer. For me its either: Hunky Dory, Station To Station or 1. Outside.

I think the "Pin Ups" album is hugely underrated and the band is super tight and at the top their game. Although it's all cover songs Bowie's voice is more developed and mature and it really rocks. Mick Ronson really shines and re imagines and improves many of the songs. Otherwise Hunky Dory is amazing, Ziggy, Diamond Dogs, A Lad Insane. All from another dimension and totally transcending the modern bollocks! You can't beat Bowie with Ronson together! From Richard Lowe

@airmark02

11 сағат бұрын

Ronson was the polish that made these songs shine

When Rick Wakeman joined Yes, what is not generally known or commented on is that he had the choice of either joining Yes or joining Bowie’s Spiders from Mars. Bowie wanted him to be his musical arranger as well as pianist. Ironically, it was Bowie that insisted that Wakeman think about it and take his time. While he was thinking about it, he went for an audition with Yes, ended up helping to compose 2 songs that ended up on the “Fragile” album and decided to join them rather than David because he felt he’d have a better opportunity for songwriting whereas he wouldn’t get that in the Spiders from Mars, no matter how much freedom Bowie said he’d give him musically. What Wakeman has said about “Hunky Dory" is worth bringing up here: “During 1971 I had the great pleasure of working in the studio with some of the greatest writers, performers and producers around. The list included artists from all areas of the industry, and I played on such diverse recordings as those by Cilla Black, Lou Reed, Black Sabbath, Cat Stevens {including his legendary version of ‘Morning Has Broken’}, David Bowie, Elton John, Mary Hopkin, Al Stewart, Clive Dunn and Marc Bolan, to name but a few. The most memorable has to be that of the recording of the Hunky Dory album by David Bowie. David had invited me round to his house in Beckenham, which I nicknamed Beckenham Palace as it was the biggest house I had ever seen. After he had proudly showed off his new son, Zowie, we relaxed in the huge lounge and David took his 12-string guitar out of its case. ‘I’m going to play you some songs that I’ve written for the new album’ he began, ‘and I want you to learn them on the piano and then play them back in your own style. I really want to come at this album from a piano angle instead of that of the guitar.’ He then proceeded to play the finest selection of songs I have ever heard in one sitting in my entire life. I doubt whether anybody will ever experience such a wonderfully unique evening as I had the pleasure of that night. I had been given the honour of hearing tracks like ‘Life On Mars’ and ‘Changes’ in their raw brilliance. I couldn’t wait to get into the studio to record them.” He then goes onto describe an interesting scene on the first day of recording when it turned out that the band hadn’t learned any of the songs !

@fathommusicnz

29 күн бұрын

👏👏👏👏👏

This is tough: 1. Ziggy 2. Hunky Dory 3. Station to Station 4. Diamond Dogs 5. Young Americans 6. Scary Monsters 7. Low/Heroes/Lodger

Best Bowie album!

We have the same grandfather. Mario Lanza, onward.

As Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin' " was to the '60s, Bowie's "Changes" was to the '70s. And Bowie intended it to be understood that way.

Hunky dory is a great record pre Ziggy and Changes is the most recognizable and popular track from the album But station to station is his best work

the video shows that bowie was looking for the new but using sound structures. I think wakeman, said on hearing life on mars in it's early form, nobody goes from there to there, refering to that chord jump to the chorus. every now and then a new charting song will jump out dua lippa's 1, cyrus with flowers but far from the madding crowd there is always an artist like phoebe bridgers. you can still find craft. bringing in our house as a comparative reference interested me because nash, though regarded by some as light, had the ability to go straight to the point in his songwriting: to situations, to feelings, to life. bowie's music with all it's cultural allusions and dexterity doesn't always affect me emotionally. but yeah the quality of strangeness is enjoyable and when ronson was in his band they rocked. in 72 i would draw attention 👀 to the roxy music debut complete with nascent eno noodlings and being a band, delivering a more cohesive statement.

i DON'T hate you, nancy (i realize other commenter was joking) and if you want to do buffalo springfield's "last time around", you should do so without a poll. it's a great showcase for stephen stills. neil young is missing in action except for one classic and album closer should be better known. bowie? this is a favorite but the "blackstar" album especially the track "i can't give everything away" considering what he was going through is perfect.

Depends. Are you Iggy Bowie, Marc Bowie, Spider Bowie, Mott Bowie, Lennon Bowie, Yardbirds Bowie, Stevie Ray Bowie, Freddie Bowie, Davie Jones & the King Bees Bowie ? ?

Great song and great video! By the way, when is the review of a Charly García song coming? No pressure. 😁

@fathommusicnz

Ай бұрын

Oh, I wish! I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of Clics Modernos for months. I will persevere!

I hate you Nancy... You've forced me to agree, for once, with RollingStone! btw, Bowie's 3rd best, imho, is AladdinSane.

I personally consider “Hunky Dory” to be the high point of Bowieism. Although “Ziggy Stardust….” is generally feted as his best album, I actually think, and have long felt, that, like Aerosmith’s “Rocks,” it merely a good album bookended by two masterpieces. “Aladdin Sane” is a better album than “The Rise and Fall of….” and Hunky Dory drags it through the stratosphere. In Hunky Dory, all that brilliant potential that had been evident through 3 albums {I really like Bowie’s 60s stuff} is realized and the momentum generated by it propelled Bowie through the rest of his musical life. Even though it flopped ! It has to also be said that the sessions for “Ziggy” came less than a month after the Hunky Dory ones finished so one can see Bowie was seriously on fire in that period. I’d liked Bowie right from 1973 when I was 10, when “The Laughing Gnome” {I don’t care what anyone says ~ it’s still a great song and one of my favourites of his} was re-released as a single in England. Then in ‘75, I really got into “Space Oddity.” When my dad got me a cassette recorder, I recorded the top 20 off the radio and Space Oddity has the distinction of being the first song I ever taped off the radio. It also has the distinction of being the first song I recall hearing the mellotron on {though I didn’t know it at the time, or even what a mellotron was} and also the first time I consciously noticed and listened to - with both ears - the acoustic guitar. Fast-forward 10 years and I came into some money when my boss insisted on paying me for 7 weeks when I hadn’t been at work {she had told me not to come in} and I went out and blew most of it on records. I bought stacks of albums because in those days, second-hand record shops were everywhere in London and one could pick up an album in one for the same price as a current single in a mainstream shop, sometimes less. I wasn’t actually looking for a Bowie album, I just wanted the song “Life On Mars” and the single no longer existed as this was 1985 ! I was also looking for “Space Oddity” so I ended up buying “Changes One” and “Hunky Dory” as they both contained one of the songs I was looking for. I thought to myself “I may as well listen to the rest of the album just in case there are songs that I remember from years ago, but had never known the title of, or in case there might be a good song here and there.” “A good song here or there.” Understatement of the latter part of the 20th century ! “Changes One” was packed to the gills with greats but even they paled in insignificance to the delights that I found contained within “Hunky Dory.” Hunky Dory became one of 4 or 5 defining albums for me of that year. Even now, when I hear the album or any songs from it, I’m mentally transported back to ‘85. I have no control over it. I thought “Changes” was a magnificent opener, but here’s the strange thing; each song on that first side just got better and better. And though side 2 starts with a slight breather, if great opener in “Fill your Heart,” the same thing happens ¬> the songs just get better and better ! Being of that period, I still think of albums prior to the CD era in terms of side one and two. Now, from the moment my Dad got me that cassette recorder in ‘75, I routinely recorded my vinyl albums onto tape. I didn’t always follow the artist’s running order either. Once I got to know an album well, I would re-jig the order on many of them, starting with least liked songs first, building up through to my favourite songs on the album. Hunky Dory is actually one of the relative few that remained in its original running order. I love your take on the various aspects of “Changes.” Brilliant. And I don’t disagree with any of it. I love the song, I really think it is a great song. Yet for me it’s the 2nd weakest on the album ! “Much as I love “Fill Your Heart” that’s the weakest one for me, with “Changes” following. But far from that being a criticism of either song, it’s actually a testament to the strength of the album as a whole. This is one of those albums I could talk about till the cows come home - and then leave again ! 🥵

@fathommusicnz

29 күн бұрын

Interesting - truthfully, Changes isn't my favourite on the album either. I LOVE "Oh You Pretty Things", but I knew that I had more I wanted to say about Changes. What's your favourite track on the album?

@grimtraveller7923

29 күн бұрын

@@fathommusicnz Wow, now that’s a hard one. “Oh You Pretty Things,” “8 Line Poem,” “Kooks,” “Quicksand,” “Song for Bob Dylan,” “Queen Bitch” and “The Bewlay Brothers” are eternally fighting in my musical headspace for that slot and none of them overhauls the others. I think you are absolutely on the money about “Changes” though. It’s Bowie’s manifesto, the blueprint for everything to follow, both on the album and indeed, in his career.

Love it! But, I think it wrong to remove Man Who Sold the World, and Space Oddity, and his earlier work to industry led errors of inauthenticity. They are each masterpieces in their own genres.

There are people whose musical tastes more or less stop developing after their teenage years. This is probably a majority of the population, and probably includes most musicians as well. Whatever. It's their loss. Oh, and for me the best Bowie album is a toss-up between Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust. Right this moment, I'll pick Ziggy. Without songs like Rock & Roll Suicide and Lady Stardust, I'm not sure I could go on.

Was music better then? Oh click baity... My Ill educated thoughts are... First of all, we have the luxury of a vast library to plunder, even if only 5% is good and 1% is great, that is still a hell of a lot of good/great from 60 years of pop/rock/other music. So survivor bias? Then, a group writing a song, writers often worked alone, at least on a frame work, band members would chip in (while Bowie is credited as sole writer, the musicians shaped the arrangement, specifically Wakemen and Ronson). If it was a song written as a conscious group effort from the start, often they got together and tried to make something cool, something they could play live. Now song writers get together with the intention of making a hit using metrics. The results wind up a bit meh. If anyone adds a novel thing to the track, and it works, soon everyone is including a pastiche of it. It is why as I grow older, I get more indie and metal in my tastes. The interesting and intriguing stuff tends to be there.

@fathommusicnz

Ай бұрын

Excellent answer, and agreed - indie is where it's at, almost without exception for me.

overrated record album...bob dylan and eight line poem are embarrassing

Bowie was fascinating - Some of his stuff I love, other stuff makes me think "meh". His final three albums were consistently amazing though, and he made a lot of good 'cheese' - I unashamedly(ish) also like his 'never let me down' period.... 🗯