My Rating: 3.00 out of 5
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: X
Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums: X
The Mojo Collection: X
Chart Peak (UK/US): 1/5
Favourite Tracks: Rebel Rebel, Candidate
Least-Favourite Tracks: Rock 'n' Roll With Me, Big Brother
I used to play quite a lot of David Bowie in my younger days, though I haven't listened to any of his albums for years. These days I work with a couple of music producers who utterly hate Bowie - whenever he gets played at work, they sigh, tut & grimace with such venom that I began to question whether my spotty youthful self actually had terrible taste in music. So I approached this album with a certain trepidation, wondering if he really was as overrated as my colleagues suggest...
Sorry chaps, but I think you're wrong (and what a surprise that I should side with myself, eh?) This is the first time I have heard this album, but it feels a class above the other records I have listened to so far - in fact I don't really understand why it's ranked so low in this list. For a start, the production is powerful & innovative so it really jumps out of the speakers. The track segues & intros also worked very well & helped make the record a really cohesive work. Unlike Neil Young's largely-superfluous reprise of Rockin' In Free World (from previous LP in the list), the reprise of Sweet Thing sandwiching Candidate really added an extra dimension & helped build the intensity of the record. Like much of Bowie's output, the whole thing manages to be inventive & experimental, while still remaining accessible & mainstream. Perhaps by the high standards of his other works, this album was something of a disappointment - it's not chock-full of hits after all - though for me it was an engaging listen.
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