I've always thought Bowie was one of the greatest songwriters and recently I was re-assured of that. I've been buying a lot of used vinyl lately and at 1 of my used record stores I came across one of Bowie's hidden treasures(at least to me). I actually picked up 3 other Bowie albums which also were in excellent condition.(total cost $4) So I go home, give them all the Disc Doctor treatment and spin each of them, starting with Hunky Dory. This album has a lot of acoustic work and it sounds fantastic. It's been years since I heard anything like this from Bowie and it brought back fond memories of those early Bowie albums and the controversy surrounding him as an artist. Anyway, I just wanted to see if any of you old timers have/had enjoyed this album as much me.
Yeah, I re-discover this one regularly. While not my fav (I'm more of a Man WHo Sold The World/Rise and Fall/Space Oddity kind of guy), it is a fantastic album. And I understand more recent iterations of the CD do not have all the great bonus tracks that I was lucky enough to get on the original Rykodisk release. So I treasure it even more. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.
This is my favorite Bowie Album by far. I have a pretty beat up vinyl version and the Rykodisc CD with the bonus tracks. That little vocal intro to "Queen Bitch" gets me every time. Regards,
Ken, the vinyl copy I picked up is in near mint condition and it appears to be a very early pressing. I still can't get over how sweet this LP sounds. "Queen Bitch" is a great song, gets me going everytime I play it. Now I just have to find a good copy of Ziggy, mine was thrashed by 1 of my room-mates several ago.
I too love this album, my favorite though is "Low", probably followed by "Scary Monsters" and "Station to Station". Although I do not own them on vinyl.
"Hunky Dory" is a masterpiece. "Andy Warhol looks a scream, hang him on my wall." "Andy Warhol, silver screen, can't tell them apart at all."
Boy, they are all so good it's tough to choose. I guess I prefer Station to Station and Scary Monsters the most. But HD is a great album. The guy was/is a bad ass singer/writer.
Larry, I always keep my eyes open for UK pressings so HD is on my short list. This early pressing I have sounds pretty good compared to a lot of other albums in my collection. I actually came across a UK pressing of The Police "Synchronicity" last week, VG+ condition, cost me $1.50.
Not an old-timer but at 27 I would count this as one of my top ten albums. Nothing else by him comes close in terms of album quality, though a lot have a number of very good tracks on.
Hunky Dory I believe is one of the strongest of that period from him. Many have called it his singer/songwriter period. Which really is not an invalid observation, this album and a few around that period were heavy in lyrics. His band seemed to be a bit more blues based also. I saw a shift though starting in 75 w/ Young Americans. It only comfirmed itself with his following trilogy with Brian Eno(Heros,Low and Lodger). There is just a strange feel on those albums, not only Eno's touches but Bowie's ability to harmonize with himself. His harmonies during those albums are sick. Stacks upon stacks of these choir like triads. My friend downstairs is a big fan of the "Ziggy-Hunky" stage and although I feel those albums too, That 75-80 period just speaks to me more. He has always been his own entity. This "middle" period just seemed to transcend most music around at the time, with maybe the exception of 1977, which in my opinion produced some of the best music ever, but another subject. Just scratching the surface...
I hope you meant "slick"! "Sound & Vision" on "Low" has beautiful harmonies, and could possibly be my favorite Bowie tune. "Move On" on "The Lodger" has amazing vocals, as well as a simple, but haunting piece of piano work. "Sons Of The Silent Age" on "Heroes" gives me chills. This guy is truly one of the greatist artists of our time.
