bowie's best...
Cygnet Committee: A huge rambling monolith which parodies the protest song and sounds a death knell for hippiedom. Sing along to, "Wish you were here, love is all we need, kick out the jams, kick out your mother, cut up your friend, screw up your brother or he'll get you in the end."
All the Madmen: Influenced by his brother's stay at an asylum, it views the world through the eyes of the insane; dealing with madness, paranoia and split personalities, themes that were to recur throughout the best of Bowie's work.
Quicksand: Again madness rears its head along with sexuality and right wing politics. It's a clear signal of what was to come; sing along to the jaunty chorus, "Don't believe in yourself, don't deceive with belief, knowledge comes with death's release, ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh, ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh"!
Lady Stardust: A much under-rated track and, allegedly, a song about Bowie's friend, Marc Bolan; "People stared at the make-up on his face, laughed at his long black hair, his animal grace. The boy in the bright blue jeans jumped up on the stage, and Lady Stardust sang songs of darkness and disgrace..."
Aladdin Sane: This is Ziggy in the States; a sprawling, lush and sumptuous track, it shows off Bowie's sax talent and the wonderfully quirky Mike Garson in full flow. The piano breaks down into crazy variations before the song pulls itself back together and finally segues into a distorted echo of On Broadway as it fades out.
Sorrow: An improvement on the original and the best from an otherwise mediocre covers album. This song provided our David with a hit in the UK as he took a break from stardom after his famous retirement announcement on the Ziggy tour. "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue. The only thing I ever got from you was sorrow, sorrow."
Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise): From the growled "It's safe in the city to love in a doorway," to the wild thrash and seering of guitars at the song's close, this track paints a vivid picture of Hunger City, the futuristic backdrop to the album. Seedy, sensual and heroic; never before had Bowie's vocal and instrumentation connected so well with the content of a song.
Young Americans: A plastic soul, tongue in cheek anthem of hope and optimism in the land of plenty. It turns the American Dream on its head. "Do you remember, your President Nixon?
Do you remember, the bills you have to pay or even yesterday?"
Golden Years: It was originally offered to Elvis but he turned it down and so the Dame did it himself. Within eighteen months The King was dead. "Run for the shadows, run for the shadows, run for the shadows in these golden years - whop whop whop."
Sound And Vision: The BBC ran it to underscore their continuity announcements during the Spring of 77 which is a little strange given the song's depressing subject, "Pale blinds drawn all day, nothing to read, nothing to say, blue, blue." Listen out for Mary Hopkin doing backing vocals.
Heroes: Lofty, anthemic and heroic, it tells the tale of two lovers who secretly meet by the Berlin Wall. It provides a musical score for anyone who is discouraged, denied or discriminated against. It's a song about triumph against all odds. If you can get the German version, do; it's superior to the English. "I, I will be king and you, you will be my queen" - now there's something to think about.
Boys Keep Swinging: All the musicians on this track swapped instruments to give it an amateur feel - "When you're a boy, you can wear a uniform. When you're a boy, other boys check you out. You get a girl. These are your favourite things, when you're a boy."
Ashes To Ashes: A perfectly crafted pop song; it deals with the withdrawn and isolated Major Tom of Space Oddity fame. Launched into orbit along with Major Tom more than ten years earlier Bowie now wants to return to Earth. With this song he finally lays to rest Major Tom, brings the seventies to a close and ends a chapter in popular music.