David Bowie
Young Americans

THE REVIEW

Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, or simply David Bowie. Born David Robert Jones, he was unquestionably one of the greatest geniuses of popular music in the 20th century. Introducing his career with a folk-pop singer-songwriter style, over 50 years of activity he ranged across genres such as glam rock, hard rock, electronic, and soul, just to name a few; this Young Americans, released on March 7, 1975, belongs to a transitional period for the British songwriter. Having left behind his Ziggy Stardust alter ego, and before diving into the character of the Thin White Duke, he released two albums no less important but, in fact, absolutely solid: Diamond Dogs and this one, which is the subject of this review.

Let's make one thing clear from the start: it is impossible to pinpoint exactly which is Bowie's best work. Indeed, since he was such an eclectic and genius artist, he produced almost exclusively sophisticated musical masterpieces. This Young Americans embraces sounds from black music such as soul, R’n’B, and funk; if the funky elements had already started to emerge with the previous album, in this record we witness a total departure from the rock sounds that characterized his earlier works in favor of these new styles.

The album opens with the self-titled track, showcasing a prominent bass line and saxophone played by David Sandborn; the music is danceable, captivating, and unprecedented in Bowie's discography, but never slips into a banal commercial product. As mentioned earlier, the songwriter has always given us refined and high-quality works, and as a result, the musicians playing on this record are all top-notch; on bass we have session player Willie Weeks (who at the same time also worked with George Harrison), guitarist Carlos Alomar (who ties together and builds the wall of sound for the entire album), and several guest musicians including John Lennon. The presence of the former Beatle is no coincidence—there is, in fact, a cover of “Across The Universe” by the Beatles on the tracklist, with backing vocals by Lennon himself; he also plays rhythm guitar and participates in the backing vocals for “Fame”, a song written for the occasion by him, David Bowie, and Carlos Alomar. Another reference to John Lennon can be found in a verse sung in the title track, “Young Americans”, which quotes a part of “A Day In The Life” by the Fab Four, originally sung by Lennon. The other tracks on the album are uniformly excellent, such as the splendid “Fascination”, one of the album's best thanks to its touch reminiscent of the finest black music artists, and other noteworthy tracks like “Somebody Up There Likes”, featuring backing vocals inspired partly by gospel music, and “Win”, an elegant soul ballad that offers a unique atmosphere. The lyrics and themes addressed, although this is primarily an album with a musical impact, also include references to civil rights in contemporary American society (“Young Americans”) and futurism (“Somebody Up There Likes”), making this album absolutely in line with Bowie's other works despite its more commercial appearance. A transitional album, to be sure, but still a very solid work which, overshadowed by masterpieces such as the subsequent Station To Station or the iconic The Rise And The Fall… and Hunky Dory, is sometimes a bit underrated.

Best tracks: “Fascination”, “Win”, “Somebody Up There Likes”

Score: 85/100