David Bowie- Station to Station (Album Review)

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[tonyetchells]

Your next Bowie album should be "Low" which was recorded the following year but is as different as any follow up album could possibly be.

[FredGarnett]

My favourite Bowie album - certainly the one with the best opening sequence. I first saw Bowie play live in 1970 when he was bottom of the bill (to Yes!) and heard all of his classic albums as and when they were released. I'm also a fan of his Berlin trilogy and Scary Monsters too but I love the mashup of styles on Station to Station Glad you played and reacted to it ;)

[michaelz]

Probably the classiest rock album ever made. Next, I'd go all the way back to Ziggy Stardust or Hunky Dory then Aladdin Sane, then jump back up to Scary Monsters.

[a.k.]

My favorite track on Station to Station is "Stay".
I like the urgency (musically) and the uncertainty (of the lyrics) that emanate from it. this track combines a sense of hope mixed with doubt (probably Bowie's state of mind at that time!).
Justin, you started making the Diamond Dogs album some time ago (with the introduction "Future Legend" and the title track) but the best is yet to come in this album!
Please do the sequel "Sweet Thing" / "Candidate" / "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" (which you could perhaps follow with "Rebel Rebel" because "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" abruptly ends and the two are ideally linked back to back!).

[robertcartier]

Whenever I recommend this channel, the main reason I tell my contemporaries to tune-in for is, "He gets it"!

That '76 Station to Station tour was awesome! It started with a film by Salvador Dali, where someone's eye is slit opens (!) and just got freakier from there! Loved it! ;-]

[kevind]

While not my favorite Bowie album, I recall hearing it when it came out and reacting much as you have done here. Some of the tracks have stuck with me. Annoyingly "Golden Years" is among those, and that and "TVC-15" (both were heavily played on FM radio back then). I developed a great aversion to "Golden Years", while "TVC-15" continues to be lightly entertaining, so I agree with your rankings there. Do go back at least a couple of albums (i.e., _Aladdin_ _Sane_ and _Diamond_ _Dogs_ at the minimum) which are thematic and deserve full album reviews. Some of the albums from the middle portion of his career were more pop, and less adventurous. I greatly enjoyed your comments!

[Ertursenty]

Station to Station is my favourite Bowie album and I have listened to all of them. The album itself is so much more than just a set of songs, it is a great psychological insight into the artist's head at the time of recording. He was going through a really hard time back then, and it is reflected so excellently in the lyrics. I love the transition from Station to Station which is a really dark song, through Word on a Wing, a song full of hope and longing for a better future, and finally to Wild is the Wind, a beautiful song proving that the guy finally managed to find som peace of mind.

Love the review. In my opinion you should not jump from album to album when it comes to Bowie, but rather you should start with Space Oddity then go through Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Station to Station, Low, Scary Monsters, Let's Dance, Outside and Blackstar. This I feel should be the go to list when you want to get to know Bowie. It reflects his artistic journey really well.

There are also albums like Lodger, Reality and Diamond Dogs which I absolutely adore, but for new Bowie fans it is best to focus on the ones I mentioned above.

Cheers!

[davidfisher]

Low and Aladdin Sane are great albums to discover, very avant-garde for their time. Outside is very interesting/challenging as well...

[dalebaker]

What an incredible review Justin. Bowie is about the best solo artist you can possibly get. I heard him age 7 in 1969, and really you can’t beat him. Even the songs he was doing in 1968/9 he was still doing brilliant songs.

[chrisf.]

I pretty much agree with your lineup of these songs JP. Word on a Wing, Station to Station & Wild is the Wind have remained my all-time faves on this album ever since it came out in '76. The title track sucked me in immediately, after that I was all in for the ride. In later years he had described Word on a Wing as a call for help, and his emotive performance on it is perfection, IMO. Love your intelligent analysis of his work, you certainly do it justice.

[scifimonkey]

Love this album and your review is on the money throughout. Nice one!

[jasontharp]

Totally agree on favorite moment, when the title track kicks in. It's up there with the acoustic guitar from his song Andy Warhol, and all of Sound And Vision. Diamond Dogs has always been my favorite album by him, but Hunky Dory is creeping up on it. Hope you do more Bowie, really can't go wrong I think.

[jameswilson]

I'm so happy that TVC-15 gets some love. The piano is based on Professor Longhair. Iggy's girlfriend swallowed by the TV.

[chrismeadows]

At the top of this comment, I definitely gotta suggest you finish Diamond Dogs just to get this conversation out of the way. Heading to Low next would break up your experience, and you're already 2 tracks deep into a 1-second shorter album with more versatility. Diamond Dogs will make more sense if you're able to hear it in context, and it's one of the few Bowie albums that needs to be done in order without other albums breaking the chain. The concept is very important. It will only take 7 more reactions with the Sweet Thing Suite and Big Brother/Skeletal Family grouped together, while Low will take 11. That's definitely something to keep in mind.

On the topic of Station to Station though, my favorite moment of the album is when Bowie sings I KNEEL AND OFFER YOU, MYYY WORD ON A WING! I'M TRYING TO FIT AMONNG, YOUR SCHEME OF THINGS!". The delivery is brilliant and showcases his dramatic sensibilities perfectly. Bowie drama is unsurpassed.

My ranking of the songs:

6. TVC 15
5. Stay
4. Station to Station
3. Golden Years
2. Wild is the Wind
1. Word on a Wing

TVC 15 sounds really dated, tbh. It sounds like an Elvis cover, while Golden Years, which Elvis could have covered but didn't, sounds like the dawn of disco and a track with significance. I feel older when I'm listening to TVC 15 while everything else makes me feel younger even though I was born 20 years after the album came out and it SHOULD sound dated. Stay has the best guitar work on the album, but I can't help feeling it's not as catchy or compositionally strong as other tracks. Station to Station as a whole song is monumental and breathtaking, though I can't say particular parts grab me as much as on other songs. Vocally, I'm absolutely sure of Golden Years, Wild is the Wind, and Word on a Wing being bangers. They're very refined, and I love them.

Station to Station is an incredible album, and I thoroughly believe every Bowie fan has a strong case for ranking it in their top 10, because it's undoubtedly one of his greatest records. I'm not sure where it will ultimately rank for you when you get more invested in the discography, but it's a classic. I appreciate this review, Justin! ❤

[cadanrichards]

When's your review on pawn hearts coming? and when will you do A Passion Play by jethro tull?

[gregdavis]

I can't argue with a single thing you've said here. I would suggest your next Bowie album to be either The Man Who Sold The World" (my personal favorite) or Scary Monsters...and Super Creeps. They will give you two completely different sides of Bowie at his best.

[edwardmeradith]

Hey, PLUS your accent on Word on a Wing and specifically mentioning
the lyrically couplet “just because I believe, mean I don’t think as well...” so good and such astute comments!

[davidbull]

It took me years to appreciate Golden Years. I used to find it a bit effete but it creeps up on you as time goes by.

[loganroselli]

Earl slick played lead guitar on station to station the song and the album

[verrilli]

Not really Bowie related, but you should try some Brian Eno - Another Green World, Taking Tiger Mountain or Before and After Science. All deserve an album play through.