Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Bowie, David
Label: RCA Records
Release: 1971
Duration: 41:49
Rating: 5/5
The art rock gem »Hunky Dory« may well be the most important achievement in the career of legendary English music icon David Bowie. It gave him his first masterpiece and, at the same time, his first steady, loyal audience, confirming that his constant musical evolution was heading in the right direction. The biggest influence on the striking stylistic shift from its hard rock predecessor »The Man Who Sold the World« (1970), on which Bowie had already hinted at his near future as a great musical innovator, was the (temporary) departure of producer/bassist Tony Visconti. Ken Scott stepped in as the new producer and went on to work with Bowie throughout the entire glam rock era, while Trevor Bolder (later of Uriah Heep and, briefly, Wishbone Ash) became the new bassist. With him, Bowie completed his classic backing band, which became known the following year as Spiders From Mars and created some of the biggest hits of David’s incredibly rich musical career.
On »Hunky Dory« Bowie suddenly broke with the hard rock that ruled »The Man Who Sold the World« and woke up his artistic side again. The album blends elements of art rock, glam rock, pop and folk rock in a remarkably sophisticated way, resulting in a distinctive mix that’s probably easiest to call art pop. Part of that surely came from teaming up again with keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman (then still a member of the folk prog rock band Strawbs, though he’d move over to the symphonic prog rockers Yes the following year), who played most of the lavish piano arrangements, while Bowie developed his melodic side on »Hunky Dory« to such a degree that a wider audience finally took notice of him. On three tracks Bowie, who supposedly imitated a similar photo of Marlene Dietrich on the album cover, paid tribute to some of his key artistic influences, while the often intricate lyrics ranged from artistic (self-)renewal, Nietzsche’s ‘superman’ and occultism to Dalí-esque surrealism. Quite a few people are convinced that Hunky Dory, an English phrase for feeling great, was also the first of Bowie’s many alter egos, before Ziggy Stardust appeared on the scene, though the music legend never confirmed it.
The best-known track on »Hunky Dory« is without a doubt the opening evergreen »Changes«, which only reached its cult status two years later, when Bowie was already a glam rock star and people were getting more and more curious about the early work in his career. This legendary ode to constant artistic (self-)renewal and chameleon-like transformations was the last song Bowie performed in 2006, at the final gig of his career. The central motif is built around David’s saxophone passage, Wakeman’s piano arrangement and a distinctive guitar phrase courtesy of Mick Ronson, while the unforgettable chorus takes the complete victory. »Changes« became such a beloved song in Bowie’s career that audiences regularly demanded it at most of his concerts. It’s also worth mentioning a fun fact: more than three decades later, Bowie sang »Changes« in the popular animated movie ‘Shrek 2’, bringing his music to some younger generations too.
The glam rock treat »Oh! You Pretty Things«, which features a playful piano motif before the hypnotic chorus kicks in, touches in its lyrics on Bowie’s favorite dystopian theme, the imminent arrival of Nietzsche’s ‘superman’ (‘homo superior’), with some references to the occultist Aleister Crowley, while also heralding a triumphant partnership between aliens and the younger generations, who will replace the ‘old order’. »Eight Line Poem« with its piano melody, bluesy guitar tune and sarcastic vocal delivery, is one of the few »Hunky Dory« numbers that didn’t reach cult status, even though it makes a nice contrast before the next masterpiece. The classic »Life On Mars?«, one of the best things Bowie ever did and a perfect example of glam rock extravagance fused with art rock perfection, boasts a brilliant Wakeman piano arrangement, a phenomenal Ronson guitar melody and an epic chorus. It was inspired by Dalí-esque surrealism, an unhappy love experience and the artist’s fascination with space. »Life On Mars?« was another evergreen that only hit cult status when it was reissued in 1973, with Ziggy Stardust mania at its peak.
»Kooks«, with its colorful harmonies, mischievous piano arrangement and playful melody, was dedicated to Bowie’s newborn son, whom he and his wife Angie named Zowie Bowie. Upon reaching adulthood, Zowie (for perfectly understandable reasons) became known as Duncan Jones. Today he’s an acclaimed producer and film director. The nostalgic »Quicksand«, with its romantic acoustic guitar and piano arrangement and numerous references to the ‘superman’, Buddhism, occultism and famous historical figures, is the prime candidate for the most overlooked track on the album. A gorgeous guitar motif joins David’s ethereal singing, while a mysterious yet nostalgic atmosphere hangs over the whole thing. The cabaret-style »Fill Your Heart«, built around a saxophone arrangement and set to a dance rhythm, is the only song on the album not written by David, but by Biff Rose and Paul Williams.
»Andy Warhol« was Bowie’s tribute to the American pop art icon Andy Warhol, whom he counted among his main artistic influences. The track is built around Ronson’s acoustic guitar melody, led by Bowie’s vocal. Warhol reportedly wasn’t exactly thrilled when Bowie decided to play it in his presence, apparently bothered by the lyrics, which describe some of the painter’s quirks through clever metaphors. The frustration-ridden visual artist, who never publicly acknowledged his homosexuality, supposedly said only an apathetic »well, yeah…fine« after listening and then quickly excused himself, saying he had other things to do. With the folk rock »Song For Bob Dylan« David paid homage to Bob Dylan, another of his idols, though it’s also a parody of Dylan’s song »Song to Woody«, which was dedicated to Woody Guthrie. Bowie also cleverly, and inoffensively, poked fun at Dylan’s distinctive way of singing in the lyrics.
The glam rock and proto-punk experiment »Queen Bitch« is Bowie’s homage to The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed. David had a rather complicated relationship with Reed because of the American’s difficult personality, even though Reed’s solo career took off partly thanks to Bowie and Ronson producing his album »Transformer« (1972). Bowie’s vocal approach here is already in the glam rock style that dominated his next studio outing. The folk rock ballad »The Bewlay Brothers«, wrapped in a message that still hasn’t been fully unraveled to this day, features a romantic acoustic guitar arrangement and wonderfully heartfelt singing that create an extremely pleasant, nostalgic atmosphere. In the final minute, with the help of sped-up vocalizations, it unexpectedly turns into a dark, creepy thriller.
With »Hunky Dory«, an enviable stylistic palette, David Bowie created a timeless classic and stepped for good into the elite of rock’s most exciting performers. The album did very well on home turf the following year, while on the other side of the Atlantic they also began to appreciate Bowie more and more as a rapidly rising musical star. Still, none of his increasingly loyal followers was surely ready for Bowie’s next sonic and visual metamorphosis, since nobody expected the triumphant arrival of a glam rock alien in the guise of Bowie’s most beloved alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.
This review is dedicated to the memory of David Bowie (1947-2016).
Lineup
David Bowie – vocals, guitar, alto and tenor saxophone, piano
Mick Ronson – guitar, backing vocals, Mellotron, arrangements
Rick Wakeman – piano
Trevor Bolder – bass guitar, trumpet
Mick Woodmansey – drums
Production
Ken Scott and David Bowie
Track list
1. Changes (3:37)
2. Oh! You Pretty Things (3:12)
3. Eight Line Poem (2:55)
4. Life on Mars? (3:53)
5. Kooks (2:53)
6. Quicksand (5:08)
7. Fill Your Heart (Biff Rose, Paul Williams) (3:07)
8. Andy Warhol (3:56)
9. Song for Bob Dylan (4:12)
10. Queen Bitch (3:18)
11. The Bewlay Brothers (5:22)
