David Bowie - "Diamond Dogs" (1974)

 

So next up in the David Bowie discography is Diamond Dogs, where Bowie eschews from the Ziggy Stardust / Aladdin Sane character concept for an entirely new character, world and concept. The record was originally conceived as a musical adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, although his estate denied Bowie the rights to the novel. The idea was then reworked into Diamond Dogs, a post-apocalyptic concept album featuring the character Halloween Jack, a roller-skating, rogue, anti-hero who roams the rooftops of devastated Manhattan with his gang called the 'Diamond Dogs'. Musically, the record is somewhat transitional for Bowie; being still firmly rooted in glam rock territory, but with hints of the funk and soul music which would become centre stage of Bowie's next releases.

Diamond Dogs is unfortunately the first Bowie record that I've talked about here that hasn't really connected for me, due to a couple of reasons. Most prominently, the premise and concept feels clunky and underdeveloped. Some of the songs refer directly to 1984 as Bowie had already written some tracks before asking for the rights, and they feel awkwardly smooshed together with the Halloween Jack / Diamond Dogs ideas. This means neither element is really explored in great detail. The 1984 stuff feels like just a scant retelling of the book, and the album doesn't really explore who Halloween Jack is or what the world he lives in is like. The way the album is presented doesn't help these issues. The opening track is a dramatic spoken word intro, multiple tracks run into each other, and the whole album feels so grandiose that it makes it seem like it's about something. But the lyrical content doesn't really back this up and makes the whole record seem pretty pretentious.

The second issue for me is that the songs just aren't very memorable. The only truly vital Bowie track on the record is Rebel Rebel, which is one of his finest, catchiest and coolest songs ever. The chugging riff and Bowies charismatic swagger combine to make such an effortlessly cool tune. The other tracks are just unremarkably okay. The other more traditional glam rock songs feel very generic and by the numbers, and the other songs don't really work outside of the record due to generally being quite short and heavily involved with the albums story. And considering that the story and themes of the record don't really land, its ultimately detrimental to the tracks which are composed well with interesting elements to them. I'd say aside from Rebel Rebel, the run from Sweet Thing to Candidate to Sweet Thing (Reprise) is the most compelling part of the album. The three tracks have seamless transitions and taken as a complete whole they do build a compelling song that transitions between different sections that feels satisfying. However, as individual tracks they aren't memorable enough on their own; they only really work as the three track run.

Diamond Dogs isn't a bad album, but is held up by it's half-formed concept and the over-the-top theatrics which worm their way into almost every song here. This leaves the songs feeling uninspired and unimpactful at a micro level, and the whole album lacking any draw at the macro. The glam rock tropes feel tired and played out, and the elements of soul and funk feel more like window dressing than a full exploration of those sounds. For someone listening through Bowie's discography, I would recommend purely as a reference point for Bowie's musical shift and personal life at the time (his cocaine addiction was really ramping up at this point, probably explaining the lack of focus on the record); but it's not an album I'll come back to again and again like Ziggy and Aladdin Sane. Everything this album attempts, Bowie has done better both before and after.

Top Tracks: Sweet Thing, Candidate, Sweet Thing (Reprise), Rebel Rebel

5/10

David Bowie - "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" (1972)

Despite David Bowie's biggest singles playing a part in my childhood and me utterly adoring them, I have always been quite intimidated by his studio album discography and so before now I just never listened to any of his records. It is such a monolithic body of work, with so many eras and characters and stylistic shifts that I never knew where to start. There doesn't even seem to be a uniform consensus on 'the best Bowie album' as an easy jumping off point. So I'm pretty glad that my '100 albums to listen to' poster decided where to start for me.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is Bowie's 5th studio album release, where he assumes the character of Ziggy Stardust, an alien rockstar who has arrived on Earth to save humanity with peace and love and rock'n'roll. Across the 11 tracks he goes from mysterious figure the people on Earth are weary of, to a superstar hero, to a tragic saviour who sacrifices himself for the Humanity's survival. On first listen, I didn't quite get it. I really enjoyed the record, but I was expecting something more profound from what is considered one of the greatest albums of all time with a "big, rock opera story". But after a few listens I realised that it isn't supposed to be profound, it's just a fun story about a space alien rockstar who's come to earth to play some jamming tunes.

And damn it is fun. The record goes at breakneck pace, with riffs and hooks galore, and with such a charming personality. Five Years sets the scene, dramatically building up Earth pre-Ziggy's arrival. Swooning strings and Bowie's strained vocals sell the idea that this a world on the bring of the end, with only five years left. Ziggy is introduced on Moonage Daydream, with such a attention grabbing vocal performance from Bowie. You can tell the Ziggy really means business by the way Bowie performs the character. I really like the way the piano and drums build up to the chorus in a heavy, important way; and the guitar solo at the end of the track that is so very 70s in the best way. Following this is Starman, one of Bowie's most iconic tracks, and in the context of the album develops his relationship with the people of Earth, showing their various reactions to him.

The rest of the record continues in this fun, dramatic, but elegantly arranged fashion. It Ain't Easy has a stomping blues rock chorus and restrained verses to compliment the massiveness of the hook. Lady Stardust is a simple piano ballad about Ziggy finding love with a singalong chorus. Star, Hang on to Yourself and Suffragette City have an energetic straight-forwardness to them in a proto-punk sort of way. The guitars roar and the songs are short and sweet. Ziggy Stardust is a semi-hard rock tune with that iconic riff and a more retrospective tone, looking back on Ziggy's blaze into the spotlight and the ensuing rock'n'roll life. The Closer, Rock 'n' Roll Suicide continues this theme, as now Ziggy has died to save the world, and the track is a slow, acoustic one to accompany the more morbid subject. Triumphant horns and soaring strings come in as Bowie's vocals become more pained and dramatic. He is basically shouting at the end of the song.

This record is simply a blast. It's short, fast-paced and bursting with catchy riffs and singalong hooks. While it's been deified to the point that you'd might expect it to be profoundly about something, it isn't. So go in expecting it to be a rocking good 38 minutes about a space rockstar and his escapades and you wont be dissapointed.

Top Tracks: Five Years, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Lady Stardust, Star, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

9/10