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Thread: Bowie - Hunky Dory - Classic or Overated

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    Bowie - Hunky Dory - Classic or Overated

    Ever since David Bowie's passing I have been picking up some of his albums that I did not have. I recently picked up Hunky Dory for the first time. Many fans rate this as one of his best, if not his best, all time albums. I have to admit that it is not blowing me away. Although there are several classics on it and it contains what IMO may be his best all time song, "Life On Mars", the album also contains some songs that are not doing much for me. I guess the bottom line for me is that I really really like about half of it, but the rest is kind of meh, and I don't think it comes close to my favorite Bowie album "Ziggy Stardust". Curious of others feeling on this one?

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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    It's sort of a deliberate side track into pop territory (not rocking). A couple tunes point to where he was headed though, like "Queen Bitch". I think he went off with a different producer instead of Visconti that wanted him to go in this direction. If you jump from The Man Who Sold The World to Ziggy it seems like a natural progression. Hunky is a side track with some amazing tunes and some quirky little ones too. Glad he did it regardless.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Ever since David Bowie's passing I have been picking up some of his albums that I did not have. I recently picked up Hunky Dory for the first time. Many fans rate this as one of his best, if not his best, all time albums. I have to admit that it is not blowing me away. Although there are several classics on it and it contains what IMO may be his best all time song, "Life On Mars", the album also contains some songs that are not doing much for me. I guess the bottom line for me is that I really really like about half of it, but the rest is kind of meh, and I don't think it comes close to my favorite Bowie album "Ziggy Stardust". Curious of others feeling on this one?
    I agree!

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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Love this album! Besides "Life on Mars," "Quicksand," "Queen Bitch," "Oh! You Pretty Things," and especially "The Bewlay Brothers" are awesome. The sort of vaudevillian tracks, "Kooks" and Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart" are good fun--I can't resist the way Bowie ultimately pronounces "fa-REEEEE!" in the latter. "Changes" was never my favorite among Bowie's hits, but it's all right--I even used to play an instrumental version in my acoustic band.
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    It's probably my favourite Bowie album. I like that it's very piano driven and harmonically adventurous. Allegedly, many of the Ziggy Stardust songs were written around the same period, but Bowie left most of the guitar driven rockers off Hunky Dory because he wanted to do a softer album between TMWSTW and Ziggy.

    IMO The Bewlay Brothers is a very underrated song and one of Bowie's best.

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    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by viukkis View Post
    It's probably my favourite Bowie album. I like that it's very piano driven and harmonically adventurous. Allegedly, many of the Ziggy Stardust songs were written around the same period, but Bowie left most of the guitar driven rockers off Hunky Dory because he wanted to do a softer album between TMWSTW and Ziggy.

    IMO The Bewlay Brothers is a very underrated song and one of Bowie's best.
    Agreed. Probably my favorite Bowie record.
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  7. #7
    His best.
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    "Changes", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Life on Mars?", "Kooks", "Queen Bitch"...

    ...of course it's a classic! Probably my favourite of his

  9. #9
    It's the Wes Anderson David Bowie album.

  10. #10
    Classic.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    It's probably my favorite Bowie album too - I think every song is excellent, and perfect the way it is. But it was my first Bowie album, so I didn't question anything.
    I love the "rough" acoustic sound of Song for Bob Dylan.

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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    I love the "rough" acoustic sound of Song for Bob Dylan.
    Great line about "a voice like sand and glue."
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    Look at the songs this album gave us which are accepted classics- 'Changes', 'Oh You Pretty Things', 'Life On Mars' on the first side alone.

    Cover versions are often the weak point of Bowie albums...this is true on Hunky Dory and Ziggy. 'Fill Your Heart' on here and 'It Ain't Easy' on there. The songs themselves aren't that great IMHO. But neither are that bad so I don't skip past them.

    I've always found it difficult to say what my favourite Bowie album is. That run he had on RCA in particular is an embarrassment of riches.

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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Cover versions are often the weak point of Bowie albums...this is true on Hunky Dory and Ziggy.
    Very true. "It Ain't Easy" sounds so out of place on Ziggy. Never cared much for his "Let's Spend the Night Together," either. I always wondered why Bowie felt compelled to do these covers when he was surrounding them with much better material of his own. One exception is "Wild Is the Wind," which I think works very well on Station to Station (and unlike, say, "It Ain't Easy" is a great song to begin with).
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    Moderator Sean's Avatar
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    I like "It Ain't Easy". It ain't bad...

  16. #16
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    'Across The Universe' and 'If There Is Something' are other poor covers of great songs.
    "Working Class Hero," too. That one is so personal to John Lennon that nobody should attempt to cover it. (Marianne Faithfull did an ill-advised synth-pop version on her otherwise superb Broken English album. Great vocal, I must admit, but ooh, that arrangement!)
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  17. #17
    I like all tracks on this one, but Life On Mars, The Bewlay Brothers and Queen Bitch stand out, topped only by Oh! You Pretty Things - which holds a special memory for me as well. ;-)

    But, to call it a master piece might be a bit much - compared to Ziggy Stardust and the Berlin trilogy.

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    Member jake's Avatar
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    If you just bought this one recently then allow it some more time - - I have been listening to this album regularly for 40 plus years and I never tire of it. It is a stone cold classic and I'm sure you'll come round to a similar opinion in time. It would be interesting to hear your opinion a year from now.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by jake View Post
    - I have been listening to this album regularly for 40 plus years and I never tire of it. It is a stone cold classic
    I agree that it is the Bowie album with probably the most staying power as a whole. At least for me, after 40 years in my possession. Still sounds fresh and rewarding as day #1. And a regular listen as well.
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  20. #20
    W.P.O.D. Dan Marsh's Avatar
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    Pure classic!

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    Top 3 definitely.

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