Album title: Young Americans
Artiste: David Bowie
Genre: Soul
Year: 1975
Label: RCA
Producer: Tony Visconti
Chronological position: Ninth album
Notes:
Album chart position: 2 (UK) 9 (US)
Singles: “Young Americans”, “Fame”
Lineup: David Bowie– vocals, guitar, keyboards
Carlos Alomar– guitar
Mike Garson– piano
David Sanborn–saxophone
Willie Weeks– bass guitar (except on "Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Andy Newmark– drums (except on "Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Larry Washington –conga
Pablo Rosario – percussion on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Ava Cherry, Robin Clark,Luther Vandross– backing vocals
John Lennon– vocals, guitar, backing vocals on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Earl Slick– guitar on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Emir Ksasan – bass guitar on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Dennis Davis– drums on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Ralph MacDonald– percussion on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Jean Fineberg – backing vocals on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Jean Millington – backing vocals on "Across the Universe" and "Fame"
Luther Vandross – vocal arrangements
Time to get back to the Thin White Duke. When last we left him, Bowie was about to pull one of his surprises on the music world by changing direction completely, something that would establish him as one of the most innovative and versatile artistes of his generation. After exploring glam rock with his previous album and paying tribute to his music heroes with
Pin-Ups, Bowie now took on the previously almost sacrosanct world of soul. It was pretty much unheard of for any white guy to take on what was seen as real black music, the soul and rhythm and blues coming out of the poorer and more neglected parts of the USA, some of which would metamorphose into disco and explode across the charts a year or two later. Soul music was seen as the preserve of black artists, perhaps (before the rise of hip-hop) their last bastion, the one thing they could call theirs. The blues had been co-opted by white men as far back as Elvis and Buddy Holly, but nobody, to my knowledge, had had the guts, the vision or the talent to approach soul.
Until Bowie.
Review begins
The change in style is evident right from the very first notes of the opener, and title track, as punching drums and a piano
glissando introduces an upbeat horn section in a joyful soul beat with a gospel-type backing vocal section while Bowie sings of one of his favourite subjects, the problems of young people. However in this song he also takes shots at American society in a way Springsteen did in a slightly more bitter, low-key manner. Hidden in the happy, cheerful, celebratory beat and melody is a lyric that asks basically “what can a Young American look forward to, growing up?” and also includes a snatch from The Beatles'
Sgt Pepper when the backing vocalists sing
”I heard the news today, oh boy”. It's pretty hard to remain still while listening to this; it's very infectious. I suppose there could have been some outrage at Bowie calling himself, in the song, and titling the album, “Young American”, being English, not particularly young at the time and, as longtime band member and friend Carlos Alomar would say later “ the whitest man I ever saw. Translucent white!” but they seem to have let it slide.
Slowing things all the way down then, “Win” is a smouldering ballad with some lovely guitar from Alomar, this being the first time he would work with Bowie, a relationship that would last for over thirty years. It's almost more the Bowie we're used to hearing here, a kind of yearning, breathy vocal which instantly demands your attention, and the swirls of sax added by David Sanborn really help to create the mood, drifting around like thin smoke. Unlike the opener, this song has minimal backing vocals, leaving Bowie to carry the song on his own mostly, which of course is something he is more than capable of. Enlisting the writing talents of a young Luther Vandross next he collaborates with the man who would become synonymous with and a major star in the soul scene for “Fascination”, which goes for the hard edge of soul with a grindy guitar and sparking, spitting keys and sounds to me like something that could have been on
Diamond Dogs. Based on a song Vandross had been working on, it has plenty of peppy horn and those backing vocals again which really funk it up. I said
funk!
Oddly, exactly the same drum roll opens “Right”, and the same kind of horn too, but it's quickly obvious it's an entirely different song, with a sort of quasi-Latin beat running through it and howling sax, a kind of low-key affair for much of it until it punches out in the chorus with a sort of angry vocal from Bowie. Well, I said chorus but I have to admit I'm a little confused on the structure of the song, but it's very soul-infused for sure. Almost Mariachi style trumpet from ... um, I don't see, but surely that's trumpet and not sax? Anyone? Some very funky guitar from Alomar too. “Somebody up there likes me” has a lot of gospel mixing with soul and funk, and again Sanborn's sax is high in the mix and doing its thing. Powerful almost choir vocal going on there. Maybe a little overstretched if I'm honest. The great John Lennon himself then helps out on a cover of his and The Beatles' “Across the universe”, playing guitar and adding backing vocals to Bowie's version, and if you're a fan of the Fab Four you'll know the song, very anthemic as Bowie grins
”Nothing's gonna change my world” which is ironic, given how much both he and Lennon did just that.
A lovely ballad then in “Can you hear me”, which sounds like it has orchestration in a very seventies style, but I don't see any credited. Very intensely emotional soul backing vocals, while Bowie does his usual great job on the lead vocals. Lovely soft sax breaks from Sanborn, and a sweet acapella ending. Then we close on the big hit single, and who doesn't know “Fame”, which just drips funk mixed with sassy before-its-time new wave? No wonder it was a number one hit for him. In ways, I almost see this as the bridge between his “experiment with soul”, which he would leave somewhat to one side after this album, and an exciting new direction in which he would take us for the next one.
Track listing and ratings
Young Americans
Win
Fascination
Right
Somebody up there likes me
Across the universe
Can you hear me
Fame
Afterword:
An interesting album, certainly, but I feel it just shows that Bowie, while being a musical chameleon (perhaps the first such) was really just dabbling and trying this out, and it makes it feel a little less – real? It's almost like listening to someone whose music you know try to emulate the music of someone else, or in Bowie's case, a whole genre he had not until then had any real experience in. It doesn't detract from the overall quality of the album, and as evidenced by its chart success it didn't hurt his career (though really, it's Bowie: if he had recorded an album of monkeys chattering with him adding vocal overdubs it probably would have sold!) but it feels more like a detour than a destination. After this album, my overriding feeling is “Well that was fun but kind of glad it's over. Now let's get back to normal.”
But then of course, Bowie never
did normal.
Rating: 