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Product Description
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The precursor to Bowie's masterpiece, The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Hunky Dory points in many of the same musical directions as Ziggy, with Bowie camping it up outrageously through a mixture of cabaret piano, coquettish lyrics and soaring vocals. After the hard rock "The Man Who Sold The World", Mick Ronson's guitar is turned down in favour of plenty of piano and acoustic guitar, as Bowie proves his mettle as a masterful singer-songwriter. Not a dull note is struck on the whole album, which flits from opener "Changes" to the vampy "Oh! You Pretty Thing" to the heart-wrenching "Life On Mars" with a seemingly impeccable ear for a tune. Flirty, sexy and irresistibly seductive. --Amber Cowan
Review
Recorded at Trident Studios in July 1971, several days after his Glastonbury appearance, Hunky Dory captures David Bowie in transition from the pot-enhanced rock of The Man Who Sold The World to the grand concept of Ziggy Stardust. Produced by Ken Scott, the album is very much a songwriter’s work and finds Bowie for the first time finding his own voice after scrabbling around stylistically for best part of a decade.
In 1971, singer-songwriters were very much a la mode – in a way Hunky Dory is Bowie’s Tapestry or Madman Across The Water, albeit with themes that encompassed art, gender, other lifeforms and general strangeness. All the component parts of the Spiders From Mars are in place – Mick Ronson, Woody Woodmansey and Trevor Bolder. Although Bowie tackled some “less complicated piano parts” due to “(inability)” as he wrote on the sleeve, it is session player Rick Wakeman who gives the album its pastoral flavour.
Hunky Dory contains some of Bowie’s greatest songs. “Changes” and “Life On Mars?”, “Oh! You Pretty Things” are almost too well-known now; but to hear the scale of Bowie’s ambition is incredible. “Andy Warhol” introduced the pop-artist to many British listeners, while the fairly unrepresentative “Queen Bitch” (his tribute to Velvet Underground) points the way clearest to what was to lay ahead.
This album finally demonstrated David Bowie's enormous potential to the listening public. It became a huge hit after Bowie broke through and became a household name in 1972. --Daryl Easlea
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By G. Seabrook
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I guess the test of true song writing ability is when songs can sound as good today as when they were released 40 years ago (Hunky Dory was released in 1971). What can I say? One look at the track listing is enough to see how many classic Bowie songs are here - `Changes', `Oh! You pretty things', `Life on Mars?', `Kooks', `Andy Warhol', `Queen Bitch'. This is not to say the other songs aren't classics, but anyone who embraced Bowie whilst they were growing up will be as familiar with these tracks as the alphabet.
So what does `Hunky Dory' Remastered (released in 1999) give us that's new? To be honest, I'm not sure! I'm familiar with Bowie probably most on record and tape. That probably gives me an age of 100 or something. What's my point? Well, you obviously don't get the scratches and hiss of the aforementioned medium, but you still get the same songs. Classics. If that makes me a heathen then I'm guilty as charged.
`Hunky Dory' is a listening delight, remastered or otherwise. Stand out tracks? I'm going to pick out one amongst the many. This probably changes on a daily basis, but with a gun to my head I'd have to say `Queen Bitch'. It's got a killer riff, with a rock staccato feel that leaves you bouncing off the walls.
Enjoy folks.
So what does `Hunky Dory' Remastered (released in 1999) give us that's new? To be honest, I'm not sure! I'm familiar with Bowie probably most on record and tape. That probably gives me an age of 100 or something. What's my point? Well, you obviously don't get the scratches and hiss of the aforementioned medium, but you still get the same songs. Classics. If that makes me a heathen then I'm guilty as charged.
`Hunky Dory' is a listening delight, remastered or otherwise. Stand out tracks? I'm going to pick out one amongst the many. This probably changes on a daily basis, but with a gun to my head I'd have to say `Queen Bitch'. It's got a killer riff, with a rock staccato feel that leaves you bouncing off the walls.
Enjoy folks.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Tealady2000
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Until recently I only had a Bowie compilation CD in my collection (Roxy Music were my 70s idols) but I have rectified that with Hunky Dory. The two massive hits here are 'Changes' and 'Life on Mars?' but in no way do these classics prepare for you for the other British folky hippy delights on this album. There's a real mix of styles here and Rick Wakeman's piano playing is great. I love 'Oh You Pretty Things' and I can't help wondering if any baby ever had a more touching and charming song written for him than 'Kooks'. Buy the CD rather than the MP3 download as you get the booklet with all the lyrics plus the utterly bizarre Pharaoh photos and the hand-written track listings on the back.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Mattoman
Format:Audio CD
Ofcourse it is fairly difficult to write a review on an album which is now 42 years old, as anything to say about this album already been said. My first listen was some ten years ago, and was my very first experience of listening to a David Bowie album in full. Ofcourse I had heard a couple of the more obvious hits such as 'Lets Dance' and 'Modern Love', but had never ventured into his music properly, and believe it or not, had no idea even of 'Ziggy Stardust' or any of the other personas David had adopted. Many of Bowie's critics have stated that he is more for show over music, however as evident in my case, what drew me in here was the quality of the songs and not the 'image'.
My first listen to this album was on the 1999 remaster version, and was certainly a defining moment in discovering my own musical taste. The album as a whole is a beautiful arrangement of near on perfect songs; Bowie's voice being at its absolute peak, combined with some exceptional song writing, and ofcourse embellished superbly by Rick Wakemans piano, along with guitar & string arrangements by Mick Ronson. For me the two absolute highs in this album; hearing the epic 'Life on Mars' for the first time was unforgetable, along with the incredible 'Quicksand', which for me perhaps is a contender for Bowie's finest ever song.
My first listen to this album was on the 1999 remaster version, and was certainly a defining moment in discovering my own musical taste. The album as a whole is a beautiful arrangement of near on perfect songs; Bowie's voice being at its absolute peak, combined with some exceptional song writing, and ofcourse embellished superbly by Rick Wakemans piano, along with guitar & string arrangements by Mick Ronson. For me the two absolute highs in this album; hearing the epic 'Life on Mars' for the first time was unforgetable, along with the incredible 'Quicksand', which for me perhaps is a contender for Bowie's finest ever song.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bowie at his quirky best.
This album has so many good tracks, I love Kooks, written as if to his young son at the time, and Fill Your Heart, well worth revisiting.
Published 1 day ago by Denise
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hunky Dory
the inimitable mr bowie's early work need one say more than David Bowie I think you get the picture eh.
Published 9 days ago by boabo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Album
I would recommend this album to anyone,this is pure class from start to finish,worth every penny at this price,the songs are classics
Published 9 days ago by Saintjazz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got to love this album
One of Bowie's best. Timeless, even though this one here was remastered in 1999. Some of his greatest songs are on here, Changes, Oh You Pretty Things and Life on Mars. Read more
Published 1 month ago by weeredbull
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
This is two in my top ten Bowie albums. The album opens with Changes, what a track I challenge anyone to dislike that song and then the tracks get better. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Shade Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genius
Well, I am so pleased I bought this. Absolute classic album, a real piece of art. Hardly dated at all.
Published 1 month ago by PK
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hunky dory Bowie
Great album and really enjoyed listening to it as I am not really a bowie fan but seem to have got into him at a later stage of life highly recommend this good sound and vocal cd.
Published 1 month ago by brian ramskill
5.0 out of 5 stars
100% Classic
What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said a thousand times before. A stone cold classic!
Published 2 months ago by beebul
5.0 out of 5 stars
hunky dory
good mellow album, well worth the money recomend this cd if you like david bowie. only cost me fifty pence
Published 2 months ago by steven
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disapointing
Well I bought this album as it was sold as being a secret classic when compared to The Rise and Fall. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tom Mulder Tom
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