Hunky Dory [Enhanced] [Original recording reissued]

The easy listening doesn't take away the from disturbing imagery on songs such as "Oh you pretty Things", Hunky Dory the title alone is misleading as it hides fact the album is a collection of attractive melodies, seductive arrangements and choruses with the juxtaposition of lyrics which for the most part where as complex as the previous album, which had attacked with a full frontal assault of the audio kind with the heavy power trio of Ronson, Woodmansey and Visconti, now with the release of this album the songs came gift-wrapped in prettiness you the listener are taken off guard, which leaves you wide open for the observations, and predictions of the material.

The opening track of the collection "Changes" starts with the elegant piano sound of Wakeman and Ronson's string arrangement, these set the scene for the verses and stuttering chorus, Ch-Ch-Changes would become an organising principle for Bowies music, he neatly states in the song "Look out all you Rock and Rollers", for him rock was done from the outside as an actor and never becoming a rocker in reality just passing comment and watching from afar.

"Changes" has never been a hit but is included in any "best of" or "greatest hits" that record companies put together such is the popularity of the track.

"Oh you Pretty Things" sounds "McCartneyesque" in construction but if you listen closely to the words with it's reference to "Cracks in the sky" indications of split personality reveal a man ready for the psychiatrist's couch. This song segues into "Eight line Poem", which is a hushed still life with Ronson's light country style guitar, this is framed by Bowies piano chords which is the perfect backdrop for Bowie's parody of an American singing style that most of his contemporaries where using at the time, the theory being if you sounded American you got closer to the blues master print and so you sounded more authentic.
" Life on Mars?" is a masterwork where the song is built around delicate piano playing which collides with the guitar sound of Ronson along with his huge string arrangement.
Bowie weaves a tale of a world where the heroine of the song attempts to escape her existence by going to the movies, only to discover that the film she is watching is her life, as she watches she sees herself going to the cinema, as a paradox the song returns to the scene of urban chaos with Bowie exclaiming, "Oh man! Look at those cavemen go, it's the freakiest show .... is there life on Mars?" Listen very carefully and you can hear the chords from "My way" the standard written for Sinatra.
Respite is provided by "Kooks" which is a warning to his son Zowie with the line "And if you ever have to go to school don't pick any fights with the bullies or the cads", " Cause I'm not much cop at punching other people's dads" he tells his son not to draw attention to himself.
The mood of "Kooks" is darkened with "Quicksand" which deals with the futility of the human condition and how the philosophies he follows of Zen, Homo Superior and the occult clash and the fact that fascism came from similar roots, this is over 12 string guitar, this song works because of one of the most moving melodies of any Bowie song, the line "playing in a silent film" he is setting himself up as a bit-part actor waiting for a starring role.

The song "Fill your Heart" this is a track written by the song writing team of Biff Rose and Paul Williams. The words read like some forgotten Hippy manifesto with its talk of "happiness is here today and lovers with minds free of thoughts unkind", in view of Bowies own lyric content is ironic as the other songs on the collection glorify individualism and self absorption, this doesn't take any from the fact that it's a damm fine pop song.

Bowie has never hid his influences so with "Andy Warhol" he paid homage to Warhol,
The track itself studio backchat at the start and some Ronson and Bowie Spanish-styled guitar work in the middle 8.

"Song for Bob Dylan" is the song on the album that just doesn't work; Bowie doesn't know whether to parody Dylan or just be himself, the redeeming fact of the song is that it has a catchy melody and a winning chorus.
"Queen Bitch" is probably the best song that Lou Reed didn't write, if you read the back cover of the album it says in brackets (some V.U. white light returned with thanks) it's a tale of cross-dressing and gay love set against the power chords of Ronsons guitar, with the line "She so swishy in her satin and tat in her frock coat and bipperty-bopperty hat, Oh God I could do better than that", is Bowie pleading or making a statement?
The finale is one of the important songs in Bowies back catalogue as it deals in fictional form with his relationship with his late half-brother Terry, "The Bewlay Brothers", the track evidently means a great deal to him as he named his music publishing company after the track, only recently has Bowie begun performing the song live.

An album that grows with time and has a lot more depth than would seem on the first listening, an essential part of any Bowie collection...