STATION TO STATION

Bowie's Berlin years (77-79) albums are often hailed as his artistic highpoint but I've never been much impressed by those albums. Not for the music, nor for its ground-breaking qualities. Besides, Bowie had already made the move from glam-rock to a Roxy Music styled art-rock before the Berlin years team-up with Eno.

The album preceding Station To Station was a hit and miss, but the grandiose hit Fame had sure raised hopes that the man was onto something. And the first half of the 10 minute Station To Station deliver on that promise. It's textured, groovy, slightly experimental and atmospheric. It's every bit as fresh as Heroes but it deosn't indulge in the contrived and artsy pose of that album. The second half of the song is entirely different, a kind of up-beat funky pop that sounds as old and stale as the first half sounded cool and exciting.

I've already admitted before to liking Bowie especially for his hits, and Golden Years is no exception. Not his best, but a solid pop song, and at least a whole lot better then the bland crooner ballad pop of Words on a Wing. Also TVC15 is an average song that hesitates between aged rockabilly and Roxy Music glam-rock. I quite like the chorus on this one though

Stay gets the momentum back with a decent art-rock song. I can't help finding Roxy Music and John Cale more convincing at this but it's ok, great groove and good vocals here. The most consistent song here. The album ends with a decent ballad Wild is The Wind that avoids the sentimental pitfall of Words on a Wing by the smallest possible margin.

Summed up, we get a promising opening track that crashes somewhere half-way in, a nice pop-hit with Golden Years and the solid funky art-rock of Stay. Around 15 minutes of good music, but never exceptional. Sounds like 2 stars.