STATION TO STATION

"Station To Station" is a great classic album from the ever changing Mr Bowie, this time he retained some soul and funk from "Young Americans" but there's still a new musical direction again. The persona dominating is an aristocratic European fellow called The Thin White Duke who likes to cruise in limos, binging on cocaine, his head swimming in fascist paranoid fantasies, possibly one of the people Pink Floyd based The Wall on. I cannot verify this, but it seems plausable. There were also some very twisted ideas here. As for the music, it's very groovy, the hooks are there and it's not contrived at all, just very inventive, fun, theatrical art-rock. The title track is a grand symphonic compostion and it starts off slow and menacing before reaching a cool crescendo. "Word On A Wind" is a highlight and one of Bowie's most heartfelt songs being about his plea to god. The doo woppy "Golden Years" was supposedly about his wife at the time and written while their marriage was disintergrating but it's a very different catchy song, apparently inspired by the Stones' song "Angie". "TVC15" brings us even more quirkiness, allegedly written about Iggy Pop's hallucination that his girlfriend was being consumed by a TV set. Yet another great reason for owning this album is for the fast and funky "Stay" which pops up towards the end. In all, it's brilliant stuff. This was a transition between the 70's dance and experimental / new wave phase from the following Berlin trilogy. Highly recommended.