Bohemian Rhapsody or Station to Station

Kraftwerk were also Bowie fans - seems to me that Trans Europe Express was influenced by Station To Station (the songs). He is even name checked in the song. The influence ran both ways - similar to Beatles/Beach Boys.

 

If I'm not mistaken this was released after Station To Station

 

Bohemian Rhapsody

 

Yeah, it came out a year later.

But, Bowie was influenced greatly by Kraftwerk.

Musically, Station to Station was a transitional album for Bowie, developing the funk and soul music of his previous release, Young Americans, while presenting a new direction towards synthesisers and motorik rhythms that was influenced by German electronic bands such as Neu! and Kraftwerk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_to_Station

 

My interest in Bowie has shrunk over the years. I'm still fond of his 70's stuff, but even there, an alarming amount is rehashed - 50's rock'n'roll, Yardbirds, Cream, VU, Stones. Not a problem in itself, but the idea that Bowie was one step ahead doesn't hold water for me anymore. Just ignorant young journalists of the time I suppose. More a follower really.

 

He WAS a step ahead. No one, or at least very few, in the 1970's was inspired or played music influenced by the artists you mention. Besides this, he argumented the styles he was influenced by. Sure, the 50's rock 'n' roll was quite a common style to make pastiches of in the early seventies, but were artists like Alvin Stardust or Gary Glitter made straight pastiches, Bowie argumented the style. Do I hear 'Moonage Daydream' anyone? He used people's own perception of a style to argument on, which is in my opinion, a masterstroke.
Bowie was always very fond of the artists he was inspired by and he was the first to mention it for the press, were he got his influences: For instance, he bought his own obscure idols to fame, like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

Ziggy Stardust was the ultimate Glam rock record, but when other artists afterwards began to dig the 'Glam' style, he had already moved on with Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs, which had traces in art-rock, early disco and undefined styles heard on songs like Aladdin Sane (title song), Lady Grinning Soul, Big Brother and Sweet Thing, which simply doesn't have a stylistic form other than a 'Bowie'-style. The many artists labeled as 'New Wave', which flodded the early 1980's, were directly influenced by his 1976-1979 records. Joy Division, New Order, The Cure, Soft Cell, Gary Numan et al., started to make records which sounded like the records Bowie made in Berlin and by then Bowie had already started making straight-forward pop music with Let's Dance -something which bought and end to him being ahead of others.

And then I haven't even mentioned his songwriting, which hundreds of artists has cited as a great influence.

Sure, Bowie was a follower of his past, but who isn't? The Beatles were also followers.

 

Station To Station.

 

Station To Station, hands down.

 

Different strokes I guess...

I like David Bowie, quite a lot, but Station to Station falls into the almost unlistenable category for me - I tried yesterday, when this thread came up, but again I had to turn it off after a minute or two. Maybe I'm missing something, maybe there's a big opera section that comes in after I switch it off , mebbe it's actually superb...

I find Bohemian Rhapsody, well, stunning... always have, always will, even when I don't listen to it for years (because I'm bored with it). The audacity to attempt the thing, and then pull it off so successfully that nearly all rock-lovers, pop-lovers, parents, grandparents, unborn children, etc, etc... nearly ALL love it the first time they hear it and have to hear it again almost immediately.

I'm kinda stunned that anyone could prefer STS over BR!! I mean if you put me on a desert island and said I can have BR or STS, nothing else... I'd always choose BR. If you said I could have STS or nothing else, I'd be sorely tempted to say "it's ok, I'll do without thanks..." (any number of David Bowie tracks I'd bite your hand off for, I'd even take some of them over Bohemian Rhapsody in that situation, but STS... meh)

Still, like I said - different strokes...

 

Station To Station. Really love Queen too!

 

Free Bird or American Pie?

Station to Station is one of the worst songs on that record btw.

 

I agree that the amount of plays has taken most of the glow out of Bohemian Rhapsody. I do however prefer Wild Is The Wind, Stay, TVC15. and Golden Years over Station to Station and I'm surprised anyone would single that song out like in this thread.

 

By the same token, one could argue that "Bohemian Rhapsoldy" was just a decent Sparks pastiche. http://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-bohemian-rhapsody-top-100-classic-rock-songs/

"The song was recorded in six different studios. As far as complicated productions go, it’s only rival would have to be the landmark 1966 Beach Boys single ‘Good Vibrations,’ another massive song that too was recorded in different studios, in various sections, then assembled to make the final piece. The only other contemporary artist even approaching this kind of sonic overload approach were Sparks, whose ‘Propaganda’ album used similar operatic vocal layering and for whom Queen had been an opening act the year before."

 

I have to go with BR. What a great song. What a classic.

 

"Bohemian Rhapsody". The song is brilliantly constructed, and is disliked by many simply because of its overexposure through heavy rotation and use in movies, etc. And it's only overplayed because it's such a great song. Same goes for "Stairway to Heaven", "Free Bird", and "Hotel California."

 

Couldn't have said it better...

 

I find it interesting when we consider (according to Wiki..) that:

STS was recorded September/October/November 1975 (released 26 Jan 1976).
BR was August/September 1975 (released 31 October 1975).

In my view, one has dated less well.... The other still sounds 'of the time' but is just infinitely cooler....

Station To Station is my winner...

 

BR for me. It is hugely overplayed, but somehow I've never tired of it. A real classic. STS is OK, but not in the same league. It wouldn't bother me if I never heard it again.. It's parent LP isn't amongst my favourite Bowie titles either...

 

None, would be my answer, although STS does have a strong Neu! influence, particularly the opening section, but Bowie transcends the influence, and makes the song his own, as he has done-with most of his influences throughout his career.

 

Even as a huge Queen fan, I tend to skip Bo Rhap these days. That said, it _is_ an incredible song.

Station to Station is a fine song, with an almost interminable intro. I've never found anything special in this track.

 

Yes, it's overplayed. Yes, I'm often tired of it and don't want to hear it.

But, it is a masterpiece. Bohemian Rhapsody gets my vote.

 

I also never really got the love for Station to Station. Weakest track on that album for my money. Never really takes off until the "it's too late" part.

 

Station to Station

That stupid "Wayne's World" movie killed "Bohemian Rhapsody" for me.

 

Easiest poll ever. Pure class vs pure camp. A cool and edgt masterpiece of modern music vs stadium rock pomp.