My review of David Bowie's "Station to Station"

Guys,

since this seems to be the right place for something like this and since many forum members talk about this album in various threads, I thought I'd post my review of David Bowie's Station to Station around here. It was originally written in german for my blog - you can find the original here: Tanzbare Dekadenz auf Kokain - David Bowies "Station to Station"

I'd be more than happy if the one or other member took the time to read it and discuss the review or, even better, the album here. Enjoy

Danceable decadence fuelled with Cocaine: David Bowie's Station to Station



[Copy I listened to while writing this review: RCA APL 1-1327, 1st spanish pressing, 1976]

During his career, David Bowie had to face many highs and easily as many lows. After turning himself into a star with 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' - which tends to be a tad overrated by some - the superb 'Aladdin Sane' and 'Diamond Dogs' followed, inbetween the smaller sidenote called 'Pin Ups'. The chameleon of Pop came to climb the throne of his success in 1975, not leaving it until five turbulent years later in 1980. If I had to choose a favorite out of the LPs he released during those five years, I'd likely have to decide between 1975's 'Young Americans' and its immediate successor 'Station to Station', a document of a time when Bowie had reached the zenith of his drug addiction...

The core topic of 'Station to Station', an album that reflects Bowie's darkest hours, is that of illusion. After having stylised himself into a worldwide phenomenon thanks to exalted, unpredictable behaviour - artistically and personally -, earning a name with bombastic concerts and often sparking controversy due to what was seen by some as the 'Hitlergruß' at Victoria Station, Bowie seemed to have realized how estranged with his fans and himself he had become. In more recent years, Bowie would often call the years 1975 and 1976 'terrible to live through'. His cocaine consumption had gone through the roof and the immense success of his singles 'Fame' and 'Golden Years', both reaching the top spot stateside, lead to the bitter realization that Bowie had become part of a giant illusion,a show he had significantly shaped, even created, himself. Bearing in mind the dark circumstances of 'Station to Station''s creation, it's no surprise Bowie has often stated not being able to remember any of the recording sessions resulting in the finished LP. Which leads us to the next point...

The first sounds audible on the album are that of guitars and synthesizers imitating a train's departure from the station. After the first minute, a sparse piano comes into play and slowly the whole band comes to life, steadily increasing the song's tempo. Just before the hinted-at climax, the song gets slower after roughly three minutes and the main protagonist delivers his opening lines: the return of the thin white duke/throwing darts in lovers' eyes... - we get yet another stage persona by Bowie. A somewhat otherworldly man with blond, combed-back hair, a white shirt, black trousers and a white waistcoat. The overall fascist look of this late-20s-looking character has been described by Bowie as 'rather nasty', implying the singer himself had wanted to distance himself from this phase of his career.

After five minutes in total, the title track morphs into a well danceable uptempo track, clarifying the main drive of the LP has to be the sweet, drug-infused decadence. It's not the side effects of the cocaine, I'm thinking that it must be love says everything about the hedonism inhabiting the music, the emotional cold this album possesses, yet moving the listener like almost no other musical work can. This emotional ambivalence makes 'Station to STation' an album well worth the naming 'total music': on an outer level, the album's cuts do nothing to move the listener's emotions in any way, while this exact apathy has a magic attraction to it, drawing the listener into a world detached of any true feelings and addicted to the decadent lifestyle of a generation lost in drugs. Words like 'I'll stay with you, baby, for thousand years' (Golden Years) sound hollow and empty, underlined only by the disco-ey instrumentation of the track. The society celebrated on 'Station to Station' sees love as nothing but commerce, uses the love song as a geniusly staged dance track for the clubs, ridicules any true, genuine feelings. This is a society bent on pleasure with music a swansong to the values of previous generations and artists which are substituted by new gods - 'in this age of grand illusion you walked into my life out of my dreams'. TVC15, as an example, deals with a person whose entire life is dominated by the TV screen (my baby's in there somewhere...). Afterwards, 'Stay' serves as the funky, danceable attempt to swear off the drugs and keep a loved one close - without success: 'I really meant to so bad this time'. 'Wild is the Wind' delivers the only genuine emotion heard on the LP and, to this day, remains one of Bowie's most beautiful songs on form of a very moving profession of love everybody would love to make or hear (You're spring to me, all things to me... don't you know you're life itself?).

After this, 'Station to Station', with an ideal running time of 38 minutes in total, has come to its end. This is an album that stays with everybody who has heard it. The (non-)messages of the lyrics are good and all that, but they'd be nothing without the likewise cool overall atmosphere: Keyboards, Bass and Drums all plow through the songs like machines, marking illusionary perfection, a seemingly spotless, mathematically precise production that leaves no time for a break and gets the hidden emotions - negated by seemingly apathic tracks - boiling. Human shells remember their lost emotion - 'It's not the side effects of the cocaine, I'm thinking that it must be love' is such a well-crafted sentence because it is able to summarize the essence, the théme de choix of 'Station to Station'. Carnal remains of once full-fledged human beings that have long realized the illusion in which they live while still pretending to feel genuine emotion and passion, all the while looking at their dawning demise without giving a damn (it's too late to be grateful...) dominate the songs' language and amount to a panopticon of the society celebrated and, at the same time, damned by Bowie. It gets obvious in the many dance tracks which embody pure hedonism and the enjoyment of this hedonism.

At the start of my review, I mentioned how I hold 'Young Americans' and 'Station to Station' in similarly high regards. This is only valid for the musical achievement of both - musicians like Carlos Alomar, Eary Slick and of course Bowie himself appear on both albums and make them terrific achievements in sound. Concept-wise, I have to give my nod towards 'Station to Station' because it bears a topical concept similar to that of its predecessor while carrying it onto new levels, thus sseming much more sophisticated and cleverly interlaced with a brilliant usage of literal understandings that also serve a 'greater whole' - providing the listeners with a meta level view of society as a whole, apathic and looking for emotional warmth that has long vanished. Executing such a complex concept with the confidence that shows within the album 'Station to Station' is a major artistic achievement in my book.

Verdict: 'Station to Station' is an exceptional album and one that's ensured to stay with anybody who witnesses it, surpassing the already-brilliant 'Young Americans'. My tip: just listen to both and enjoy the consequent progression of the concept dealing with a society in dissolution. Or simply dance to it, make love to it or suchlike. You'll love it, Big Boys (and Girls)!

All Copyright: Max Kaufmann (LeBon Bush)

 

although you don't state it explicitly you imply that Wild Is The Wind is a Bowie composition... it's not.

 

Indeed. Here is Nina Simone from 1964.

 

I know, just thought its story would be clear to most, anyway... will edit this, then.

Edit: time limit to edit has expired -

'Wild Is The Wind' is NOT by Bowie himself, it originates from a composition by Dmitri Tiomkin for the 1956 western of the same name and got famous with the interpretation by Nina Simone, serving as the base for Bowie's cover of the song.

 

"to this day, remains one of Bowie's most beautiful songs" > "to this day, remains one of Bowie's most beautiful performances" would do the trick.

also, Ned Washington wrote the lyrics.

 

I was obsessed with this album upon release-OBSESSED. It's by far my favorite Bowie album, and one of my all-time faves. So I think you got it right.

 

It's really his peak - a stellar album and truly unique.

 

One of my top favorites from him and the recent reissue is very good as well.

 

The 2016 remaster? Never heard that one on a physical medium, always just the '76 or the '99 issues

 

Yes I just got that a few months ago and that is my go to copy.

 

On Vinyl or CD? I'd quite like to own a second copy as well and wanted to grab it on CD - for portable listening and such.

 

I got the vinyl, do not have the CD.

 

i couldn't possibly recommend the 2016 on either format. the 2010 is great, the original german RCA is great (but expensive). no other digital option is worthy IMO.

 

Always wanted the 2010, what a giant box! maybe I'll rip my LP if I get round to it

 

I agree with you on 'Young Americans' being a major achievement in sound, but would argue that it's concept is just as sophisticated as 'Station'. It just has a different concept. Making Philly soul music but putting your own twist on it. Genius really, when you think about it.

 

In the early to mid 70s, I liked Bowie from a distance but Station To Station was my first album purchase. Loved it straight away.
I played it so much for 10 years that afterwards, I never needed to play it again. I don't think that I've played it since. It's in my brain, my blood.

 

You're absolutely right, this is what I meant with 'musically' - lyric-wise, I enjoy S2S much more, when YA's musical direction truly is exciting. It was more of a 'lyrical concept' I tried to refer to

 

Good review. And I agree that Ziggy Stardust is sometimes a tad bit overrated.

 

Well said. What a masterpiece

 

Thanks for reading! The thing is, with Ziggy some people act like there was no Hunky Dory, no TMWSTW and no worthy album afterwards - Bowie was such a multi-talent, why act like he was only 'Ziggy Stardust'?

 

I get that it’s a good album but I’m always surprised that so many people seem to hold it in higher esteem than his many other great albums.

 

StationtoStation is my favorite Bowie.

 

I don't think I've ever come across anyone doing this, to be honest! I thought "Station to Station" regularly won Bowie Best Album polls, but I could be wrong.

 

Only 'some' people - some Bowie fans I know personally do so, claiming S2S is 'boring', 'artificial', and the likes.

 

They're hardly Bowie fans if they only like "Ziggy Stardust"!