Space Oddity - David Bowie

David Bowie - Space Oddity (1969) Producer: Tony Visconti, Gus Dudgeon Space Oddity Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (Don't Sit Down) Letter to Hermione Cygnet Committee Janine An Occasional Dream Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud God Knows I'm Good Memory of a Free Festival Following a flurry of novelty singles (The Laughing Gnome, anyone?) and a mediocre debut album, mainstream success was still capably evading Mr David Jones. No doubt feeling weary and ever so slightly frustrated, he retired into the studio to start work on his second album proper, Space Oddity (the album was entitled David ...  Read the complete review

David Bowie’s first successful album and the origin of glam rock in 1969. The demise of the hippies and the experimental tastes of music fans saw Bowie aiming for an achieving a completely new sound, mixing the electronic and the acoustic and driving his earlier folk-pop style to more rocking plains. The album’s themes are still entrenched in the social commentary and love/loss songs of folk, the spaced out title track being the only precursor to the Ziggy Stardust days, but the lyrics of many songs on ‘Space Oddity’ catch Bowie at his witty, story-telling best. SPACE ODDITY 1. Space Oddity 2. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly ...  Read the complete review

The title track is in many ways a misleading example of the tone of this album, which is not nearly so rooted in outer space as so much of Bowie's subsequent work. This is for the main part a gentle folk-rock album, with the vaguely hippy pretensions you might expect from a guitar-based album made in 1969. Songs like 'Janine', 'God Knows I'm Good', and the superb 'An Occasional Dream' are more reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel than the kind of music Bowie was to make in the following decade. It passes by pleasantly and without fuss, and for the most part, without staying in the memory too long. ...  Read the complete review

Bowie's first recognised foray into the world of music came with Space Oddity; an album which is more of a traditional singer/songwriter record than a glam rock goliath; however it remains a classic album with enough style and swagger to still satisfy today's audience. Aside from Space Oddity which remains a timeless Bowie classic, Cygnet Committee has always been a personal favourite of mine because of its energy and the closing Memory of a Free Festival is another special track which has a real 60's feel to it. The album shows a real maturity from Bowie who would go onto become a huge global success in the 80's. Those who aren't fans of the Glam rock ...  Read the complete review