Album title: David Bowie/Man of Words/Man of Music/Space Oddity
Artiste: David Bowie
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic/Prog Rock
Year: 1969
Label: Philips (UK) Mercury (US)
Producer: Tony Visconti
Chronological position: Second album
Notes: Why all the titles? Well apparently it was originally released as
David Bowie (why I have no idea when his previous, and debut, album was so titled) then in the US they released it as
Man of Words/Man of Music and finally when it was re-released in 1972 they called it after the first track.
Album chart position: Nothing originally, but when re-released it hit 17 (UK) in 1972 and 16 (US) the following year
Singles: “Space oddity”, “Memory of a free festival”
Lineup:
David Bowie: Vocals, guitars, organ etc
Rick Wakeman: Keyboards, mellotron, harpsichord
Terry Cox: Drums
Tim Renwick: Guitar
Keith Christmas: Guitar
Mick Wayne: Guitar
Tony Visconti: Bass, flute, recorder
Herbie Flowers: Bass
Paul Buckmaster: Cello
Benny Marshall and friends (?): Harmonica
Review begins
After two years with little chart success and a new label, Bowie came back with an album that would lift him into the charts on both side of the Atlantic and also provide him with a single which would become one of his most enduring hits, and indeed lend its title to the reissue of the album in 1972. This second album also marked the beginning of a friendship that would last through his entire career, as production duties were taken over by Tony Visconti, who also played keys, flute and recorder and would helm and play on most of his future albums. Everyone of course knows the title track at this stage, and if you don't then why not? With its slow, almost morose fade-in intro, it quickly gives way to Bowie's somehow clearer and more mature voice as he asks “Ground Control to Major Tom”, producing a line that would echo down the ages and indeed be reincarnated on his 1980
Scary Monsters album when Major Tom returned and gave him another number one hit in “Ashes to ashes”. But that's a long way away at this point, and the loneliness of the astronaut left “floating in a tin can, far above the world” is represented really well by Bowie's vocal and the soaring guitar chords, interspersed by hard hit riffs and handclaps.
This song would give him his first ever top ten single, going to numbe five in the UK and making him known throughout households up and down Britain, and hitting the very top spot when it was re-released in 1975. As for the US, well it didn't do badly there either, getting to number 15 in 1973. The album itself did nothing on its initial release but broke the top twenty both sides of the water when put out again in 1972. Powerful acoustic guitar takes us into the much more mellow and yet at the same time more forceful “Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed”, with a kind of snarled vocal at times. Is there violin in there? Surely, and harmonica too. And very good it is too. The hard riffs at the end of each line remind me of something, but can't place it. I'm sure he was first with it anyway. Great jam for the last three minutes, led by the harmonica.
More acoustic guitar leading “Letter to Hermione”, and it's a short song and quite simple but very beautiful, with elements of “A day in the life” in the melody, written, I read, to his girlfriend at the time. It leads into what is at this point Bowie's longest song. Running for just over nine and a half minutes, “Cygnet committee” has a very blues tune-up before it gets going in a nice meandering progressive rock style, telling the story of a failed revolution, or a successful one rather, but one that achieves aims other than those which it was supposed to, with the rather chilling claim “We can force you to be free” near the end. Another foreshadowing of the likes of
Ziggy and
Diamond Dogs, I feel. It's a very dark song, extremely well constructed and an example of the kind of thing Bowie would produce in later years, a flash of his brilliance long before it really hit.
Electric and acoustic merge in “Janine”, which becomes something of an anthem, with a certain Country flavour to it (not sure if there's fiddle but it sounds like it; could just be guitar of course) and the song reminds me of early Bob Seger. Back to the folk style with extra flute for “An occasional dream”, which trips along nicely with a bittersweet feeling of a romance ending. I expected a track titled “Wild eyed boy from Freecloud” to be a stomping rocker, but no, it's a laidback, orchestral ballad, almost like something out of a movie, and very impressive too. It sort of changes into a different track, it seems, in the third minute, and yet retains the main theme from the first part. A short acoustic number then in “God knows I'm good” which investigates the motives of the desperate as he sings “God may look the other way today” as a woman shoplifts and hopes not to be caught, but does not get away with her little crime. A snapshot of the lengths people are driven to when they feel they have no other choice. Another long track then to end, with a seven-minute organ intro to “Memory of a free festival” which then becomes the only accompaniment to Bowie's voice as he sings. Seems an odd choice for a single, given that there are so many shorter and snappier songs on the album. In the third minute some sound effects break through, along with percussion and guitar as the song begins to take proper shape, almost like Harrison's “My sweet lord”. It kind of stays in that mould all the way to the end, quite hypnotic and enjoyable but I feel way too long, though that's a small niggle on an otherwise excellent album.
TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS
Space oddity
Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed
Letter to Hermione
Cynget committee
Janine
An occasional dream
Wild eyed boy from Freecloud
God knows I'm good
Memory of a free festival
Afterword: The second album is often the hardest, and while Bowie had not exactly set the world on fire with his debut (and this, being on a new label, could perhaps in some ways be seen as his actual debut) he does well to follow up that worthy effort with another fine slice of rock and folk/pop with edges of prog rock. Again, nothing I hated or even mildly disliked, and the ratings shown only reflect how much more I liked other tracks. You'll notice this time around, not a single Orange.
Rating: 