Young Americans [Remastered] - David Bowie > Reviews > Is it really 30 years old?

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	It's David Bowie
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In 1974 which was the year disco broke big, hitherto the preserve of the Latino and Gay communities, this genre of music had number 1's in the shape of the Hues Corporation with the track "Rock the Boat" and George McCrae with "Rock your Baby so disco was getting to be big business.

During the Late Summer of 1974 while taking a break from the "Diamond Dogs" tour Bowie booked himself into the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia ran by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to record what would turn out to be one of the most influential albums of the 70's.

Whenever Bowie switched on the radio while in the States he had been fed a diet of the international sound of Philadelphia, Bowie at the time was nuts on the sound of the 3 degrees and M.F.S.B. (which stands for Mother Father Sister Brother) there was even a rumour at the time that Bowie tried to use them for the recording sessions, I think that's maybe a story put about by Bowie's label at the time RCA, whatever the truth it didn't happen.
In Bowies early career he had gotten into music in the first place because of his interest in American Black music so when he swapped his moon boots for soul slippers it wasn't such a big change as you would think the influence of the American music scene had been hinted at on the "Aladdin Sane" and "Diamond Dogs" albums with their rougher R'n'B Slant think of "1984" from the latter this had been a clear indication of what was to come.

Think about it Disco and Glam rock had many things in common, both forms had attracted the marginalized in society; with Glam it was the sexual experimenters with Disco it was women, gays and blacks.
Both sets of fans were narcissistic and embraced consumerism in a way that would make progressive rock fans sick, I remember myself having a hard time getting into this album, only being 16 at the time I thought to myself what's all this about then?

Because I had asked myself the question I tried to find out, this led me on a musical voyage of discovery that in taking it I found artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, John Lee Hooker the list goes on, I think because I had to work to listen too this genre I learned how to listen and appreciate other forms of music up to this point I had been a fan of basically rock music.

This was the period of time when other white rockers like Hall and Oates and the Bee Gees where getting interested in the disco beat and production methods, so Bowie wasn't exactly in uncharted waters but he was alone in using the style for individual expression.

Bowie assembled a bona fide rhythm and blues band for the recording of the album "Young Americans" which included Willy Weeks on bass along with Andy Newmark on drums and now saxophone legend David Sanborn.

The recording of this album was split into 3 main sessions with 2 of them in Philadelphia and a last minute session taking place in New York with John Lennon taking part on 2 tracks adding vocals and guitar to "Across the Universe" and "Fame", this is why the album went from an all Bowie composed project to one that included a Beatles cover, I think Bowie was so overawed by the experience of being in the studio with Lennon that he dropped the tracks "Who Can I be Now?" and It's Gonna Be Me" these songs would not officially see the light of day until the release of the 19991 version of this album.
David Bowie has always had a talent for unearthing new talent and a young soul singer the now late Luther Vandross who was called on to be a backing singer, he co-wrote one of the this albums best tracks "Fascination", this album was a calculated attempt after years of relative commercial failure to produce a hit in the American market place, but in doing so Bowie would alienate some of his British audience this is exactly what happen.

Looking back with hindsight and with a few miles on my clock I can see that Young Americans is a curious album; in places it sounds like an authentic reconstruction of the current music trend at the time and in others an oddity as Bowie's self-conscious jiving betraying a parody of British style, Bowie himself called this album "Plastic Soul".
It was during these recording sessions that Bowie would meet a rhythm guitarist who had at one point had played for James Brown, Carlos Alomar would fill the shoes left empty by Mick Ronson and become Bowies right hand man.

Normally with a Bowie album his chosen foil is the lead guitar, that's what different with this collection the driving sound behind and at the front of the songs is the sound of David Sanborns saxophone and soulful chorus.

The Album kicks off with the title track that has a frantic shrieking alto sax played by Sanborn which is introduced by a run on the piano by long serving Bowie sideman Mike Garson which is at the front of the sound with Latin flavoured percussion adding the rhythm section and Luther Vandross-leading the chorus, Bowie croons about everyday American life after Watergate. The groove is urgent and compulsive, Bowie even borrows a familiar rock catch phrase from Springsteen, he had admired "the Boss" since 1973 with the backing singers singing the line "I heard the news today, oh boy" at a crucial moment but the killer line for me is when Bowie sobs "Ain't there one damm song that can make break down and cry". This track exists in 2 versions the album track released as a single in the UK running at 5.13 catalogue number RCA 2523 released February 21 1975 it reached number 18 in the UK single chart and the edited American version at 3.13 the American version reached number 28 and boasts a far puncher and more solid mix there is a bigger bass sound, the American version is available on the album from 1998 called "The Best of Bowie 1974/1979" catalogue number 7243 4 94300 2 0 and from 2002 the double CD "Best of Bowie" catalogue number 7243 5 39821 2 6 which I have seen in Woolworth's for £5.99.

On the following song "Win" Sanborns echo-filled saxophone flips lazily from speaker to speaker with Bowie crooning "I say its hip to be alive" although if you listen to the delivered vocals the tone in the voice doesn't support the message of the delivered line, this really is an outstanding cut with Bowie beginning the process of revealing himself after years of playing of role-playing, when he sings the line "well you've never seen me naked and white" you can hear the struggle between the distanced, contrived poseur and the newer, real vision, a haunting melody with a ripping synthesiser refrain and melting backing vocals that give this exercise in positivity, the line "All you got to do is Win" neatly states the message of the song the resigned vocals are at odds with the message make the song even more memorable.

The following cut is an adoption of a Luther Vandross composition called "Funky Music (Is part of me)" this track has benefited most from the CD re-mastering process, and in fact comparing the vinyl version to the CD incarnation, it sounds completely re-mixed: the sound has more of an echo to it, giving this dance floor workout a new sheen, listen to the chorus "Fascination Sure' nuff Takes part of me Can a heartbeat Live in the fever Raging inside of me? And not be at least moved to tap your feet.

The song "Right" has the most authentic blue-eyed soul sound to it with a smoochy sounding riff with the track built around the line "Never no turning back" a late night alone with your partner of choice song. (You see Bowie rehearsing this track for recording on the latter part of the "Cracked Actor" documentary) This was the end of side 1 in the days of vinyl; it was also the B-side to the "Fame" single.

For the opening track of side 2 Bowie had written a song around the phrase "Somebody up there likes me" original title of this album, this one line in America has all most reached the status of folklore, since the 50's it's main manifestation was as a title for a biographical film about a boxer, the part had elevated Paul Newman to stardom the role had been written for James Dean but had been killed in car crash before he could make it and for Newman the rest is History.
Lyrically this is one of Bowie finest songs, which contains a critique of the corrupting powers of the media, which pretty ironic as Bowie is criticising the very image he had become, with the line "There was a time when we judged a man by what he had done /Now we pick them off the screen / What they look like / Where they've been" listen out for some killer sax and some wonderful backing vocals as well.

The following track is where this album falls down when normally Bowie covers someone else's song he brings something new to the table but here with this beef-up version of "Across the Universe" the Lennon and McCartney composition his over blown vocals are ill-suited to the song or to Bowies personality and is the weakest part of the whole collection.

The big soul ballad of this album "Can you hear me" which is a swooning, yearning song which teeters at times on the verge of the clichéd shows the ease in which he gets to grips with the genre, when he builds to the line "Why don't you take it right to your heart" his vocals are stunning. This is one of Bowies most conventional songs it provides further evidence of his continued fascination with the real and the imaginary, making the admission that he might be "faking it all"

To close the album Bowie chose one of the other track recorded with John Lennon in New York at the Electric Ladyland studios; this might be why he had used the Beatles cover as well, "Across the Universe" and the song "Fame" both have Lennon taking part, this was Bowie's big U.S. breakthrough and gave him an America number 1. Carlos Alomar infectious riff borrowed from James Browns track "Hot (I need to be Loved, Loved, Loved) and The Flare's "Footstompin'" Bowie had performed "Footstompin'" on the Dick Cavett show the year before, it appears on an album called "RarestoneBowie" which is a semi bootleg number for it is Golden years GY014 only 10,000 pressed (yes I have a copy) this song is the perfect foil for Bowies catalogue of evils and woes listen to the line "Fame is what you want is in your limo / Fame, what you get is no tomorrow".

When EMI re-issued this album in 1991 catalogue number CDP 79 6436 2 they tacked on the end 3 extra tracks the 2 tracks scrapped in favour of the John Lennon sessions, and a reworked version of "John I'm Only Dancing"
The first extra track is called "Who can I be Now" is even more soul influenced than any other track on the album, it opens with some superb sax playing from Sanborn the song again deals with the theme of identity construction and Bowie singing is even more heartfelt and soulful than what has passed before.
The second outtake called "It's Gonna Be Me" is a sprawling, heart wrenching soul ballad and was performed on the latter part of the Diamond Dogs tour when it morphed into the Philly Dogs tour, it's David at his most soulful and hurt pleading with a lost love to return.
To close that re-issue the record company used the re-recorded version of "John I'm only Dancing Again" which had got to number 12 in the UK singles chart in 1979.

The re-issue with the best sound so far is the 24-bit version from 1999 catalogue number 7243 521905 0 8 this is the same as the original vinyl release and has only 8 tracks, but what it does have in it's favour is the improved sleeve design with rare pictures and a full set of lyrics and credits, the 11 tracks harder to find version from 1991 has a fold out poster style sleeve not one of favourite styles of sleeves the ideal design for me would be a combination of the 2, great sound, extra tracks, and booklet for a cover.
There is a legend that in a fit of lunacy Bowie and the sigma sidemen recorded a slapstick novelty song called "You can have her, I don't want her, She's too fat for Me" that is supposed to have been burned at the end of the sessions.

An outtake from this session called "After Today" appears on the "Sound & Vision" box set from 1989 catalogue number RCD 90120 / 21 / 22 on the Rykodisc label and the EMI re-issued expanded version of the same set released in 2003 catalogue number 24359 45112. (Yes I have both)
The other outtake from the session" Hard to be a saint in the City" appears on the aforementioned "The Best of David Bowie 1974 /1979".

My conclusion about this album since it's release on March 7th 1975 is that in 30 years of listening to this album in it's various forms is that I am only now hearing the subtle touches that the human voice can convey and the stunning vocal arrangements of Bowie and Vandross, it's maybe me but every time I listen to this album I hear something different, whether it be an unheard reverb effect on vocals or the atmosphere of the string arrangements, for me an album that was so hard to sit through all the way to begin with is now one of my favourite Bowie albums of course if you ask me on another time it might be totally different one!