March 7 – Young Brit Visits America In Body And Sound

Few musicians were as chameleon-like in image and sound in the ’70s and ’80s as David Bowie. No wonder he had a hit with a song called “Changes.” On this day in 1975, he changed again, with the release of Young Americans. The hyper-energetic Brit had by then retired his Ziggy Stardust persona and had moved to the U.S. in body and spirit for this one, his 4th album in less than two years (fifth if one includes a live album.). On this album, he turned his attention away from the stars and towards American music.

Young Americans was largely recorded in Philadelphia in late-’74, at Sigma Studios, and inspired by his time in the States as well as his love of old soul and R&B music. Bowie described it himself as “the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak, rock; written and sung by a White Limey.” Adding to the semi-authenticity of the sound were a young R&B singer then unknown – Luther Vandross – adding background vocals and great session musician Carlos Alomar, who played guitar. Alomar hadn’t heard of Bowie at the time, and called him “the whitest man I’ve ever seen.” However, the pair hit it off and they ended up working together frequently for the next 30 years, as well as co-writing what would be the album’s smash hit, “Fame.”

Philly fans had found out that Bowie was in town and often waited by the studio doors for him to come out; on the last day of his recording there, he invited a number of fans in to chat and listen to the rough tracks for the album. However, he apparently felt the album still lacked a little something, so he went back to the studio a few weeks later in New York City, where he worked with John Lennon for a day. That was a fortuitous day for Bowie. they recorded a cover version of The Beatles “Across the Universe” as well as “Fame”, on which we can hear Lennon’s voice singing the title in the background. Bowie says the song was recorded “with a degree of malice” towards his management company, and of fame, “the most you can say is that it gets you a seat in the restaurant.” The two songs replaced a couple of lesser tracks recorded in Philadelphia, “Who Can I Be Now?” and “It’s Gonna Be Me”, both of which would end up on re-released CD versions of the release.

Bowie would soon be getting better seats in more restaurants then, as “Fame” rocketed up the charts to #1 in the U.S. and Canada, getting him his first gold singles in both countries. Interestingly enough, Lennon also guested on another #1 single in North America that year – Elton John’s take on “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Both “Fame” and the title track, “Young Americans” were top 20 hits in his homeland, his 11th and 12th there. It helped the LP go to #9 in the U.S. and #2 in the UK, although in that, it ended his streak of 3-straight #1 albums there.

At the time, and to this date, reviews for it are middling. The Village Voice at the time called it “almost a total failure” although it did appreciate his willingness to risk failure by trying something a little different. Later on, Rolling Stone would grade it a very good 4-star but said it was “easy to overlook” and that he “did most of these robot-soul-space funk tricks better” soon with Station to Station, although they did venture that the title track “might be Bowie’s best ever.”

Not his best album, nor his worst, Young Americans indeed showed what the Village Voice hinted at and what would make Bowie one of the most beloved artists of the 20th Century – his ease of changing styles and his willingness to take musical risks that didn’t always pan out, but would be magic when they did.