My Top 20 albums from 1975 No 6

My No 6 is Young Americans by David Bowie
released on 7 March 1975 through RCA Records. A departure from the glam rock style of previous albums, the record showcased Bowie's interest in soul and R&B. Music critics have described the sound as blue-eyed soul; Bowie himself labelled the album's sound "plastic soul".

Recording sessions began at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia in August 1974, after the first leg of his Diamond Dogs Tour. The record was produced by Tony Visconti, and includes a variety of musicians, such as the guitarist Carlos Alomar, who became one of Bowie's most frequent collaborators, and the backing vocalists Ava Cherry, Robin Clark and then-unknown singer Luther Vandross. As the tour continued the setlist and design began to incorporate the influence of the new material. The recording sessions continued at the Record Plant in New York City at the tour's end. A collaboration between Bowie and John Lennon yielded a cover of Lennon's Beatles song "Across the Universe" and "Fame" during a January 1975 session at Electric Lady Studios, produced by Harry Maslin. The album's cover artwork is a back-lit photograph of Bowie taken by Eric Stephen Jacobs.

Young Americans was Bowie's breakthrough in the US, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard chart; the single "Fame" became Bowie's first number one hit. Bowie continued developing its sound on Station to Station (1976). Young Americans has received mixed critical reviews on release and in later decades; Bowie himself had mixed feelings about the album. The album proved influential. Bowie was one of the first white artists of the era to overtly engage with black musical styles; other British artists followed suit. The album has been reissued multiple times with outtakes, and was remastered in 2016 as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.
Background and development

David Bowie released his eighth studio album Diamond Dogs in May 1974. His final album in the glam rock genre,[1] it contained two songs, "Rock 'n' Roll with Me" and "1984", that exhibit elements of funk and soul, which predicted the musical direction for Bowie's next project.[2][3][4] While his interest in soul music dated back to his mod days in the mid-1960s, he began listening to soul records extensively and incorporating soul material into his live sets.[5][6] In July, towards the end of the first leg of his Diamond Dogs Tour, he performed covers of the soul songs "Knock on Wood" by Eddie Floyd and "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" by the Ohio Players for shows in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania that yielded the live album David Live (1974).[a][1] Bowie had grown tired of the tour's lavish set-pieces and theatricality and was ready to fully embrace black soul music.[9]
Carlos Alomar performing in 1974
Young Americans was the beginning of Bowie's working relationship with the guitarist Carlos Alomar (pictured in 1974).

In early 1974, Bowie met funk guitarist Carlos Alomar, an Apollo Theater session musician who had played with James Brown, Chuck Berry and Wilson Pickett. One of Bowie's favourite records was Brown's Live at the Apollo (1963), so meeting a musician who played at the Apollo meant a lot to him. Alomar had never heard of Bowie when they met, but they immediately connected and formed a working relationship that would last almost 15 years; Alomar became Bowie's guide into American black music.[1][10]

While in Pennsylvania, Bowie visited Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia to work on recordings with American musician Ava Cherry.[11][12] Sigma Sound was the home of Philadelphia soul[13][14] and the favourite studio of writer-producer duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; the two had co-founded Philadelphia International Records, the home of many well-known black American musicians. At the end of the first leg of the tour, Bowie returned to New York City to mix David Live, listening to various black albums in preparation for his return to Sigma Sound.[1]
Recording history
Luther Vandross in 2000
Young Americans features backing vocals from singer Luther Vandross (pictured in 2000), a then-unknown singer from New York City.

For the backing band, Bowie wanted to hire MFSB ("Mother Father Sister Brother"),[6] Sigma Sound's house band of over 30 session musicians.[15][14] All members were unavailable except for percussionist Larry Washington, so Bowie went to New York City for further recruitment. Pianist Mike Garson, saxophonist David Sanborn and percussionist Pablo Rosario were retained from the Diamond Dogs Tour, while guitarist Earl Slick was replaced by Alomar. At Alomar's suggestion, Bowie hired former Sly and the Family Stone drummer Andy Newmark and bassist Willie Weeks of the Isley Brothers to replace Tony Newman and Herbie Flowers, respectively. Producer Tony Visconti joined the project immediately after Bowie informed him of Weeks' involvement;[1][9] Visconti co-produced much of Bowie's work for the rest of the decade.[16] Cherry, Alomar's wife Robin Clark, then-unknown singer Luther Vandross, Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler performed backing vocals for the sessions.[9][5]
Philadelphia sessions

Demo work began at Sigma Sound on 8 August 1974, with official work starting three days later on 11 August upon Visconti's arrival.[1][17] Before Philadelphia, Bowie had spent most of his recording career in Britain, where recording methods were different from those in the United States. At Olympic and Trident Studios in Britain, engineers applied equalisers and reverb as they were recording, so these effects were heard upon playback. At Sigma Sound, however, the engineers applied effects during the mixing stage. Bowie was initially confounded when hearing the tapes back, as according to biographer Chris O'Leary, he "hadn't heard his 'naked' voice on tape in years."[5]
A black and white photo of a man singing into a microphone
Bowie performing on the Soul tour in 1974.

The sessions were productive and moved rapidly, only taking two weeks to complete. It was agreed early on to record as much of the album as possible live, with the full band playing together, including Bowie's vocals, as a single continuous take for each song. According to Visconti, the album contains "about 85% 'live' David Bowie".[1] Most of the material was built out of jam sessions.[9][14] The album represented a change in Bowie's approach to production,[18] allowing the musicians to come up with ideas that Bowie used to write lyrics and melodies.[14] Cherry, Clark and Vandross, in particular, became driving forces of the project.[18]

During his time at Sigma Sound, Bowie completely immersed himself in soul music. He created a new persona called "The Gouster", a slang term for a hip street boy,[14][6] which became one of the album's working titles. Visconti commented that "It wasn't so much a concept as a way of setting the tone that we were going to make a very hip album."[14] Bowie's cocaine addiction heightened at a rapid pace during the period; he often stayed awake day and night recording while the band slept.[b][1] Alomar said the sessions were "fuelled" by drugs,[14] recalling: "He used drugs to keep himself awake. [I assumed] it was more a functional thing [than an addiction], so he'd be 'on' whenever the moment came to record."[13] Bowie's cocaine use affected his voice, creating what Bowie himself called "a real raspy sound" that prevented him from singing higher notes. Bowie believed the album contained the highest notes he ever sang on record.[1]

The sessions produced numerous outtakes, including "After Today", "Who Can I Be Now?", "It's Gonna Be Me", a rerecording of Bowie's 1972 single "John, I'm Only Dancing" titled "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)", "Lazer", "Shilling the Rubes", a scrapped rerecording of Bruce Springsteen's "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"[c] and "Too Fat Polka".[1] After these sessions, Bowie was eager to perform his new work live. Embarking on the second half of the Diamond Dogs tour, lasting September to December 1974, this portion is nicknamed the Soul Tour due to the influence of the new material. The shows were heavily altered and no longer featured elaborate set-pieces, due to Bowie's exhaustion with the design and wanting to explore the new sound he was creating. Songs from the previous leg were dropped, while new ones were added, including some from the new album.[21] On 2 November, Bowie appeared on The Dick Cavett Show and performed "1984", "Young Americans" and a version of the Flairs' "Footstompin'". He was inarticulate and visibly drugged during his interview.[22][23]

Bowie and Visconti added overdubs and started mixing following the conclusion of the Soul tour in November 1974.[10] Local fans, whom Bowie referred to as the "Sigma Kids", waited outside the studio over the course of the sessions. On the final day of tracking, these fans were invited into the studio to listen to rough versions of the new songs.[10][14] Apart from The Gouster, the album's other several working titles included Dancin', Somebody Up There Likes Me, One Damned Song, Shilling the Rubes and Fascination. An early acetate of The Gouster provided by Visconti showed "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)", "Who Can I Be Now?" and "It's Gonna Be Me" in the track-listing.[1]
New York sessions
John Lennon in 1975
Former Beatle John Lennon (pictured in 1975) collaborated with Bowie for "Across the Universe" and "Fame".

The Soul tour ended in December 1974, after which Bowie, Visconti and Alomar regrouped at the Record Plant in New York City to record two new songs, "Fascination" and "Win". At this point, Bowie told Disc the album title was Fascination (after the newly recorded track); "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" was still in the track-listing, and the two new tracks replaced "Who Can I Be Now?" and "Somebody Up There Likes Me". Visconti, who believed the album was completely finished, returned to London to record string arrangements for "Can You Hear Me", "Win" and "It's Gonna Be Me" at AIR Studios,[24] while Bowie remained in New York, working on separate mixing with in-house engineer Harry Maslin.[1][25]

During this time, former Beatle John Lennon was working at the Record Plant on his 1975 covers album Rock 'n' Roll. Lennon, who was in what he later termed his "Lost weekend" period, had met Bowie in Los Angeles in September 1974.[5] The two connected and decided to record together. With Alomar, the two convened at New York City's Electric Lady Studios in January 1975, recording a cover of Lennon's Beatles song "Across the Universe" and a new song, "Fame".[1] In Visconti's absence, the session was co-produced by Bowie and Maslin.[25] Alongside Alomar, Bowie invited Slick and drummer Dennis Davis, making their debuts on a Bowie record,[5] as well as bassist Emir Ksasan from the Soul tour band. Percussionist Ralph MacDonald and backing vocalists Jean Fineberg and Jean Millington also contributed.[1]

Mixing for Young Americans was completed at the Record Plant on 12 January 1975. Bowie contacted Visconti about the collaborations with Lennon two weeks later.[1] Bowie was apologetic and requested the two tracks be on the final album; they replaced "Who Can I Be Now?", "It's Gonna Be Me" and "After Today".[26] Visconti later said: "[They were] beautiful songs and it made me sick when [Bowie] decided not to use them. I think it was the personal content of the songs which he was a bit reluctant to release, although it was so obscure I don't think even I knew what he was on about in them!"[1] The album was mastered by engineer Greg Calbi.[27]
Songs

Young Americans presented a new musical direction for Bowie,[28] exploring blue-eyed soul[29][30] and R&B.[31][32][33] Bowie himself labelled its sound "plastic soul",[13] or, in the words of author Benoît Clerc, "a pale synthetic derivative of authentic soul music".[9] Garson later argued: "I think because he was uncertain if he was good at it, he demeaned himself by calling it plastic soul."[14] Other writers have classified it "sax-y white soul"[34] and white soul music.[35][36] Ashley Naftule of Consequence of Sound described the album as a cross between Bowie's "artsy rocker tendencies" and the "warm earnestness" of soul and R&B.[30] Biographer Marc Spitz said the album does not showcase "Bowie does black music", but rather "Bowie and black music do each other".[37] Lyrical themes throughout the album include loneliness, despair and alienation.[38] Biographer Christopher Sandford writes that the album is "a record of high spirits and lively, colliding ideas".[28] One of Bowie's major inspirations when writing the album was Aretha Franklin.[26]
Side one

"Young Americans" opens the album, which Bowie said was about "a newly-wed couple who don't know if they really like each other".[5] The song also presents new lyrical directions for the artist: instead of "shady" characters living in worlds fraught with darkness, "Young Americans" shows typical American teenagers.[39] References are made to McCarthyism and the resignation of president Richard Nixon, which occurred a week before the recording sessions began. The line "I heard the news today, oh boy" was taken from the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", acknowledging Lennon's influence on Bowie and their imminent collaboration later on the album.[23] Author Peter Doggett writes that the song introduced the world to an entirely new Bowie, catching everyone by surprise.[40] Bowie said "Win" was about people who "don't work very hard".[41] According to author James E. Perone, the lyrics are more abstract than the previous track and are open to interpretation.[39] Saxophones and strings feature throughout, while the backing vocalists are more relaxed and in line with Bowie's lead.[5] Biographer David Buckley calls the track the album's standout and "one of the most gorgeous melodies Bowie has ever written."[42]

"Fascination" evolved out of a Vandross track titled "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", which Bowie added new lyrics to. Bowie kept most of Vandross' structure but changed the interplay of the backing vocalists.[d][5][43] Doggett cites elements in the novels City of Night (1963) and The Occult Reich (1974) as inspirations for the title,[45] while Buckley writes that it reaffirms the 'strange fascination' motif of Bowie's 1971 track "Changes".[42] "Right" is the only track on Young Americans to feature Bowie's old friend Geoff MacCormack. The call and response between Bowie and the backing singers "lends an air of immaculate sophistication to the lyric's paean to positive thinking", according to biographer Nicholas Pegg. In 1975, Bowie called the song a mantra: "People forget what the sound of Man's instinct is—it's a drone, a mantra. And people say, 'Why are so many things popular that just drone on and on?' But that's the point really. It reaches a particular vibration, not necessarily a musical level."[46] Bowie, Vandross, Clark and Cherry can be seen rehearsing the song in the BBC documentary Cracked Actor (1975).[5][47]
Side two
Ava Cherry in 2016
Singer Ava Cherry (pictured in 2016) sang backing vocals throughout the album. She is also the supposed inspiration for "Can You Hear Me?"[5]

The title of "Somebody Up There Likes Me" was taken from the 1956 film of the same name.[5][47] Similar to "Right", it uses a call-and-response structure[42] and is embellished in strings, saxophone and synthesisers that hide dark lyrics. Pegg states that the lyrics discuss the idea of celebrity and the "hollowness of fame and adulation". Bowie himself described the song as a "Watch out mate, Hitler's on your back" warning.[48] Bowie's rendition of "Across the Universe" is a blue-eyed soul reworking that features Lennon on guitar and backing vocals.[49] Bowie had previously called the Beatles' original version "very watery" and wanted to "hammer the hell out of it".[5] His cover has been maligned by critics and biographers.[5][32][49][50] Perone argues it succeeds as a "groove piece".[39]

"Can You Hear Me?", originally "Take It in Right", is described by O'Leary as contemporary R&B,[5] while Doggett believes its style is more reminiscent of southern music rather than Philly soul.[51] Pegg praises Visconti's string arrangement as one of the album's highlights.[52] Perone likens Bowie's vocal performance to singer Al Green.[39] In 1975, Bowie stated that the song was "written for somebody" but declined to disclose who; his biographers agree that it was most likely for Cherry.[5][42][52]

"Fame" is a funk rock song[53] that represents Bowie and Lennon's dissatisfaction with the troubles of fame and stardom.[54] Alomar originally developed the guitar riff for Bowie's cover of "Footstompin'", which Bowie then used to create "Fame".[55][56] Lennon's voice is heard interjecting the falsetto "Fame" throughout the song.[57] Bowie later said that Lennon was the "energy" and the "inspiration" for "Fame", which is why he received a writing credit.[58] In 1980, Lennon stated: "We took some Stevie Wonder middle eight and did it backwards, you know, and we made a record out of it!"[54][57]
Outtakes

"Who Can I Be Now?" reflects the theme of self-identity. Over its runtime, it builds to a what Pegg calls a "gospel-choir climax".[59] Doggett writes that its title summarises Bowie's career up to this point, sharing a similar theme as "Changes".[60] "It's Gonna Be Me" is a ballad similar in style to Aretha Franklin. Originally titled "Come Back My Baby", it is lyrically similar to "Can You Hear Me?", in that it follows a casual seducer who realises the error of his ways and works to redeem himself. Biographers have generally praised the track as one of the most overlooked gems of Bowie's entire career.[61][60] "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" is a radical seven-minute funk and disco reworking of Bowie's 1972 glam rock single "John, I'm Only Dancing". This new version mostly retains the original's chorus, but with new verses and an entirely different melody. It was released as a single in 1979.[5][62][32] "After Today" is a soul-disco song with a falsetto vocal from Bowie and less polished production compared to other album tracks.[e][64]
Artwork

For the album cover artwork, Bowie initially wanted to commission Norman Rockwell to create a painting but retracted the offer when he heard that Rockwell would need at least six months to do the job. According to Pegg, another rejected idea was a full-length portrait of Bowie in a "flying suit" and white scarf, standing in front of an American flag and raising a glass. The final cover photo, a back-lit and airbrushed photo of Bowie, was taken in Los Angeles on 30 August 1974 by photographer Eric Stephen Jacobs.[1] Jacobs took inspiration from a similar photo he took of choreographer Toni Basil for the September 1974 cover of After Dark magazine.[9] Using that photo, Craig DeCamps designed the final cover at RCA Records' New York City office.[65][66] Sandford calls it one of the "classic" album covers.[28]
Release

RCA released "Young Americans" as the lead single to the album on 21 February 1975, with the Ziggy Stardust track "Suffragette City" as the B-side.[67][68] In the US, it was released in edited form,[69] omitting two verses and a chorus.[70] It reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, his second top 40 entry and second-highest chart peak in the US up to that point.[70][71] Bowie's November 1974 performance of the song on The Dick Cavett Show was used as promotion, airing on the BBC's Top of the Pops on 21 February 1975.[23]
A man with a woman holding a microphone
Bowie with Cher on the variety show Cher in November 1975. He sang "Fame" and "Can You Hear Me?" on the show.

Young Americans was released in the UK on 7 March 1975,[f][5][72][73] with the catalogue number RS 1006.[1] It reached number nine on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and remained on the chart for 51 weeks.[74] It stayed on the UK Albums Chart for 17 weeks, peaking at number two,[75] being kept off the top spot by Tom Jones's 20 Greatest Hits.[76] Elsewhere, Young Americans reached the top five in New Zealand and Sweden,[77][78] the top ten in Australia and Finland,[79][80] number 12 in France,[81] 13 in Norway,[82] 17 in Canada and 82 in Japan.[83][84] According to Buckley, sales were lower than Diamond Dogs overall.[71]

The second single "Fame" was released on 2 June in the US[69] and on 25 July in the UK, with album track "Right" as the B-side.[68] Although it only reached number 17 in the UK, "Fame" topped the charts in the US.[85] Its chart success was a surprise to Bowie, who recalled in 1990: "Even though [Lennon] had contributed to it and everything, and I had no idea, as with 'Let's Dance', that that was what a commercial single is. I haven't got a clue when it comes to singles. I just don't know about them, I don't get it, and 'Fame' was really out of left-field for me."[85] In early November, he became one of the first white artists to appear on ABC TV's Soul Train, where he gave a mimed performance of "Fame" and his new single "Golden Years";[32][85][86] he was one of the first white artists to appear on the programme.[5] He then sang "Fame" and "Can You Hear Me?" live on the CBS variety show Cher a few weeks later.[85][87]
99 edition on EMI featured 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no extra tracks.[129] The 2007 reissue, marketed as a "Special Edition", included an accompanying DVD, containing 5.1 surround sound mixes of the album and Bowie's November 1974 interview and performances on The Dick Cavett Show.[1][119][126][130] In 2016, the album was remastered for the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set, which also includes an earlier, rawer-sounding draft of the album, titled The Gouster.[131] It was released in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, both as part of this compilation and separately.[132]

The 1991 and 2007 reissues featured "Who Can I Be Now?", "John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)" and "It's Gonna Be Me" as bonus tracks; the latter was released in an alternate version with strings on the 2007 edition.[1] The 1991 reissue replaced the original versions of "Win", "Fascination" and "Right" with alternate mixes, but later reissues restored the original mixes. Another outtake, "After Today", appeared on the 1989 box set Sound + Vision, as did the alternate mix of "Fascination".[5][133]
Track listing

All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted[134]
Side oneNo. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Young Americans" 5:10
2. "Win" 4:44
3. "Fascination" Bowie, Luther Vandross 5:43
4. "Right" 4:13
Side twoNo. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Somebody Up There Likes Me" 6:30
2. "Across the Universe" John Lennon, Paul McCartney 4:30
3. "Can You Hear Me?" 5:04
4. "Fame" Bowie, Carlos Alomar, Lennon 4:12
Total length: 40:00
Personnel
According to the liner notes and biographer Nicholas Pegg,[1][134] except where noted.

David Bowie – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Carlos Alomar – guitars
Mike Garson – piano, clavinet ("Fascination" and "Right")[5]
David Sanborn – saxophone
Willie Weeks – bass guitar (all tracks except "Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Andy Newmark – drums (all tracks except "Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Earl Slick – guitars

Additional musicians
Larry Washington – congas
Ava Cherry – backing vocals
Robin Clark – backing vocals
Luther Vandross – backing vocals, vocal arrangements
Anthony Hinton – backing vocals
Diane Sumler – backing vocals
Tony Visconti – string arrangements
Pablo Rosario – percussion ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
John Lennon – vocals, guitar, backing vocals ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Emir Ksasan – bass guitar ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Dennis Davis – drums ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Ralph MacDonald – percussion ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Jean Fineberg – backing vocals ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")
Jean Millington – backing vocals ("Across the Universe" and "Fame")

Technical
David Bowie – producer
Tony Visconti – producer, mixer
Harry Maslin – producer, mixer, engineer (Record Plant)
Carl Parulow – engineer (Sigma Sound)
Mike Hutchinson – tape operator (Sigma Sound)
Eddie Kramer – engineer (Electric Lady)
David Whitman – tape operator (Electric Lady)
Kevin Herron – tape operator (Record Plant)
David Thoener – tape operator (Record Plant)
Greg Calbi – mastering engineer[27]
Eric Stephen Jacobs[g] – cover photograph
Craig DeCamps – cover design[66]