Project 1001: Station to Station by David Bowie
"The return of the Thin White Duke / throwing darts / in lovers' eyes / Here are we one magical moment / Such is the stuff from / where dreams are woven"
Before commenting about this album, I must confess that I’ve never been much of a Bowie fan. I’ve liked much of his stuff, but I’ve never bought any of his records. This album is really good though. Only six songs make up the entire thing and each one is very strong.
During the creation of this album Bowie’s life was in turmoil as he experienced horrible addictions to booze and the Bolivian marching powder while his marriage crumbled.1 It’s quite remarkable that he was able to produce such an enduring work of high quality under the circumstances.
My favorite track on the album is a wonderful cover version of “Wild is the Wind”. Another standout is “Golden Years” where we find Bowie promising someone a better future by coming with him. It’s an interesting proposition. Is he offering something real or just a one-night stand? Or given his addictions is it something darker? Either way, this track is a strong effort. Many observers consider this song one of Bowie’s best giving “a taste of (Station to Station’s) brilliance.2
I’ve been ambivalent to Bowie all these years, but this album moves me closer to being a fan. My rating:
AllMusic’s review had this to say:
“It's not an easy album to warm to, but its epic structure and clinical sound were an impressive, individualistic achievement, as well as a style that would prove enormously influential on post-punk.”3
Pitchfork called Station to Station “the most important tactical transition in a career built upon aesthetic reinvention.”4
In its 4-star review Blender wrote:
“It’s not the side effects of the cocaine/I’m thinking that it must be love,” purred the Thin White Duke (as the skeletal Bowie now called himself), fooling nobody — he claims he barely remembers making this drug-stupor album. The six long tracks here synthesize American R&B and German experimental music by way of Kabbalistic allegory and chilly sci-fi, capped off with the ’50s ballad “Wild Is the Wind.” It went to No. 3, his highest-charting album ever.5
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Claire Stuchbery wrote:
“The album was a transition both artistically (moving from plastic soul toward electronic minimalism) and personally (inspiring Bowie to clean up his addictions before relocating to Berlin). An inspiration to the British post-punk and New Romantic scenes, it remains one of Bowie’s most accomplished and enduring works.”6
Enjoy and listen without prejudice. Cheers!
Prime Playlist: 249. Station to Station by David Bowie
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: #37
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Golden Years”, #10; “TVC-15”, #648
• RIAA certification: Gold | February 26, 19769
Released on January 23, 1976. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow10
• Number one album: Gratitude by Earth, Wind & Fire11
• Number one movie: Dog Day Afternoon by Sidney Lumet12
• Most watched TV programs: All in the Family, Laverne and Shirley, Rich Man, Poor Man, Maude, The Bionic Woman, Phyllis, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sanford and Son, Rhoda, Happy Days13
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Curtain by Agatha Christie14
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Bring on the Empty Horses by David Niven15
Some other albums released that month
• Let the Music PlayL by Barry White
• Desire by Bob Dylan
• Songs for the New Depression by Bette Midler
• Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton
• Futuristic Dragon by T.Rex
• Run with the Pack by Bad Company
• Coney Island Baby by Lou Reed
• Look into the Future by Journey
• Born to Die by Grand Funk Railroad
• Havana Daydreamin' by Jimmy Buffett
• Lovin' and Learnin' by Tanya Tucker
• Native Sons by Loggins and Messina
• Sandman by Harry Nilsson
• Thoroughbred by Carole King
• To the Hilt by Golden Earring
• The Longhorn Jamboree Presents: Willie Nelson & His Friends by Willie Nelson16
Sport
• Jan 11 Dorothy Hamill (19) wins her 3rd consecutive US national figure skating championship.
• Jan 13 Future undisputed world middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler suffers his first career loss in a controversial 10-round majority decision to Bobby Watts at the Philadelphia Spectrum.
• Jan 14 Ted Turner becomes CEO of Atlanta Braves.
• Jan 18 Super Bowl X, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17; MVP: Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh, WR.
• Jan 20 29th NHL All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 7-5; MVP: Peter Mahovlich, Montreal, C.
• Jan 24 Former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman KOs Ron Lyle in 5th round at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas; Foreman knocked down twice in 4th; The Ring Fight of the Year.17
Notable Births
• Jan 13 Michael Peña, American actor (Crash; End of Watch, American Hustle; César Chávez), born in Chicago, Illinois.
• Jan 21 Emma Bunton, British pop singer (Spice Girls - "Girl Power"), born in London, England.
• Jan 26 Willie Adler, American rock guitar player (Lamb Of God), born in Richmond, Virginia.18
Historical Events
• Jan 19 Jimmy Carter wins the Iowa Democratic Caucus.
• Jan 21 Supersonic Concorde, first commercial flights, by Britain and France.
• Jan 22 Bank robbery in Beirut, Lebanon, nets $20-50 million (record).19
Notable Deaths
• Jan 8 Zhou Enlai(1898-1976), Premier of the People's Republic of China, dies of bladder cancer at 77.
• Jan 12 Agatha Christie(1890-1976), English mystery novelist (Murder on the Orient Express, Mousetrap), dies at 85.
• Jan 23 Paul Robeson(1898-1976), American stage and screen bass-baritone singer ("Old Man River"), actor, and civil rights activist, dies of stroke complications in Philadelphia at 77.20
Stuchbery, Claire, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 356.
Stuchbery.
Ibid.
Ibid.