For A Limited Time Only! Things The Curmudgeon Actually LIKES - Part Three..
Hello. If this is the first review by The Curmudgeon that you've read, the above title may seem a little odd. Well, you see, my Amazon schtick involves rating only the very worst DVD's and CD's imaginable. I'm talking reality TV spawned singers. I'm talking lame sequels. Hell, I'm talking Martin Lawrence.
But not today. I reached 50 reviews slating the worst things I could find, and so decided for a change of pace for 5 reviews. Here I will review only the very best, the things that makes The Curmudgeon's world all bright, pink and fluffy. Strictly in a macho, hetero way of course. Ahem.
So, "Hunky Dory" by David Bowie. First off, let me squash an unkind assumption, that all of Bowie's more recent works are fairly worthless. They're not at all. His more recent albums have been excellent, and, indeed, it was his jungle-inspired dance song "Little Wonder" that got me into old weird eyes in the first place.
This though, I believe, is his best album. A record of depth, character and considerable humour, it goes from pop perfection, ("Changes", the chorus of "Oh You Pretty Things" is simply irresistably bouncy) to heartbreaking ("Quicksand", quite possibly my favourite every Bowie song). What it lacks in Ziggy Stardust's guitar feedback and snotty attitude, it makes up for in quiet contemplation and honesty, yet still managing to be a superb listening experience. Years from now you'll still be playing it, still be discovering something new.
Hunky Dory is, quite simply, a rock masterclass. Decades ahead of its time (the remastered version, away from some of the hiss and crackle of earlier pressings, sounds like it could have been released yesterday), it raised the bar about twenty notches over everything else. I doubt anyone has ever managed to top it.
There. Part three of five. That didn't hurt it, did it? Two more to go, but what, but what?
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