Mike’s LP #1 – Bowie’s Station to Station

I’ve been a pretty big Bowie fan since early in high school. I can’t say I’ve listened to everything he’s done since “Let’s Dance,” but I’ve been through most of his stuff from the 70s. STATION TO STATION is just one of those albums that escaped me—I never knew anyone who owned it, and I never took the risk of buying the CD when Bowie was still growing on me.

For this experiment, I decided to listen to the CD at least six times. I wanted to really give it a chance to enter my consciousness. It worked—I got to the point where I knew which songs were coming up and could anticipate certain hooks and lyrics.

I was prepared for this experience by my brush with LOW, which is the LP that comes after Station chronologically. Station doesn’t have as much electronic weirdness (Brian Eno hadn’t jumped on board yet), but it’s got it’s own brand of strange. The title song is so different from other Bowie album starters—lengthy like some, but more so—it is basically two looooong extended grooves. It’s not bad in the background if I’m taking a long walk, but I don’t think I’d subject any of my loved ones to it.

Next comes “Golden Years,” which I’m glad to finally know in its proper context. The fuzz guitar and incessant hi-hat are the perfect, fun parfait after the extended opener. “Word On a Wing” brings it down again before the incredibly strange yet intriguing “Tvc15,” a science fiction romp set to honky-tonk piano and 50s-style doo-wop vocals. It really starts to sound like a Bowie song, in the traditional sense, when he brings in the hand claps, screeching guitar and horns during the chorus.

“Stay” keeps the party going. It’s downright groovy, complete with funky guitar and a bass line that borders on disco. Last comes the other song I’d previously heard, “Wild is the Wind.” It’s still not exactly a favorite of mine, but in the context here, it’s an appropriate romantic let down after twelve minutes of motion.

Overall, I’m glad that I took the chance to get to know this album. While I don’t expect to play the whole thing very often,“Tvc15” and “Stay” will be residing in my iPod, where they’ll join my all-too-managed shuffle playlist.

Next Week: London Calling (The Clash)