Bowie – Young Americans (2017 Remastered on 180g Vinyl)

Young Americans is the ninth studio album by David Bowie, released on 7 March 1975. The album marked a departure from the glam rock style of Bowie's previous albums, showcasing his interest in soul and R&B. Commentators have described the record as blue-eyed soul, while Bowie himself labelled the album's sound 'plastic soul'. Initial recording sessions took place following the first leg of his Diamond Dogs Tour in August 1974 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia with producer Tony Visconti and a variety of musicians, including guitarist Carlos Alomar, who would become one of Bowie’s most frequent collaborators, and then-unknown singer Luther Vandross. After the initial sessions, the tour continued, with the setlist and design changed due to the influence of the new material recorded; this portion of the tour has been labeled the Soul tour.

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Bowie – Young Americans (2017 Remastered on 180g Vinyl)

At the end of the tour, sessions continued at the Record Plant in New York City. After becoming friends with former Beatle John Lennon, the two collaborated on a session in January 1975 at Electric Lady Studios, with Harry Maslin producing. With Alomar, they recorded Fame and a cover of Lennon's Beatles song Across the Universe. The session also marked drummer Dennis Davis's first appearance on a Bowie record. Throughout the sessions, many outtakes were recorded and the record went through numerous working titles. The cover artwork is a back-lit photograph of Bowie taken by Eric Stephen Jacobs.

Upon its release, Young Americans was very successful in the US, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, with the single Fame becoming Bowie's first No. 1 hit. However, it received mixed reviews from music critics and continues to receive mixed reviews. Bowie himself had mixed feelings about the album throughout his lifetime. Nevertheless, Bowie biographers have considered it one of his most influential records, mainly noting him as among the first white musicians of the era to overtly engage with black musical styles.

Track Listing:

Side One

1. Young Americans
2. Win
3. Fascination
4. Right

Side Two

1. Somebody Up There Likes Me
2. Across the Universe
3. Can You Hear Me
4. Fame