This is a great record. Often seen as a poor relation to 'Ziggy Stardust', I prefer this for all sorts of reasons. It may have been recorded in a rush during what must have seemed an endless tour, but Bowie is on such a roll here, that everything more or less comes out golden.Stylistically, it's more muscular than it's predecessor. Not only had Bowie's performance skills continued to improve, but the support from his band is noticeably stronger. Mick Ronson, Bowie's guitarist and right-hand-man at the time earns his reputation as a great guitarist, but the real revelation is Mike Garson, Bowie's touring keyboard player, joining him on record for the first time. His contributions - sometimes bafflingly avant-garde, such as in the title track, and sometimes beautifully delicate, such as in 'Lady Grinning Soul' are utterly wonderful.
The two singles from this album are both brilliant. 'Drive In Saturday', often overlooked, is a perfectly created pop song. It's a measure of Bowie's confidence at the time that he was willing to give the song away to Mott the Hoople who happily turned it down. 'The Jean Genie', on the other hand, sounds like it was thrown together in a five minute window, but is no less fantastic for it. Other highlights include the powerful opener 'Watch That Man', the somewhat deranged 'Time', and a re-recorded version of 'The Prettiest Star' - formerly a fairly weak single, dramatically improved here.
The only weak spots are 'Panic In Detroit' which bumbles along pointlessly for its duration, and 'Let's Spend The Night Together' - a Rolling Stones cover that isn't bad, but goes to illustrate how far ahead of his contemporaries Bowie was operating. It's a shame he didn't drop it to give 'John, I'm Only Dancing' a well deserved good home.
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