David Bowie

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Where does one start when analysing the influence of the thin white one ?  Bowie's impact on the whole spectrum of rock'n'pop and then even soul and ambience throughout the seventies and into the early Eighties was nothing short of apocalyptic. 

Wayne County alleges in the book Please Kill Me that Bowie ripped of the whole glam/transvestite thang from him. If he did then good luck to him coz he had the genius to pull it off. Bowie rescued rock. Rock again became dangerous, sexy, confusing, rebellious and annoying to parents. And of course it sold !!! More than this Bowie was supposedly bisexual.

 Ziggy Stardust was the one that broke the mould after David Jones had spent years warbling away hippily with an acoustic guitar and singing about laughing gnomes. It took gender fantasy into the boudoirs of teenagers and post teenagers alike with its combination of sassy spaced out introspection and strange costumes leaving one nipple and leg exposed and the lunchpack on display. Suddenly everyone wanted to make love with  their egos and make up sales rocketed. It also introduced the world to Hang On To Yourself and a bass line the Ramones would base a career on. The role of rock star had to be examined anew aided by the guitar of one Mick Ronson so beloved of later punk bands like Slaughter & The Dogs  and Shanne from the Nips who swore he had the sexiest handshake ! 

Aladdin Sane took the androgyny further silver body paint an all while Diamond Dogs proved you could chant blankly while the world expired. 

Ever the chameleon, Bowie then switched to smooth white soul for Young Americans and Station To Station  before coming up trumps again in 77 with the magnificent soaring Heroes. Sadly duets with Queen and Mick Jagger and selling himself to Pepsi sold the dream off piece by piece while The Tin Machine and drum and bass forays have attempted to repair the damage. 

Without doubt 75% of the challenging and unconventional in music comes from Mr Bowie - from the whole of glam rock thru to Mr Manson. 
Ziggy Stardust Aladdin Sane Hunky Dory Diamond Dogs Heroes

Suggested listening
 All of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars and any Greatest hits package should do you.

Look out for John I'm Only Dancing, the epic Heroes and the superlative velvets cum buzzsaw guitar of  Queen Bitch as covered by Eater. Don't forget Bowie's work on Iggy Pop's The Idiot and Lust For Life.

Audio Clips - Click on song to hear

 Queen Bitch  

 Hang On To Yourself

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