Released on 24 May 1974, "Diamond Dogs" was the eighth studio album by English musician David Bowie, produced by Bowie himself and recorded it in early 1974 between London and The Netherlands, Bowie played lead guitar in the absence of Mick Ronson, the album featured the return of Tony Visconti. Musically, it was Bowie's final work in the glam rock scene, the sound were influenced by funk and soul music. The album spawned "Rebel Rebel", "Diamond Dogs", & "1984".
Conceived during a period of uncertainty, "Diamond Dogs" is the result of multiple projects Bowie envisioned at the time, "Ziggy Stardust" influence, the adaptation of George Orwell's novel "Nineteeen Eighty-Four", and the urban apocalyptic scenario based on the writings of William S. Burroughs, the album was a commercial success, peaking at No. 4 in the U.K., and No. 5 in the United States, considered one of his finest works and greatest albums of all his entire career.
No wanting "Ziggy Stardust" to define his career, he disbanded his band and parted ways with producer Ken Scott, this brought him to a more experimental territory and a daring musical projects, indeed "Diamond Dogs is a combination of numerous projects Bowie envisioned at the time, after and interview Bowie conducted with writer William S. Burroughs, then later confessed he had begun using Burrough's cut-up techniques as a way of inspiration, he also casually mentioned adapting George Orwell's 1949 novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four", which was a Bowie favourite for television, unfortunately Sonia Orwell denied Bowie the rights to use the novel, this annoyed Bowie a lot, indeed she refused to allow any adaptation of her late husband for the rest of her life until her death in 1980, then Bowie decided to creat his own apocalyptic scenario inspired by Burroughs works, a song of this scenario was "Diamond Dogs" and "Future Legend".
"Diamond Dogs" was a milestone in Bowie's career, and Visconti production help to define the musician sound fo the rest of the decade. It was Bowie's last glam rock album, so therefore, the music and lyrics had to be different, many considered the album as an english proto-punk record, some others called post-glam, or even dark proto-punk, the music still has a small step in the glam rock area, but Bowie eager to curiosity helped to explored some others genres like soul, and even Broadway style which is evident in "Big Brother" and "Sweet Thing", some alternations between power gararge-rock and sophisticated, synthesiser-heavy apocalyptic ballads and some elements of blaxploitation funk and soul, rock opera and European art song.
The album opened with "Future Legend" a spoken words that depict an urban apocalypse, "The Wild Boys" novel inspire the visions of decay, "Diamond Dogs" depicts a pack of feral kids camped on high-rise roofs terrorizing the streets they live above, "Sweet Thing" and "Candidate" is considered by many, the album highlights, Bowie's vocal performance is one of his finest, in the first one, paints picture of decay, with sex being a drug-like commodity and "Candidate" is a reference to Charles Manson and Muhammad Ali, "Rebel Rebel" one of Bowie's most covered track is based arount a distinctive guitar riff inspired by The Rolling Stones and was his last and farewell shot to glam rock era.
The second part began with "Rock 'n' Roll With Me" was Bowie's first co-writting credit with MacCormak, it is a power ballad exploring the realtionship between the audience and an actor, "We Are The Dead" reflect the characters on Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston and Julia's love for each other, is like a gothic lyric with creppy music, "1984" was the signature number for Bowie's failed adaption of the novel, it has been interpreted as representing Winston Smith's imprisonment and interrogation by O'Brien, "Big Brother" is the dangeruous charisma of absolute power and the facility with which societies succumb to totalitarism's final solutions, and finally "Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family" has this distorted guitar loop.
The album received mixed review from critis, compared the album to one of Bowie's most impressive work in his career, it was a more aesthetic Bowie than his previous records, and definitely this aided on his way to reinforce his musical presence in the rest of decade, unfortunately others considered the record as one of the most disturbing things Bowie recorded over the last six years at the time, a cheesy record with nothing to care about, in spite of all these critics, the album became one of Bowie's heavily influential milestones, the raw guitar style, the visions of urban chaos anticipated the punk revolution, so it is a visionary record then, also inspired the nihilism, gloom and doom images later some goth and industrial acts such as Bauhaus and NIN will incorporate on their music.
Diamond Dogs Track List:
1. Future Legend
2. Diamond Dogs
3. Sweet Thing
4. Candidate
5. Sweet Thing (Reprise)
6. Rebel Rebel
7. Rock 'n' Roll With Me
8. We Are The Dead
9. 1984
10. Big Brother
11. Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family
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