David Bowie (May 24 1974) Diamond Dogs - Studio Album UK

A dark, dystopian glam-rock masterpiece and Bowie’s last great album in the Ziggy-era style.

Date: 24 May 1974

Catalogue: APLI 0576 (LP) / APK1 0576 (Cassette) / APS1 0576 (8-Track) Format: Vinyl LP (Gatefold), Cassette, 8-Track Cartridge

Country: United Kingdom

Label: RCA Victor

THE STORY Released on 24 May 1974, Diamond Dogs was David Bowie’s eighth studio album. Originally planned as a musical based on George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, it evolved into a loose concept album about urban decay, rebellion, and apocalypse. Bowie produced the album himself, played lead guitar, and introduced the new persona Halloween Jack. It marked the end of his glam rock period.

CONTEXT & NOTES

The controversial cover by Guy Peellaert (Bowie as a half-man, half-dog hybrid) caused some censorship issues. Diamond Dogs was a major commercial success, topping the UK Albums Chart and reaching No. 5 in the US.

TRACK LIST

UK Vinyl LP (APLI 0576) – Gatefold

Side A

A1a. Future Legend – 1:00 (Midway through the track, Bowie plays a version of Richard Rodgers’ “Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered” on guitar. The song first appeared in the 1940 musical Pal Joey. Towards the end, Bowie also nods to Scott Walker’s rendition of Bacharach & David’s “Any Day Now”. The segue into “Diamond Dogs” includes crowd noise sampled from Rod Stewart & The Faces’ live album Coast To Coast Overtures For Beginners, featuring Rod Stewart’s exclamation “Hey!”)

A1b. Bewitched

A2. Diamond Dogs – 5:50

A3. Sweet Thing – 3:29

A4. Candidate – 2:39

A5. Sweet Thing (Reprise) – 2:32

A6. Rebel Rebel – 4:21

Side B

B1. Rock 'N' Roll With Me – 3:54

B2. We Are The Dead – 4:48

B3. 1984 – 3:24

B4. Big Brother – 3:25

B5. Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family – 1:48

All Variants

• UK LP Gatefold (RCA Victor APLI 0576) – Early pressings with/without printer credit on label

• UK Cassette (RCA APK1 0576)

• UK 8-Track Cartridge (RCA APS1 0576)

• US & International pressings

• Note on “Future Legend” Label Credits: 

The “Bewitched” excerpt credit was missing on the very first UK releases. It was later added as “Bewitched (R. Rodgers)”, then corrected to “(Rodgers/Hart)” on 1980s reissues, and eventually removed again from 1990s editions onward.

CHART PERFORMANCE 

UK Albums Chart: Peak No. 1

US Billboard 200: Peak No. 5

PERSONNEL

• David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone, synthesizer, mellotron, production, arrangement

• Herbie Flowers – bass

• Aynsley Dunbar, Tony Newman – drums

• Mike Garson – keyboards

• Alan Parker – guitar (“1984”)

• Tony Visconti – string arrangement (“1984”)

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Iconic gatefold sleeve with Guy Peellaert’s half-dog Bowie painting

• Inner gatefold photography by Leee Black Childers

WHAT THE LABEL / SLEEVE SHOWS Orange RCA Victor labels with striking apocalyptic artwork and the half-dog Bowie image.

RELATED MATERIAL (Singles from Diamond Dogs)

• Rebel Rebel (15 February 1974)

• Diamond Dogs (14 June 1974)

• 1984 (July 1974 – US & Japan only)

SOURCES Discogs • 45cat • BBC Official Charts • Wikipedia

COPYRIGHT NOTICE All single artwork, photographs, logos, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.