David Bowie: "Young Americans Single - Last Years Mr Zero" Review (1975)

David Bowie’s "Young Americans Single - Last Years Mr Zero", a one-page review in Scrapbook, February 22, 1975.

SINGLES OF THE WEEK

1. DAVID BOWIE: "Young Americans (RCA). Vis-à-vis the Philly Soul remarks available free of charge elsewhere in this column, here comes last year's Mr. Zero with his own mutation of the black 'n' white axis.

Rhythmically as English as only Bowie can be, this large-scale performance scores most noticeably with its startling offset of white lead (The Preacher) against black chorus (The Gospel Choir). As yet the words are only sounds to this listener, but them sounds are good and what is intelligible is also abrasively positive. Note also the fruits of "Diamond Dogs" in the instrumental bridge; this kind of texturing is very far out.

And, while I'm hearing the sounds of marching feet, how about the Lennon inflections in the final verses (not to mention the more obvious "Day In The Life" allusion hurled out by the chorus during the coda)? A Bowie-Lennon partnership could just be what we've all been waiting for; try, for example, to imagine the sound of the better stuff from "Some Time In New York City" matched with sharp lyrics. Be that as it may, nothing can stop "Young Americans" from being a monster - and, if it's typical of Bowie's new album, there seems equally little reason to suppose that the man's not back in business in a big way.