📰 Holy Holy – Review : Jan. 1971
- David Bowie
- Jan 9, 1971
- 3 min read
A short, punchy single review reacts to David Bowie’s standalone “Holy Holy” with a mix of bemusement and reluctant admiration, describing it as the “meanest man with a knife in the West” while noting its strangely attractive, almost hypnotic quality.
The reviewer draws playful comparisons to John Wayne defending the Alamo and likens the sound to a “cowpoke from Beckenham,” blending Wild West imagery with Syd Barrett-like eccentricity.
This January 9, 1971 Melody Maker review captures Bowie in a transitional phase — post-folk, pre-glam — when his experimental edge still felt raw and unpredictable to critics.
🗞 Melody Maker
📅 Date: January 9, 1971
⏱ Length: 3 min read
📰 Key Highlights
• Description of “Holy Holy” as the “meanest man with a knife in the West”
• Comparison of the track’s intensity to John Wayne defending the Alamo
• Note on the song’s strangely attractive, hypnotic quality despite its oddness
• Likening Bowie’s delivery to a “cowpoke from Beckenham” with a Syd Barrett-like edge
• Acknowledgement that the record has a compelling, almost addictive sound
📰 Overview
Published in the January 9, 1971 issue of Melody Maker, this brief single review offers an early, slightly bewildered reaction to David Bowie’s standalone single “Holy Holy” on Mercury. The piece reflects the transitional moment in Bowie’s career when he was experimenting with heavier, more eccentric sounds before fully committing to the glam-rock persona that would define him.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Melody Maker
Date: January 9, 1971
Format: Single review
Provenance Notes: Verified directly from the preserved magazine page; typical short review column with bold headline and dense, opinionated text.
📰 The Story
The review opens with a vivid, almost cinematic description: “Bowie the meanest man with a knife in the West.” It imagines the listener watching John Wayne defend the Alamo on TV and feeling a lump in the throat, then hearing Bowie’s track and experiencing a similar surge of emotion. The reviewer admits the song has a “strangely attractive sound,” comparing it to a cowboy from Beckenham with echoes of Syd Barrett’s eccentric style.
Despite its oddity, the track is acknowledged as having a compelling, hypnotic quality that makes it hard to dismiss. The piece reflects the confusion many critics felt toward Bowie’s evolving sound at this stage — raw, theatrical, and difficult to categorise — yet already hinting at the magnetic charisma that would soon make him a star.
📰 Visual Archive
Text-only review column with no accompanying photograph on the visible clipping. The layout features a bold headline “Holy Holy” and dense, conversational prose typical of early-1970s Melody Maker single reviews.
Caption: Melody Maker single review of David Bowie’s “Holy Holy,” January 9, 1971.
📰 Related Material
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📰 Closing Notes
This January 1971 Melody Maker review is a fascinating early glimpse of David Bowie before the full Ziggy explosion. Its mix of bewilderment and reluctant fascination shows how unconventional and ahead of its time his sound still felt, even as the foundations of his future stardom were already forming.
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle 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.
Exact Text from the Review
DAVID BOWIE: "Holy Holy" (Mercury). Shucks, Bowie the meanest it's man with a knife in the West. Did yuh see him defending the Alamo on TV the other night? Sure brought a lump to my throat, especially when John Wayne talked about "Republic" and "a baby's cry." And when the Mexicians were being shot down, somehow I felt proud of them, even though I wus KILLING them, I felt proud of them! Holy cow this ain't Jim Bowie, it's that cowpoke from Becken-ham. Dave sounds a bit like Syd Barrett here on this strangely attractive sound.
Do you have this release in your archive? Shucks, it’s Bowie!
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