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Station to Station

This article is about the David Bowie album. For the album's title track, seeStation to Station (song).For other uses, seeStation to Station (disambiguation).

Station to Stationis the tenthstudio albumby the English musicianDavid Bowie,released on 23 January 1976 throughRCA Records.Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance personathe Thin White Duke.Co-produced by Bowie andHarry Maslin,Station to Stationwas mainly recorded atCherokee Studiosin Los Angeles, California, in late 1975, after Bowie completed shooting the filmThe Man Who Fell to Earth;thecover artfeatured a still from the film. During the sessions, Bowie was suffering from various drug addictions, most prominentlycocaine,and later said that he recalled almost nothing of the production.

Station to Station
A black-and-white photo of a man stepping into a room filled with cylindrical bars, imposed onto a thick white border with "STATIONTOSTATIONDAVIDBOWIE" in red text at the top
Studio albumby
David Bowie
Released23 January 1976(1976-01-23)
RecordedSeptember–November 1975
Studio
Genre
Length37:54
LabelRCA
Producer
David Bowiechronology
Young Americans
(1975) 		Station to Station
(1976) 		Changesonebowie
(1976)
SinglesfromStation to Station
  1. "Golden Years"
    Released: 21 November 1975
  2. "TVC 15"
    Released: 30 April 1976
  3. "Stay"
    Released: July 1976
Alternative cover
A colour photo of a man stepping into a room filled with cylindrical bars with "STATIONTOSTATIONDAVIDBOWIE" in red text at the top
1991 reissue cover

The commercial success of his previous release,Young Americans(1975), allowed Bowie greater freedom when he began recording his next album. The sessions established the lineup of guitaristCarlos Alomar,bassistGeorge Murrayand drummerDennis Davisthat Bowie would use for the rest of the decade, and also featured contributions by guitaristEarl Slickand pianistRoy Bittan.Musically,Station to Stationwas a transitional album for Bowie, developing thefunkandsoulofYoung Americanswhile presenting a new direction influenced by the German music genre ofkrautrock,particularly bands such asNeu!andKraftwerk.The lyrics reflected Bowie's preoccupations withFriedrich Nietzsche,Aleister Crowley,mythology and religion.

Preceded by the single "Golden Years",Station to Stationwas a commercial success, reaching the top five on the UK and US charts. After scrapping a soundtrack forThe Man Who Fell to Earth,Bowie supported the album with theIsolar Tourin early 1976, during which he attracted controversy with statements suggesting support forfascism.At the end of the tour, he moved to Europe to remove himself from L.A.'s drug culture. The styles explored onStation to Stationculminated in some of Bowie's most acclaimed work with theBerlin Trilogyover the next three years. Positively received by music critics on its release,Station to Stationhas appeared on several lists of the greatest albums of all time. It has been reissued multiple times and was remastered in 2016 as part of theWho Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)box set.

Background

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I paid with the worst manic depression of my life. My psyche went through the roof, it just fractured into pieces. I was hallucinating 24 hours a day...I felt like I'd fallen into the bowels of the earth.[1]

– Bowie on his cocaine addiction

David Bowiedeveloped acocaineaddiction in the summer of 1974, following the release of the albumDiamond Dogs.[2]TheAlan YentobdocumentaryCracked Actordepicted Bowie on theDiamond Dogs Tourin September 1974 and showcased his mental state.[3]Bowie said in a 1987 interview: "I was so blocked... so stoned... It's quite a casualty case, isn't it. I'm amazed I came out of that period, honest. When I see that now I cannot believe I survived it. I was so close to really throwing myself away physically, completely."[4]After seeing an advanced screening of the film in early 1975, directorNicolas Roegcontacted Bowie to discuss a role in hisupcoming adaptationofWalter Tevis's 1963 novelThe Man Who Fell to Earth.[5]Bowie accepted the role, and moved from New York to Los Angeles, California, where shooting was to take place.[6][7]

On his arrival in L.A., Bowie stayed withGlenn Hughes,the bassist for the English rock bandDeep Purple.[7]He also visited his old friend, singerIggy Pop,in rehab.[a]The two would attempt to record some material in May 1975, but the sessions were unproductive due to Pop'sheroinaddiction.[10]Hughes told the biographerMarc Spitzthat Bowie lived in an increasingly paranoid state, recalling he refused to useelevatorsbecause of hisfear of heights.His addiction severed friendships with the musiciansKeith Moon,John LennonandHarry Nilsson;he later said: "If you really want to lose all your friends and all of the relationships that you ever held dear, [cocaine is] the drug to do it with."[11]

According to the biographer David Buckley, Bowie's diet now consisted primarily of red and green peppers, milk and cocaine.[12]Bowie later admitted that he only weighed about 80 pounds and was "zonked out of his mind most of the time".[13]Hughes said Bowie would not sleep for "three to four days at a time".[14]Stories, mostly from one interview—pieces of which found their way intoPlayboyandRolling Stone—circulated of the singer living in a house full of ancient Egyptian artefacts, burning black candles, seeing bodies fall past his window, having hissemenstolen by witches, receiving secret messages fromthe Rolling Stones,and living in morbid fear of theLed ZeppelinguitaristJimmy Page.[15]In an interview withMelody Makerin 1977, Bowie described living in L.A.: "There's an underlying unease... You can feel it in every avenue... I've always been aware of how dubious a position it is to stay here for any length of time."[16]Three years later, he would tellNMEthat the city "should be wiped off the face of the earth".[17]In April 1975, Bowie announced his retirement from music, stating: "I've rocked my roll. It's a boring dead end. There will be no more rock'n'roll records or tours from me. The last thing I want to be is some useless fucking rock singer." The biographerNicholas Peggattributes this quote to Bowie's decaying mental state; his "retirement" lasted less than six months.[18][19]Shooting forThe Man Who Fell to Earthbegan in June 1975.[20]

Development

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Main article:The Man Who Fell to Earth
Before recordingStation to Station,Bowie starred inThe Man Who Fell to Earth,directed byNicolas Roeg(pictured in 2008).Bowie's work on the film partially inspired themes for his next album.

Bowie's heavy drug use continued during filming. He recalled in 1993: "My one snapshot of that film is not having to act...Just being me as I was perfectly adequate for the role. I wasn't of this earth at that particular time."[20]When shooting took place in New Mexico, he was reported to be in a much healthier state compared to his time in Los Angeles.[21]During his days off from filming, he began writing a collection of short stories calledThe Return of the Thin White Duke,[22]which he described as "partly autobiographical, mostly fiction, with a deal of magic in it;" he also recalled taking "400 books" for the shoot.[23][21]He began writing songs throughout filming,[24]including two— "TVC 15"and"Word on a Wing"—that would end up on his next album.[25][26]On top of this, he was in line to compose the film's soundtrack.[27]

In the film, Bowie portrays the lead role of Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien who travels to Earth in search of materials for his dying planet, eventually becoming corrupted by humans. Roeg warned the star that the part of Newton would likely remain with him for some time after the filming. With Roeg's agreement, Bowie developed his own look for the film, and this carried through to his public image over the next twelve months, as did Newton's air of fragility and aloofness.[24]Newton served as a major influence on Bowie's next onstage character,the Thin White Duke.[28]

Bowie's 1975 single "Fame",a collaboration with John Lennon,[29][30]was a massive commercial success, topping the charts in the US.[31]Bowie's labelRCA Recordswere eager for a follow-up.[26]After completing his work onThe Man Who Fell to Earthin September,[28]he returned to Los Angeles; his assistant Coco Schwab had recently acquired a house for him. Partly because of his drug addiction, his marriage to his wife,Angie,began falling apart. After recording backing vocals for Keith Moon's "Real Emotion",[18]he was ready to record his next album.[26]

Production

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Studio and personnel

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Station to Stationwas recorded primarily atCherokee Studiosin Los Angeles.[32]The studio opened in January 1975 and quickly became one of the city's busiest studios, attracting artists such asRod StewartandFrank Sinatra.Cherokee was more advanced than Philadelphia'sSigma Sound Studios,where Bowie had recordedYoung Americans(1975); it featured five studio rooms, 24-trackmixing consoles,24-hour session times, more space and a lounge bar. On arriving at Cherokee, Bowie sang a few notes in Studio One, played a piano chord, and said: "This will do nicely."[26]ProducerHarry Maslinsaid the studio was chosen because it was new and quiet, with lesspaparazziand media attention.[33]With a more advanced studio and no time constraints, the ethos of the sessions became experimentation.[34]

Returning from theYoung Americanssessions wasEarl Slick(pictured in 2011),who played lead guitar onStation to Station.[35]

Maslin, who co-produced "Fame" and "Across the Universe"onYoung Americans,was brought back by Bowie to produce.Tony Visconti,who after a three-year absence had recently returned to the Bowie fold mixingDiamond Dogsand co-producingDavid LiveandYoung Americans,was not involved because of competing schedules.[36]Also returning from theYoung Americanssessions were guitaristsCarlos AlomarandEarl Slick,drummerDennis Davisand Bowie's old friend Geoff MacCormick (now known asWarren Peace). BassistGeorge Murray,a player fromWeldon Irvine's group, was recruited to play bass.[26][18]Bowie would use the lineup of Alomar, Murray and Davis for the rest of the decade.[32]In mid-October, pianistRoy Bittan,a member ofBruce Springsteen'sE Street Band,joined the ensemble at the suggestion of Slick. Bittan recalled: "David knew we were coming to town and he wanted a keyboard player. It must have only been about three days. It's one of my favourite projects I've ever worked on." Following the departure ofMike Garson,[b]Bowie praised Bittan's contributions.[18]

AlthoughNMEeditorsRoy CarrandCharles Shaar Murraysurmised it was cut "in 10 days of feverish activity",[32]more recent scholarship contends that the album was recorded over a couple of months, with the sessions beginning in late September 1975[39]or early October[18][40]and ending in late November.[39]Initial working titles for the album includedThe Return of the Thin White DukeandGolden Years,[24]named after the first track recorded.[18]According to O'Leary, "Golden Years",which Bowie began writing before he began filmingThe Man Who Fell to Earth,was completed in ten days and issued as a single while the album was still being finished. Recording for "TVC 15" began shortly after the completion of "Golden Years".[26]

A cover of "Wild Is the Wind",written byDimitri TiomkinandNed Washingtonand first performed byJohnny Mathisin the 1957 filmof the same name,was recorded during the sessions. Bowie was inspired to record it after he met singerNina Simone,who had recorded her own cover in 1966. He recalled in 1993: "Her performance of [" Wild Is the Wind] "really affected me. I thought it was just tremendous, so I recorded it as an homage to Nina."[41]A guest during the sessions was Frank Sinatra, who praised Bowie's recording of "Wild Is the Wind". His feedback prompted Bowie to include it as the album's closing track.[42]While he had begun writing "Word on a Wing" during filming, both "Stay"and thetitle trackwere written and recorded entirely in the studio. The three tracks were composed throughout October and November, rather than in one quick rush.[26]Slick stated: "He had one or two songs written, but they were changed so drastically that you wouldn't know them from the first time anyway, so he basically wrote everything in the studio."[43]

Recording process

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I think he's far more advanced than the average producer. He knows a great deal about technical things. He doesn't know everything, he's not an engineer, but he knows more about arranging a song, he knows more about how to relate to people and get what he wants out of them... If you listen to the rhythms specifically on this album, there are very strange things going on rhythmically between all the instruments... If nothing else, David's a genius when it comes to working out rhythmic feels. He was the mainstay behind it all.[43]

– Harry Maslin on Bowie's role as a producer, 1976

For previous albums, Bowie had maintained a relatively straightforward recording process. He arrived at the studio with tracks that were fully written and rehearsed, recorded at a brisk pace, and the sessions concluded quickly.[44]With the massive commercial success ofYoung Americans,and a reissue of "Space Oddity"becoming his first UK number-one single, Bowie did not feel compelled to rush the process in L.A.[45]He arrived at Cherokee with fragments of songs rather than finished compositions, changing them as recording progressed.[46]He then gave the ideas to Alomar, who worked on the arrangements with Murray and Davis. After the backing tracks came saxophone, keyboard and lead guitar overdubs, followed by vocal tracks, ending with production effects. Bowie would use this new process for the rest of the decade.[45][47]Alomar recalled, "It was one of the most glorious albums that I've ever done... We experimented so much on it".[47]Maslin added, "I loved those sessions because we were totally open and experimental in our approach."[18]Slick contributed numerous guitar effects throughout the sessions. According to Bowie, "I got some quite extraordinary things out of Slick. I think it captured his imagination to makenoiseson guitar, and textures, rather than playing the right notes. "[48]Both Slick and Maslin praised Bowie's "on-the-spot approach". Slick found no rehearsals advantageous, resulting in a cleaner performance.[43]

Because of his heavy cocaine use, Bowie recalled remembering "only flashes" of the album's production, not even the studio, later admitting, "I know it was in LA because I've read it was".[15]Buckley says that Bowie's only memory of the sessions was "standing with Earl Slick in the studio and asking him to play aChuck Berryriff in the same key throughout the opening of 'Station to Station'. "The singer was not alone in his use of cocaine during the sessions; Alomar said," if there's a line of coke which is going to keep you awake till 8 a.m. so that you can do your guitar part, you do the line of coke... the coke use is driven by the inspiration ". Like Bowie, Slick had only vague memories of the recording:" That album's a little fuzzy—for the obvious reasons! We were in the studio and it was nuts—a lot of hours, a lot of late nights. "[47]Pegg says there were several 24 hour non-stop sessions; one day, work began at 7 a.m. ending at 9 a.m. the next day.[15]According to Spitz, at one point Bowie moved a bed into the studio.[42]One day, recording moved to the nearbyRecord Plant Studiosbecause Cherokee was already booked and Bowie did not want to lose momentum during the session.[15][45]Maslin recalled: "[Bowie] liked to work four days or so, very strenuous hours, and then take a few days off to rest and get charged up for another sprint."[15]Cherokee co-owner Bruce Robb told Spitz: "I'd come in the following day and they were all still working from the night before. I'd leave and they were still working."[42]

Mixing

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When mixingStation to Station,Maslin found using the 24-track mixing consoles a challenge, but they allowed flexibility. Richard Cromelin ofCircuswrites that having a large number of tracks allowed Maslin to "waste" a channel on one sound effect which could then be "tampered with", leaving other tracks for use by double-tracked instruments and vocals.[43]Bowie admitted to giving the record a commercial edge: "I compromised in the mixing. I wanted to do a dead mix... All the way through, no echo... I gave in and added that extra commercial touch. I wish I hadn't."[49]Speaking toCreemmagazine in 1977, Bowie proclaimed that the album was "devoid of spirit... Even the love songs are detached, but I think it's fascinating."[50]

Musical style

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Station to Stationis often cited as a transitional album in Bowie's career.[51]Developing thefunk,discoandsoulsound ofYoung Americans,the album also reflects the influences ofelectronicand the German music genre ofkrautrock,particularly by bands such asNeu!andKraftwerk.Bowie had exhibitedavant-gardeelements on the 1973 tracks "Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?)"and"Time".[32][49]According toRobert Christgau,Bowie's experimentation with African-American music styles had matured by the time he recordedStation to Station,as the record appropriated them "in a decidedly spacy and abrasive context";[52]he said it added soul to the "mechanical, fragmented, rather secondhand elegance" explored onAladdin Sane(1973).[53]Initial reviews ofStation to Stationconsidered it a "dance"album.[54][55]

German electronic bands such asKraftwerk(pictured in 1976)influenced the music onStation to Station.

As a whole, reviewers have classifiedStation to Station's music as "glacial, synthesizedfunk-rock",[56]"avant-gardeart-rock",[57]space rock,[58]"a hybrid of electronicR&B",[59]"eerieavant-pop",[60]"art-funk",[61]and "ice-funk".[62]AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewinewrites it includes "everything from epicballadsand disco to synthesized avant pop "while extending" the detachedplastic soulofYoung Americansto an elegant, robotic extreme ".[57]Chris Randle ofThe Village Voicelabeled the album "robotic R&B".[63]Maslin toldCircusmagazine: "There was no specific sound in mind. I don't think [Bowie] had any specific direction as far as whether it should be R&B, or more English-sounding, or more commercial or less commercial. I think he went out more to make a record this time than to worry about what it was going to turn out to be."[43]Bowie remarked in 1999 that the music on the album has a "certain charismatic quality to it... that really eats into you".[64]

The ten-minute title track has been described as heralding "a new era of experimentalism" for Bowie.[50][65]The song is split into two parts: a slow, hypnotic march, introduced by a noise resembling a train—created by Slick on guitar usingflangersand delay effects—before it abruptly changes to what Alan Light ofRolling Stonecalls a "celebratory groove", which lasts for the rest of the track.[32][66][67]PitchforkandRolling Stonedefined the track as a "momentousprog-disco suite "and a" Krautrock disco opus "respectively.[68][69]With its krautrock influence, it is the album's clearest foretaste of Bowie's subsequentBerlin Trilogy.[50][70]

The musical style of both "Golden Years" and "Stay" are built on the funk and soul ofYoung Americansbut with a harsher, grinding edge.[51]Bowie said the "Golden Years" was written for, and rejected by, American singerElvis Presley,while Angie Bowie claimed it was penned for her.[71][72]According to Pegg, the song lacks the "steelier musical landscape" of the rest of the album.[73]Author James Perone argues "Stay" represents a merger ofhard rockand blue-eyed funk.[51]"TVC 15", the album's most upbeat track,[74]has been compared to the music of the English rock bandthe Yardbirds.[32]"Wild Is the Wind" contains funky elements in its electric guitar playing, while the rhythm section and acoustic guitar add ajazzflavour.[75]AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco likens the music of "Word on a Wing" togospeland soul;[76]Perone compares it to the sound of American musicianRoy Orbison.[51]Both tracks have been categorised ashymnsand ballads.[77][78]

Lyrics and themes

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While living in his cocaine-induced, paranoid state, Bowie did not sleep for days, often reading books one after the other.[26]During a run-in with Jimmy Page in February 1975, Page discussed the works of the EnglishoccultistAleister Crowleywith him.[79]Bowie, whose tracks "Oh! You Pretty Things"and"Quicksand"from 1971'sHunky Doryhad exhibited occult influences,[80]immersed himself in Crowley's works.[79]He revisited concepts seen inHunky DoryandThe Man Who Sold the World's "The Supermen"(1970) such as German philosopherFriedrich Nietzsche's theory ofÜbermensch,or "Superman",[80]and studied new concepts such asNazifascination withHoly Grailmythology and theKabbalah.[32]Bowie would use all these ideas throughoutStation to Station,with Pegg describing the album's theme as a clash of "occultism andChristianity".[64]

Bowie in character as the Thin White Duke, who became the mouthpiece forStation to Station.

The title track introduces Bowie's new persona—the Thin White Duke—who became the mouthpiece forStation to Stationand often during the next six months, for Bowie himself.[65][32][67]The character, inspired by Thomas Jerome Newton,[28]dressed impeccably in a white shirt, black trousers and waistcoat. Carr and Murray described him as a hollow man who sang songs of romance with an agonised intensity, yet felt nothing, "ice masquerading as fire",[32]exuberantly "throwing darts in lovers' eyes."[51]Commentators have labelled the persona "a mad aristocrat",[32]"an amoral zombie",[81]and "an emotionlessAryansuperman ".[49]For Bowie himself, the Duke was "a nasty character indeed".[82]

Despite the noise of a train in the opening moments, Bowie said the title of "Station to Station" does not refer so much to railway stations as to theStations of the Cross,the series of 14 images depictingChrist's path tohis crucifixion,each symbolising a stopping-point forprayer.[70]He added it was about theKabbalistic Tree of Life,evident in the line "fromKethertoMalkuth",which bookend the Tree of Life:[83]"so for me the whole album was symbolic and representative of the trip through the Tree of Life".[49]Pegg believes the song displays a combination of Christian and Jewish allusions.[70]The song refers toWilliam Shakespeare's playThe Tempest.[84]Fixation with the occult was evident in such phrases as "white stains",the name of a book of poetry by Crowley. Cocaine is also referenced directly in the line:" It's not the side effects of the cocaine / I'm thinking that it must be love. "[85]

Spitz interpretsStation to Stationas "an album of love songs", specifically "the kind you write when you have no love in your own life".[86]Indeed, Perone considers "Golden Years" the type of love song that does not feature the word"love".The song's character assures his companion that he will always protect her no matter what and promises her a brighter future.[51]Carr and Murray write it carries "an air of regret for missed opportunities and past pleasures".[32]The lyrics of "Stay" have been interpreted as reflecting on "the uncertainty of sexual conquest",[87]and as an example of "the Duke's spurious romanticism".[32]

Religious themes, as well as belief inspirituality,are prevalent on "Station to Station", "Word on a Wing", "Golden Years" and "TVC 15";[49][51]for Carr and Murray religion, like love, was simply another way for the Duke to "test his numbness".[32]Bowie has claimed that on "Word on a Wing", at least, "the passion is genuine".[17]There is a comedic flavour in "TVC 15",[87]which multiple commentators describe as a "surreal comedy".[25][88]It concerns a character's girlfriend being eaten by a television.[51]The song was inspired by adreamof Iggy Pop's featuring a similar premise, as well as a scene inThe Man Who Fell to Earthwhere Newton fills a room with television screens, each tuned to a different channel. Pegg calls it the album's "odd man out".[25]

Artwork and packaging

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The album cover is ablack-and-whitephotograph taken bySteve Schapiro[89]on the set of the filmThe Man Who Fell to Earth,in which Bowie, as Newton, steps into the space capsule that will return him to his home planet.[90][49]Bowie had insisted on the cropped monochrome image, feeling that in the original coloured full-size image the sky looked artificial;[32]an all-white border was placed around the image, which Pegg believes reflects the "stark monochrome aesthetic" of both the Thin White Duke character and the 1976 tour. He also contends that the monochrome cover matches the "austere tone" of the album.[49]The full-size, colour version was used for some subsequent reissues of the album.[49]The back cover's photograph was taken in Los Angeles in 1974, also by Schapiro,[91]and showed Bowie sketching the KabbalahSephirotwith chalk. It was Bowie's first LP not to include lyric sheets in the packaging,[92]which was criticised in contemporary reviews byStreet LifeandNME.[54][93]

Promotion and release

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Bowie performing withCheron the variety showThe Cher Show,November 1975

RCA released "Golden Years" as the album'slead singleon 21 November 1975, with theYoung Americanstrack "Can You Hear Me?"as theB-side.[94]On 4 November, Bowie appeared on the American television showSoul Train,miming to "Fame" and the then-unreleased "Golden Years". Bowie was the second white artist to appear on the programme, afterElton Johnsix months earlier.[95]During the performance and interview, he was visibly drunk and,[96]according to Pegg, was at a "new low in coherency". Bowie later felt ashamed for his behaviour, recalling in 1999 that he had failed to learn the new single and was scolded afterwards by the show'sDJ.[95]The resulting film clip was used as the song's unofficialmusic videoto promote the single worldwide. Commercially, "Golden Years" reached the top ten in the UK and the US but, like "Rebel Rebel"'s relationship toDiamond Dogs(1974), was a somewhat unrepresentative teaser for the album to come.[97]

FollowingSoul Train,Bowie appeared onThe Cher Showon 23 November, performing "Fame" and a duet of "Can You Hear Me?" with singerCher.[95]He then appeared via satellite onITV'sRussell Harty Plusfive days later.[98][99]At the turn of the new year, on 3 January 1976, Bowie and his band appeared on theDinah Shore-hosted variety showDinah!and performed "Stay",[100]—the song's public debut.[101]RCA releasedStation to Stationon 23 January, with the catalogue number APLI 1327.[26]It was a commercial success, peaking at number three on the USBillboardTop LPs & Tapechart, remaining on the chart for 32 weeks.[102]It became Bowie's highest-charting album in the US[103]untilThe Next Day,which reached number two in 2013.[104]Station to Stationwascertified goldby theRecording Industry Association of Americaon 26 February 1976.[105]In the UK, it charted for seventeen weeks, peaking at number five,[106]the last time one of Bowie's studio albums charted lower in his home country than in America.[103]Elsewhere, the album peaked in the top three in Canada, France and the Netherlands,[107][108][109]and the top ten in Australia, Japan, Norway and New Zealand.[110][111][112][113]

The title track was released in France as a7-inchpromotional singlein January 1976. It featured a shortened version of the track, lasting just over three-and-a-half minutes, with "TVC 15" as the B-side.[114]"TVC 15" was released in edited form as the second single from the album on 30 April 1976, backed by theDiamond Dogstrack "We Are the Dead".[94]Its release coincided with the European leg of the Isolar tour. It peaked at number 33 in the UK.[25]"Stay" was first issued, in its full-length form, as the B-side of the "Suffragette City"single in the summer of 1976 to promote theChangesonebowiecompilation. An edited version was subsequently released in July as an A-side in the US and other territories, backed by "Word on a Wing".[115]It failed to chart.[19]The song, however, did not appear on the compilation. (Changesonebowiewas itself packaged as a uniform edition toStation to Station,featuring a black-and-white cover and similar lettering).[116]In November 1981, as Bowie's relationship with RCA was winding down, "Wild Is the Wind" was issued as a single to promote theChangestwobowiecompilation. The full-length version of "Golden Years" backed the UK single.[41][117]Accompanied by a new music video shot specifically for the release, it peaked at number 24 in the UK and charted for ten weeks.[118]

Critical reception

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Station to Stationreceived positive reviews from music critics on its release. Paul Trynka says overall, critics acknowledged that Bowie was exploring new territories.[44]Ian MacDonaldnoted Bowie's musical growth in Britain'sStreet Lifemagazine, recognising it as one of his finest albums up to that point. He believed it was the first album he'd released where it felt he had total control.[93]Writing forNME,Charles Murray praised the music throughout the record, but was critical of Bowie's vocal performance, particularly on "Word on a Wing" and "Wild Is the Wind".[54]Another reviewer forNMEfound the album "a strange and confusing musical whirlpool where nothing is what it seems", ultimately calling it "one of the most significant albums released in the last five years".[119]The magazine named it the second best album of the year, behindBob Dylan'sDesire.[120]John Ingham ofSoundsmagazine gave immense praise to the album, naming "Golden Years", "TVC 15" and "Stay" some of Bowie's best songs up to that point and overall "a great record of our time". Musically, he viewed it as a cross betweenThe Man Who Sold the WorldandYoung Americans.[121]Some reviewers found the lyrics' meaning difficult to comprehend,[119]with Ingham citing "TVC 15" as an example. However, he felt it was part of the LP's charm.[121]

In America,Billboardfelt Bowie had "found his musical niche" with songs like "Fame" and "Golden Years" but that "the 10-minute title cut drags".[55]Rolling Stonewriter Teri Moris applauded the album's 'rockier' moments but discerned a move away from the genre, finding it "the thoughtfully professional effort of a style-conscious artist whose ability to write and perform demanding rock & roll exists comfortably alongside his fascination for diverse forms... while there's little doubt about his skill, one wonders how long he'll continue wrestling with rock at all".[122]CriticDave Marshwas extremely negative, calling it "the most significant advance in LP filler sinceLou Reed'sMetal Machine Music[1975] ". Considering" Word on a Wing "the" only complete success "on the LP, he panned the tracks as overlong, unexciting and uninteresting, further arguing that" it's rather appalling that the best thing [Bowie] can think of doing with his talent currently is fool around. "[123]

Rock criticLester Bangs,who gave Bowie's work negative assessments throughout the 1970s, praisedStation to StationinCreemmagazine, noting the presence of "a wail and throb that won't let up" and "a beautiful, swelling, intensely romantic melancholy", calling it his "(first) masterpiece".[92]InCircus,Cromelin, noting that Bowie was "never one to maintain continuity in his work or in his life", declared thatStation to Station"offers cryptic, expressionistic glimpses that let us feel the contours and palpitations of the masquer's soul but never fully reveal his face". Cromelin also found allusions to earlier Bowie efforts, such as the "density" ofThe Man Who Sold the World,the "pop feel" ofHunky Dory,the "dissonance and angst" ofAladdin Sane,the "compelling percussion" ofYoung Americans,and the "youthful mysticism" of "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud"(1969), concluding" it shows Bowie pulling out on the most challenging leg of his winding journey ".[43]Ben Edmonds' did not find the LP one of Bowie's best works inPhonograph Record,instead believed thatStation to Stationis merely a "stopping place" where he can reflect and plan his next musical journey, "which his followers always expect him to make". However, he noted the album's overall cohesiveness and praised the backing band, calling them Bowie's finest sincethe Spiders from Mars.[124]

Station to Stationwas voted the 13th best album of 1976 in thePazz & Jop,an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published byThe Village Voice.[125]Reviewing the record for the newspaper,Robert Christgauexpressed some reservations about the length of the songs and the detached quality of Bowie's vocals, but deemed "TVC 15" his "favorite piece of rock and roll in a very long time" and wrote, "spaceyness has always been his shtick, and anybody who can mergeLou Reed,disco, andDr. John... deserves to keep doing it for five minutes and 29 seconds ".[126]He ranked it as the year's fourth best in his ballot for the poll.[127]

Subsequent events

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Further information:Isolar – 1976 Tour

With theStation to Stationsessions completed in December 1975, Bowie started work on a soundtrack forThe Man Who Fell to EarthwithPaul Buckmaster,whom Bowie worked with forSpace Oddity(1969), as his collaborator.[128]Bowie expected to be wholly responsible for the film's music but found that "when I'd finished five or six pieces, I was then told that if I would care to submit my music along with some other people's... and I just said 'Shit, you're not getting any of it'. I was so furious, I'd putsomuch work into it. "[17]Notwithstanding, Maslin argued Bowie was "burned out" and could not complete the work in any case. The singer eventually collapsed, admitting later, "There were pieces of me laying all over the floor".[128]When Bowie presented his material for the film to Roeg, the director decided it was unsuitable. He preferred a more folksy sound, althoughJohn Phillips(the chosen composer for the soundtrack) described Bowie's contributions as "haunting and beautiful".[129]In the event, only one instrumental composed for the soundtrack saw the light of day, evolving into "Subterraneans"on his next studio album,Low.[17]

Bowie, in character as the Thin White Duke, on stage during the Isolar Tour in Toronto.

With the soundtrack album abandoned, Bowie decided he was ready to free himself of Los Angeles' drug culture and move back to Europe.[130][128]In January 1976, he began rehearsals for theIsolar Tourto promoteStation to Station,which began on 2 February 1976 and ended on 18 May.[131][132]Iggy Pop, who, like Bowie, was ready to quit his drug addiction, accompanied him on the tour.[c][133][134]Due to disagreements with Bowie's management, Stacy Heydon replaced Slick on lead guitar.[d][26][132]Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity"was used as an overture to the shows, accompanying footage fromLuis Buñuel's andSalvador Dalí'ssurrealistfilmUn Chien Andalou(1929).[137]The staging featured Bowie, dressed in the Duke's habitual black waistcoat and trousers, a pack ofGitanesplaced ostentatiously in his pocket, moving stiffly among "curtains of white light",[32]an effect that spawned the nickname 'the White Light Tour'.[137]In 1989, Bowie reflected, "I wanted to go back to a kind ofExpressionist German-filmlook... and the lighting of, say,Fritz LangorPabst.A black-and-white movies look, but with an intensity that was sort of aggressive. I think for me, personally, theatrically, that was the most successful tour I've ever done. "[39]The Isolar Tour was the source of one of the artist's best-knownbootlegs,culled from anFM radio broadcastof his 23 March 1976 concert atNassau Coliseum.[137]Alive album,Live Nassau Coliseum '76,was officially released years later.[138]

Bowie drew criticism during the tour for his alleged pro-fascist views. In a 1974 interview, he had declared, "Adolf Hitlerwas one of the first rock stars... quite as good asJagger... He staged a country ",[139]but managed to avoid condemnation. On the Isolar Tour, however, a series of incidents attracted publicity, starting in April 1976 with his detention by customs in Eastern Europe for possession of Nazi memorabilia. The same month inStockholm,he was quoted as saying that "Britain could benefit from a fascist leader".[139]Bowie would blame his addictions and the persona of the Thin White Duke for his lapses in judgment.[140]The controversy culminated on 2 May 1976, shortly before the tour ended, in the so-called 'Victoria Stationincident' in London, when Bowie arrived in an open-topMercedesconvertibleand apparently gave a Nazi salute to the crowd that was captured on film and published inNME.Bowie claimed that the photographer simply caught him in mid-wave,[141]a contention backed by a youngGary Numanwho was among the crowd that day: "Think about it. If a photographer takes a whole motor-driven film of someone doing a wave, you will get a Nazi salute at the end of each arm-sweep. All you need is some dickhead at a music paper or whatever to make an issue out it...".[139]

Influence and legacy

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[Station to Station] effectively divides the '70s for David Bowie. It ties off the era ofZiggy Stardustandplastic soul,and introduces the first taste of the new music that was to follow withLow.[32]

– Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray, 1981

Station to Stationwas a milestone in Bowie's transition to his late 1970s Berlin Trilogy.[e]Pegg calls it the "precise halfway point on the journey fromYoung AmericanstoLow".[49]Bowie himself said, "As far as the music goes,Lowand its siblings were a direct follow-on from the title track [ofStation to Station] ".[70]For the Berlin Trilogy, Bowie collaborated with Tony Visconti and formerRoxy Musickeyboardist and conceptualistBrian Eno.[142]Eno similarly felt thatLowwas "very much a continuation" ofStation to Station,which he called "one of the great records of all time" in 1999.[143]In an interview withQmagazine in 1997, Bowie consideredStation to Stationa "great, damn good" album, but "extremely dark". Because of his disconnected state during its recording, he heard it as "a piece of work by an entirely different person".[144]

The album has been described as "enormously influential onpost-punk".[57]Carr and Murray wrote in 1981: "IfLowwas Gary Numan's Bowie album, thenStation to StationwasMagazine's. "[32]Ian Mathers ofStylusmagazine opined in 2004 that "just as few had anticipated Bowie's approach, few copied it... for the most part this is an orphaned, abandoned style".[145]Ten years later,NPR's Jem Aswad described the album as "pioneering ice-funk" that "paved the way not only for thousands of artists who were influenced by it, but also for the brilliant wave of experimentation that followed over the next five years:Low,"Heroes"(both 1977),Lodger(1979) andScary Monsters (and Super Creeps)(1980) ".[62]

Bowie's biographers have describedStation to Stationas one of his greatest records. In his bookStrange Fascination,David Buckley calls it a "masterpiece of invention" that "some critics would argue, perhaps unfashionably, is his finest record".[146]He finds Bowie's vocal performance on "Wild Is the Wind" one of the best of his career.[50]Paul Trynka was struck by the album's innovation, noting "a bizarre blend of spritely and monumental themes", and argues it "marks the point at which David Bowie moved from pop musician to phenomenon".[147]Marc Spitz acknowledgesStation to Stationas a "gigantic creative leap forward", similar toHunky Doryfive years earlier. He praises the record's timeless feel, the performances and the overall atmosphere, and considers it the first truenew waverecord.[148]James Perone cites it as one of the most "structurally coherent and broadly accessible" records of the era.[149]Peter Doggettargues that the new recording process Bowie used on the record allowed him to elevate it into a single unifying vision, as he had encapsulated onHunky DoryandZiggy Stardust.Although Bowie would use this process for later records such asLodgerandScary Monsters,Doggett believes these records are more fragmented than cohesive in the manner ofStation to Station.[46]

Reappraisal

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Retrospective professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[57]
Blender[150]
Chicago Tribune[151]
Christgau's Record GuideA[53]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[152]
The Independent[153]
New Musical Express8/10[154]
Pitchfork9.5/10[68]
Q[155]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[58]
Spin[156]
Spin Alternative Record Guide10/10[157]

Retrospectively,Station to Stationis viewed as one of Bowie's best and most significant works.[61]Erlewine wrote: "It's not an easy album to warm to, but its epic structure and clinical sound were an impressive, individualistic achievement."[57]Alan Light called it both "musically accessible and lyrically elliptical".[67]In theSpin Alternative Record Guide(1995),Rob SheffieldconsideredStation to StationBowie's greatest album: "[It's] the album where Major Tom learns to dance, as the slick, robotic onslaught of the Teutonic title track fades into the tricky beats of" Stay "and" Golden Years ". In the Velvets-worthy" TVC 15 ", Major Tom appears as a woman who beams herself to a satellite, leaving poor David stranded on earth. Highly recommended to MUD devotees and computer sex aficionados."[157]Sheffield later deemed it a "space rock masterpiece" inThe Rolling Stone Album Guide(2004), writing Bowie had recorded "the most intense music of his life".[58]

In 2010, Paul Morley of theFinancial Timespraised its cohesiveness calling it a "mesmerising album" that is not only one of Bowie's best, but "maybe" one of rock's greatest. He argued it works as a capsule showing the artist's mentally, and where rock music was, at the time he made it.[158]In a 2013 retrospective forRock's Backpages,Barney Hoskyns calledStation to Station"one of the most impressive of his musical junctions: intense, passionate, focused, surging and urgently funky".[77]InThe Guardian,Alex Needham said the album "manages to incorporate almost everything fantastic about pop music" in just six tracks: "it's dramatic, stylish, emotional and danceable".[78]

Like his biographers, critics have acknowledged the album's position in Bowie's overall discography as the transition between the styles ofYoung Americansand the Berlin Trilogy.[67][151][153]Consequence of Sound's Frank Mojica agreed, saying it offers "an intriguing portrait" of an artist's transitional period, while also being an "excellent album in its own right".[159]Michael Gallucci ofUltimate Classic Rockdescribed it as "the moment where his most unabashed commercial move gave way to his most don't-give-a-damn experimental period", arguing the album marked Bowie's transition "from Rock Star to Artist".[61]In a 2013 readers' poll forRolling Stone,Station to Stationwas voted Bowie's third best album. The magazine called it a "deeply weird album that just gets better with age".[160]FollowingBowie's death in 2016,Ultimate Classic Rock's Bryan Wawzenek listedStation to Stationas his fourth greatest album, stating that although he made better albums in the years to follow, "he made this fascinating album first".[161]

Rankings

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Station to Stationhas frequently appeared on several lists of the greatest albums of all time by multiple publications. In 1995, it was ranked number 21 onMojomagazine's list of the 100 greatest albums ever made, the highest ranked Bowie album on the list.[162]In 2003,Rolling Stoneranked it number 323 on their list ofthe 500 greatest albums of all time,[163]324 on the 2012 revised list,[164]and 52 on the 2020 revised list.[165]In 2004,The Observerranked the album number 80 on its list of the 100 greatest British albums.[166]Vibemagazine placed the album on its list of 100 Essential Albums of the 20th century.[167]In 2013,NMEranked the album 53rd in their list ofthe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[168]Uncutmagazine ranked the album 30th on their list of the 200 greatest albums of all time in 2015.[169]A year later, the UK-basedClassic Rockmagazine ranked the album number five in its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1970s.[170]

English writerColin LarkinincludedStation to Stationin the second edition of his bookAll Time Top 1000 Albums(1998) at number 305.[171]The album was also included in the 2018 edition of Robert Dimery's book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[172]

Reissues

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The album has been released several times on CD beginning in 1984 by RCA,[173]with the original black-and-white cover art.[174]The album was rereleased in 1991 by Rykodisc featuring two bonus tracks: live versions of "Word on a Wing" and "Stay";[175]this reissue charted at number 57 on the UK Albums Chart for one week.[176]A 1999 rerelease fromEMIfeatured 24-bit digitally remastered sound, but lacked bonus tracks.[177]Both rereleases used the original, full-sized colour cover artwork.[175][177]In 2007, the 1999 remaster of the album was reissued in Japan as part of the "David Bowie Paper Jacket Series", which packaged Bowie's studio albums fromSpace OdditythroughTin Machinein mini-LP sleeves; this release reverted to the 1976 cover art, which would become standard for later reissues.[178]

Station to Stationwas reissued in 2010 in special and deluxe editions.[179][180]The special edition included an "original analogue master" of the album (a newly prepared digital master sourced from the original tapes) and the complete 1976 Nassau Coliseum concert on two CDs. The deluxe edition included the special edition's contents, on both vinyl and CD, alongside a disc of single edits and three further mixes of the album: aDolby 5.1surround sound mix and a new stereo mix, both created by co-producer Harry Maslin, and the 1985 RCA CD master.[128]Both editions were released in September 2010.[181]InThe Complete David Bowie,Pegg is critical of Maslin's remix. He writes that it "surrenders all the subtlety of the original [mix] in favour of unimaginatively pushing everything to the front", resulting in a "messy racket", particularly evident in the backing vocals for "TVC 15". Although he notes that there is a different lead vocal take on "Wild Is the Wind", he considers the new mix drastically inferior to the original.[128]

In 2016, the album was remastered for theWho Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)box set,[182]with standalone CD and vinyl releases the following year.[183]The box set included both the original 1976 mix and the 2010 stereo remix ofStation to Station,individually packaged. The sleeve containing the 1976 mix used the original cover art, while the sleeve containing the 2010 mix used a colour-corrected version of the 1991 front cover art; the back cover of the 2010 mix's sleeve was a variant of the 1976 back cover, with burgundy text in place of bright red.[184]

Track listing

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All songs written by David Bowie, except "Wild Is the Wind"; lyrics byNed Washingtonand music byDimitri Tiomkin.

Side one

  1. "Station to Station"– 10:15
  2. "Golden Years"– 3:59
  3. "Word on a Wing"– 6:04

Side two

  1. "TVC 15"– 5:31
  2. "Stay"– 6:16
  3. "Wild Is the Wind"– 6:06

Personnel

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Albums credits per the liner notes and biographer Nicholas Pegg.[185][186]

Production

  • David Bowie –producer
  • Harry Maslin – producer, recording, mix andmastering engineer
  • Ted Spencer – assistant mix engineer
  • Steve Shapiro – photography

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications forStation to Station
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[199] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[200] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[105] Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 3,400,000[201]

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^Bowie and Pop met in 1971 and became friends. Bowie was hired tomixPop's bandthe Stooges' 1973 albumRaw Power.Pop succumbed to drug addiction soon after its release, causing them to drift apart.[8][9]
  2. ^Bowie attributed Garson's dismissal to his joining the Church ofScientology.Garson, who had been Bowie's pianist sinceAladdin Sane(1973),[37]was reportedly told by Bowie in 1974 that he wanted him to be his pianist "for the next 20 years".[38]He would not rejoin Bowie's entourage untilBlack Tie White Noise(1993).[26]
  3. ^After the tour, the two would record Pop's debut solo albumThe Idiotin the summer of 1976 before Bowie began recording his next album,Low.[133]
  4. ^Slick would later rejoin Bowie on the 1983Serious Moonlight Tour.[135][136]
  5. ^Low,"Heroes"(both 1977) andLodger(1979).[142]

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  7. ^abSpitz 2009,p. 257.
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