DIAMOND DOGS

It is, first, a transitional album of sorts. It contains a similar sound to the glam-rock of Bowie's past, while also giving us hints of his soul period yet to come, mainly in his singing style. These two elements blend well, and are amplified by the bombastic nature of the record. Diamond Dogs did, after all, rise from the ashes of a stage musical based on 1984 that Bowie was working on at the time. Several of the songs from that failed project found their way onto this record (1984, We Are the Dead, Big Brother) and give it a dramatic quality.

While this album bears sonic resemblance to Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, it is more ambitious (dare I say progressive?) in nature, and is therefore quite a behemoth. There is more drama, more emotion, here than on his earlier albums. Longer compositions, such as Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise) hint at Station to Station's superb title track, although there is admittedly little here that would hint at his Berlin period.

This one is a rocker, true, but it is a bit more complex than some of his earlier, more revered works. Any classic Bowie fan should hear this, and many prog fans will find something to like about this album.

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