David Bowie - Panic in Detroit (1973)
David Bowie's second solo album, Panic in Detroit released on October 19, 1973. It was the summation of a few ideas Bowie had floating around, both for the Beatles and for himself. He had a few songs from the Ziggy Stardust duology that had gone unused, a testament to his songwriting ability. Three of the songs, including the title track, were included on Side A, with "Time" and "Lady Grinning Soul" being written for the solo album. These five tracks, put together, made a mini rock opera that sets one final curtain for the Ziggy Stardust character. The B-side, on the contrary, was all covers, a remnant of another idea that Bowie had of making a British rock covers album that would encapsulate the songs of his youth. In the end, the only song not from a British band was "White Light/White Heat", a favorite for Bowie to perform live, by American group The Velvet Underground. Other covers were from The Who, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Yardbirds and even his own band, The Beatles, with John Lennon himself lending a guitar part to "Across the Universe".
The album was received well, but was mostly seen as Beatles scraps, similar to Paul McCartney's solo debut. Most of the attention went to the album's hellish front cover, featuring Bowie holding a dog on it's hind legs surrounded by fire. A comparison to Satan Is Real by The Louvin Brothers, an album with one of the most infamous covers, was obvious, but the cover would end up being one of Bowie's best. This album also marked the end of Bowie's portrayal of Ziggy Stardust, although a picture of Bowie with supermodel Twiggy on the back cover had him wearing something similar to the Stardust outfit.
All songs on Side A are from Aladdin Sane. Songs on Side B are sourced from Pin Ups, Aladdin Sane, Bowie at the Beeb, and Young Americans.
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| Back cover |
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