The Beatles - Hunky Dory (1971)

The Man Who Sold the World was received well but wasn't considered anywhere near as good as Space Oddity. The Beatles knew it was evident that they needed another album that would reestablish them as the forefront of the music scene. The hard rock bend of their previous album wore out their desire to continue on with that style. So, as the Beatles usually did, their next album would be a complete change of pace. Regular producer George Martin returned, and David Bowie recommended Ken Scott to help with the stripped-down sound they wanted to achieve. Tons of songs by all band members (now down to four due to George Harrison's departure) would be recorded, most going unused for the album. Bowie's songs were inspired by his recent trip to the United States, and more than half of them would go unused for the next year or so. When the album was completed, the band knew they had a masterpiece on their hands.

They were proven right when the album, Hunky Dory (named as such due to the laid back nature of the sessions and the band members' relationships with one another), released on December 7, 1971 to rave reviews. The lead single "Changes" was considered their best single since "Space Oddity", and the second single "Imagine" was considered even better than both, with many considering it one of the best Beatles songs ever. Many saw the album as a sequel to Space Oddity, even though the band didn't see it that way. Today, a top 5 Beatles albums list is incomplete if Hunky Dory isn't included.

THE BEATLES - HUNKY DORY
Released: 7 December 1971
Genre: Piano rock, singer-songwriter, pop rock, glam rock
Producer: George Martin, Ken Scott

Side A
Changes
Another Day
$15 Draw
Remember
Bombers
Working Class Hero
Tomorrow

Side B
Too Many People
Oh My Love
Oh You Pretty Things
Long Haired Lady
Imagine
Life on Mars

Track list sources:

All of Bowie's songs are from Hunky Dory, with the exception of "Bombers" from Divine Symmetry. The rest of the songs are from Ram (Archive Collection), Beaucoups of Blues, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Wild Life, and Imagine.

Back cover


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