The Album: David Bowie Young Americans (1975)

Super cool Grammy winning writer and archivist Lynell George came to know David Bowie's music through celebrated Los Angeles radio station KGFJ. KGFJ blasted the sounds and she received them courtesy of a wrap around Panasonic radio. (Salute!)

She was attracted to the Philly soul sound ever present on David Bowie's Young Americans because Philly soul was in her DNA as she is the daughter of a Philadelphia Native. David Bowie's desire to pay homage to both the black soul music he was fond of and Aretha Franklin, was a shift that most critics weren't prepared for.

We talked about the title track as an ahead-of-its-time commentary on gentrification, UK artists and their love affair with R&B music and the thin line between festishization and fascination.

Sax solos, guitar solos, soulful arrangement galore, Young Americans was the sound of Philadelphia and the sounds of blackness.

Best quote EVER, "you feel like you're walking through humidity" (Lynell George)

She wooed us and schooled us. We'd expect nothing less from a historian and an OG member of David Bowie's fan club.

More on Lynell George

• Lynell George Sings Los Angeles (Boom California)
• Four Questions for Author and Grammy Winner Lynell George (Publishers Weekly)
• Twitter | Website

More on Young Americans

• Young Americans Review (BBC)
• David Bowie: Young Americans" (Pop Matters)
• Wikipedia entry on Young Americans

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Young Americans unless indicated otherwise):

• Young Americans
• Fame
• David Bowie: Let's Dance
• David Bowie: TVC15
• Young Americans
• Right
• Across the Universe
• Young Americans
• Can You Hear Me
• Somebody Up There Likes Me
• The Flares: Foot Stomping (Part 1)
• David Bowie: Footstompin'
• Fascination
• Somebody Up There Likes Me
• Fascination
• Fame

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.

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