Today we have David Bowie's second studio album David Bowie. Released in 1969, the album was reissued with the name Space Oddity in 1972, resulting in the album being known by both names. The album includes "Space Oddity," which became Bowie's first hit song. Retrospective reviews are often mixed.
Not only does this have little resemblance to his debut--which is good, obviously--this is a significantly more focused album. With more resources and a higher budget, Bowie musically over-embellishes pretty much every song, but the acoustic guitar at the basis of the songs is a step in the right direction and the harmonica rave-up at the end of "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" is a worthwhile moment outside of the only two strong songs "Space Oddity" and "God Knows I'm Good." Another step forward: the pretentious messes that are the nine minute "Cygnet Committee" and seven minute "Memory of a Free Festival" are the only two contemptible songs. C+
