Station to Station [Enhanced, Original recording reissued]

David Bowie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1976
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00001OH7U
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (170 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,308 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Proto Punk
  • #30 in Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  • #32 in Music > Classic Rock > Glam

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After the success of the dance hits "Fame" and "Young Americans" (both off 1975's Young Americans), Bowie seemed to step back, ponder the future of rock, and then turn up the guitars and the art-rock sensibilities and make a completely engaging and evocative album. From the epic title track (introducing the Thin White Duke character and building into an incendiary rocker) to the irresistible "Golden Years" (another dance hit) and on to the physically wrenching and funk-drenched "Stay," the soul of David Bowie is pretty much meshed into every track. The playful "TVC15" takes the listener on a bumpy ride into unholy tech-love, and the gorgeous "Wild is the Wind" and "Word on a Wing" have Bowie stepping out of his rocker persona and into sensual crooner mode. Strong from beginning to end. --Lorry Fleming

Product Description

Audio CD.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Time Coming September 28, 2010

By J. Robertson

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

For fans, this release has been a long time coming. A truncated version of the live Nassau Coliseum show has been available as a bootleg for some 30-odd years. Two of the tracks received an official release in 1992 as part of Rykodisc's Bowie reissue campaign, but finally we have it in its full blown state-of-the-art 2010 remastered glory (and sounding pretty damned good for a 34 year-old recording)!
The packaging is outstanding and the liner notes are generous.
One minor peeve: I had read that there would be a download link to obtain the full 13:08 minute version of Panic in Detroit with the extended drum solo, but so far, I have not been able to locate that. In reality, I can probably live without it...

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag due to brick-walled mastering on 5.1 and live tracks September 30, 2010

By 00 Diablo

Format:Audio CD

I am not commenting on the excellent music this set contains or the iconic artist who created it. There's no doubt in my mind that Station to Station is one of the most important and enjoyable albums from one of the top rock artists of all time, and fully deserves to be treasured as part of our cultural history and presented in the highest quality possible. So a super deluxe set like this is a compelling, and in my case, a necessary purchase.

And there is a lot about this set that was done right, from the inclusion of the highly regarded, original RCA CD mastering from the mid-80s, to an audiophile quality, 2 channel hi-resolution version of the album included on the DVD. Not to mention the vinyl and other goodies that make this set hard to resist for any fan.

But that makes it all the more maddening that EMI would deliberately sabotage the highly anticipated live concert CD included, as well as the (hard to get these days) 5.1 audio mix on the DVD with horrendous, over-compressed, brick-walled mastering that robs the music of it's natural dynamics and life. The continued insistence of the record companies to compress the life out of the music makes absolutely no sense on a super deluxe edition like this, and is driving away whatever discerning music purchasing buyers they have left.

We all need to complain to EMI for intentionally ruining the sound on the 5.1 mix, as well as the live tracks, if they are listening. At least they got the original 2 channel album right, so I'm still recommending this set despite some flaws.

86 of 95 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The European Cannon is here... February 2, 2004

By B. G. Shultz

Format:Audio CD

The mid-1970's were a stressful time for David Bowie. His marriage to the obnoxious Angela Bowie was disintegrating, he had become a top-notch coke freak, and was convinced that practitioners of black magic were out to get him. He had laid his Ziggy Stardust persona to rest, in favor of a white-boy soul man character, which was not as well-received as he had hoped. While his "Young Americans" album was a bold step in a new direction, it did not receive the kind of adoration that Bowie had become accustomed to. Somehow, while fighting with dictatorial manager Tony Defries, sorcerers, and the homosexual image he had created for himself, David managed to come up with an absolutely brilliant album that retains the disco-funk of "Americans", but pushes it into a whole new direction. The persona that dominates this album is that of the Thin White Duke, an aristocratic European fellow who likes to cruise around in limos, binged out on cocaine, his head swimming in fascist paranoid fantasies (someone once told me that "Station To Station"-era Bowie was one of the people Pink Floyd based "The Wall" on. I cannot verify this but it seems plausible). So self-absorbed was David during this era that he actually made his band play behind a backdrop during concerts, so that he could be the one and only center of the audience's attention. One look at the photos inside the CD booklet (David, looking like a famished hairdresser in sore need of a dental hygienist, scribbling kabbalistic desings on an asylum floor) will clue the listener in to Bowie's frame of mind at the time. The songs themselves are the antithesis of the shallow yet groovy preceding album; the hooks are there, but not as contrived sounding.... The title track starts off slow and menacing, then builds to a disco crescendo that could take the Bee Gees on anyday. "Stay" is fast and funky, "Word On A Wing" is very heartfelt and seeminly religious, "Golden Years" (the closest thing to a hit here) is a doo-woppy dance tune that Dave supposedly wrote about Angela (who was also the inspiration behind the Rolling Stones' "Angie"). "TVC 15" seems to be the favorite of most, dealing as it does with a carnivorous television. And finally, "Wild Is The Wind", while not written by Bowie, has to be one of his most heart-felt performances. This album was the transition into a more experimental phase of Bowie's career, and I strongly recommend it. Read more ›

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Album with Incredible Live Show September 29, 2010

By Old T.B.

Format:Audio CD

I was most intrigued when I found out that Station to Station was receiving a special edition rerelease. It stands as one of my top three favorite Bowie albums, along with Low and Lodger. I owned a vinyl RCA copy, and I have the Rykodisc remaster from the Nineties. Nevertheless, I wanted to hear the new remaster, and I was curious about the Nassau Colisseum show, of which I'd only heard the two tracks released as bonuses on the Ryko cd.

I was by no means disappointed on any counts. The new remaster, from the original analog, of Station to Station sounds great. The Nassau concert was a true revelation to me; no wonder it is considered a legendary Bowie show! The version of "Station to Station" may be the best I've heard; for all of its coolness, there's a certain fire to this performance. The laid back cover of "Waiting for the Man" works well. "Life on Mars?" is short, just up to the first chorus, but it segues neatly into "Five Years," one of Bowie's all-time greatest songs. Concert albums do not always impress me. This one, however, is a monster.

The packaging is good. I particularly like Cameron Crowe's essay and the making of Station to Station timeline. If you already own this classic, go ahead and buy this special edition. You won't be disappointed. If you've never heard it, what are you waiting for?