Diamond Dogs by David Bowie

Diamond Dogs (1974) is one of my favorite albums of all time. In this day and age (as I type this I'm waving my cane menacingly at some kids driving too fast) where no one listens to albums anymore and players are always on shuffle, it seems rare to talk about an album as a complete work of art rather than a collection of songs. Which is why I quietly recommend favorite albums.

I feel that Diamond Dogs should be listened to all together. It doesn't take long, the runtime is only 38:25. And all the songs are gems, from the intro track "Future Legend" to "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" the album flows smoothly. It's odd how cohesive this album is when considering that many of the songs were written for a failed theatrical production of George Orwell's 1984. David Bowie smooshed together the 1984 music with other tracks and bam - concept album centered around the theme of a post-apocalyptic society. MUSICAL ALCHEMY.

My particular favorite moment is the "Sweet Thing"/"Candidate"/"Sweet Thing (reprise)", what, suite? That's how it's referred to on Wikipedia. It's absolutely gorgeous. Equally lush is "We Are the Dead".

The album was co-produced by Tony Visconti, whom I lovingly refer to as Tony V, despite the fact that I probably shouldn't take such liberties. Visconti would go on to work closely with Bowie for much of the rest of the 70s.