The two hundred and fourtieth album: #240 David Bowie - Hunky Dory
And with David Bowie entering the room, we see another piece of the seventies music fall into place. We're due to see a lot of different sides of his work, but the first on the list (his fourth studio album) both has a fairly singular identity - they feel like they sound as a single album - but show a variety of emotions, with the upbeat 'Kooks' followed by a slower, more depressing Quicksand. There's still a lot of production in it and it ends with the upswing that feels typical of the album's sound to help with that. Add to that the references to folk rock, with Song for Bob Dylan being the closest, towards artier rock, playing with glam influences, and it's it's a mix that not only sounds good, but has a lot of content in the lyrics as well to make these a lot more meaningful.
It's a delightful album, with something new hiding in each album in a burst of creativity that I feel we see in few artists - similar to the period of the Beatles working together and trying what they can do in their albums without having to worry about what others will say. Add to that the silliness showing through a bit in the start of a track like Andy Warhol - both a dedication to perfection and a moment of levity (at least to the listener) that punctures the mythical legend a bit to show the humanity underneath it.