Hunky Dory

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Lore & Background

After his third studio album The Man Who Sold the World, Bowie became less active in both the studio and on stage. His contract with Essex had expired and his new manager Tony Defries was facing prior contractual challenges. Bowie was also without a backing band, as the musicians on The Man Who Sold the World – including its producer and bassist Tony Visconti, guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick Woodmansey – departed in August 1970 due to personal conflicts. After hearing a demo of Bowie's 'Holy Holy', Defries signed the singer to a contract with Chrysalis. The Man Who Sold the World was released in the US through Mercury Records in November 1970; it sold poorly but fared better both critically and commercially in the US than in the UK. The critical success prompted Mercury to send Bowie on a promotional radio tour of the US in February 1971, which inspired him to write tribute songs for three American icons: Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. After the tour, Bowie returned to his apartment in Haddon Hall, Beckenham, and began writing. According to his then-wife Angela, Bowie spent time composing songs on piano rather than acoustic guitar, which would 'infuse the flavour of the new album'. He composed over three-dozen songs there, many of which would appear on Hunky Dory and its follow-up album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The first song Bowie wrote for Hunky Dory was 'Oh! You Pretty Things' in January 1971. After recording its demo at Radio Luxembourg, Bowie gave the tape to Bob Grace, who showed it to Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. Noone's version of 'Oh! You Pretty Things' was released in April 1971 and reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the success of the single, Defries sought to extricate Bowie from his contract with Mercury, which was set to expire in June 1971. Defries forced the label to terminate the contract in May by threatening to deliver a low-quality album.

In Their Own Story

After his short-lived band Arnold Corns folded in February 1971, Bowie returned to the studio in May to record his next album. He brought back Ronson and Woodmansey and hired Trevor Bolder, a former hairdresser and piano tuner, as a bass player to replace Visconti. The trio grouped at Haddon Hall to rehearse some of Bowie's new material, such as the song 'Andy Warhol'. Bowie and his new backing trio played for the first time on 3 June on BBC DJ John Peel's radio programme In Concert, including debut performances of 'Queen Bitch', 'Bombers', 'Song for Bob Dylan' and 'Andy Warhol'. The title Hunky Dory was also announced at this session. Bowie and the future Spiders officially started work on the new album at Trident Studios in London on 8 June 1971. Ken Scott was hired to co-produce alongside him. Scott recalled that recording went very quickly: 'Almost everything was done in one take.' Discussing Bowie's vocals, Scott stated: 'He was unique. [He is] the only singer I ever worked with where virtually every take was a master.' Rick Wakeman, noted session musician and member of the Strawbs, plays piano on the album. In 1995 he recalled that he met with Bowie in late June 1971 at Haddon Hall, where he heard demos of 'Changes' and 'Life on Mars?' in 'their raw brilliance ... the finest selection of songs I have ever heard in one sitting in my entire life'. On 9 July, with Wakeman in the line-up, Bowie and the band recorded two takes of 'Bombers' and 'It Ain't Easy', the latter featuring backing vocals by Dana Gillespie. Five days later, the group recorded four takes of 'Quicksand', the last of which appears on the finished album. 'The Bewlay Brothers' and 'Changes' were recorded on 30 July. On 6 August, the band recorded 'Life on Mars?' and 'Song for Bob Dylan', after which the recording process was considered finished.

Reader's Guide

Recorded in mid-1971 at Trident Studios in London, Hunky Dory was co-produced by Ken Scott and David Bowie. The sound is characterized by a warmer, more melodic piano-based pop rock and art pop style, compared to the guitar-driven hard rock of The Man Who Sold the World. Key collaborators included Rick Wakeman on piano, who contributed shortly before joining Yes, and Mick Ronson on guitar. The album's lyrical concerns range from the compulsive nature of artistic reinvention on 'Changes' to occultism and Nietzschean philosophy on 'Oh! You Pretty Things' and 'Quicksand'; several songs make cultural and literary references. Bowie was also inspired by his US tour to write songs dedicated to three American icons: Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. The song 'Kooks' was dedicated to Bowie's newborn son Duncan. The album's cover artwork, photographed in monochrome and subsequently recoloured, features Bowie in a pose inspired by actresses of the Hollywood Golden Age. RCA offered little promotion for Hunky Dory and its lead single 'Changes', wary that Bowie would transform his image shortly. Thus, the album initially sold poorly and failed to chart, despite very positive reviews from the British and American music press. After the commercial breakthrough of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust album in 1972, Hunky Dory garnered renewed interest, with sales peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart.

Did You Know?

• The first song Bowie wrote for Hunky Dory was 'Oh! You Pretty Things' in January 1971, and Peter Noone's cover version reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1971.
• Bowie composed over three-dozen songs at Haddon Hall, Beckenham, many of which would appear on Hunky Dory and its follow-up album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
• Ken Scott, who co-produced the album, recalled that 'almost everything was done in one take' and called Bowie 'the only singer I ever worked with where virtually every take was a master.'
• Rick Wakeman said hearing demos of 'Changes' and 'Life on Mars?' at Haddon Hall was 'the finest selection of songs I have ever heard in one sitting in my entire life.'
• The album's cover artwork was photographed in monochrome and subsequently recoloured, featuring Bowie in a pose inspired by actresses of the Hollywood Golden Age.