Year of release

1971

Label

RCA Records

Genre

Pop art rock

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Bowie's fourth album, Hunky Dory cemented the Thin White Duke's reputation as a chimera of intelligent and brilliantly inventive pop rock. It's also arguably his most musically engaging album.

Best tracks:

Life On Mars
The Bewlay Brothers
Queen Bitch

Top facts:

• Former Yes and Strawbs member Rick Wakeman, now most famous for being a Grumpy Old Man on the telly, plays piano on the album.
  
  
• Life On Mars is based on My Way, the song written by Paul Anka and made famous by Frank Sinatra. It's a musical parody and the chords are the same the whole way through.
  
  
• Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits had a number 12 solo hit with Hunky Dory album track Oh! You Pretty Things before the LP hit the shops. Bowie played piano on the song.
  

If you like this, try:

The Teardrop Explodes: Wilder
T. Rex: Electric Warrior
Velvet Underground: Velvet Underground
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
Blur: Modern Life Is Rubbish

Next classic album: Neil Young >>