David Bowie's Diamond Dogs (33 1/3, 143)

I've read a few of the other releases in this series. Always insightful and allows you to go deeper into the listening experience of titles reviewed. This title was great. I enjoyed all the background about the Diamond Dogs concept, production, and it's place on the David Bowie creative timeline and let me listen to the music in new ways. I found the writing thoughtful and separated each of the parts between packaging, artwork, music, vocals, singers, lyrics, and their meanings to be a bit overwhelming at times. But it did make me think a bit harder about what I was listening to. And that's a good thing. I got schooled! I've also read about DB "Low" and that was very interesting too. A bit easier read. I went back and listened to these vinyl releases with new appreciation and it was satisfying.

Absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of Dr. Hendler’s literary approach in his dissection of “Diamond Dogs”. Moreover, his synthesis of personal anecdotes combined with literary/musical/psychological theories make this an exceptionally illuminating, engaging, and accessible examination of one of Bowie’s greatest works. As a lifelong Bowie fanatic, I HIGHLY recommend this as a “Must Have” addition to every Bowie fan’s collection!!

The author does a good job at analyzing the musical composition and the overall "story" thrust, but falls short on specific, detailed lyrical analysis. Perhaps the book series couldn't get the rights to quote the lyrics in depth, and it shows. I suspect the author also just sort of threw his hands in the air and didn't even bother to interpret the line-by-line lyrical content. What does Bowie mean, for instance, on Big Brother's "he'll built a better whirlpool?" Or "nimble dress that trails" in We Are The Dead? And no mention at all of one of Bowie's most obscure (and argued-over) lines (from "Sweet Thing") "If this trade is a curse, then I'll bless you and turn to the crossroads" of, what, "hamburgers?" It might be a nonsense line, or maybe it's not even "hamburgers" - what, then? - but the author doesn't even try to grapple with it. And what, exactly, is going on in the title song? "I keep a friend serene"??? I would have liked to have read the author's interpretation of the lyrics even on a literal level, let alone a more analytic level.So 3 stars. But I'm not in any way discouraging anyone interested in reading this book. It's good, just not quite what I was hoping.

A tour de force of a specific time in David’s life. It is thoroughly researched and well written.

After reading this book you will see Bowie's Diamond Dogs album with new eyes, and hear it with new ears. Glenn does a great job of both analyzing the lyrics and music. He delves deep into the complicated concepts that underlie the album. And especially given that he is not a musician himself, he offers insightful explanations and descriptions of each song's musical makeup. The book is a fun and fascinating read for any Bowie fan or Art Rock musicologist.

A book about a great album written by someone who doesn't understand recording, engineering or song writing. Basically, his only apparent qualification is that he liked the record as a kid. I found this extremely frustrating and terribly difficult to finish. I have never written a bad review like this before, but I was so disappointed I don't want someone else to waste their hard earned money on this. I recommend the book on "Low," by Hugo Wilcken. That is much more what I would want on a book about an album. Also, why do "Diamond Dogs" and not Ziggy? Just very confused by this book. Sorry. I sincerely wish I could have given it more stars.

Diamond Dogs has always been a personal favourite- though it really is a fractured LP. Reading this overview was beneath the music. Always wondered how it would have sounded with Ronson...cuz David isnt the best guitarist...but his guitar actually works with the moods of it. Anyway...buy, borrow or steal this 33 1/3 booklet.This ain't Lets Dance...this is diamond dogs

"Glenn Hendler" analysiert auf 145 Seiten, die sich in 14 Kapitel unterteilen, das düstere Meisterwerk "Diamond Dogs" von David Bowie aus dem Jahre 1974 auf Englsich. Es gibt wie immer keine Fotos oder Grafiken.Das ganze Werk kommt als "Konzeptalbum" daher, das sich in seiner vielschichtigen und kontroversen Art nur schwer verstehen und nicht so leicht konsumieren läßt.Die Einordnung ins das Gesamtwerk Bowies ist auch nicht ganz so einfach zu bewerkstellen.Einflüße die augenscheinlich auf der Hand liegen, ist der Roman "1984" von"George Orwell" der erschrenkende Szenarien in einem Überwachungstatt der Zukunft skizziert in dem der"Big Brother" alles überwacht.Damals 1974 und auch noch später 1984 war dies alles kaum vorstellbar, was heute über die sogenannten sozialen Medien machbar ist.Weiterhin spielt bei den Texten das Werk von "William S. Burroughs" eine wichtige Rolle. "The Wild Boys : A Book of The Dead" wird hier erwähnt obwohl nicht so ganz klar ob Bowie dies vor der Arbeit am Album gelesen hat oder nicht.Extreme Weltanschauungen wie "Faschismus" werden hier auch als Einfluß oder Inspirationsquelle angeführt :"Everbody wants to be a Facist" (Kapitel 13) mit denen Bowie kokettiert oder spielt ähnlich wie mit seiner Bisexualität. In wieweit das Alles nur der geschickten Vermarktung diente oder der Realität entspricht sei mal dahin gestellt. Die "Cut Up" Technik bei der Sätze oder Wörter auseinandergeschnitten und wieder zusammen gefügt werden spielt bei den Texten wohl auch eine Rolle. Diese Phantasieinhalte entziehen sich natürlich einer logischen Erklärung.Inhaltlich ist das Album schwer zu deuten und eine teilweise verwirrende Vermischung dieser Inhalte, die die Autor hier sehr detailreich und präzise für jeden Song analysiert, mach ein Verständnis oder Erklärungen auch nicht leichter."Glenn Hendler" seziert das Album Song für Song musikalisch und geht dabei genau so detailiert vor ,wie bei den übergeordneten kulturellen Inhalten aus der Literatur und Kunst.Auch hier bedient sich David Bowie auf seine Art und Weise den verschiedenen Stilen und Einflüßen von "Glam Rock" wo er damals aktuell her kam, dem "Funk", dem damals angesagtem "Progrock", der häufig in Konzeptalben veröffentlicht wurde, aber auch Avandgarde Musik wie "Neu !" und "Steve Reich". Es gibt viele Infos zu diesen Ideen oder Parallen die dieses Buch sehr interessant und unterhaltsam machen. Wer aus dieser Reihe das Buch zu "Low" von "Hugo Wilcken" schon kennt findet hier ein vergleichbares tolles Buch über David Bowies Arbeit.Es ist natürlich hilfreich wenn man die Tonträger David Bowies sehr gut kennt und auch mit dem kulturellen Einflüßen des jeweiligen Jahres wie hier Anfang der 70iger etwas vertraut ist.

I’m a massive Bowie fan and Diamond Dogs is my favourite Bowie album. Understandably then I had been anticipating this book for many months.And here it is! I’ve read all the major Bowie texts, biographies, academic studies and the hefty tomes of track/album analysis. This piece is the best there is on Bowie’s 74 masterpiece.We get a thorough analysis of all the tracks including the most complete and accurate reading of my favourite Bowie piece ever ‘the sweet thing suite’ alongside a study of the artwork, influences and the subjective/objective circumstances which resulted in the diamond dogs creation.It’s beautifully written and not too academic to be tasking to read. I absolutely loved it.The best in the series since Furman’s recent study of Lou’s ‘transformer’ in my opinion.

"My Favourite Bowie Album" isn't a fixed entity & goes through more changes than the man himself. But "Diamond Dogs" is always right up there. It's a stunningly diverse and powerful album, atmospheric and bursting with ideas, many just fleeting sketches amid the general tumult.I've read a few of the other books in the 33.3 series and really liked them, but I couldn't get on with this one at all. Far too "lit crit" imho, it took me back to the darkest days of studying English Literature, picking over the texts until they were devoid of any meaning or feeling (to the extent that I've never been able to engage with Shakespeare, Dickens or Chaucer since leaving uni 50 years ago). Even an album as exciting and intriguing as "Diamond Dogs" suffers from the deadening hand of close textual analysis applied this way.I managed about half the book before deciding there were much better things to do - like listen to the album again.

as a life long Bowie fan since 1972 i was keen to get this but i wasn't 100% sure of what to expect from these little books and wrongly thought it would be about the album came together etc ... no its full of psycho babble that irritated the bejeebers out of me ... sorry but this is really not for me