I heard the two singles from the album before hearing any of the other songs, and both "Rebel Rebel" and "Diamond Dogs" sounded different to anything I had heard before. The raw electic guitar playing on these songs, was for me, something unique at the time . These though are the standout tracks on the LP, although I also liked "Sweet Thing" and "Rock N Roll With Me". At the time I thought it was a good album, more consistent than "Aladdin Sane" but not nearly as good as Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust.
"Future Legend", ending with the line "Anyday now, the year of the Diamond Dogs" is really just the spoken intro for "Diamond Dogs" which launches with the cry "This ain't rock and roll, this is genocide". There is a great guitar riff, funky sax and the build up to the chorus is sensational. I particular like "I keep a friend serene ( will they come ? ) being repeated before exploding with "Come into the garden baby, you'll catch your death in the fog, young girls they call them the diamond dogs". Predictably given the title there are howls and bow-wows but the song is great.
Next comes an uneven medley of three tracks. "Sweet Thing" starts with Bowie singing with a deep voice before converting to normal and then hitting soaring high notes. There is a tinkling piano, a catchy chorus with "Boys, Boys" backing vocals although it is a world away from Sinita, There is quite a nice guitar solo and I like the lines "I'm glad that you are older than me it makes me feel important and free. Does that make you smile, isn't that me". The song segues into "Candidate" with another deeply sung vocal. The song tries to be menacing but is actually rather dull, before a reprise of another verse of "Sweet Thing" but with a more desparate vocal, and a trying to be dramatic synthizer.
Fortunately Rebel Rebel", a song about The New York Dolls "not sure if you're a boy or a girl", comes next. I had never heard of them, and it was only much later that I realised that this was indeed just how the New York Dolls sounded. There is just one verse that is repeated but the guitar sound is stunning. However, listenening now the song is about one minute too long. Also, i realise now it is a song that perhaps the Rolling Stones could have recorded circa 1970/71.
Side 2 is, frankly, fairly disappointing. "Rock N Roll With Me" is a power ballard with nice piano and a great chorus and "Big Brother" features a trumpet intro like something out of a western where the Mexicans appear, has an attractive synthizer break and the chours "someone to claim us, someone to follow, someone to shame us some brave Apollo" can be sung along to.
However, whilst "We Are The Dead" has pleasant mellotron over a mellow verse, the chorus attempts to be frightening but spoils the song. The intro to "1984" could be the "Theme from Shaft" and hints at the direction of Young Americans LP. Its not to be confused with the Eurythmics song....
Finally, I thought "Chart of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" was infantile and I think I only ever played it once as I hated it so much.
In summary, Diamond Dogs has a couple of great songs, but the attempt at a concept album loosely based around themes from George Orwell's 1984 doesn't produce a great album.
Track Listing :
1. Future Legend
2. Diamond Dogs
3. Sweet Thing
4. Candidate
5. Sweet Thing ( Reprise )
6. Rebel Rebel
7. Rock N Roll With Me
8. We Are The Dead
9. 1984
10.Big Brother
11. Chant of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family
Released 1974
UK Chart Position : 1
Singles :
Rebel Rebel ( No 5 - 1974 )
Diamond Dogs ( No 21 - 1974 )
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