It’s fitting that Hunky Dory opens with the classic single “Changes”: the record is much more diverse musically than the albums that preceded (I think–I’m not familiar with The Man Who Sold The World, but it doesn’t seem to have the significance of either Space Oddity or Hunky Dory).
The twelve-stringed David Bowie impressions in space are still present (“Quicksand,” “The Bewlay Brothers”), but they’re sparse, mixed witpiano-leded pop songs that recall more of Paul McCartney than Dylan (“Changes,” “Kooks,” “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Fill Your Heart”), odes to pop artists (“Andy Warhol,” “Song for Bob Dylan,” which sounds decidedly un-Dylan), Velvet Underground tributes (“Queen Bitch”), and one Dada-ist, surreal rock opera called “Life on Mars?” (that everyone needs to familiarize themselves with).
But the important thing about Hunky Dory isn’t just that every song sounded different–they were all good (even “Kooks,” which I always remember as too cutesy to enjoy, but always enjoy listening through). Even the more understated tracks, like “The Bewlay Brothers” with its spacy acoustic guitar, Mellotron line and distorted vocals, are masterpieces that make Hunky Dory another flawless album for David Bowie.