Episode 66: Lynell George on David Bowie’s “Young Americans” (1975)

Episode 66

27th December 2018

Super cool Grammy winning writer and archivist Lynell George came to know David Bowie’s music through celebrated Los Angeles radio station KGFJ. KGFJ blasted the sounds and she received them courtesy of a wrap around Panasonic radio. (Salute!)
She was attracted to the Philly soul sound ever present on David Bowie’s Young Americans because Philly soul was in her DNA as she is the daughter of a Philadelphia Native. David Bowie’s desire to pay homage to both the black soul music he was fond of and Aretha Franklin, was a shift that most critics weren’t prepared for.
We talked about the title track as an ahead-of-its-time commentary on gentrification, UK artists and their love affair with R&B music and the thin line between festishization and fascination.
Sax solos, guitar solos, soulful arrangement galore, Young Americans was the sound of Philadelphia and the sounds of blackness.
Best quote EVER, “you feel like you’re walking through humidity” (Lynell George)
She wooed us and schooled us. We’d expect nothing less from a historian and an OG member of David Bowie’s fan club.

Episode notes

The Album: David Bowie Young Americans (1975)

Super cool Grammy winning writer and archivist Lynell George came to know David Bowie’s music through celebrated Los Angeles radio station KGFJ. KGFJ blasted the sounds and she received them courtesy of a wrap around Panasonic radio. (Salute!)

She was attracted to the Philly soul sound ever present on David Bowie’s Young Americans because Philly soul was in her DNA as she is the daughter of a Philadelphia Native. David Bowie’s desire to pay homage to both the black soul music he was fond of and Aretha Franklin, was a shift that most critics weren’t prepared for.

We talked about the title track as an ahead-of-its-time commentary on gentrification, UK artists and their love affair with R&B music and the thin line between festishization and fascination.

Sax solos, guitar solos, soulful arrangement galore, Young Americans was the sound of Philadelphia and the sounds of blackness.

Best quote EVER, “you feel like you’re walking through humidity” (Lynell George)

She wooed us and schooled us. We’d expect nothing less from a historian and an OG member of David Bowie’s fan club.

More on Lynell George

More on Young Americans

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Young Americans unless indicated otherwise):

  • Young Americans
  • Fame
  • David Bowie: Let’s Dance
  • David Bowie: TVC15
  • Young Americans
  • Right
  • Across the Universe
  • Young Americans
  • Can You Hear Me
  • Somebody Up There Likes Me
  • The Flares: Foot Stomping (Part 1)
  • David Bowie: Footstompin’
  • Fascination
  • Somebody Up There Likes Me
  • Fascination
  • Fame

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there.

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In this episode...

Oliver Wang

Oliver Wang

Host
Morgan Rhodes

Morgan Rhodes

Host

Christian Dueñas

Producer

Guests

  • Lynell George

About the show

Hosted by Oliver Wang and Morgan Rhodes, every episode of Heat Rocks invites a special guest to talk about a heat rock – a hot album, a scorching record. These are in-depth conversations about the albums that shape our lives.

Our guests include musicians, writers, and scholars and though we don’t exclusively focus on any one genre, expect to hear about albums from the worlds of soul, hip-hop, funk, jazz, Latin, and more.

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