In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of David Bowie's 1975 Young Americans collection, the album will be reissued on September 18th. Parlophone Records will release a special limited edition “brick and mortar” exclusive gold vinyl edition of the classic set.
Young Americans, which was Bowie's ninth studio album, created a sound during sessions in Philadelphia and New York that he described as “Plastic Soul.” The collection featured the a Top 30 hit with its title R&B-tinged track, and was a huge departure for Bowie. John Lennon appeared on two tracks — a remake of his Beatles' classic “Across The Universe” as well as co-writing the song that became Bowie's first Number One hit — the two-week chart-topper, “Fame.”
Only days before his death in 1980, John Lennon looked back fondly on his brief — but powerful — collaboration with David Bowie: “Bowie was around and we were talkin' and that — he'd say, 'Come down,' and I found myself doin' that. So, he's fiddlin' round, he writes 'em in the studio. Y'know, he goes in with about four words and a few guys and stars layin' down this stuff. And he has virtually nothing — he's makin' it up in the studio. So, I just contributed whatever I contributed, y'know? Like, backwards piano and (sings) 'oooh,' and a couple of things — repeat of 'Fame.' And then we needed a middle-eight, so we took some Stevie Wonder middle-eight and did it backwards (laughs), y'know — we made a record out of it, right? So, he got his first Number One — so I felt that was, like, a karmic thing, y'know, with me and Elton (John) I got my first Number One (with 'Whatever Gets You Through The Night') and I passed it on to Bowie and he got his first Number One — and I like that track, y'know?”
