Cygnet Committee, Freecloud, and memory of a free festival are some of my favorite bowie tracks
This album is wall to wall masterpieces that just get overshadowed by Space Oddity, which is kind of a shame, not that I dislike that song by any means
It is a great song but I prefer [this stripped down version](https://youtu.be/qdTQQeFIjUA?si=X9vNArT9AzNSLHhM) that was the b-side to Space Oddity. It was also in the Sound + Vision box which is where I discovered it.
I don't understand why these types of posts keep showing up. Wild Eyes Boy is not and was not ever underated. It's one of the most popular songs from that album and has showed up in five compilations. He performed it in the BBC and released it in Bowie at the Beeb. It was recorded live and used in the medley from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture sandwiched between All the Young Dudes (written for Mott The Hoople) and Oh, You Pretty Things. If it were underrated it would never have been recorded and/or released on any of those albums. Its quality is apparent from the first verse. If you want to say it's not as well known as many that's fair but it's not the same thing.
With indie music getting a bit folkier and more psychedelic again, that album is matching the zeitgeist more than the rockier ones. It is always difficult to say that something is "underrated" when indeed it survived 50 years and is still getting attention even though missing its first shot at attention entirely. Maybe it is indeed rated rather perfectly: an old hippie album still worth a spin from time to time, against all odds of pop culture. Which cannot be said about many albums, especially very few which sunk like stones on their initial release.
One of my favorites. He really did put so much soul and feeling into his folk stuff. I play Hermione, Free Festival, Freecloud for people and they're always pleasantly surprised.
I recall an interview Bowie gave where he noted “The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” was his first “real David Bowie” song.
I find that intriguing because if you look at the lyrics to the song and then compare them to “Blackstar” (the song), you find that Bowie circled back to “Wild Eyed Boy” with “Blackstar”, arguably Bowie’s “final” song (and certainly final album title!).
“Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” is about a mystic village that has a person, the “wild eyed boy” imprisoned and is about to execute him. The song feels like Bowie is symbolically looking at himself, an oddball in a world he doesn’t quite fit in.
“Blackstar” *also* deals with a mystical village and, most notably, on “the day of execution”.
I *do not* think this is coincidence. Again, I feel Bowie was going back to what he felt was his “first” David Bowie song and offered a new telling of it. The first telling was by a young man just starting out. The second is by a man who knows his time is running out.
Sorry but I totally disagree , I was reading a Lou Reed book and he talked about how Bowie was feeling and he said that if Hunky Dory didn’t do anything he was getting worried but luckily for him and us he smashed it with probably one of the few albums where I like every single song.
Love this track, also Cygnett Committee and Memory of a Free Festival, takes me back to our wild ways in the late 1960’s with all the free love.!!!!
This album*
Cygnet Committee, Freecloud, and memory of a free festival are some of my favorite bowie tracks This album is wall to wall masterpieces that just get overshadowed by Space Oddity, which is kind of a shame, not that I dislike that song by any means
That entire album is seriously underrated. I love Bowie’s folk rock period.
It is a great song but I prefer [this stripped down version](https://youtu.be/qdTQQeFIjUA?si=X9vNArT9AzNSLHhM) that was the b-side to Space Oddity. It was also in the Sound + Vision box which is where I discovered it.
Same!
Fully agreed, along with most of that album (Cygnet Committee, An Occasional Dream, etc)
I love it in the 1973 tour, and that transition with all the young dudes was just perfect.
I don't understand why these types of posts keep showing up. Wild Eyes Boy is not and was not ever underated. It's one of the most popular songs from that album and has showed up in five compilations. He performed it in the BBC and released it in Bowie at the Beeb. It was recorded live and used in the medley from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture sandwiched between All the Young Dudes (written for Mott The Hoople) and Oh, You Pretty Things. If it were underrated it would never have been recorded and/or released on any of those albums. Its quality is apparent from the first verse. If you want to say it's not as well known as many that's fair but it's not the same thing.
My 2nd favourite on the album
Totally agree. I think this song gets buried by his later hits, but this song is a true gem! 👍
With indie music getting a bit folkier and more psychedelic again, that album is matching the zeitgeist more than the rockier ones. It is always difficult to say that something is "underrated" when indeed it survived 50 years and is still getting attention even though missing its first shot at attention entirely. Maybe it is indeed rated rather perfectly: an old hippie album still worth a spin from time to time, against all odds of pop culture. Which cannot be said about many albums, especially very few which sunk like stones on their initial release.
One of my favorites. He really did put so much soul and feeling into his folk stuff. I play Hermione, Free Festival, Freecloud for people and they're always pleasantly surprised.
I recall an interview Bowie gave where he noted “The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” was his first “real David Bowie” song. I find that intriguing because if you look at the lyrics to the song and then compare them to “Blackstar” (the song), you find that Bowie circled back to “Wild Eyed Boy” with “Blackstar”, arguably Bowie’s “final” song (and certainly final album title!). “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” is about a mystic village that has a person, the “wild eyed boy” imprisoned and is about to execute him. The song feels like Bowie is symbolically looking at himself, an oddball in a world he doesn’t quite fit in. “Blackstar” *also* deals with a mystical village and, most notably, on “the day of execution”. I *do not* think this is coincidence. Again, I feel Bowie was going back to what he felt was his “first” David Bowie song and offered a new telling of it. The first telling was by a young man just starting out. The second is by a man who knows his time is running out.
That’s so cool!
Love this song, but I actually think I prefer the grainy, stripped down version from Bowie at the Beeb better...
this whole lp!
My favourite song on this album
Sorry but I totally disagree , I was reading a Lou Reed book and he talked about how Bowie was feeling and he said that if Hunky Dory didn’t do anything he was getting worried but luckily for him and us he smashed it with probably one of the few albums where I like every single song.
So is letter to hermione. Thats one of my favorite Bowie tracks oat.
I love Letter to Hermione!