Durand Jones & The Indications Release Spot-on Cover of David Bowie's 1975 Philly Soul Single "Young Americans" (Dead Oceans)
David Bowie once described his then-new album, Young Americans, as [being] "the definitive Plastic Soul record. It's the squashed remains of ethnic music, as it survives in the age of Muzak, written and sung by a White Limey" within an 1976 Playboy interview. Said terminology was previously used by Paul McCartney to describe The Beatles' 1965 album, Rubber Soul, as well as Bowie's most commercially-successful album, Let's Dance (1983.) David Bowie and producer, Tony Visconti, recorded Young Americans primarily in Philadelphia between August 1974 & January 1975 with a slew of local musicians; this including an early-career Luther Vandross, Sly & The Family Stone drummer Andy Newmark, Carlos Alomar (James Brown, Chuck Berry, Iggy Pop,) and later, John Lennon at secondary sessions in New York. "Young Americans," actually, interpolates the Lennon-sung line, "I heard the news today, oh boy!" from The Beatles' own deep album cut, "A Day In The Life," which originally appeared on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although, not explicitly featured on "Young Americans," John Lennon did, however, contribute guitar and backing vocals to both his own "Across The Universe" and "Fame" elsewhere on Young Americans.
Now, nearly 45 years after its initial release, Neo-Soul revivalists Durand Jones & The Indications have released their own cover of David Bowie's "Young Americans" from his 1975 album of the same name. The Indications' core line-up consists of guitarist Blake Rhein, drummer Aaron Frazer, bassist Kyle Houpt, keyboardist, Steve Okonski, and, of course, namesake Durand Jones. Jones recently appeared on a yuletide vinyl-only cover of Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" with The Lions/Aggrolites super-group, The Night Owls. Durand Jones & The Indications have released two critically-acclaimed full-length albums, a self-titled 2016 album and its 2019 follow-up American Love Call, on Dead Oceans/Colemine Records. "Young Americans" is Durand Jones & The Indications' second stand-alone/non-album single since releasing American Love Call last year. It's currently unclear as to whether "Young Americans" and it's predecessor, "Cruisin' to The Park," will end up re-appearing on a new EP, full-length, or something similar from The Indications. For the most part, Durand Jones & The Indications' version retains the original Blue-eyed/Philadelphia Soul charm embodied throughout David Bowie's "Young Americans." Durand Jones & The Indications' "Young Americans" single is now available digitally through Dead Oceans.
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