Station to Station

David bowies album Station to Station was released on January 23, 1976 through RCA Records. Considered one of his most important works, the album introduced Bowie's performance persona, the Thin White Duke. Co-produced by Bowie and Harry Maslin, it was primarily recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California, in late 1975, following Bowie's completion of filming The Man Who Fell to Earth; the cover art featured a still from the film. During the recording sessions, Bowie struggled with various drug addictions, particularly cocaine, and later admitted he remembered almost nothing of the production.

The commercial success of Bowie's prior album, Young Americans (1975), granted him greater creative freedom when he started recording his subsequent album. These sessions solidified the lineup of guitarist Carlos Alomar, bassist George Murray, and drummer Dennis Davis, whom Bowie would collaborate with for the rest of the decade, and also included contributions from guitarist Earl Slick and pianist Roy Bittan. Musically, Station to Station served as a transitional album for Bowie, expanding on the funk and soul of Young Americans while introducing a new direction influenced by the German krautrock genre, particularly bands like Neu! and Kraftwerk. The lyrics reflected Bowie's interests in Friedrich Nietzsche, Aleister Crowley, mythology, and religion.

Preceded by the single "Golden Years," Station to Station achieved commercial success, reaching the top five on both the UK and US charts. After abandoning a soundtrack for The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bowie promoted the album with the Isolar Tour in early 1976, during which he sparked controversy with statements perceived as supporting fascism. At the tour's conclusion, he relocated to Europe to distance himself from L.A.'s drug scene. The musical styles explored on Station to Station culminated in some of Bowie's most acclaimed work with the Berlin Trilogy over the following three years. Upon its release, Station to Station was well-received by music critics and has been featured on several lists of the greatest albums of all time. It has been reissued multiple times and was remastered in 2016 as part of the Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) box set.

Album back cover for the UK release of RCA LP 3013, featuring bold red typography on a white background, listing track titles: "Station to Station," "Golden Years," "Word on a Wing," "TVC 15," "Stay," and "Wild is the Wind."