Bowie's almost bewildering urge to keep metamorphosising has resulted, in fact, in each attempt at recording being quite astonishingly different as well as seeming to propel him further and further away from the accepted concept of what a rock and roller should be. Apparently unhappy with the image of a rock and roller, he seems to have always sought the more sophisticated embrace of the theatre proper as a means of consummating instincts that have more to do with acting than rock and rolling.

Thus he has a greater affinity with [Anthony] Newley, indeed, whom he imitates so well (and who also saw pop as a vehicle for wider talents), rather than [John] Lennon or [Pete] Townshend, who are rooted in their allegiance to Chuck Berry. This is what makes critics so suspicious of him: that his commitment doesn't seem as serious as theirs….

The nature of ["Hunky...