On January 10th of this year, legendary musician David Bowie died of cancer. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, he released several albums, many of them groundbreaking. And yet, there are still a few albums that tend to get lost in the shuffle. One such album is his 1974 release, "Diamond Dogs." Despite containing the hit track "Rebel Rebel", it tends to get ignored in discussions of Bowie's work.

Released in between the glam rock Ziggy era, and the plastic soul Thin White Duke era, "Diamond Dogs" is something of a transition, as well as an experimentation with different styles that would blossom later. For instance, the track "1984" uses a funky wah-guitar rhythm track (think Isaac Hayes' "Shaft") that looks forward to "Young Americans." There's also an atmosphere of detachment that would become a defining characteristic of the Thin White Duke.

But what I've always found most interesting about the album are the electronic experiments that look forward to the Berlin Trilogy. The album opens up with Bowie reciting some open word over a heavily-synthesized backing track. And then there's "Big Brother", which employs a synthesized backing choir to give the track an almost church-like feeling. But the centerpiece is the "Sweet Thing"-"Candidate"-"Sweet Thing Reprise" medley. "Sweet Thing" starts off with an atmospheric instrumental track reminiscent of tracks like "Warszawa" and "Subterraneans" from Low, while "Candidate" has a faster tempo like the more 'pop' songs from Heroes. And the final minute of the "Reprise" has an instrumental outro that's very similar to "Speed of Life", the opening track from Low. Had this album been released before Low, it likely would have more of a reputation as the transition between Station to Station and Low.

So, if you're looking for something to listen to, try taking a ride with Bowie's Diamond Dogs.