January 23, 2026, marks the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie’s inventive 10th studio album, Station to Station. In commemoration of the milestone, two limited-edition LP versions of the record will be released on that very day.
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Station to Station will be reissued on standard black vinyl and as a picture disc featuring the cover art on the LP. Both releases will feature the original six-track album mastered at half-speed utilizing restored audio from the original master tapes.
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The picture disc will come with a reproduction of a poster originally used to advertise Station to Station. Both vinyl reissues can be pre-ordered now.
Station to Station became Bowie’s highest-charting album in the U.S. at the time. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album included the hit single “Golden Years,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. A second single, “TVC 15,” was a minor chart success, peaking at No. 62 on the Hot 100.
Station to Station found Bowie hanging on to elements of the danceable “Plastic Soul”-era sound of his previous album, 1975’s Young Americans, while also experimenting with electronic-music influences. David was inspired by some German bands he was listening to at the time, including Neu! and Kraftwerk. The latter influence was most prominent in Station to Station’s 10-minute title track.
The album served as a vehicle for Bowie’s Thin White Duke stage persona, which he’d been developing in recent years.
More About Station to Station
At the time Bowie recorded Station to Station, he was experiencing drug-addiction issues, particularly with c*c*ine. During the taping of a 1999 episode of VH1 Storytellers, he claimed he had no recollection of making the album.
Station to Station was mainly recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles. Among the musicians who contributed to the record were guitarists Earl Slick and Carlos Alomar, who both also appeared on Young Americans. E Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan played on three tracks.
Station to Station ends with a cover of “Wild Is the Wind,” a first recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1957, and later by Nina Simone. Bowie was inspired to do a version of the song after meeting Simone in L.A. in 1975.
Station to Station marked a transition for Bowie that led to the further electronic explorations of his next three albums—Low, “Heroes”, and Lodger—known as the “Berlin Trilogy.”
Station to Station Track List:
Side One
- “Station to Station”
- “Golden Years”
- “Word on a Wing”
Side Two
- “TVC 15”
- “Stay”
- “Wild Is the Wind”
(Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)
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