David Bowie, Diamond Dogs (side A)

1974's Diamond Dogs is a radical departure from Bowie's last album of original material, Aladdin Sane.  Gone now is Mick Ronson's powerful rhythm guitar, and it's been replaced, to some extent, by silence.  Any rhythm guitars are acoustic, and any drive from these or the keyboards usually sounds synthetic and slightly unflattering.  The vocals are also compressed with a more synthetic feel, and sometimes extremely processed with unusual effects like tremolo.  Layered keyboards, saxophones, and sparse guitar lines fill the space, but seem detached from the more conventional rock attack that the rhythm section often provides.  The gatefold front and inside cover images provide a wild and futuristic context that nicely accompanies Bowie's lyrics.