Let's Dance

Production notes

Let's Dance was recorded at the Power Station studio in New York City in December 1982, with additional work done there in early 1983. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers, co-founder of Chic, whom Bowie personally recruited after meeting him at a club in New York. The engineering was handled primarily by Bob Clearmountain, one of the most sought-after mix engineers of the era. Bowie brought in Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, then relatively unknown, to play lead guitar on several tracks, giving the album a distinctive blues-rock edge layered over Rodgers' funk and pop sensibilities. Released in April 1983 on EMI America Records, the album marked a deliberate commercial pivot for Bowie, embracing a polished, radio-friendly post-disco sound that made it his best-selling record, reaching number one in multiple countries.