In a contemporary review, "Billboard" considered that Bowie had "found his musical niche" following songs like "Fame" and "Golden Years" but that "the 10-minute title cut drags", while "NME" called it "one of the most significant albums released in the last five years", later naming it the second greatest album of the year. Both magazines found the meaning of the lyrics difficult to fathom. "Rolling Stone" writer Teri Moris applauded the album's 'rockier' moments but discerned a move away from the genre, finding it "the thoughtfully professional effort of a style-conscious artist whose ability to write and perform demanding rock & roll exists comfortably alongside his fascination for diverse forms ... while there's little doubt about his skill, one wonders how long he'll continue wrestling with rock at all". "Circus", noting that Bowie was "never one to maintain continuity in his work or in his life", declared that "Station to Station" "offers cryptic, expressionistic glimpses that let us feel the contours and palpitations of the masquer's soul but never fully reveal his face." The review also found various allusions to earlier Bowie efforts, such as the "density" of "The Man Who Sold the World", the "pop feel" of "Hunky Dory", the "dissonance and angst" of "Aladdin Sane", the "compelling percussion" of "Young Americans", and the "youthful mysticism" of "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud", concluding that "it shows Bowie pulling out on the most challenging leg of his winding journey".