By: David Bowie Average Rating: Binding: Audio CD Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued Label: Virgin Records Us Number of Discs: 1 Release Date: September 28, 1999
Album Description: Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007.
Amazon.com essential recording: One of Bowie's more stellar moments working with Brian Eno, Heroes again sees the artist moving into barely chartered waters (at that point, 1977), creating moving, emotive rock and putting it right up against some very detached and futuristic synthesized sounds. The collection opens with a ferocious rocker, courtesy of Robert Fripp's taut, snarling guitars ("Beauty and the Beast"), and then slides into the roar of "Joe the Lion" without missing a beat. Bowie's vocals have rarely sounded as desperate as they are on "Heroes," the anguished "Blackout" rages on a peculiarly up beat, and suddenly the listener finds they've slipped into a parallel world of icy soundscapes. The next four tracks present glassy synthesizers, stark piano, the ping of Asian-styled guitars, and other styles presumably left over or influenced by the Low recordings. The delicate "Moss Garden" is particularly beautiful, and "Sense of Doubt" is brooding and ominous. The closer, "The Secret Life of Arabia," moves with the rhythm of a snake charmer, and Bowie's vocals are irrepressibly intoxicating. Challenging, and worth the effort. --Lorry Fleming
Amazon.com: The second disc in the late-'70s Bowie/Eno trilogy, Heroes essentially repeats the form of Low--half rock songs with darkly cryptic lyrics and bizarre mixes, half foreboding instrumentals--but the songs are better realized (especially the weirdly dramatic title track) and the non-songs are more richly textured. The album's tone is muffled and desperate, like screams from the next room. As on Low, Bowie plays hide-and-seek with his slithery voice: songs have backing vocals and nothing more, or shift into German and French, or never quite move past an introduction. Eno's treatments make the instruments sound gluey and sluggish, especially in the proto-ambient second half of the album. This is mood music for an execution day. --Douglas Wolk
Bowie + Fripp = Bliss I have to ultimately pick this as my favorite Bowie album. Why? Two Words: Robert and Fripp. My favorite Bowie guitarist. Word has it that Eno called him up to add some "finish" the the already recorded album. He finished his work in 6 hours, without hearing any tracks up front! His soloing on the mordant "Beauty & The Beast" utterly transforms the song into something otherworldly. I can't imagine this album without his playing! The doomed romanticism of the title cut is perhaps DB's finest single ever, though the album length version is mandatory. The Kraftwerk tribute of "V-2 Schneider" has some fun Bowie sax to enliven it even further. Then come three powerful instrumentals: the very aptly named "Sense of Doubt," Moss Garden" and Neukoln." Then it all wraps up with the best dance tune Bowie ever did, in my opinion. "The Secret Life Of Arabia" should have been a massive hit single that filled dance floors for 4 years afterward. Better this than bloody "Let's Dance!"
Heroes Heroes being the second in Bowie's "Berlin Triology" was released 1977 and contains hits such "Heroes" and "Beauty and the Beast". The cd booklet is filled with many photographs of Bowie in different poses and what the front cover wants to convey I have no idea. 4/5.
Forget Pink Floyd--try Bowie's "Wall" The second of Bowie's Berlin trilogy, and the only of those three albums recorded entirely in Berlin, is brought down only by two almost-very-good instrumental pieces, one of which ("Neukoln") is saved by saxophone. Side One is almost invincible in its urgency; that same urgency makes this record more attractive to me than the languid "Hunky Dory." And though Side Two is brought down a little by the slightly-portentous but enchantingly foreboding "Sense of Doubt," the fantastic dreaminess of "Moss Garden" (it's all in the koto) and the fabulous "Life on Mars" sequel "The Secret Life of Arabia" pick it back up. On top of that, the title track is as good as anything he's ever recorded.
I, I will be king It is impossible to talk about "Heroes" without gushing over the epic title track which remains if not Bowie's most famous song then it is on a very short list. The song builds and builds to a crescendo no doubt helped by the droning lead guitar of special guest Robert Fripp and David's own impassioned vocals which have rarely outdone by him or anyone since. The full length "Heroes" would be reason enough for me to get this record (well before I got my IPOD) but the rest of the album is entertaining if one gives it some time, patience and a few more extra listens. Much like its previous twin, `Low', October `77's "Heroes" has conventional songs on the first half and hypnotic instrumentals on most of the second half. "Beauty and the Beast" and "Joe the Lion" highlight the former (along with "Heroes" of course!) and "Sense of Doubt" is spellbinding in the latter. Bowie, Eno and Visconti cover similar terrain here in the one album of the supposed "Berlin" trilogy that was mostly actually recorded in Berlin! Many of the songs reference the cosmopolitan nature of what was considered to be the most diverse capital in Western Europe (and the gay and drug capital to boot!) such as "Neukoln", "V-2 Schneider", "Arabia" and obviously the song that describes lovers "standing by the wall". "Heroes" the LP is a challenge like its predecessor but it will reward the adventurous listener.
Ich, ich bin dann König ... This 2nd synth album follows the pattern of Low, the first one in the Eno trilogy, in its mix of short pop/rock songs plus moody instrumentals and semi-instrumentals. Somehow it lacks the trenchant edge of Low although the title track is truly spectacular in its powerful imagery and stirring melody - his voice sounds as human as on Word On A Wing (from Station to Station) over the wailing drone of the synths as it paints a scenario of lovers meeting beneath the Berlin wall. Truly breathtaking, this song was also released as a single in German and French versions in the 1970s. The melancholy Sons of the Silent Age has a spacey feel, beautiful lyrics and a ghostly chorus, while Blackout is harsh and discordant. I love the sax and the driving beat of V2 Schneider and Bowie's voice intoning the title. Moss Garden is a delicate instrumental, a sound I recognized later in some pieces by e.g. Autechre and Cabaret Voltaire, but the sung Secret Life Of Arabia drags a bit. Owing to it's spectacular title track, Heroes remains my favorite of Bowie's trilogy of 70s synth albums.
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