David Bowie 14: “Heroes”

Coming very quickly on the heels of its predecessor (as well as two Iggy Pop albums and a tour playing keyboards in that band), “Heroes” has Bowie following a similar template to Low, split predominantly between vocal and instrumental sides. But this isn’t a straight copy; overall as well as in hindsight it sounds more like a Bowie album than an Eno album, plus occasional Eno-pal Robert Fripp adds his distinctive guitar all over the mix. He’s that clarion you hear on the title track, which is still a hypnotic tune even if it’s worn out its welcome via classic rock radio and some ill-advised cover versions.

Most of the other vocal tracks seem to follow the same Burroughsian lyrical cut-up technique first used on Diamond Dogs. Yet, even if we know the inspiration behind or beneath “Beauty And The Beast”, which opens the album on a discordant, hesitant note, what it comes down to is whether the songs work or not. And for the most part, they do. “Joe The Lion” and “Sons Of The Silent Age” are two other songs that would occasionally turn up onstage, each sporting a memorable bridge that distracts from the impenetrable lyrics. That can’t be said for “Blackout”, which closes the side around a great riff and danceable beat.

As before, side two is predominantly instrumental but sometimes more upbeat, beginning with “V-2 Schneider”, a more overt Kraftwerk reference. The centerpiece is three connected tracks that each sound like their titles, and are all gloomy in their own ways. “Sense Of Doubt” sports a blatant descending bass line on the piano, “Moss Garden” is built around the koto for a Japanese ambience, and “Neükoln” gets its name from a district of Berlin, dominated by a bleak saxophone. “The Secret Life Of Arabia” is memorable simply for diffusing the dread by ending the album in the disco.

While it may not be as consistent as Low, Bowie seemed a little more confident on “Heroes”—staying off the cocaine probably helped—and the album remains fascinating today. It’s the one album of the Berlin trilogy that was actually recorded there in total. Plus, it sports one of his cooler album covers. (Ryko’s bonus tracks numbered only two this time: an unnecessary remix of “Joe The Lion” that boosted the snare drum, and an era instrumental called “Abdulmajid”, which also happened to be future wife Iman’s surname. Oddly, they didn’t bother to include the French- and German-language versions of the title track, but those would end up on other repackages down the road.)

David Bowie “Heroes” (1977)—3½
1991 Rykodisc: same as 1977, plus 2 extra tracks