Heroes [Enhanced, Original recording reissued]

David Bowie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1977
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00001OH7V
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,511 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #13 in Music > Miscellaneous > Experimental Music
  • #22 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Proto Punk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

BOWIE DAVID HEROES

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Overlooked Sister to 'Low' December 8, 2003

By joe449

Format:Audio CD

David Bowie's catalogue is very diverse in terms of styles and personas he's adopted over the years. Most people familiar with his work are likely to name 'Ziggy Stardust,' 'Station To Station' or even 'Let's Dance' as milestone albums. But when someone mentions "Heroes," one immediately thinks of the monolithic title track, which to this day retains a place in David's live shows. In my opinion, 'Heroes,' the album, has always been rather overlooked; the spotlight being stolen by it's sister, 'Low.' And while 'Low' is most definitely a masterpiece, 'Heroes' is an excellent work in it's own right and deserves re-evaluation.

'Heroes' takes the listener away to an alternative world filled with chaos ("Beauty and the Beast"), desperation ("Blackout"), nostalgia ("Sons of the Silent Age") and humor ("Secret Life of Arabia"). David's voice hits startling new heights here, and he's singing as though his life depended on it. The ambient instrumental tracks range from murky ("Sense of Doubt") to soothing ("Moss Garden") to horrific ("Neukoln").

I find it almost a cathartic experience listening to 'Heroes,' for it's as if David is purging all these raw emotions out of his system and trying to make the best of a difficult situation (relevant to his circumstances during the time the album was recorded). Depending on my mood, it's not uncommon that I feel either drained or refreshed after listening to the album in one sitting.

'Heroes' evokes a whole gamut of feelings, and is a most provocative listening experience. It's a wild runaway-train of an album, by an artist who was always far ahead of his time. Highly recommended to all DB fans (new or old) or anyone who likes music that takes you on an adventure.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Bowie's half-dozen best from his long career April 18, 2009

By Phil (San Diego, CA)

Format:MP3 Music

The "Heroes" album in its entirety isn't necessarily going to be for everyone's taste but even if your palate doesn't quite reflect my own, there are a number of choice tracks with broad appeal.

"Heroes" was the second album of what is in retrospect called the Berlin trilogy. The first of that trilogy, Low, is probably my favorite Bowie; "Heroes" was a strong followup that provided a more jarring approach in constrast to the meditative and sometimes drifting melancholy of its predecessor. Both are among the most important albums of Bowie's career.

If you've ever picked up one of the many compilations of Bowie hits you've probably gotten the edited version of the title hit. Somehow "Heroes" doesn't sound right when it opens with the verse about swimming like dolphins. The most memorable lyrics are right there in the first verse of the full length version included here. The opening phrase that starts,

"I, I would be king, and you, you can be queen..."

But just in case the listener gets too carried away with the princess delusion, Bowie makes sure it gets right back down to earth...

"And you, you can be mean, and I, I'll drink all the time..."

The album opens with one of Bowie's choicest songs ever, the harrowing "Beauty and the Beast". That and "Heroes" are the two most accessible vocal numbers on the album. What used to be side two of the album is made up of four instrumentals, followed by one more vocal to wrap things up. "V-2 Schneider" will have the broadest appeal of the instrumentals. Those who had some Bowie's 45s from this era may remember it as a b-side as well. The song is a tribute to Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk, a kind of mutual recognition after Kraftwerk namechecked Bowie and Iggy Pop in the title song of their classic 1977 Trans Europe Express.

"Sense of Doubt" is a foreboding instrumental that someday will make its way to a film soundtrack I'm sure. It flows right into "Moss Garden", an evocative, atmospheric piece that is appealing as either foreground or background ambience. Close your eyes and you can almost feel the drips of water and the moisture in the air as you're transported to a peaceful solitude in some hanging gardens. This flows into the final instrumental, "Neukoln", which sounds like Bowie wrestling with his sax. What I appreciate most about this number is that so many lesser artists invoke the sax when they want a trite boogie sound or they want to, as Zappa put it, "make a jazz noise here". Bowie's treatment of the sax is entirely off the map compared to most performers' limited roles for this instrument. Nowadays I tend to have a scorn for that most predictable of instruments, the sax, but Bowie avoided the trap of tedium with "Neukoln".

"Joe the Lion" and "Blackout" are jagged, angular rockers which no doubt jarred the old fans of his pub rock Ziggy Stardust sound. These aren't the most easily digested Bowie numbers for the casual fan accustomed to commercial radio fare, but numbers like this kept Bowie interesting and cemented his credibility in the face of the upcoming generation of punk rockers. As the promotional materials of the day read, "There's old wave, there's new wave, and there's David Bowie".

If, upon listening to the samples you find that you might prefer a more accessible Bowie album, I strongly recommend Station To Station from the previous year, 1976. Only six songs but every song is top shelf Bowie, and the title track in particular is a showstopper. Or if you're more inclined toward the power crunch of guitar rockers, check out that little atom bomb, Aladdin Sane. Diamond Dogs from 1974 is a fan favorite as well, perhaps the most eloquent, eerie and erotic of Bowie's apocalyptic albums.

Just be warned, Bowie's best albums act like a gateway drug. Land one of those and before you know it you've picked up a half dozen more Bowie albums. Keep it up and you find that the Bowie section of your CD collection takes up a whole shelf in itself. Given this legacy, that's a very good thing.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The pinnacle of the brilliant Bowie/Eno achievement. May 7, 2000

By Nigel Funge

Format:Audio CD

When U2 released their excellent `Achtung Baby' CD in the early 90s, critics and fans alike praised the "new" sound, admired them for their risk-taking, and generally fawned over the rock/electronica mix. Obviously Bono and the band were instrumental in this, but were it not for Brian Eno's influence and presence, it's unlikely if this album would have emerged as the great collection it did. Also, those who lauded this collaboration as groundbreaking need only to go back 20+ years to Eno's work with David Bowie with the Low/Heroes/Lodger trilogy to see that they were doing it back then.

This (`Heroes') album marks the pinnacle of their trilogy in my mind as I find it to be much more accessible than the dark (but brilliant) `Low' and not as (forgive me) odd as `Lodger'. The most recognizable track on the album, "Heroes" is still a wonderful song. "Joe The Lion", "Sons of the Silent Age", and "Beauty and the Beast" are other highlights of the non-instrumental pieces.

However, side B is the true gem of this album. The combination of "Sense of Doubt", "Moss Garden", and "Neukoln" are some of the most beautiful and haunting instrumental work that Bowie and even Eno have produced. These three songs surrounded with the non-instrumental "V-2 Schneider" and "The Secret Life of Arabia" make for a spectacular 20 minutes of music.

If you're just starting to dabble in Bowie's work, this is definitely a good starting place.