Low

I've again deferred to my cat named Bowie on this review. When I told him that Low was today's album, he legged it from room to room around our apartment, bouncing off every wall and surface like he was off his tits on catnip. When he finally came down off his Low induced high, he told me "this is Big Dave's finest hour". So there's your review.

"All hail the Berlin trilogy!" I think they should be called Low, parts 1, 2 and 3. This is music that only sold because of his name. I wonder how many praise these albums because they don't want to admit that they wasted their money. I've learned a frightening word since I started listening to 1001 albums: AMBIENT. It is code for plain boring, weird boring, or monotonous pretentious twaddle. This album is just boring because I've heard it before. Back in the day it was weird boring. I assume Lodger is also in the list. I hope not. Yesterday I had Paranoid, more of that ilk, thank you.

6/6 First half is avant-garde, second is alien civilization. Standout Tracks: Speed of Life, Sound and Vision, Warszawa, Art Decade, Weeping Wall, Subterraneans

Bowie! It's hard to dislike anything Bowie has done, honestly. He was so alien and ahead of his time that there's always something new and strange to learn when listening to his albums. This was one that I hadn't spent any time with in the past so I hit the wikipedia article for context which was helpful. It's electronic and pop and undeliably Bowie. Is it dated? Yes. But it also feels like it's a decade younger than it actually is. While the rest of the world was making disco pop, Bowie was making electro bangers and synthetic, cinematic dreamscapes.

This album woke up at 5:45 pm to a house party happening downstairs, and quickly got sick of it, deciding to bar hop and scuttle around town. Never finding what it was looking for, it finally decided to walk the city streets alone through the night, stuck in its own head, until passing out in an alley behind a dingy jazz club. 10/10.

I love Bowie but for me this was too dramatic and artsy with too many random sounds and instruments. It's risky, I just didn't like it that much.

Okay. Often good, never all that great. The second half is mostly instrumental, concept album kind of thing. Interesting. I wouldn’t go back for it.

I am a massive, massive Bowie fan, and I think even amongst his pretty great catalogue that the Berlin trilogy is quite near the top. Bowie and Eno. What a dream team. Every one of these songs slaps, but Sound and Vision and Be My Wife are the big standouts. Perfection. We didn't deserve Bowie.

Takes the listener to a new world. Neat.

Anything Eno touches is electronic gold, and this collaboration with Bowie is one of his best works I've seen. I admit it hardly even feels like a Bowie album. It's a series of avant-garde pop rock tracks that knows how to control the unusual noises it's dealing it. The first side is absolutely perfect and if the whole album were like it I would have no doubt awarded the full score. But I'm mixed about the 2nd side. I've tried looking at what people had to say about it. Some say people only now started to appreciate it while others say it feels dated now... Ok? To me, it's a series of carefully crafted melancholic ambient pieces that are long enough for appreciation with enough variation to prevent us from growing tired of them. They apparently reflect geographic locations like Warsaw and West Berlin. They're excellent pieces that bring a calming feeling to the album, but how should I rate this album? Does it detract from the perfect score I should give? Well it's different and amazing as well but doesn't fit with the other side yet doesn't distract from it either. Maybe I'm hesitant because I already awarded 2 5-stars in the past couple days, and an avant album seems like the perfect excuse for me to break that. But I admit this is a perfect album that I commend Bowie and Eno on. In the end, they deserve the perfect score of this random listener.

The feeling of exited trepidation I feel before refreshing the page each day to reveal my next musical journey was very much dampened on this occasion when I discovered a David Bowie lp. Not being a huge fan I was still interested to hear what is supposedly one of his best pieces of work. If this is considered one of his best albums then it kinda confirms my long held opinion of Bowie’s music...blandish and boring’ish. David Bowie was universally acknowledged for sounding different, looking different and pushing boundaries in general yet I still find his songs fatiguing and uninspiring. Quit frankly the last three tracks on this album all sounded like instrumental lullabies aiming to set you off to sleep...which was a hazard in itself as I was driving at the time. It’s no coincidence that the only Bowie material I own is a Greatest Hits on vinyl. After listening to this album, that’s not going to change any time soon. 1 Star!

When initially listening to Low, you get the sense of it being very David Bowieesque. It seems to have influence from free form jazz in the way that the instrumentation is arranged. The production definitely is the center of each song, as the lyrics are sometimes drowned out by the repetition of the production. There are long pauses in the spoken word, so this album almost becomes an instrumental album. At just 39 minutes in runtime it is an easy listen, an album you throw on a turntable as background music.

in May of 2020, when I listened to the entire Bowie solo discography, I ranked this album his second best. it's a decision I still stand by! sorry, I just really love Blackstar, but in terms of "classic" Bowie, this is the album I reach for first. it's just such a succinct and perfect encapsulation of this artist (artists, if we take Brian Eno and Tony Visconti into account) at the peak of his powers! it may not have legendary, generationally anthemic songs with roof-tearing vocal performances like Hunky Dory or Ziggy Stardust or Station to Station, but so much of what makes this album special is its understatedness and brevity. the A-side is 7 flawless rock miniatures, all clocking in around 3 minutes or less, all replete with brilliant details in their pristinely engineered instrumentation, with heavy layers of Eno synths masterfully woven into the fabric for good measure. in many ways these songs (and others from the Berlin years) feel the bedrock of new wave and post-punk. even the instrumental songs are full of intrigue! the stakes on these tracks are much lower than they've been on previous Bowie albums, but there's a straightforwardness to the songwriting on this A-side, particularly in the lyrics, which I find really compelling. "Sound and Vision" might be the most "perfect" song in the entire Bowie catalog, and there's quite a few contenders there! then side B transports you somewhere else entirely. Eno takes center stage, with Bowie acting more as an object in the musical scene than a central figure across 4 grandiose slabs of ambient goodness. fuzzy string patches, Steve Reich-esque marimbas, thundering bass tones, droning vocals, and a ton of electronic pads all come together in various flavors. the connection these tracks have to the 7 rock songs that came before them isn't immediately obvious, but they just make sense together. with the rock side, you get terse reflections on David Bowie's state of mind as he tried to kick his various vices to the curb, and with the ambient side, that focus shifts outwardly to his immediate surroundings in West Berlin and the quiet horror of the Cold War. I can't imagine one without the other! this is one of the most transcendent listening experiences you can find in the entire rock music canon. 10/10.

First half is marvellous, second half is sublime. Alongside the classic Kraftwerk run, this is one of the strongest statements of and for post-war European culture, pop or otherwise.

A little shook I gotta come on here and defend Low! Not sure I have the credentials to do so. But this album is groundbreaking! One of the world's biggest rock stars assuredly planting is feet at the edge of the genre's avant garde. This album is so dense with collage. Such an unusual and introspective use of rock and roll; exploring all the ways it might collide with electronic, kraut, ambient, and so on. I can honestly say I've never heard an album from before or after Low that sounds quite like it. Even Heroes, which is, I think, his best album, and was released the same year (!!!), finds Bowie taking his experiments in a tonally different direction. I think it's stunning and inspiring to hear someone who had just released their first "greatest hits" album whipping around and doing something like this. The influence this album had on New Wave, Post-Punk, Indie, and everything after Rock's golden age is evident and essential. Hard to imagine many of our most beloved rock groups up to and including Radiohead existing as they do without Bowie's experimental period and without this album. All that, AND the first half of this album totally bops! "Sound and Vision" is one Bowie's best pop songs!

Split between a side of jittery experimental rock and a side of avant-garde/ambient music, Low is probably Bowie’s most drastic reinvention of his art. Brian Eno joins Bowie on Low and deserves much credit for shaping this album’s sound and style. Recorded in Berlin, the influence of Eno’s ambient work and the German experimental rock scene of the time is fully evident on Low. The A side of the record is more typical of Bowie’s sound at the time: the plastic soul of Station to Station became even more synthetic and angular, with percolating analog synths driving the songs. Think of it as a precursor to Eno’s work producing the Talking Heads a few years later. On the B-Side, Bowie and Eno delve deep into the experimental side of the pool, producing four moody avant-garde soundscapes influenced by Cluster, Kraftwerk, Steve Reich’s minimalism, World music and Brian Eno’s own ambient experiments. Few, if any, of Bowie’s megastar contemporaries were even attempting music like this in the late 70’s. Low and the ensuing two records Bowie recorded with Eno in Berlin are ground-breaking achievements, which successfully introduced the avant-garde and experimental into popular music. For both Bowie and Eno, Low is a high water mark.

Bowie introduces some electronic sounds! I'm a Bowie fan but have never listened to this one, so this was a treat. I enjoyed the exploration of new sounds, and you can definitely see the influence this had on subsequent artists. The second side was particularly interesting and unexpected. My top pick is 'Sound and Vision', but I also really liked 'Be My Wife' and 'A New Career in a New Town'.

It's hard to imagine what modern music would sound like without this album. Bowie and Brian Eno create an album with a satisfying rock front half, and a ethereal, dreamlike, and somewhat menacing back half. The experimental and ambient elements here are crucial to the development of post-punk. I remember when I first heard Blackstar, I thought that it was coming out of nowhere because I had not explored this period of Bowie. This album has given much such a deeper appreciation of this artist and of the history of music in general.

5.0 + I've listened to this album many times over the years. My first listen left me utterly confused. However, being a huge fan of Bowie's more pop-oriented music, I hung in and with subsequent listens that confusion turned to distaste, to understanding, and finally to absolute reverence. My journey to love this album in turn has made me appreciate experimental music and the artists that successfully struggle to present truly original sounds to my ears. I'm grateful for this album, for the supernova forces behind Bowie and Eno that briefly collided, as well as for my being able to finally appreciate the fruits of that collision.

Wow, what a yawner! Amazing he ever became a star.

Левиафан из глубины поп- музыки.

Coked up and influenced by German bands and his friendship with Iggy Pop Bowie changes directions once again and gives the world The Thin White Duke the MC of all tomorrow's parties. Low is a spacey, electronic epic poem that is often too beautiful for words hence all the instrumentals. It's superior to anything Kraftwerk and Neu! would ever release the two bands who most influenced Low and that's not taking a dig at either band both are essential bands with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ albums of their own that I absolutely adore but such was Bowies at his prime, surpassing his influences became the order of the day. Low would go on to influence every post punk band worth a second listen as well as the rest of the 20th century - everything from art to music to fashion to you name it. In conclusion, I liked it and think that you will too.

# Album Name: Low # Artist: David Bowie # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: I love a bit of bowie, but i have to admit, i havent heard much of the berlin trilogy era before. My first listen of this album was, well, underwhelming. I think thats the best way to put it. Its a tale of two halves. First part of the album is vocal driven and the second half more electronic experimental/ambient. I decided to give it another listen. The first half has some good songs on it like Speed of life, breaking glass, sound & vision and be my wife. It was a good first half! Real grower. The latter half has Eno written all over it. It should be a Eno album almost. Pretty much from track 7 onwards. And Eno isnt someone who has struck me that well musically. You can feel the german influence. Im sure the electronics were well ahead of its time back in the day, and i can appreciate that, but its hard for me to grab on to. It doesnt connect with me musically. Its not how i know bowie either. However, patience is a virtue. It turns out a few of the tracks on the second half were pretty damn good. I could see how it inspired lots of other artists despite it not being my favourite version of bowie. Sound of vision and Be my wife are the standouts for me. Its a low 5 for me. # Top Tunes: First 6 tracks. Career in a new town, Warswaza and subterraneans. # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Best Song: Sound and Vision Worst Song: Weeping Wall

Its so good oh my god I'm crying listening to Subterraneans. Crying. This is the third time I'm listening to the ambient closer and I'm crying. OMG. Side A - avant-garde pop Side B - ambient

Busy day, brief review - this is great!

I’ve always wondered what impression this album made to the Bowie fans at the time it was released. At the time it was only 5 years but 8 albums between this and Ziggy Stardust. Bowie had already reinvented himself a few times since then, but this still had to be a shock to listeners after Station to Station. The songs on side one seem more like ideas than songs. The crazy thing though, is that they work as songs as well and flow seamlessly into each other. As soon as one song is over, the listener is left wanting a little more but then they get hooked into the next song which then starts the cycle all over again until “A New Career in a New Town” brings the listener out of out. Side two , all of which reflects impressions of various locations musically, opens with what is Bowie’s most ambitious track at the time. “Warszawa” is both bleak and beautiful. The track is meant to capture his impressions of a previous visit of his to Warsaw. The final track, “Subterraneans”, is the oldest on the album. It was previously recorded shortly after Station to Station and like the track that came before reflects the mood in Germany surrounding the separation of the country during the cold war. Although this is not my favorite Bowie album it is up there and truly worthy of the 5 star rating.

Had a great time listening to remastered versions of Bowie’s classics plus some new ones that I’d not heard before. It has a psychedelic electro soul which puts me in mind of “war of the worlds musical”. Blooming brilliant

So good. No usually down with the experimental with no vocals. This just lived in me today. Maybe it’s my mood. I just jammed out to it all day. Also bonus hearing Iggy Pop version of China Girl. I was today years old when I learned he recorded it first. Thanks Spotify! 7.3

9/10

Immediate replay for me. Initial listen while I was getting ready to go out, loved it immediately but I feel it’s an album that needs multiple listens. It’s Bowie being Bowie in the weirdest and best way. I can’t believe I’ve never heard a single track off this record. This was more of a 4.5 for me. Really wnjoyed, definitely will listen again in the future. This is a good one to find on vinyl.

"This is a LOOWWWWWWWWWWW, And it will hurt YOU-OOO-OOO"

Cigs for breakfast vibes Sound and vision Eno good?

4.5 Kind of a weird coincidence that we went from having two instrumental albums to the closest Bowie’s ever come to writing one, but what better way to send off the trio of like-minded works than with the beginning of Bowie’s own famous musical trilogy. Obviously I’m using “like-minded” loosely here, as this is miles ahead of Barry Adamson and Zappa in every way imaginable - I mean, come on, it’s David Bowie. As someone who just claimed not to be the biggest fan of instrumental music in my review prior, this album is an exemplification of how to do it and make it compelling. I mean, right off the bat you’re greeted with probably the sexiest blast of jazz to ever open an album - you know, the kind of thing only Bowie could pull off. It’s such a captivating, groovy, and inviting way to kick things off, and it transitions into a series of slightly more conventional tunes from there that I really think are among Bowie’s best. I absolutely love the synthesizer on Breaking Glass, the clanging piano on Be My Wife, and the simple, catchy charm of Sound and Vision - these are seriously all tracks that I think need more love within the larger Bowie catalog. The back half is where you get into the meat of the instrumental work, and while I can see how it could lose some people, I really find Bowie’s take on it to be some of the most atmospheric I’ve heard. There’s an incredible ambience established immediately as Warszawa kicks in, and it really doesn’t let up until the album concludes. Supposedly the songs were inspired by Bowie’s time in Berlin, but for me, they’ve always given off this sense of “final level” in a video game (which, to be fair, Berlin was in a sense at a time) They’re all great, but to date, I honestly think Warszawa is my most-listened to instrumental track ever. David Bowie is a legend among musicians and men for a lot of reasons, but I think one of the biggest reasons was his ability to consistently innovate and reinvent himself, and I think this album, denoting the beginning of his next musical chapter, may represent that spirit the best. The Thin White Duke and Ziggy were out - David was back and changing the game again. Bonus points for why Bowie is the man: Instead of promoting this album, he chose to support his friend Iggy Pop on tour as his keyboardist.

Bowie will always be great. I think this was my first time listening to this one though. It's quite haunting.

My favorite of the "Berlin Trilogy" albums. -- At least I think. I need to relisten to Lodger The instrumental tracks are sublime. Especially Warszawa.

I really liked this. Atmospheric and cool. I would not have listened to this before. Glad I did.

Like walking through a gallery full of different pieces of art, each song is different but shares a theme. I liked hearing a couple of instrumental pieces though they weren't my favorite. This album is decidedly funky, with an assortment of music forming a colorful bridge between the 70s and 80s and beyond.

I’m am pretty much entirely unfamiliar with Bowie’s music and had zero expectations for this. Started off kinda meh, not offensive but unimpressive. There were a few moments of conventional songwriting that were pretty accessible. The shift halfway through to ambient, experimental sounds is where it really started to grow on me. The later tracks were did more for me than the first half. I appreciate how nothing on this album stayed past its welcome—every idea was direct and then it moved on. No chance for boredom. I could see this growing more on me with repeat listens. 6/10 Standouts: Be My Wife Warszawa Subterraneans

# Playlist track - Sound and Vision # Notes - Never heard this album before, even though "sound and vision" is one of my favorite Bowie tracks, ever. - Album starts out pretty great. Excellent opening. Fun, energetic, but it something does sideways halfway around. A set of weird experimental tracks takes over and they just feel out of place.

Can't believe I'd never heard Be My Wife before... it sounds so 80s. The ambient sections I find a bit tedious. Didn't hate it but I probably won't revisit the second half of the record. 3 overall, but a 5 for sound and vision

Some moments of genius

Mostly ambient and experimental music. Interestingly odd.

Szerintem olyan közepesen jó volt. Semmi földet indító nem volt benne, de hallgatható.

Боуи подтвердил этим альбомом, что он внатуре инопланетное ебанько

Not my cup of tea

Weird

Sorry. Just can’t get on with Bowie. Much over hyped, the tunes themselves are pretty good but his voice is awful and puts me off listening

#296. I don't know why there's so much Bowie on here when so much of it is trash. I've learned though that Bowie, like Dylan, should have quit while they were ahead in the early 70s, because there's not really anything particularly good going on after that. It's hard to pick a favorite song here, because none of them were even a little bit interesting. 2/5: please stop.

Unique in the way that I didn't know one could use such experimental instrumentation and still bore me. 2/5

Idk it felt like half the album was missing. Good beats otherwise

Points for trying something different, but never really came together.

This album received higher score because of two tolerable instrumental songs. The other songs were not worth listening to.

One of my favorite albums of all time and my favorite Bowie album. Insanely beautiful yet desolate atmosphere. Even features some of my favorite sax playing by him too.

really great instrumentals. i was surprised how spare the vocals are

4.5/5

5 stars. Fantastic. Love the ambient second half

4.5 stars

David Bowie goes Germany and makes an album while doing heaps of cocaine that would make Tony Montana jealous.

I was not a fan of this album. Upon first (2nd, 3rd...) listen I was so biased because of Ziggy and Diamond Dogs (which I absolutely loved) that I could not give a non-biased ear to this album. Then I moved to Germany and spent so much time in Berlin with my then girlfriend (mid-80s to mid-90s)...and I absorbed so much of the grungy Berlin/German underground music scene. And it dawned on me: I loved this album . If you ever nodded out at the Frankfurt bahnhof, missed your train to Berlin (before the wall came down) and met your junky friends (Germans and GIs) behind the wall, you'll get more of why this album means so much to a gen-X German/American crowd. Warszawa was about the time you'd be nodding out...popping into/out of your nod while the rest of the album played on...and hopefully some of your friends (Germans, Americans, New Zealanders...) could keep you safe enough to see another sun....

This is incredible. A masterpiece. I can't believe I've never listened to Low in it's entirety; the tonal shift after A New Career In A New Town is compelling, almost a song in its own right. I love it, one of those albums that feels personal.

#DÍA 35: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) Buenos días, hoy es turno de un álbum muy especial para mí y me hace infinita ilusión tener aquí un espacio para hablar del mismo. No voy a hablar de primeras impresiones puesto que es un LP que he escuchado muchísimo. Bowie por otro lado es mi artista favorito, así que coged esta reseña con ese dato subjetivo que me hace conectar de un modo mucho más profundo con su música. Low es un proyecto peculiar dentro de la historia de la música moderna, a veces llamado el “primer álbum de rock moderno” o también llamado “incoherente” y “ruido de fondo”. Sin duda divide mucho en opiniones, aunque a día de hoy está más establecido como uno de sus mejores álbumes. Es fácil de entender por qué puede producir una respuesta negativa al oyente: la radical diferencia entre las dos mitades del LP, lo surrealista y a primera vista ilógico de las letras, el sonido tan distinto a la anterior música de Bowie o la falta de estructura musical en la mayoría de temas. Para encontrar el sentido a todo lo que contiene Low se debe entender como lo que es: una creación artística concebida en un tiempo y un espacio. La estrella no estaba pasando por un buen momento de su vida, la adicción a la cocaína había llegado a un tope intolerable durante la creación de Station to Station, se sentía falto de ideas y de creatividad, su relación con Angela Barnett estaba en decadencia y parecía sentirse fuera de sí mismo tras casi una década de fama, llegando a hacer apología al nazismo durante su era de Thin White Duke. Se mudó a Suiza con Angela pero pasó mucho más tiempo en el Berlín Occidental junto a Iggy Pop para ambos rehabilitarse y también grabando el disco en Francia. Por otro lado, entró en contacto con Brian Eno, que sería la segunda mente creadora en la elaboración de Low aportando toques de ese estilo del que él fue pionero: la música de ambiente. Por supuesto también hay que considerar que se ubicaban en el espacio donde más se estuvo desarrollando la electrónica y el Krautrock, por lo que la influencia de grupos como Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk o Harmonia es evidente en el resultado final. Sin una fecha límite impuesta por RCA y con unos sentimientos muy fuertes, fue un momento de alineación de los planetas para crear una obra de arte única. Lo que es comunica en Low es un dolor y angustia universal, transmitido de un modo algo críptico y mediante recursos formales poco habituales en la música popular de entonces: sonidos electrónicos, técnicas de escritura de vanguardia, modificaciones de timbres y un modo de cantar mucho más sombrío y pálido de lo que solía ser Bowie. Este LP es un testimonio de una estrella tocando fondo. Speed of Life es la instrumental que inicia el disco, que presenta un brillo, un color y una sensación surrealista. En la última pista de su posterior proyecto de estudio, ‘Heroes’, cantaría “I was running at the speed of life”, lo que interpreto como una referencia a su modo de vida descontrolado al caer en la adicción. Aunque solo sea una pieza sin letra ya nos presenta una idea fundamental, anteriormente el cantante corría veloz y sin preocupación, pero tras un momento de realización, se encuentra imbuido en depresión y soledad, tratando de huir de su Yo anterior. Se evidencia en Breaking Glass, un tema que parece incompleto pero que expresa muchísimo con lo poco que contiene. Dirigido por un ritmo pegajoso, similar a los que bailaba en Young Americans o Station to Station, aunque ahora con una atmósfera distinta: la batería parece traída de otro universo y la voz de Bowie parece estar perdiendo la cordura según avanza la canción. Fuera de sí mismo, se refiere a sí mismo constantemente en segunda persona y rompe espejos para escapar de su persona: “Baby, I’ve been breaking glass in your room again”. Aunque también puede referirse a realizar estas acciones en la habitación de Angela y sentirse avergonzado. En What in the World la estrella habla a su Yo infante, refiriéndole como “Little girl with grey eyes”, posiblemente una muestra de problemas de identidad y género. Es un tema que juega una carta común en esta mitad del LP, que es usar elementos que en principio suenan alegres y coloridos pese a estar reflejando sentimientos de ansiedad en la letra. Esto genera, junto a un uso alocado de los sintetizadores, una sensación de locura y paranoia; parece un intento de convencerse a sí de estar bien pero el engaño es tan ruidoso, torpe y caótico que solo suma al delirio. A continuación Sound and Vision nos vuelve a adentrar en un espacio solitario, uno con las paredes pintadas de azul. Es curioso hacer el paralelismo entre cuando en 1969 cantaba “Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do” en Space Oddity, refiriéndose a la tristeza general de nuestro mundo, y en 1977 expresa “Blue, blue, electric blue, that’s the color of my room”, para ilustrar su propio aislamiento y depresión. Por otra parte Bowie tarda un buen rato en aparecer en la canción, realmente su papel en este LP es bastante reservado y tímido, solo hay que compararlo con su presencia imposible de ignorar en Station to Station. La desesperación y angustia llevan a un doble clímax al final de esta segunda mitad: uno bajo y lento en Alway Crashing in the Same Car, y otro alto y casi vigoroso en Be My Wife. El primero de los dos es un momento de realización y frustración, mediante una sencilla metáfora entiende que siempre comete el mismo error. En ese coche, que representa su modo de vivir, la cocaína y la fama, acaba constantemente chocando y haciéndose daño a sí mismo y a quiénes le rodean. Por lo que es momento de bajarse de ese automóvil y empezar su rehabilitación y cambiar de ambiente. Aunque, en la segunda, el delirio de Bowie parece llegar a un extremo de paranoia tras darse cuenta de todos sus errores y no sabes qué hacer para arreglarlo. Pide con desesperación “Be my wife”, no hay razones, no hay promesas, tan solo un desesperado intento de acabar con la soledad que le ha provocado su modo de vida. De nuevo todo envuelto en unos ritmos y texturas que evocan a la perfección esa imagen de una estrella que se está apagando, que no parece aceptar que su corazón no es capaz de transmitir el brillo de su música anterior porque es momento de cambio. A New Career In a New Town es la aceptación de este cambio, una transición a la parte ambiental del LP que parece un miedoso pero optimista vistazo hacia el porvenir de su vida. El solo de armónica desde luego que transmite la soledad que ocupa el resto del álbum, solo que con un giro esperanzador, en lugar de tener miedo de sí mismo quiere convivir consigo para viajar a nuevos lugares. Una esperanza que parece ser brutalmente destruída con la oscuridad de Warszawa, pero en esta segunda mitad Eno y Bowie parecen atender más al espacio que les rodea, no son temas tan introspectivos. El contenido de Low se hace lógico al atender a estas dos mitades del siguiente modo: la primera es el individuo y la segunda es cómo él mismo percibe su alrededor o su sociedad. Algo que también se podría considerar ilustrado en su portada, en la que el artista se encuentra de perfil, pálido, abrigado y con los ojos cansados, mirando hacia el futuro. Sin embargo, pese a su estado de introspección, no puede evitar que el entorno le afecte, algo que se refleja en cómo su pelo parece mezclarse con el color anaranjado del fondo. Volviendo a Warszawa, la pieza fue inspirada por la visita de Bowie a la capital polaca, vista por él como una ciudad sumida en pesimismo y pena tras los desastres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. La pista es cinematográfica, con un bajo de sintetizador que te penetra el corazón y unos vientos que cantan como homenaje a las tragedias ocurridas en Varsovia. La muestra de empatía ante esta situación se muestra en la decisión del artista de tratar de imitar cantos regionales de Polonia, creando una atmósfera aún más poderosa emocionalmente. Finalmente, los tres últimos temas son paisajes inspirados en distintos aspectos que Bowie observó en Berlín. Por un lado, Art Decade (homófono de “Art Decayed”) representa un mundo en el que la expresión, la cultura y el arte están en un punto bajo. La pieza consta de un juego de sintetizadores que descienden y otros que parecen intentar ascender, pero acaban creando una sensación inquietante. Luego Weeping Wall está basada en los sentimientos que provocaba el Muro de Berlín, un elemento que simbólicamente inspiraba separación y encerramiento. Ambas ilustran dos sentimientos con los que Bowie se identifica en la primera mitad del álbum, la falta de inspiración y la soledad. Como cierre del disco, Subterraneans trata de ser una oda a aquellas personas que se encontrasen en el Berlín Oriental. Al igual que Warszawa, es increíblemente oscura, pero en este caso mucho más triste, parece hablar de montones de personas con sueños y metas que jamás van a poder cumplir por encontrarse en unas condiciones de vida nefastas. Las cuerdas, las melodías en reversa, los desoladores solos de saxofón de Bowie y el pseudo-clímax que canta con palabras sin sentido, componen un final emocionalmente muy duro. De hecho, fue algo también criticado del álbum en su momento, ser demasiado pesimista. Pero tampoco creo que haya que tomarse la música o el arte como un escape de la realidad y punto, es importante que sea genuino, que refleje emociones y que genere pensamientos. Hay que aceptar que lo malo existe y que todos nos sentimos bajos, también que vivimos en un mundo complicado en el que el dolor no se va a extinguir nunca. Pero invisibilizar ésto solo lo empeoraría, y creo que es mucho más enriquecedor y humano crear una pieza mediante la que podamos realizar conexiones emocionales, haciéndonos sentir a todos un poco más unidos en un mundo tan grande en lugar de alienarnos más como los grandes nombres intentan hacer. Mi fascinación por Bowie comenzó cuando escuché este LP y desde entonces no ha dejado de sorprenderme canción tras canción. Era alguien imperfecto, alguien inteligente, infinitamente creativo, con las emociones a flor de piel y que mantuvo el arte siempre vivo. Ojalá haberle podido ver actuar, ojalá haber podido ver noticias sobre él o esperar impaciente por nueva música. Sin embargo, el destino me ha hecho empezar a apreciarle bastante tarde, pero también es signo sobre como fue un artista que realmente hizo de su expresión algo inmortal e inagotable. Descansa En Paz, Black Star. Favoritas: Todas Menos favorita: Ninguna #DAY 35: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Good morning, today it’s the turn of a very special album for me, and I’m infinitely excited to have this space to talk about it. I’m not going to write about first impressions since this is an LP I’ve listened to countless times. Bowie, on the other hand, is my favorite artist, so keep in mind that subjective fact that makes me connect on a much deeper level with his music. Low is a peculiar project in the history of modern music, sometimes called the “first modern rock album,” or alternatively called “incoherent” and “background noise.” Without a doubt, it strongly divides opinions, although today it’s more widely recognized as one of his best albums. It’s easy to understand why it could produce a negative response in listeners: the radical difference between the two halves of the LP, the surreal and at first sight illogical lyrics, the very different sound from Bowie’s earlier music, or the lack of conventional musical structure in most tracks. To find meaning in everything Low contains, one must understand it as what it is: an artistic creation conceived in a specific time and space. The star wasn’t in a good place in his life: cocaine addiction had reached an intolerable peak during the making of Station to Station, he felt drained of ideas and creativity, his relationship with Angela Barnett was falling apart, and he seemed to feel outside of himself after nearly a decade of fame—going so far as to flirt with Nazi imagery during his Thin White Duke era. He moved to Switzerland with Angela but spent much more time in West Berlin with Iggy Pop, where they both sought rehabilitation, while also recording the album in France. At the same time, he came into contact with Brian Eno, who became the second creative mind behind Low, contributing touches of the ambient style he had pioneered. Of course, one must also consider that they were in the epicenter of the development of electronic and Krautrock music, so the influence of groups like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, or Harmonia is evident in the final result. With no deadline imposed by RCA and with very powerful emotions in play, it was a moment of alignment of the planets to create a unique work of art. What Low communicates is a universal pain and anguish, conveyed in a somewhat cryptic manner and through unusual formal resources for popular music at the time: electronic sounds, avant-garde writing techniques, timbre modifications, and a much gloomier and paler singing style than Bowie usually employed. This LP is a testimony of a star hitting rock bottom. Speed of Life opens the record, an instrumental that presents a brightness, a color, and a surreal feeling. In the last track of his later project “Heroes”, he would sing “I was running at the speed of life,” which I interpret as a reference to his out-of-control lifestyle while falling into addiction. Even though it’s only an instrumental, it already sets forth a fundamental idea: the singer once ran fast and carefree, but after a moment of realization, he finds himself steeped in depression and loneliness, trying to flee from his former self. This is evident in Breaking Glass, a track that feels incomplete but expresses so much with so little. Driven by a catchy rhythm—similar to what he danced to in Young Americans or Station to Station—but now with a different atmosphere: the drums seem imported from another universe, and Bowie’s voice seems to be losing sanity as the song progresses. Out of his own mind, he refers to himself constantly in the second person and smashes mirrors to escape from himself: “Baby, I’ve been breaking glass in your room again.” Though it may also refer to him acting this way in Angela’s room and feeling ashamed. In What in the World, the star addresses his infant self, referring to him as “Little girl with grey eyes,” possibly a sign of identity and gender struggles. This is a track that plays a common card in the first half of the LP: using elements that sound cheerful and colorful while actually reflecting feelings of anxiety in the lyrics. This, combined with a wild use of synthesizers, generates a sense of madness and paranoia; it feels like an attempt to convince himself that everything is fine, but the deception is so noisy, clumsy, and chaotic that it only adds to the delirium. Next, Sound and Vision plunges us back into a solitary space, one with walls painted blue. It’s interesting to make the parallel between when, in 1969, he sang “Planet Earth is blue and there’s nothing I can do” in Space Oddity, referring to the general sadness of our world, and in 1977, he expresses “Blue, blue, electric blue, that’s the color of my room,” illustrating his own isolation and depression. What’s more, Bowie takes quite a while to even appear in the song; his role on this LP is rather restrained and timid, especially compared to his stunning presence in Station to Station. Desperation and anguish lead to a double climax at the end of this first half: the first is low and slow in Always Crashing in the Same Car, and the second is higher and almost vigorous in Be My Wife. The first is a moment of realization and frustration: through a simple metaphor, he understands that he always makes the same mistake. In that car, representing his lifestyle, cocaine, and fame, he ends up constantly crashing and hurting himself and those around him. It’s time to get out of that vehicle, begin rehabilitation and to change his surroundings. But in the second, Bowie’s delirium seems to reach a peak of paranoia after realizing all of his mistakes, he doesn’t know how to fix them. He begs desperately: “Be my wife” with no reasons, no promises, just a frantic attempt to end the loneliness brought about by his way of life. Again, all wrapped in rhythms and textures that perfectly evoke the image of a fading star, one who cannot accept that his heart can no longer shine with the brilliance of his earlier music, because it’s time for change. A New Career in a New Town is the acceptance of this change, a transition into the ambient part of the LP that feels like a fearful but hopeful glance toward his life’s future. The harmonica solo conveys the loneliness permeating the rest of the album, but with a hopeful twist: instead of fearing himself, he wants to live with himself and explore new places. A hope seemingly crushed by the darkness of Warszawa—but in this second half, Eno and Bowie seem more concerned with their surroundings than with themselves. The content of Low makes sense when viewed this way: the first half is the individual, and the second is how he perceives his environment or society. This might also be symbolized in the cover art, where the artist is shown in profile: pale, bundled up, eyes tired, looking toward the future. Yet despite his introspection, he cannot escape being affected by his surroundings—reflected in how his hair seems to blend with the orange background. Returning to Warszawa, the piece was inspired by Bowie’s visit to the Polish capital, which he saw as a city sunk in pessimism and grief after the disasters of World War II. The track is cinematic: a synth bass that pierces the heart, and winds that seem to mourn in homage to Warsaw’s tragedies. Bowie’s empathy is also shown in his attempt to imitate regional polish chants, creating an even more powerful emotional atmosphere. Finally, the last three tracks are landscapes inspired by aspects Bowie observed in Berlin. Art Decade (a homophone of “Art Decayed”) represents a world where expression, culture, and art are at a low point. The piece consists of descending synthesizers against others trying to ascend, ultimately creating an unsettling sensation. Then Weeping Wall is based on the feelings evoked by the Berlin Wall, a symbol of separation and confinement. Both illustrate feelings that Bowie himself identifies with in the first half of the album: lack of inspiration and loneliness. As the album closes, Subterraneans serve as an ode to those living in East Berlin. Like Warszawa, it is incredibly dark, but this time even sadder—it seems to speak of countless people with dreams and goals they will never be able to fulfill under dreadful living conditions. The strings, reversed melodies, Bowie’s desolate saxophone solos, and the pseudo-climax sung with meaningless words all compose an emotionally devastating ending. In fact, this was one of the criticisms of the album at the time: that it was too pessimistic. But I don’t think music or art should be treated merely as an escape from reality, full stop. It’s important that it be genuine, that it reflect emotions and generate thought. We have to accept that bad things exist, that we all feel low, and that we live in a complicated world where pain will never disappear. But invisibilizing this would only make it worse. I think it’s much richer and more human to create a work through which we can make emotional connections—making us feel a little more united in a vast world, instead of further alienating us as the big names often try to do. My fascination with Bowie began when I first listened to this LP, and ever since, he’s never stopped surprising me, song after song. He was someone imperfect, intelligent, infinitely creative, with emotions on edge, who kept art alive at all times. I wish I could have seen him perform, followed news about him, or waited impatiently for new music. However, destiny made me begin appreciating him quite late—but that in itself is a sign of how he was an artist who truly made his expression something immortal and inexhaustible. Rest in peace, Black Star. Favorites: All Least favorite: None

One of the later entries in Bowie's great 1970s albums, this is a great atmospheric album. While leaning on some of the German synthesiser bands of the time (via Eno's influence), it in turn became very influential.

--ATTENTION!!!-- This album needs multiple listens to fully enjoy!!! When I first listened to this album 10ish years ago, I didn't really enjoy it, I thought it was fine, but that was about it. However, this album just gets better and better after every listen. For a long time this used to be my favorite Bowie album until I rediscovered my love for Station to Station. Anyways, I just finished a challenge where I went through Bowie entire discography and had a lot of fun doing it, so this album couldn't have come at a better time. There is so much to love about this album, I love how funky side A is and the productions and synths sound so good. I also love the melody of Sound and Vision, it will just randomly get stuck in my head. I also love how the end of side B gets more ambient, Warszawa is probably a top 5 Bowie song for me. Sometime I realized on this listen that I never noticed before are the guitar solos, there are a couple of guitar solos on this album that are a little buried but sound really great. Also some fun stats: I am currently at album number 596, and have gotten 6/9 David Bowie albums but 0/5 Sonic Youth albums (which is who I am currently doing a discog dive of) High 5!!!

My least favorite Bowie LP. Its just like he was still finding his mojo

Well, I never thought it would happen, but here's a Bowie album that's going into my Tidal library. I really like the mix of instrumental ambience and somewhat more conventional vocal numbers. This is, for me, the best David Bowie album I've heard so far.

me deu vontade de dirigir a parte musical de um filme

Loved this. Great instrumental

High

Legendary album, insane, vibey, this was my jam at around age uhh 20-24 maybe 25, I would bump this all the time. Easiest 5/5 don't even need to think about it.

que nivel el Bowie de Berlin

Spiky angular cool funky strange unsettling uplifting futuristic (for 76/77) challenging intelligent arty swinging layered pop rock synth complex light dark darker moving fascinating heartbreaking absorbing enveloping cinematic innovative groundbreaking influential. Bowie. Eno. Brilliance.

Wonderful!

Aw, geez. A high-water-mark for Bowie. Great all around. Seeing Hansa Studios in person made it even better!

I found myself torn between rating this album a 4 or 5. While I still consider Station to Station and Heroes superior works, Low stands as a masterpiece in its own right, making it hard to compare it to its predecessors. This album marks a big transformation in Bowie's artistic trajectory, presenting what feels like two distinct albums unified under one vision. Eno's influence can be heard on every track, even on Side A, which features some of Bowie's most compelling material. The sonic palettes and experimental textures clearly draw from Eno's solo work, particularly Another Green World and Before and After Science, yet they're seamlessly integrated with Bowie's trademark (but evolving) aesthetic. What emerges is a collection of songs that maintains the art rock sensibilities you'd expect from Bowie, but executed through an entirely fresh and distinctive lens. Lyrics here don't really tell stories and remain vague and fragmented, but there are still some striking and interesting lines, especially on "Sound and Vision" and "Be My Wife". Side B features mostly ambient work, except for Bowie's vocals in an invented language on "Warszawa". What I find compelling about the lyrical/vocal aspect is how it matches perfectly with the atmosphere that evokes alienation, desolation, and cold beauty. Even though you won't understand a word Bowie sings, the vocals still feel emotionally potent and powerful. It sounds like some forgotten language being sung through ruins in a post apocalyptic world. There's a haunting, ghostly atmosphere throughout the entire second side, which is fitting since at the time Bowie was living in Berlin and drew inspiration for the sound and atmosphere from his bleak experience passing through grey post war Warsaw on a train. You can hear this album's influence even in modern music, a perfect example of an album with similar traits is Radiohead's Kid A. 5/5

The crown jewel of Bowie's masterpieces. Every track is breathtaking, but Subterraneans stands out to me as totally transcendent – I lose myself in it every time I listen.

I enjoy Bowie's ambient experimentation in the Berlin trilogy.

It's Bowie - so automatic 5 stars from me. One of the albums I'm less familiar with, so happy to spend some time with it today.

The first half of this album is an absolute gem.

Top tier genius.

This album slithered into my brain, coiled around my spine and whispered: shhh, just feel it. This isn't just music. It's a full-sensory takeover. Hypnotising, oddly arousing, and somehow both soothing and wild. My ears are still tingling after that 11 track long eargasm.

Aside from Sound & Vision, I haven’t really listened to this album before. Wow. What a listen. The soundscapes are just gorgeous, it really took me away. Subterraneans was an incredible way to end the album, when the horn came in I got goosebumps. Incredible production all around, I’m not surprised to see that Brian Eno was involved. Not your usual, gaudy Bowie fare. But absolutely stunning.

Escuchar “Low” de David Bowie te hace sentir en un viaje hacia un lugar nuevo. Un cambio de rumbo, de vida, un renacer. Desde la ruidosa intro de la experimental “Speed of Life” sabes que lo que estás por escuchar no es un álbum convencional ni mainstream. Los sonidos experimentales y vanguardistas de las guitarras y los sintetizadores te introducen de lleno en un recorrido sonoro repleto de sentimientos. A lo largo del álbum Bowie expresa rebeldía y destrucción en “Breaking Glass”, la falta de inspiración y la tristeza (blue, blue) en “Sound and Vision” o el amor en “Be My Wife”. Las piezas instrumentales están cargadas del poder de la imaginación, por ejemplo en “A New Career in a New Town” es la representación de un nuevo comienzo en una nueva ciudad, Berlín. Desde el bombo del principio del tema, suena a Berlín, a optimismo y felicidad. En contraste con el tema anterior, “Warszawa” suena fría, triste y desoladora. Los sonidos de una ciudad de postguerra. Las tres últimas canciones se sienten como el final de una aventura sonora, que en realidad no había hecho más que empezar. “Low” es una de las obras maestras del genio Bowie. Es un proyecto ambicioso, experimental e influyente. Cuenta más con sus sonidos que con sus palabras. Elevó el rock y el art pop de los 70 a otro nivel. No cabe duda de que este álbum es una joya imprescindible de su carrera.

This is the first album from the list that I also own on vinyl and I could'nt have dreamt of a better one. David Bowie is peak Rock 'n Roll and 'Low' is peak David Bowie. Side one is an amazing rock record, very instrumental oriented with 'Sound And Vision' as the cherry on top. Side two is an evenly amazing avant-garde soundscaping project that never fails to entertain.

What an incredible album

Prob third favourite Bowie after station to station and Blackstar. No main standout tracks (e.g. heroes, life on mars, station to station) but the flow and sounds and shit is awesome. Brian Eno is brilliant

a much more jazzy Bowie album

Love David Bowie. Love this record. While I was too young to know this record when it came out, I have grown to appreciate it in my years. Sound and Vision is a favorite of mine and if one song can encapsulate the mood, feeling, sound of the record, it is this one song. The production is fantastic and this record is a favorite of many and I can see why. Certainly a top three record from David Bowie for me.

Really incredible album. The ending was phenomenal. I wanted to listen to this album again right after finishing it the first time. 5/5

Great album

I want a lot of these songs to go on longer.

Great Bowie Album. Strange, experimental, but also a bit divided. The first half of the album is chock full of great hooky jams. The Eno collab with his dirty synth drums and chunky noise FX are a great complement to Bowe's guitar hooks. Sound and Vision is also one of my favorite Bowie songs ever. The 2nd half starts to take a turn into instrumental jams, and eventually trails off into drawn out soundscapes. While they are interesting, they also seem to go on a little too long, and I'm left wondering where Bowie's vocals went.

Low profile! Not my favorite Bowie, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a 5. I prefer the coked-out ‘I don’t even remember making that one’ album before this. But Sound and Vision is one of his best songs all-time.

Solid. Eclectic. Loved the range of style! The ambient part was perfect for what I was working on last night 😌

This one really surprised me. I was only familiar with the hits and Hunky Dory coming into this.

This is my favorite Bowie album. The album starts off with a bang, the instrumentals are amazing, and it foretells the kind of experimentation Bowie would continue doing until the end of his career. From the get go, Speed of Life sets the tone for the record, with some typically Bowie hits like Breaking Glass and Sound and Vision. MY favorite bowie song of all time, A New Career in a New Town sets the tone for the B side. Although the back half starts with the oppressive Warszawa, it is followed by some hauntingly beautiful melodies showcasing a beautiful collaboration between Bowie and Brian Eno.

Great. Those Eventide drums. Atmosphere.

What a pleasure to spend my Sunday morning with Uncle David. Obviously not my first spin of this album and my listening to it is filtered through memories of people and places. Art Decade is incredibly moving. Always Crashing In The Same Car gives me shivers.

One of the best pieces of anything ever recorded. Fireside chats, who?

Maybe my favourite album. Certainly my favourite Bowie album. Well, the first side anyway. I’m not crazy about the second, ambient side - but the first side is so good. The sound of it changed music. It was the start of the eighties even though the album came out in the 70s. That first side gave birth to synth pop even though it didn’t use synthesizers. The songs are very short and have strong melodies or lyrical ideas. The rhythm section is awesome. If you haven’t heard this. Do yourself a favour.