Low

-this is some Weakass-Experimental-CashGrab Sauce right here... -maybe reedited/remixed there are some bones there, maybe?

Despite having seen this album cover my whole life, I'm just now noticing he's wearing a hoodie. Always something to discover in Bowie. "Sound and Vision" is one of his best songs, "Speed of Life" his best groove, "Be My Wife" a terrific song I forgot about, "Warszawa" a fully realized chamber piece, and "Weeping Wall" one of his most successful experiments. With all that, a lot of the rest feels a little unfinished, which is in its own right a brave move for a perfectionist, but I'd like to hear "Breaking Glass" as the juggernaut it wants to be.

Bowie albums are always a group effort, as he was a highly selective and demanding band leader and composer who surrounded himself with top talent (Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Robert Fripp, Donny McCaslin, etc.). Here, he enlists Brian Eno to explore krautrock and ambient, with other sonic and aesthetic contributions from longtime producer Tony Visconti, to brilliant effect. Bowie by this point in the '70s was on another level artistically, coming off the effortless-sounding (and cocaine-fueled) art pop of Station to Station to produce what always sounds to me like the future. Low reminds me of a science fiction movie soundtrack, only with fully realized songs and compositions. Brilliant and still ahead of its time.

Hadn't really listened to this Bowie album before and really enjoyed it. Only one of his big hits but the rest of the album holds up with a lot of depth in the sound there.

Sometimes I just play the album in the background and only give it partial attention while I do other things. I tried that with Low, and after the record finished, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It was certainly "good", but was it "great"? Are we talking about a solid three stars or five stars? So I listened to it again. And again. And then a fourth time. Holy hell, this is a good record. Wow. I'm, like, familiar enough with David Bowie, but this wasn't full of hits, just Sound and Vision pretty much? But it's a brilliant album, it sounds years ahead of its time. I love this record!

This is a bowie record i return to a little, even without any huge singles. I think I might like it more than ziggy or diamond dogs.

Bowie!

Ja, little Davie und sini spannende, chli experimentelle Ahfangs-Albe. Die erste Lieder hani biz mässig gfunde, aber ab de helfti hani mi denn is biz experimentelle und chli ruhigere chöne driigeh und hans denn au recht entspannt und nice gfunde. Mal chli was anders was mer sust so da hend. Aber irgendwie ned sone mäntigs-mood-album, darum fahri mit mine drü Lowriders, arm dusse, riise lunte im muul, gmüetlich am little Davie verbii und begrüessen miteme lässige chopf-nicke.

Bööörououou bäärouououo To windows, to walls Ah falsches lied falsches album. David bowie bowster Sehr experimentel, was mir eich na gfahlt, aber denn halt doch nöd d bnger wualität erreicht. Has gfühl ich wirde zwenig lieder vu dem albums jemals wieder lose zum mit gutem gwüsse es 4 low fives z geh. Coole socke ische er glich 3 muurdurbrechendi kuss-songs für berlin vu mir

de dave isch zrugg und was hetter eus echt dasmal debi? mit neuem wind segleter es witeresmal ah mir verbi und hinterlaht nöd viel de typ wo die liste gmacht hett haltet so wies usgseht sehr viel vom herr dave meh chuntmer zudem au nöd in sinn, ich warte mal ab was eusen inhouse spezialist zu dem album zsege hett drum gibichs wort grad gern witer ah eusen dave korrespondent, de tymen goetsch nemed sies weg bitte!

woah, hed mi recht gflasht… mag mi aber irgendwie nümm mega fescht dra erinnere weiss nurno dasi am morge mega müed gsi bin und mir im minute takt d‘äugli fast zuegheit sind vor‘m compi und am schluss vom album es paar sphärischi tön mich fast endgültig zum ihschlafe bracht hend... aber die moment sind defür recht ihgfahre starchi quatro puntos stimmig macht sich ih mir breit, also guet denn möchemer das doch so

Not all of David Bowie's albums are 5 stars, but this is another one, for me. It is epic while only being 38 minutes long. It has upbeat songs like Sound & Vision (and first half of album) while also having looming, brooding, almost ambient compositions like Warszawa (and second half of album).

You need some balls to be at a... low in your career, yet still pull off a spectacular album where the music dominates, and not the lyrics. I love everything about Low: the muffled drums, the experimentation, the hair. ALWAYS the hair. Oh how we miss him.

This kind of music is usually hit or miss. I don't listen to it very often, but I can appreciate the direction it is taking. The same is true of this album. It's not David's best work but good nonetheless.

Opens with a banger instrumental, followed by some average rock. Comfort-rock from Bowie. Then the second half is a sublime exploration of some ambient grooves. Really saves it in the clutch.

This one doesn't really get going for me until Sound and Vision comes on. Great song and the highlight of the album. The next song, Always Crashing..., was cool and had a really good guitar solo finish. Be My Wife feels like a very introspective song and one that resonates really well. Everything after that feels so unlike Bowie, which makes sense once you read about the backstory behind this album. It is quite a bit of electronic-sounding instrumentals. Not quite what I was expecting at all. I like most of Bowie's stuff, but most of this album wasn't for me. Still a solid 3 or 3.5 at the end of the day.

Every Bowie is a different Bowie, but each is so goddamned good. I've definitely heard the guitar line from Breaking Glass and it's killing me trying to place it... What in the World almost sounds like it could be a Talking Heads song in its kookiness. Sound and Vision is fantastic -- just love the dance hop of it and all the layers. The back half of this album takes on a completely different tone than the front. I'm into it, but it is a jarring contrast. Honestly don't know how to review this one, but I loved it start to finish sooo low 5.

This felt different than most Bowie albums we have had so far (this is the ninth album holy hell). This one felt more like an atmospheric adventure, especially in the second half. I think I have heard Sound and Vision before. I sincerely don't think I need any more Bowie. At least he's better than Morrissey. 3.5 here.

Super spacey album by Bowie which was super cool. Sound and Vision I already knew from it coming up randomly after listening to a different album, excellent song. The last 4 songs made me feel like I was in a Dune movie.

Starts off great first two songs are just fun easy to get into songs. What in the World is kinda a head scratcher. Part of me really likes it but part of me thinks it’s cheesy. The random Nintendo sounds don’t really help. Rare L from Bowie. Happy MAR10 day though. Sound and Vision has always been one of my fav Bowie songs. That guitar riff is just so damn catchy. The back half is soooo much different than the front. Super ambient and electronic, which makes sense since it's my boy ENO. Warszawa feels like it could be in a video game. Also makes me think he's from a different planet. Subterraneans was oddly similar to his final album Blackstar. Bowie is Bowie. Not my favorite by him but still love that every album we've had is all weird and different from each other.

Vibe

This album is absolutely incredible! Atmospheric and catchy

Didnt enjoy it as much as his other albums. But overall solid. Standout songs: Always Crashing in the Same Car Warszawa

8/10 This was good. Better than Heroes in that the second, more electronic, half was much more enjoyable here. Great krautrock drums and sound Best: Sound and Vision

Some songs sound like the talking heads. I can see why sound and vision is the hit on iTunes. Good instrumental music too… you can tell it was experimental. Two different vibes; the first half of the album and the second half. First half was poppy and fun, then it takes an eerie turn.

Big Bowie fan but this is a bit fucking weird in places. Probably needs a few listens. Will continue to give it a go. 3.5

I really don’t get Bowie

David Bowie is hailed as one of the greatest, I don’t see/understand it. A couple songs on this album were good, the rest didn’t really interest me, I’m going to give it a (probably too harsh) 4.8/10.

I'll never get to visit space, but at least I've got Low 🚀

interesting musically i guess

Interesting vibe for Bowie but still good. Not likely to return though.

Full disclosure I'm a big Bowie fan but rarely listen to a whole album straight through because they often consist of a few really good tunes and a few meh tunes. This one is no exception

Cap 3 1 25.

I guess a cog in the machine of Bowie - not my favorite album of course but Sound & Vision is a gem

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate Bowie’s ingenuity and creativity. He was such an original and pioneer. This album is so interesting with the atmospheric instrumentals. And I’ve always loved the groove of Sound & Vision.

Loved this art rock album. Its ambient sound perfectly accompanied my hour-long walk across Dublin this morning. The instrumental pieces, the moody lyrics...all of it worked.

A true album. Two sides. Distinct but complementary. This is 1977. Right at the crossroads where one era is fading and the new era just a hazy apparition coalescing. The supernova of punks arrival recalibrated everything. The arrival of keyboards pointed to possible futures. This tabla rasa is perfect for someone like David Bowie. A blank canvas, some new tools and willing collaborators. Singular.

More like No by David No-wie amirite? (This was actually probably the best Bowie we have done but I thought of the joke and couldn't not. It hugely benefits from having multiple tracks with no Bowie on them). Addendum - I wrote this before the last 4 tracks which were all really great, particularly the last one. This is so much better than all the We Could Be Heroes bollocks. Bumping up to a 4.

Different from the other Bowie albums, doesn't hit as strong & as immediate as his other albums, but it does grow on you. Has some really nice, chill ambient tracks.

bowie's best

One of my favourite Bowie albums

too ambient? like I didn't even notice this on in the background? So much bowie on this list and this is the first one I get?

"Sound and Vision" is among the second-tier Bowie songs that 95% of that artists out there would probably kill to have written. It kind of sums up this album, which is experimentally instrumental in its second half in ways that Bowie returned to on parts of Blackstar.

Känns som att David Bowie än en gång var före sin tid. A- sidan bjuder på kryptiska pop rock låtar medan B- sidan är bara ambient musik. Väldigt bra album. Bästa låten: Be My Wife

going to hit the rest of the group the wrong way i fear.

Good

Yet another Bowie album. I think we are getting them at an unsustainable rate. My least favorite one we've gotten so far, no real hits and a lot of songs with not much going on. High 2.

instrumentals at the end weren't doing much for me. other than that another 4/5 bowie album.

6/10 - David Bowie has too many albums on this list. This album did not need to be on there i think.

Thought this one was pretty entertaining. Pretty sure there's only 1 Bowie album left for us to get

It's alrighrt, but nothing fancy. Mostly because it's not my genre

So far I think the only one I've really liked is "Be my wife".

Непоганий альбом,є навіть круті пісні-4 зірки

Astounding use of sound. The man is a musical genius. It’s a four right now because I’ve only heard it once, it’s a bit experimental so didn’t get its permanent hooks in me right away, but I am adding this to my library and am excited to explore more Bowie.

Bowie is obviously an icon, but this album just did not do it for me. It was bordering on just... noise. 2.

sorta mentioned this way back when i got aladdin sane but its becoming even more clear that a hurdle ill have to overcome whenever i finally dedicate myself to a bowie run is how difficult i find it to conceptualize many of his records as Cohesive Projects yaknow. even ziggy stardust's rock opera ambitions took Ages to click in my head as more than a collection of songs, idk just a weird problem to have for such an album-oriented artist. again maybe if i had been super into bowie in my formative music period this wouldnt be an issue! anyway, i do have the same struggle with this record (even compared to the similar structure of eno's Before And After Science from the same year) but i also used to kinda bounce off the material itself believe it or not, am thrilled to report that is no longer the case!!! eno's arrangements are the main catalyst of course, he is rock music's great Sculptor and there is as much synesthetic bliss and Sounds That Sound Like Everything But Also Only Like Themselves as u could want. he and visconti assist bowie in hammering out these miniature songs where their enveloping sound qualities almost clash with how economic they are...plenty of places here id like to spend more time (i have a similar experience with eno's another green world). if anything tho it just emphasizes that this is a record meant to be played and sunk into repeatedly, and not just given a couple disinterested one-off listens as a teen and then given another one-off listen as part of a 1001 albums project. it seems v rewarding and i would not be shocked at all to see it skyrocketing even more in my estimation once i do my bowie dive proper

This and Lodger were always my least favourite early Bowie (n.b. I stopped paying attention after Never Let Me Down which I didn’t like much either) but Bowie I don’t much like is still head and shoulders above so much else. Side 1 would be a 4, but dragged down by the dreary instrumental electronica on side 2.

Sehr entspannt, fast liminal

Spacey, vibey, beautifully weird. Just like the good Bowie intended. 3.8/5

Not a fan, too many instrumentals

My first listen to this Bowie album. Prior to this listen, I had never made the liaison between Bowie and Franz Ferdinand (the band), but it is evident with this album.

Very interesting...didn't expect this to have so few vocals.

Interesting album!

Bit of a mess but a good one.

Love the first half. From Warszawa till the end I care a little less for it. Still solid as a whole!

Enjoyed it. Weird, in a good way

2/14/25. Love Bowie but this one wasn’t my favorite. Good songs, but a lot of forgettable gaps. I can try listening again in the future.

Not my favorite Bowie album. Couldn't really get into this one.

Meh.

Certainly a side of Bowie that I wasn't familiar with. Great atmosphere, great instrumentals, certainly worth another spin. Faves: Speed of Life, Sound and Vision

Guess I've generally gravitated towards his more accessible stuff, because this is another Bowie album where I was taken off guard by the second half being straight up ambient. I've listened to the Berlin Trilogy a few times before, but obviously not with enough attention, as that fact passed me by. I guess if I got into vinyl that woulda been more readily apparent! I really dug this, and should really put the Berlin Trilogy on repeat a bunch to get it to bed in. Fave tracks - "What in the World" from the more conventional half, "Warszawa" - love that Bulgarian Women's Choir vocal! - and "Subterraneans" from the ambient side!

Bowie is baffling to me. On one album he can conjure up a hit at will to save it. With Low he seems content to meander around a laboratory of incomplete or inarticulate ideas with mild enthusiasm. Nothing really seems to be great or really catch hold of the imagination. It's like he is showing off the worst kind of artistic entitlement imaginable. Bowie is certainly a talented songwriter and musician, but even the best creative minds lose their way.

This is garbage. There's nothing danceable or poppy on this. It's Avant Garde rock jazz noodling, but then it had like new age/ambient bits to it as well. Not what I expected from David Bowie, and it's no wonder why I had never heard of it. Also, David Bowie has too many entries on the list.

Sometimes it's easy to forget just how *weird* Bowie could be. Low is rightly regarded as a classic, but it starts with an instrumental, the most popular song doesn't feature vocals until nearly 2 minutes in, and the entire second half is unusual mood pieces. Despite that, it's still an incredible piece of work. Sound and Vision is glorious, Subterraneans gives full Blade Runner vibes, A New Career is beautifully longing. Can't quite give it 5 as it feels more like two albums stuck together, and something like Be My Wife still has echoes of his 'gor blimey cockney' era, but it's very very close. 4.49999...

Cinematic and experimental this is an ambitious album, that doesn't always hit the mark for me. Still there are moments of magic

What hasn't already been said about Bowie or this album? I love everything about this and around it. It's fresh and wacky now as it was then- full of noises and quirks. Iconic without being cliched.

I still can't find the appeal of David Bowie.

Its not as good. There are some good tracks, and the sleeve is iconic, but the last couple of tracks are mehhh.

boring :/

The future is now old man meme but make it an album. Feels like you could you reach out and touch the Berlin wall. 5 stars.

5 stars for the sound alone, amazing!

The second half of this might be my favourite thing of Bowie's I've ever heard?

The second time of listening to this album had me appreciate it a lot more, especially the second half. Whilst not everything here hits the mark for me, I feel it is just shy of getting 4 stars and this may be an album that I rate higher with further listens.

Not sure what I'm missing, but apparently I'm missing it.

It does have quite possibly the best Bowie single on it ("Sound and Vision") and I get it, bRiAn EnO tHo, but like...it's a lot of soundscapy bleepin and bloopin. Powerfully haunting at time but start-to-finish? Not the BEST of Bowie

What a delight. One of the few albums that I immediately played again from the start.

everything between ziggy and this is a desert for me on bowie, but this is so dang good from start to finish. there's a bit too much instrumental noodling in a couple places, but it's still at least interesting most of the time

Sound & Vision is one of my favorite songs ever. never in a million years would I have guessed this album would morph into some Koyaanisqatsi-ass soundtrack music by the end, but i'm here for it

if you put Sound and Vision on at a party you better WATCH OUT because the Whitest Dance Moves On Earth (tm) are coming at you fast more seriously, I think even the back half of this is really sonically interesting and it's very fun to listen to later work by Eno, et al, and hear (in my opinion) bits and pieces of this album. Music for Airports was shortly after and then we had "ambient music" all of a sudden. my local record store usually has some sort of special heavy-gram version of this album and I'm like "oh I love Low" but then it's $60 and I guess, despite everything I just said, I don't $60-special-release love this album but I do really love this album. The first time I heard "Sound and Vision" it really hit a spot for me that "Starman" did when a friend handed me a burned copy of my first David Bowie album, where I feel like I could leave it on repeat-one and let my mind drift forever. Heroes has "Heroes" and Lodger has "Boys Keep Swinging" which are both excellent, but as a full album this is the peak of the Berlin trilogy in my opinion. It's amazing what consuming more than peppers, milk, and cocaine can do to a body and mind.

Not bad!

Bowie's rejected soundtrack to "The Man who Fell to Earth" is a masterwork, full of German influence and striking uniqueness, as is Bowie's wont. I cannot resist my love for this album. 4.5/5

First half was ok but not interested in the ambient stuff

'I will sit right down / Waiting for the gift of sound and vision.' That's how I think about this album: you can sit right down, waiting for its gift of sound and vision. B/c that's what it is - an aural and visual affair, bravely vibrant, firmly in its own world. I've said before that Ziggy Stardust and Station to Station are his peaks, and I still believe that to be true, but this is Bowie's most interior, self-contained, and self-justified album. In many ways, it's also his most beautiful. It's a true conceptual piece to the extent that the 'concept' is the thing-in-itself. It doesn't allegorize or symbolize, it doesn't create a world for the sake of pointing out the ills of ours. It's a world of its own, plain and simple. And one I'd like to (re)enter whenever I can.

I think this is definitely one of Bowie's better albums, and it does a lot of weird stuff. If I'm in the mood it's great, though sometimes it can be a bit too much. Today it was great.

The weakest David Bowie Album i have heard yet (from first listening experience wise) but I'm still and continuously stunned how consistent bro was... (3.0/5.0)

I am totally, 100% in the bag for Bowie. This set of albums (Low/Heroes/Lodger) is not my favorite, but I'm glad I relistened to it. I hope one of the Man Who Sold The World/Hunky Dory/Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane albums comes up so I can give Bowie the 5 he deserves for his entire career.

I like Bowie and obviously respect his contributions to music and acting, but this album is kind of mid. It’s not bad, but it also wasn’t very memorable.

I've never heard this album before now. I enjoyed it - all of it. I don't fully get it, but I'd be more open to hearing it again over Nick Cave or Euro synth pop. I'm really at a 3.5 on this one, but I don't want to give it a 4 until after I've digested the 2nd half of the album some more.

Didn't really seem all that "Bowie-y" to me. The songs were some indistinct from one another and they quickly got shoved to the background, not good not bad but also not memorable.

Not all songs are created equal, synth drenched vibe that captures the era. Side 1 is mind blowing

A slow burner

More strange sounds from Bowie, but interesting.

This is very good - benefits from me having heard it before as I think it could be a bit impenetrable otherwise. Sound and Vision is one of the best songs ever. Drums sound amazing throughout.

The first of Bowie's albums to become known as the Berlin Trilogy. Not one of my favourite Bowie albums, but it does contain the single "Sound and Vision".

If this had been my first Bowie album I’d listened to I doubt I would have tried another. Not for me

Some songs are brilliant. Some are really annoying, though. Those that are not really songs but noise.

Some very interesting melodies and rhythms and ideas, but not as immediate or atmospheric as some other Bowie stuff stuff I've heard. Will definitely go back and listen again but I think I need to spend more time with it over the months and years etc. Was nice to be introduced to it because I've always skipped this album.

This is the 4th album from Bowie I’ve gotten on this challenge, and it’s been a mixed bag so far. I think it's my favorite so far, just ahead of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Most of the songs just clicked with me. I really enjoyed the song Sound and Vision.

An eclectic mix. Interesting and not bad, but not my preferred listening really.

I liked the feel of the album, but nothing really grabbed my attention. Some of the instrumental pieces I really enjoyed.

The first half of this album is, in my opinion, the best collection of music Bowie put out in his entire career. Which is saying something. It would be the greatest EP of all time if that is how it had been released, bar none. It is so far ahead of it's time in terms of sound design and song structure and the writing stay on pars with the sound. The second, ambient half of the album is less intriguing but when judged in a vacuum it is still good. It is hard to reconcile a "good" 2nd half with a "GOAT" first half. So I have never been able to put this as my favorite Bowie album despite my adoration for it's songs. Despite any negativity I may talk about, it remains an undisputable classic.

David Bowie was a mess. A highly successful mess. So what do you do if you're a highly successful mess? Well, many would keep going, but Bowie decided he needed to sort himself out. But would he just go off into a corner while he did it? What do you think? Low really fits as an album title, because this is Bowie at his lowest ebb. The spark is not there, and if the spark is what you want from Bowie you may not end up enjoying this. But it is frank, emotional, and weirdly... chill. The point where you get so fed up about your situation that you stop moaning about doing something, grit your teeth and actually do it. That it remains funky and melodically rewarding really helps too, though the instrumentals lean a bit too much towards expression over memorability for me. (Killer Sax, though) Tangent: I love the irony of Bowie singing 'You're such a wonderful person... but you've got problems' to someone else, given what he was going through. I refuse to believe that he didn't do it on purpose. Fave: Always Crashing in the Same Car Least Fave: What in the World Strong Bad Demerit Count: 0 (I am not counting the instrumentals with vocals; there's a big difference between a song going 'na na na' because you couldn't think of something better and wordless ethereal chanting)

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

Pretty good, but not the best Bowie album.

Even after hundreds of listens, I am still unseated by the guitar solo in the second verse of Be My Wife, the early fade on Breaking Glass, the out-of-time synth stutters in What In The World. Although I am intimately familiar with every moment of this record, they never feel familiar. It is always juddering, shuddering and coming apart. Travelling at the speed of life, crashing over and over again, and disintegrating in the second half, where words no longer have meaning, are no longer solid in the mouth or on the ear. By Subterraneans, there is no pulse, no presence. Everything disintegrates. You will disintegrate. These five stars that I'm giving Low will collapse, then shoot out in all directions until the atoms of which they were once comprised are millions of light years apart from each other. David Bowie’s finest moment and Brian Eno’s finest moment, both of which is saying an awful lot. Unique and very, very beautiful. The list could be Low 1001 times and it would be a life well spent. 5/5

I wasn't mad about it. Diamond Dogs recently blew me away but this I didn't enjoy too much. I may have to listen again at some point soon

I had never heard this album, or any songs from it. It rules, love the flute parts.

Is/was it avant-garde, ground-breaking, and "interesting"? Oh yes. Do I like it? Not really. It has been part of my collection for some considerable time but it is a long way from being my favourite Bowie album. Since I am scoring on "how much do I like it" rather than "value to pop/rock music as an art form" this gets a middling 3/5.

Listened Before? N Another awesome Bowie album! Really solid, beginning to end. Also a bit of a different sound for him. Thoroughly enjoyed. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Sound and Vision

ethereal sounding - can hear its influence in a lot of places

Discordant in parts - when good, really good

Great listen. This was excellently paced, every song was unique and fresh and still adherent to the theme of the album. I really enjoyed this one, but what the fuck happened in the second half? Sounds like he smoked some PCP and started having a psychotic episodes. Completely off cuff. Still, I enjoyed this thing, it was just surprising in the second half.

Really good and understandably considered the standout of the Berlin trilogy. I would say it's a bit 'overrated' when compared to its peers but that's not really a knock against it given it keeps some good company

GAY NAZI COKEHEAD PEDO RAPIST. ALBUM WAS OK

Always been a Bowie fan, miraculously never listened to this one. Masterpiece. 10/10 Fav tracks - All - 1 Least fav - Sound and Vision

Our first Bowie album is the one in between my two favourite ones! Peak Bowie and peak Eno working together to create an album with two distinct halves. The first side is great pop with some real highlights, not just for the album but for Bowie's whole career (Sound and Vision is easily in my top 5 all time Bowie songs). The end of the first side gives you a preview of what's to come. The first time I heard this album and listened to the second half it felt like the musical equivalent of when they land on LV-426 in the first Alien movie. Really my first introduction to ambient music as a teenager and it still holds up just as well a decade later for me. Highlights: Speed of Life, Sound and Vision, Always Crashing in the Same Car, Warszawa, Weeping Wall, Subterraneans

Full disclosure: I'm unable to be unbiased when it comes to Bowie. Low may not be one of his more commercial ventures, but this is still an excellent atmospheric album that I could listen to on repeat (and have). I don't know what the afterlife is like, but I really hope its soundtrack is written and performed by David Bowie.

This album benefited by popping up on the weekend. I listened to it several times this weekend. Right off the first listen I loved the first half. I was unsure about the second part of this album at first due to it being mostly instrumental. But further listens to it I really grew to appreciate it more than the first half.

Didn’t feel this one.

Mid (2.5/5)

Obviously with Bowie you get a lot of different manifestations of the dude, but I can’t imagine this is anyone’s fave. This overly instrumental collection is just too lacking. Hurts but I can’t go above 3 for this one

Not my fav from Bowie. Many of the songs weren’t very musical and hard to get into. Respect the creativity. 2.5

Love me some Bowie but this just doesn’t do it for me. Hard for me to rate this any better than good especially when compared to his other albums. 3/5

An exploration into the weirdness of Mr. Bowie. That’s all I can get from this album, really. And by no means is that a negative thing. Aside from the stellar Sound and Vision, most of the remainder of this album is characterised with eerie synths and manipulative stereo sound, strangely rarely pierced with Bowie’s artsy lyrics and vocal operatics. It’s another album where I ask the somewhat rhetorical question; “is there a theme here?” To which I think there is - one of a strange German-infused exploration in all that was eerie in 1970s Berlin. I think. If anything, it’s a very enjoyable listen, just to sink into its vague concept for 40 minutes is enough.

top 20 album of all time

Oooh, one of the good Bowie albums. Today is going to be a good day!

Kind of surprised by this. This part of Bowie's career is new to me, but I was impressed.

10/10. Beautifully-crafted cinematic masterpiece. It blends rock music with ambient music to form a truly unique album. David Bowie was a visionary artist that absolutely deserves each and every one of his nine inclusions in the "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" album compilation.

Another “here’s a new sound” album. Listening to Bowie is always interesting and a joy. But he hasn’t yet come into his own on this album.

Low, my beloved It is good, but I prefer Bowie's vocals and lyrics.

It was okay, but nothing special.

Enjoyed this more than I expected given there’s no well known singles on it.

One of my favorite bowls albums with the excellent experimentation

This was surprising but this might be my favourite David Bowie album so far. His vocals are hit or miss with me , but with this album being basically half instrumental. It really helped. Not to take away from the music this is someone forward thinking stuff. The other album I enjoyed of his “Hunky Dory” was definitely catchier and more straight forward. This album is not and is going in some left field spots. This is ahead of its time and sounds fresh by 2025 standards. It doesn’t sound dated 4/5 . This is a work of art

the first half, perfectly fine. the second half is a pretentious asshole’s fantasy

I guess the Labyrinth soundtrack is really Bowie's best. 3.4.

This is probably my favorite Bowie album to date. Thanks, Iggy! Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 4/5

This is one of my favorite Bowie albums... Love all the ambient experimentation

I actually liked the first half of the album, which I wasn't really expecting. I thought we were heading toward a solid album. Side two strikes me as mediocre at best, though. It's experimental and a little different, but it doesn't work for me. 2.4

One of the greatest of the greats.

A classic. What more to say? Sound and Vision goated Bowie song too.

Still loving this one Side two definitely the better one on a relisten. All the Cold War Berlin feels

Great songs first half, great moods second half

David Bowie has made a lot of great music and some songs on this album are definitely included when I say that. Even to a lot of this album doesn't have a lot of singing the ambiance it brings is great. Not something I would listen to every day but it certainly has its place when the mood kicks in.

Bangers but teh unknown sings are unknown for good reason

Second half was little too much ambient for my tastes.

Mooi album, lekker divers!

The songs with vocals are an easy 5. I’m not yet sure where I stand on the instrumental tracks.

# 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

I'm not big on bowie's vocals but I enjoy stuff like the instrumentation on Warszawa, Art Decade and Subterraneans. Some of the vocals on Subterraneans remind me of some of Maynard James Keenan's vocals which is odd and surprising. I was also surprised by how rocky the album was and thought the structure was thoughtful. Definitely need to revisit this one for a third time and beyond for more understanding.

I can appreciate the history and the background with Brian Eno and the fact that it was going to be a film score. Standalone it is just an odd film score of an album

Who had a better run in the 70s?: -The Man Who Sold The World -Hunky Dory -Ziggy Stardust -Aladdin Sane -Pinups -Diamond Dogs -Young Americans -Station To Station -"Heroes" -Lodger -Scary Monsters The only artist I can think of that would compare is Neil Young. Anyhow, Low was in the middle of Bowie's run of masterpieces. An album that is somehow more than the sum of its parts, with instrumental interludes that would not fly in today's streaming world. Pitchfork named Low the best album of the 1970s; while I LOVE this record I would at best put it at #4 of the best Bowie album of the 70s, but that's just me...

What a journey. I liked where it led, but I’m not sure if it’s cohesiveness. Repeat listening required

Ein echtes Stück Musikgeschichte!

3.5/5

Odd album. Kind of a journey if you’re hopeful going out, and the night slowly degrades as you go on

One of my favourite Bowie albums, so much so that I don't listen to it that often anymore to avoid the songs losing their magic. Although all the songs have a weirdness to them, with some unconventional build-ups and unrecognizable sounds, the first 70% of the album consists of absolute bangers. Then the strangeness diverges into a very ominous final part, which is both a shame and a bold move. Even so, I can appreciate the contrast; it makes you leave the album with a very different feeling than when starting it.

OK

261/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

I liked this, mostly for the instrumental parts. 4/5

Not his best, but interesting and definitely ahead of it's time.

3/5

pretty boring wanted to go to sleep imo

Quite possibly my favourite ending track of all time

Station To Station and the Berlin Trilogy are where I feel like David Bowie reached his artistic heights. I like his glam rock stuff and recognise how influential those albums were, but I always come back to these albums far more The first half of Low is a bit like some of Bowie's previous catchier work, filtered through Brian Eno's keys. Despite the lyrics about trying to kick his drug addictions, the first half is a nice set of avant-pop. I love the little sounds that are just scattered throughout the album that add a lot of character, like the one in Sound and Vision that I've always thought sounded like a burning log crackling in a fire Brian Eno really comes to the forefront with the ambient second half. There's an eeriness to these tracks, especially Warszawa and Subterraneans, which are desolate and cold, even alien sounding. Bowie isn't even all that present on these tracks, only adding some vocalisations here and there, but that only adds to the atmosphere of the half A perfect album. It's crazy to see just how broad a range of artists this one album influenced Highlights: Sound and Vision, Speed of Life, Warszawa, A New Career in a New Town

normally I adore him, but this album is just not for me.

I can understand those that feel this is Bowie’s crowning achievement, but I personally feel a handful of Bowie albums overshadow Low. While the production is absolutely phenomenal, side B being all ambient Eno-inspired instrumentals really bores me after awhile. If Side B lived up to the high bar set by Side A, Low would be an S-tier album. But unfortunately, it never quite reaches those heights. Still better than most of the albums on this list though. 4.1/5

Love it

Weird album, mainly instrumental music but good. Haven't listened to much Bowie other than his big hits Favorite song: Sound and Vision

An enjoyable and different album from David Bowie. I liked Speed of a life the most.

speed of life-3/5 breaking glass- 2.5/5 what in the world- 3/5 sound and vision- 4/5 always crashing in the same car- 3/5 be my wife- 2.5/5 a new career in a new town- 2/5 warszawa- 4/5 art decade- 3/5 weeping wall- 2.5/5 subterraneans- 3.5/5

didn’t like it, not a fan of electric.

okay, not his best album

Started kinda upbeat but then I'm dredging up emotions. End is intense and I'm kinda just sitting in silence now thinking.

A great opening seven Bowie songs, ruined by the closing four Eno songs.

Didn’t get it

Love David - but not my favourite album of his.

Two for the price of one: not only do you get a wildly original, weird pop album, but also a great atmospheric suite that somehow fits in perfectly with the other half. By the time one side is over, you'll want to go right back to the other side, until you realise you've played the album five times in a row.

My favorite

What a way to start this project

нормалек. вторая половина альбома понравилась намного больше первой. была бы пластинка, слушал бы только сторону Б

The album was very good, a bit odd, but I thought the amount focused on the instruments really pulled it all together

Not his best album. I'm surprised it made this list, tbh.

pretty interesting experimental music

wow, i was really blown away by the first side of this one. i love the way it sounds! really rough around the edges and quirky but in a really fun and unique way that i haven't really heard before. very uniquely him. really great. the second side is also pretty good but starkly different. very ambient and electronic. i found it pretty soothing and although not something i typically listen to, i enjoyed it. really great stuff!

Veldig eksperimentell, veldig bra første halvdel, kul og ambient slutt.

I love Bowie, so much awesome stuff. But this iiiiis not really Bowie I like as much.

not quite as good as heroes imo

Maybe I'm missing something, but it was very basic. Probably should have been there.

Like half of this album is just noise.

Gear: Focal Clear (ZMFed) Artwork: 📸🕵️🟧 Production (1999 Remaster): 😐🙂👌 Music: 🌌🇩🇪✨ Rating: 🟧🟧🟧🟧(🟧)/5

Less familiar to me than other bowie. Sound and vision really strong single, album tailed off a little in the back half.

Merry Christmas all. A wee Christmas treat today. I think this is up there with his best. Sound and Vision is 👌

One of my favorites of Bowie. Always enjoy listing to his music.

I used to listen to this album a lot when I was in high school. It had been years since I had listened to the Berlin Trilogy. Today was a great day for that. Bowie is an automatic 5 stars!

God so boring

I do enjoy a good broody atmospheric album. The cover captured the vibes well. It's not my favorite Bowie album, but it's a mandatory listen.

Not my favorite Bowie album

Versatile moods and collab with Brian Eno. Emotional and darker. Of course made an impact in the late 70's and fed into the post-punk genre. I think this is critically acclaimed, and I like it, but doesn't serve me in the same ways

4/5

This was another great collaboration between Bowie and Brian Eno. The first half of the album leans more toward pop, though these are fractured versions of pop songs with a heavy experimental, electronic edge. The second half is where Bowie and Eno really dive into the experimental side, creating a deeper ambient soundscape with minimal vocals. One more thing worth mentioning is how much this album was influenced by the German Krautrock scene, which Bowie was really into at the time.

I was not expecting weird samples and a tubular bells esque soundtrack

Pretty good but I would’ve liked more singing. There were a lot of just instrumental tracks toward the end which I wasn’t as big a fan of but they were still good

I read the wiki on this album and it says some of the origins of this album were originally intended to be a soundtrack and it shows. This album plays like a movie score at times with mostly instrumental numbers. It is ok.

OK, pretty good album

Not my favorite Bowie album. I really enjoy Sound & Vision

I was excited to get a David Bowie album, because my exposure to him has been minimal hearing little beyond what was played on the radio, but I have always been curious about his music. I was a bit disappointed in this album. A bit too electronic for me, and many of the cuts were instrumentals or near instrumentals. Hope they have me sample another one before too long.

Super cool, I'm into all the space sounds. It's another good lounging album. Sound and Vision is an all-time fav. That piano in Be My Wife hits hard...the entire 2nd half of the album is so smooth. Strong 4.5, easily could be a 5.

Perfect!

while i don't know if this album has my favorite bowie songs, it is probably his most cohesive. the musical theme is so clear and unique. love him so much he can do no wrong.

Think I need to listen a few more times

A Bowie album I don't own and not that familiar with. Stellar first half - second half is just a bit meandering for me - maybe with time it will grow on me.

There are dozens of Media Study degree papers written of Bowie, and his chameleonic growth, and the myriad of albums. However, it is fascinating to compare this album with Ziggy Stardust of five years previous. This album comparatively lacks the brash immediacy of Ziggy, but instead he's grown, and confident in his numerous character growths. It's easy to see his influences, and who this influenced in turn. A fantastic album.

fucking awesome. warszawa is oddly captivating to me - it sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place on a dune soundtrack.

A really good album, the music is imaginative and well executed... Almost meditative and religious in some tracks...

I listened to this when I was at work and was expecting something amazing, especially as Sound and Vision are on this album and I love that song. I was disappointed. It was almost as if he had heard Jean-Michel Jarre and got a bit carried away. It just seemed to be watered down version of that.

I mean, I guess it's good for what it is, but this is not the David Bowie I expected. Can't see myself listening to this again.

Butt. A few tracks would probably be better if stoned.

Reminds me of a late night warm summer drive Definitely a soundtrack to an old movie. Warszawa is outta those old movies we used to watch.

It's a art rock and a touch experimental but the Brian Eno influence works well and I enjoyed this as an album, even if individual tracks didn't necessarily stand out. It's heavily synthesized and there aren't many lyrics.

Odlican

Speed of life is a fucking amazing opener. Never fails to make me boogie That harmonized drum sound Breaking Glass is a bop, but it’s too short! “You’re such a wonderful person, but you got problems” is a hilarious lyric What in the world is also awesome. Love that Pac Man Synth. Also Iggy Pop Cameo. Nice lead guitar by Ricky Gardiner too. Sound and Vision is an amazing fusion of disco, electronic, and country. Very catchy. That Solina line in Sound and vision tho Also like that white noise cymbal on the left channel of it. Mary Hopkins cameo! Always love it when David plays sax The lyrics of sound and vision are quite sad when you think about it. It’s about Bowie being coked up and depressed and conking up in his room all day. Song and Vision is just a verse and chorus, but it feels longer! I haven’t listened to Always Crashing the Same Car in a while, so this is basically blind. Extremely psychedelic with the phaser stuff. Very sad guitar leads. Apparently some of the songs were inspired by Syd Barret. Makes sense, since he was a huge influence on Bowie. Be My Wife has this thundering piano that’s really intense. Like it sounds like there’s thundering timpani in it. Also this one has lead guitar by Bowie! Reminds me of how on Diamond Dogs he played all the guitars cuz he parted ways with Mick Ronson. George Murray is an amazing bassist. A New Career in a New Town starts out with this synth electronic opening that reminds me a bit of Blue Monday by New Order but then goes to this rocking instrumental with this amazing harmonica. No wonder Bowie revisited it on Blackstar years later on I Can’t Give Everything Away. Here’s the ambient section. Warszawa is fucking beautiful. Brian Eno worked some magic on this one. I just noticed they’re going pretty liberal on the phasers on this album. Not that I’m complaining. I love phaser! Bowie singing gibberish! Also he says Mario. Art Decade has an old drum machine and a bunch of harmonizer effects. Sounds like something from a dungeon level in a Nintendo 64 game. Also there’s some vibraphone! Don’t see that every day. Weeping wall has some Steve Reich style xylophones and pianos, some spooky vocals, and a synth lead that reminds me of Scarborough Fair. And there’s a guitar part too! Finally there’s Subterraneans. Amazing. Backwards electric pianos and guitar, a creeping synth bass line, a haunting choir, a beautiful jazz saxophone solo from Bowie himself and Bowie singing impressionistic lyrics When that saxophone hits on Subterraneans…. MMMMMM SO GOOD One of my favorite Bowie albums of all time.

Experimental et pas ouf

Eksperimentelt 4/5

Bowie wasn’t of this world

Way too much Bowie on this list. Also, this album is awesome.

A decent album for him.

Busn disco. En la línea de Bowie

Weird but in a good way Mostly really great, warszawa is kind of mid though and weeping wall is garbage Not Bowie's usual style, but a good album nonetheless

A bit boring album i must say

Pretty good. Not my favorite, but good background music. All kind of sounds like music that would belong in a different movie. Christmas music, suspenseful, old time, detective, music, etc.

David Bowie was and is always good. I also find the story between him and Iggy Pop, the ghost, exciting. As always with Bowie, I don't find the whole album catchy. But I liked it very much. I particularly enjoyed Warszawa and Art Decade. 4/5

3/5 - Interesting first half but loses me on the second half. Nice introduction to experimental Bowie. FAV: Always Crashing In The Same Car

Part of the trilogy of a stunning run

Previously rated: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (4/5) Aladdin Sane (3/5) The Next Day (3/5) Young Americans (3/5) Station to Station (3/5) Hunky Dory (4/5) ************************************************************************** First half has good stuff; I was enjoying it. Second half instrumental movie soundtrack or whatever did nothing for me.

This is an album to listen to in the evening or night, not at 4:30 pm like I have been I like the synth and the overall atmosphere of the album Nothing too special, and I'm pretty sure he has better stuff, but decent nonetheless. Ooo that random bit of sax in the middle of the last song was good

Zdecydowanie lepiej mi to weszło niż \"Heroes\". Może dlatego, że tak mało śpiewu Bowiego na tym albumie. A może po prostu dlatego, że jest dużo bardziej eksperymentalny i przez to ciekawszy dla mnie. Te instrumentalne kawałki były przyjemne. Oczywiście bonus ode mnie za zatytułowanie jednego utworu \"Warszawa\" i dodatkowy plus za zachowanie polskiej pisowni. W tych czterech ostatnich utworach starałem się szukać uczuć, które ewokują we mnie ich tytuły i muszę przyznać, że rezonowało to ze mną. Poniesiony umiarkowanie pozytywnym odbiorem tego krążka przesłuchałem jeszcze raz utwór \"Heroes\", ale nic się nie zmieniło, dalej mi nie podchodzi. I ten album też, mimo lepszego odbioru, nie przekonał mnie jakoś do Bowiego i nie sprawił, że zrozumiałem jego fenomen. Z czasem robi się dla mnie ciekawy, ale wyłącznie na poziomie intelektualnym i głównie dlatego, że moje niezrozumienie dla jego twórczości wciąż mnie delikatnie frustruje. Mamy jeszcze 7 jego albumów przed nami, może na zasadzie syndromu sztokholmskiego na koniec zostanę wyznawcą. Na razie umiarkowane 3, także oczko wyżej, niż Heroes, które długimi fragmentami mnie zwyczajnie irytowało.

This is one of few examples where letting a strange man take you on magical trip is a good idea. But to enjoy it to the fullest you have to let Bowie take lead. If you struggle and force it things will be just plain awkward.

Kurde... I hate it, ale nie potrafię pokochać tej płyty. Frustrujące, bo w teorii powinna mi się podobać, przemawiać do mojego gustu. Jest naprawdę ciekawa, różnorodna, śmiała, eksperymentalna. Słyszę to, ale z jakiegoś powodu nie umiem docenić. Słuchałem 3 razy, it's time to move on, może to nie czas dla tej płyty. Póki co czuję, że ciężko mi będzie do niej wrócić, nie mam konkretnego punktu zaczepienia. Słuchało mi się dobrze, ale trudno było mi tu odnaleźć coś dla siebie, coś co by mnie poruszyło. Nie umiem tego lepiej opisać

"Low" to jedno z najodważniejszych dzieł w dyskografii Bowiego. Pierwszy album z berlińskiej trylogii jest pełen kontrastów: emocjonalny i eksperymentalny, chwytliwy, a jednocześnie alienujący – tragiczne arcydzieło. Album powstał w kluczowym momencie życia Bowiego – w trakcie jego wyjścia z uzależnienia i przeprowadzki do Berlina. Był spłukany przez umową z managerem i wyczerpany powiązaną sprawą sądową. To osobisty dziennik artysty, który walczył z własnymi demonami, jednocześnie szukając nowego kierunku w swoim życiu i sztuce. Pierwsza połowa to utwory bardziej konwencjonalne, choć nadal eksperymentalne, jak „Sound and Vision” czy „Breaking Glass”. Są to krótkie, intensywne eksploracje dźwiękowe, pełne melancholii i introspekcji, ale też niesamowicie chwytliwe. Z tej części mój ulubiony kawałek to "Always Crashing in the Same Car" - utwór o frustruacji wynikającej z powtarzania tych samych błędów – zarówno w życiu osobistym, jak i twórczym – ale w wyjątkowy sposób nadaje tej frustracji ton niemal stoickiej akceptacji. Nie ukrywam - rezonuje ze mną w bardzo osobisty sposób. Muzycznie utwór jest oszczędny, ale głęboko nasycony atmosferą rezygnacji i refleksji. Hipnotyczny riff gitary oraz powtarzalny rytm perkusji tworzą wrażenie zamkniętego cyklu, z którego nie ma ucieczki. Dźwiękowa metafora tytułowego „rozbijania się o tę samą ścianę”. Kluczowym elementem jest również melancholijny syntezator, który delikatnie unosi się w tle, podkreślając samotność i izolację. Wokal Bowiego, niemal wyciszony i pozbawiony emocji, dodaje utworowi jeszcze większej autentyczności. Druga połowa to niemal całkowicie instrumentalne kompozycje, które budują niesamowity nastrój za pomocą syntezatorów, ambientowych tekstur i hipnotycznych melodii. „Warszawa”, jeden z najbardziej charakterystycznych utworów na albumie, brzmi jak opowieść o samotności i tęsknocie – surowa, a jednocześnie przejmująco piękna. Emocjonalne serce albumu. Utwór wywołuje obrazy zimowych krajobrazów, pustych ulic i samotności, które jednak nie przytłaczają – wręcz przeciwnie, inspirują do refleksji. Jest w nim coś transcendentnego, jakby mówił o czymś większym niż codzienne życie. Myślę, że utwór, jak i cały album, świetnie odnalazłoby się w soundtracku Disco Elysium. Mocne 5, jeden z moich ulubionych albumów.

I can see how and why this was so ground breaking. I didn't love the second half of the album but understand how this was a pre cursor to modern day electric music. Pretty awesome overall!

It was good. Like some of his other stuff better. My knock against it was that it was too “musical” and not enough action. I know this is weird since I am a huge Pink Floyd fan and my kids always yell at me there are no words on their songs. But this felt different.

Sound and Vision was a catchy classic. I enjoyed the more ambient parts, but wasn't wowed overall. Album cover: (B) Good arresting image and colors.

At times pretty good, at times annoying.

Why is David Bowie so mid? I said this in my last review but Bowie is a boring Elton John. The songs are so slow and boring, and when they occasionally threaten to pick up, they quickly abandon ship and go back to being boring. 5/10, it's so fine but never gets good.

It’s Bowie?

no lyrics lol

spotify auto play shuffled me into some other bowie, but i'm pretty sure i liked the songs from this one

I typically listen to music for lyrics and half of this album was instrumentals. There were some interesting sounds but not my preference.

Not for me, pretty low energy and lack of musicality.

Fantastic Bowie album, swirling keyboards, under-stated vocals, just excellent

Not my favorite Bowie album but still a solid effort, more important than good

Somehow never heard this before. I liked it. It has that kick I need in music, that rhythm.

it’s an alright album but i feel like im taking crazy pills, how is this album so highly lauded?

If David Bowie were a genre, I would say this album is pretty generic. But thats not a bad thing! I actually enjoyed the soundscapes on the latter part of the album, overall a good album, woukd recommend at least one listen in a place you wont be interrupted.

Another Bowie album with great songs in the first half and weird soundscapes in the second half. I dug it though! Plus Sound and Vision is great!

Απιστευτες παραγωγες. Αλμπουμ χωρισμενο σε 2 μερη. Θελω να ξανακουσω ολοκληρο το δισκο για να ειμαι σιγουρος για την βαθμολογια μου. Προς το παρων 4 αστερια Rating: A

Side A party on dude, side B next morning 3 final songs of side A what a beautiful sandwich

Started strong but then went weird

Not as good as I was expecting.

Love Bowie so love all his albums

Mint album. Took me down a joy division rabbit hole too. Which was nice.

An easy 5 for me. It's got pretty much everything I want out of an album. Innovation. Emotional depth. Brian Eno. The ambient excursions alone solidify it's impact. Bowie has better hooks and more memorable songs, but this one consistently comes up as the favorite album of other musicians for a reason.

Opening with an instrumental and then ending it with a fade out! Like he was gonna peace out after one song! What a bold choice! And this CD is full of bold choices, not the least of which is that it's effectively two entirely different CDs on sides one and two. 1001 had previously assigned me "Heroes", which also had that setup, so I was not entirely caught off-guard (although I was surprised to see it again). I still don't think it's a great idea, but my thoughts on the two halves are so different that I need to take them in turn. Side one is kind of like bizarro sock-hop. The basic template is like bluesy boogie-woogie plus weird synth. Bowie seems to have a thing for hanging on long, extended boogie-woogies, he does that a lot on "Heroes" too. I don't love that style, basically I think it's boring, but he does a better job here mixing it up with strange synth sounds. I especially like whatever weird noise comes in around 0:52 and 1:31 on "Breaking Glass", it just takes what had been kind of a staid blues rocker and turns it upside and shakes it to make sure you're paying attention. But overall, the first half is kind of standard, not-especially-inspired 70s rock. I loved side two, and I'm not totally sure why. I did not like the equivalent section of "Heroes" one bit, I thought it dragged the whole thing down. Relative to that, this is much more melodic, it has much more of a narrative, vs. on "Heroes" the instrumentals are mostly kind of atmospheric. I don't know what it is about it, but I found myself listening to the 2nd side over and over again. You probably don't enjoy it unless you're also a fan of dungeon synth, but it is simply the worst greatest dungeon synth CD ever made. I would play any video game with "Warszawa" in the background ad infinitum, no matter what the game is. Overall I'm kind of confused about why I like this CD so much, I can't explain it, but I really just do. I'm giving it basically a 3 for side one and a 5 for side two.

On first listen I was not having fun, the second listen was much better and the third accidental listen was also enjoyable to a point. It’s just not my cup of tea, I appreciate the cool ethereal instrumentals but I’d rather listen to something with lyrics, unless it’s Bob Dylan. The songs with lyrics weren’t doing it for me either. I don’t think it’s a bad album but it’s certainly not my kind of music. I’m neither high on drugs nor a space cadet, the man simply didn’t make his music for me I hold nothing against our dead David, I’m sure he’s got a couple of other albums on here and I may enjoy those more

Firstly, I’d just like to say that Bowie has always creeped me out a little bit. He looks like a lollipop lady who smokes a pack a day with an apparent disdain for children. Ultimately trying to do a nice thing, but it’s all a bit weird and confusing. Went into this a bit worried as I’m not a massive Bowie fan. However, the music wasn't too bad for the most part. Wasn’t a fan of the little extra he seemed to add to each song though, some really strange futuristic noises thrown in for some reason. I believe it was Goliath who once said “David, stop pissing around with it or you’re going to hurt someone” but David didn’t listen and Goliath received a bit of biblical GBH (great big headache, if I’m not mistaken). Thats a bit like what David Bowie did here, took a perfectly nice sounding album and tried to give me a GBH. Apart from that though, middle of the road album for me, which is a compliment as I’m not a massive Bowie man, and neither is Goliath, he’s just massive.

I was initially concerned I'd let nostalgic bias interfere with this review, as Bowie was one of the first artists I was introduced to as a child. Luckily, listening to a bootleg cassette tape in my Dad's rusty van whilst he drove around trying to sell poppadoms didn't have much sway in today's review, as 1) I've never heard this album before, and 2) me and my old man, never got on. The album is exactly what I think you'd end up with if you left an alien with a synthesizer, some pan pipes and a wah wah pedal for 6 months. Trying to look at the album objectively for what it would have been back in the 70's I can completely see this being something ahead of the curve and quite pioneering. It was, for the most part, an acid trip of extra-terrestrial proportions.. and better still, it wasn't Bob Dylan. The album is fucking nuts. Not Tom Waits nuts, but more like "Where am I? Where's David gone? Why is this Alien trying to grab my arse.. and why do I kind of like it" Sort of nuts. Funnily enough, like my old man, Bowie turns up late and at points just fucks off completely throughout large parts of the album, vocally at least. I spent a bit of time initially waiting around, abandoned in this bustling intergalactic circus I'd been thrust into, hoping for David to come back.. like some mad, androgynous father figure, who was supposed to help guide me through whatever this escalating bedlam was. Catching Bowie's vocals on this was like trying to catch acid-laced smoke as he was a much more diffuse and mercurial figure, ultimately attempting to tell interpretative stories through the instrumentals more so than objective lyrics. Sometimes it really worked and sometimes I felt like I was in the middle of a Doctor Who episode. I thought 'Sound and Vision' was great, 'Be My Wife' was fun and probably the last real exposure you have to Bowie's voice on the album.. and then, like any meaningful trip, it takes a much more sombre tone as 'A New Career in a New Town' is the last beacon of optimism, before 4 strikingly different and darker songs kick in. Whatever journey you are on with Bowie prior to this point, and the novelty you find along with it, comes to a jarring end. 'Warszawa' hits you hard and unexpectedly because of this.. and jolts you into realising that you've been sold a one way ticket, to whatever dystopian world you've now been abandoned on, with only this effeminate lunatic for company. I appreciate the journey, but now I'm trapped here I'm not sure I signed up for, or wanted any of this. With a bit of luck I can maybe squint and pretend David looks just enough like a woman that we can try and colonise this new planet.. although I have a feeling it will be more colon, and less nice.. if you catch my drift. I wanted to rate this album higher than 3 stars, but couldn't bring myself to rate it 4 stars, not whilst I was sober at least. What I have learned is that my old man really learnt a lot from Bowie and that I probably need therapy. 3 stars and I need a drink.

Frustrating to listen to. Never know whats going on. Seemed like the early stages of people experimenting with your sexuality via a computerised keyboard. Make some actual fucking music, not weird instrumentals and 5 minute songs with 20 words worth of lyrics. Doesn’t make you cool, Dave. We get it. You’re edgy. Grow up you ginger lesbian

Not an album I often think to put on, but I'm usually happy to hear it by accident. I appreciate Low in the context of the Berlin trio, which I always thought was a very cool innovation in how artists can release music and carve out their own little places and moments in time, and not be concerned with commercial appeal. Sound and Vision is a cracking song. Nice jangly guitars, driving bass, great vocal performance, synths, strings, sax and eno on backing. It's such a pop belter you forget it's about isolation at a time when Bowie has fled L.A to kick drugs and other life pressures. The bleeps and bloops, and overall dalliance into electronica come together well. Warszawa has the hallmarks of Eno and obvious kraut art rock influences, without being totally derivative. Hauntingly powerful even if the lyrics are total gibberish. The track was so influential, Ian Curtis named his band Warsaw before changing it to Joy Division. Enjoyable but omitted from my own Mount Rushmore of Bowie albums.

Just like his next album Heroes, it starts strong (though this one is better) yet finishes dark and ambient. I find the sound interesting throughout, but wish he could have trimmed down the ambient instrumentals, cause the regular songs to me are awesome.

I found this album extremely charming. Speed of life immediately locked me in. It was very lovingly crafted. Be my wife had my head bopping A new career in a new town sounds refreshing and modern even to my ears today. Probably not something I’ll listen to, but I loved the experience. Very fun, different, and thoughtful. I would 100% put this album on this list myself. However, it didn’t shake me to my core or really move me at any particular point, so I can only rate it a 3.

This album is going to be a grower for me. All of the ambient electronic tracks on Side B didn't do much for me at first, until Subterraneans. That song really got my attention with the dreamy combination of synths and saxophone. I basically started it right over again and picked up on some things I didn't hear the first time.

Maybe the most I've liked this album on this listen. The last 4 songs used to kill it for me, but I didn't hate them this time. 3.75/5

Two fives in a row, but they’re worth it. This is my favorite Bowie album, always has been. Peak creativity and songwriting. I love the ambient tracks just as much as his more traditional pieces. A

Good start but tapers off in the second half. Shame that the last song are only instrumentals. 4/5

I appreciate the artistry of this album. It wasn't particularly well aligned with my mood, so I had a hard time getting into it.

Not my favorite David Bowie album...but...it's David Bowie nonetheless.

One of my favourite albums

Okay it’s actually pretty good I admit it. Did not expect that second half.

Love Bowie but this one was too experimental for my tastes

David Bowie ist nicht meins.

One or two good tracks but ambient electronica just isn’t my idea of a good time.

Surprised by how meh I thought this one was.

Not gonna relisten but this is one of my favourite albums of all time. Eno and Bowie are one of the all time great collaborations and they make something really beautiful here. It's moody, dark, luscious, and melancholy. An album very close to my heart. Best Track: Subterraneans Worst Track: nada

Best Song: Sound and Vision Worst Song: Weeping Wall

Just what Bowie needed. Eno, Eno and more Eno.

David Bowie is the only thing making Eno relevant

ziggy was better

Ok album

All time great. The songs, the atmosphere, the production, the legend - it's all there.