Heroes

Better than Lodger, not as good as Low. My short assessment of the Berlin trilogy. My cat named Bowie disagrees with this assessment but who gives a fuck what he thinks, he's a cat.

Eight Bowie records is entirely too many for this list and this is one that could be easily cut. TIile cut is fine of course but the gloomy instrumentals on side 2 are extremely tedious and pointless -- even for Eno fans – and sound dated besides. This is replacement-level at best, with only the rarest bits of intrigue.

Ah, another Bowie joint. Never heard this album. As an unreconstructed proletarian in the 1970s, I never really joined in the Bowie mania. I always thought Bowie was much more popular in the U.K. than in the real world. (I mean, I’m grateful for the Brits putting us up for several months before we kicked Hitler’s ass and all, but . . . ) Ok, enough levity. The title of this group is “serious-listen, so here goes: Everything good about this album (“Heroes”, 1977) is in the synth and the lead guitar (in other words, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp), which are very, very good. I almost wish Bowie hadn’t gotten involved. Seriously. I invite anyone to listen to this album while imagining that Bowie’s voice and lyrics were gone. It would be a much better album. In this album he seems tired. Bowie’s vocals are uninspired (and uninspiring), and his lyrics sound like they were simply thrown together—the kind of mishmash we used vomit into our theme books in mid-afternoon 10th grade Civics class. I don’t often use the word ‘vapid’ and ‘insipid’ in the same sentence, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Bowie put out too many (eleven!) albums in the 1970s. That pace exceeds the creative capacity of any one man. In the ‘70s, even Bob Dylan only put out ten, and David Bowie is no Bob Dylan. I’ve held this opinion for a long, long time. Bowie had a lot of cheerleaders rah-rahing for him to become ‘the next big thing’, but history has demonstrated that the last book on the enduring musical legacy of the 1970s will put Bowie in the endnotes. I will agree that as an entertainer, as a concert performer, Bowie is up there with the best. But this project is about ALBUMS. Albums are for listening. His albums don’t cut it. He’s certainly had hits; and he’s certainly prettier than Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Duane Allman, Keith Emerson, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, David Crosby, Aretha Franklin, Mick Fleetwood, Roger Waters, etc. etc., but as a musician and a recording artist, he’s second-tier. This album makes the point. Lunkheaded lyrics on “Beauty and the Beast” are too binary, lacking any philosophical sophistication or even subtlety in expressing the relationship between good and evil. Has he never read Nietzsche? No, probably not. “Joe the Lion” demonstrates Bowie’s lazy approach to pitch and diction. This track has a nice driving beat and excellent lead guitar work (but the lead is unfortunately pushed to the background in the mix. Too bad). The ‘poetic’ theme of “Heroes” is that of a man pushing a vain hope of ultimate happiness (why “if only just for one day”?) in order to win his lover, “and the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads); And we kissed, as though nothing could fall.” That’s a sad formula, elevating the forlorn to the heroic. And certainly not persuasive as a love ballad. Not for me. The poetic protagonist and his lover kissing by the Berlin Wall should have reflected on the fact that the “Heroes” were not the ones suffering in the Cold War. The heroes were the ones fighting the Cold War, and dammit, we won. The Wall came down. Bowie’s lyric trivializes the monstrous oppression of Soviet communism. This is the only song on the album which has any popularity on the Apple iTunes track listing. I’m not sure if that says more about Bowie’s listening public or iTunes’ algorithms, but it does reveal something about the album as a whole. Bowie’s voice is so nasal it sounds like he’s swallowed his tongue. With a classic lack of self-awareness, he refers to “one-inch thoughts” in “Sons of the Silent Age”, which is itself a lyrically banal collection of half-inch thoughts. David Bowie is not a thinking man’s lyricist. The second side of the original LP showcased Brian Eno. Very nice soundscapes and aural colorings (at least for 1977). “V-2 Schneider” is one of the best tracks on the album, evocative of the horror of Nazi Germany’s weaponry unleashed on British non-combatants (The threat was minimal, but the fear was real.) The next track, “Sense of Doubt” is even better (notice that there’s virtually no singing from Bowie on these two tracks?). And “Neuköln” (misspelled) works well as a sonic landscape of Cold War angst (again no lyrics or singing), as seen from Bowie’s perspective in West Berlin in 1977. This is a much better track that “Heroes”. Brings back memories—not all of them good, but most of them important. “The Secret Life of Arabia”, has a wonderful funkadelic vibe, well-recorded, but sadly spoiled by Bowie’s superlatively bland lyrics and whining tone-deaf vocals. For David Bowie, it’s past time for someone to say that the emperor has no clothes (or rather, in Bowie’s case, the clothes are all he’s got). This is an almost good album. Glad I got to listen to it before I die. 2/5

As the advertising/marketing slogan from 1977 for the ‘Heroes’ album states: “There's Old Wave, there's New Wave, and there's David Bowie."

It's Bowie. I'm gonna like it. The man was a legend and consistently ahead of his time. That future-thinking is on heavy display with Heroes. It's from '77 (the same year as Low) but features sounds that wouldn't become ubiquitous until the 80s. Sadly for me, those sounds aren't my favorite which knocks a star off of this review. The songwriting is still brilliant and Bowie is still a beast and the album was still great. I just don't really like bloopy synths. Low was a better album.

I guess I’m a Bowie fan now! Half existential bops to dance to, half eerie and gorgeous soundscape. Robert Fripp and Brian Eno really bring it together to paint a gorgeous masterpiece for David Bowie to launch himself off of. Beautiful!

The second of the Berlin trilogy, and like Low before it, it has a vocal side and a mostly instrumental side. The instrumentals are Eno collaborations, but they're Bowie through and through. The Kraftwerk influence is overstated, in my opinion. I believe it's more accurate to say that Bowie accomplished what they couldn't, or maybe more politely: they walked so he could run. Best track: Heroes

I listened to this album twice just to make sure I was hearing right and believable. So far no album apart from Bad Company has disappointed me so sharply after Heroes. It's like there's a sharp drop in quality. Someday with more patience I'll understand this album a lot more. The songs that I really love I will rate a solid 4-5. Heroes is an anthem to me. But maybe because of the generation I grew up in, and that these are ALBUMS to listen to, I expect something as an album. It's so disappointing, with this voice and solid songs, the album is a drop in quality. So disappointing. ((I went back and read the history of the album, maybe someday I will look at this album differently, but I personally did not enjoy it. I'm listening to Ziggy Stardust and with every song the groove helps me forget Heroes)) 2/5

The apex of the Berlin Trilogy. This album is like an old friend to me. In fact I was just listening to it on vinyl yesterday coincidentally. I feel like this album and those surrounding it from this era are a high water mark in his career and for experimental pop/rock music in general.

A wee angry bad tempered man with strange eyes. The bloody best of British. A blowjob from Mr. Blobby.

Love Heroes, can take or leave the rest.

I wanted to love this album, but it's like I just glanced off it. It's surface enjoyable for me, but there's nothing grabbing me to listen again, even the title track that seems to be many people's favorite. I know I like Bowie; I adore singles I've heard on the radio, but there is nothing in this album. I can recognize the skill and the talent, but there's no connection, which is a bummer. Conceptually, I do appreciate the instrumental tracks, which I feel are forgotten by a lot of modern musicians and bands.

My favorite Bowie album from the Berlin period. The instrumentals are not as great as on Low (but still good) . The songs with vocals combined with the incredible "windenhurst" guitar play of Robert Fripp make this album stand out. The strange and distorted sounds and melodies of Black Out, Beauty and the Beast and Joe the Lion are thrilling. The song Heroes is pure magic.

This one of my favorite Bowie albums. David Bowie's voice with Robert Fripp's lead guitar and Brian Eno on synthesizer. Tony Visconti as production engineer ties it all together. It may not be solid for everyone but I connected with this album when I was young and it stuck. This album has a personality as it shifts from Fripp to Eno while still remaining all Bowie.

The song "Heroes" is one of those stop-me-in-my-tracks songs. I stop and I really listen. God I love that fucking song so much. When I heard the German version of the song for the first time I couldn't believe that something so perfectly suited for me existed in the world. So for Heroes alone this album is a must listen.

Favourite Bowie album for me. His voice never sounded better than on here. Eno, Fripp and Alomar all amazing of course, but mustn’t forget George Murray and Dennis David because the rhythm section is UNBELIEVABLE. Especially on Blackout. Stunning album. 1 star.

I had such a good time with this album. I like how it goes from Bowie glam soul to Brian Eno soundscapes. I’m not surprised this album was recorded after Bowie’s work on Lust For Life, as it has a very similar sound (though much more Bowie). This album starts and ends with a bang and even when it “slows down” it never diminishes in intrigue and excitement. Never expected Heroes to be a 5/5 Bowie album for me, but I really enjoyed this listen!

I first heard some of these songs on the 1978 live album, Stage. When I bought this LP a few years later I remember thinking the production was a bit weird and sludgy. After watching a documentary on Brian Eno this week, I now realize it was Eno’s touch (not to mention his hijacking of side 2). I didn’t realize Bowie played sax on this but he seems to channeling Ornette Coleman with his squawking at the end of Neukoln. Tony Visconti said that once the instrumental tracks got recorded Bowie sent everyone home and would improvise the lyrics over top of the tracks without notes until he got them right. That’s pretty cool and also explains the cryptic nature of his lyrics. Anyway, the songs I thought were "meh" in the 70, I think are great now, even before I heard Odessa.

2nd of the Berlin Triology and hot off recording Lust for Life by Iggy Pop. Opening track is synth to the face, but that inescapable rock groove makes for a weird space age dance club. Heroes the single nails this sounds, creating a sonic horizon forever wide. The back half is a wild, Eno filled miasma. Secret Life of Arabia is a final french kiss dance hall ender for the album.

Bowie takes you on a journey from upbeat and relatively radio friendly electro-rock tunes, right through to quite experimental instrumentals in the latter portion of the album. I quite enjoyed the ambient relaxing sounds of Moss Garden which transported me to another place. Amazingly, most of the tracks on the album were created in one take both instrumentals and lyrics. Best: Beauty and the Beast; Heroes; Moss Garden Worst: V-2 Schneider

Overall my second favorite from the Berlin Trilogy (“Low” remains GOATed), but this is a fantastic record. The title track is a serious contender for greatest single song ever written and recorded.

This has been on my drive for years, never listened to closely until today, everything other than the title song an intriguing mash filed under should-give-a-proper-go. Thank you, list: “Heroes” is outstanding, its instrumental pieces I’d vaguely assumed to be mere mood as rich and thought-out as the song-songs, its futurism tantalising - alien, hopeful, and exploratory, marks from an era when technology pointed at the sky rather than our eyeballs.

Slightly holds the edge over Low for me, better songs and more integrated instrumentals. Fripp's guitar is dazzling, and the production sets the scene for '80s new wave. Another one you forget how good it is, especially the title track. Wow

Beauty and the beast: Always been a fan of the weirdness of David bowie songs, this is a great example good choice for first song to introduce what were about to expirience Joe the lion: This would be so sick live. Lots of energy, something different and new all of the time Heroes: It wierd how much simpler this song sounds, but how busy it still feels. So many layers. Him repeating we can be heroes hits deap for some reason, really reaches into the soul a bit Sons of silent age: I love how bowie stumbles with his words but the baround singers really solidify thats its intentful, bringing from sounding like drunk ramblings to poetic reaching. So far all of these songs need another 5 minutes because I just want more Blackout: Head bopping Grove at the beginning while brain scrambling at the same time. Again so many layers. Like all the band members know what the idea is but each have their own spin on its definition and direction. V-2 Schneider: Snare drum and raspy guitar are giving war, the bass is giving sunglasses and destination, the repetition is like were driving medium but going no where fast. So much imagination and scene build into the song Sense of doubt: And we've arrived to our destination from the previous song. And its scary but maybe a little curious, maybe we don't know its scary yet. A very opposite sided call and repeat. Lots of tension. Moss garden: We've arrived to the other side of the tunnel and the is glowing life. Maybe pink leaves falling from the stringed instrument. Very grandiose and beautiful. This is one of those song where you remember to breath to your own rythm at the end because you didn't realize how captivated you were. Neukoln: Suddenly the tension is back. Gotta love a raspy sax, what a bend! The slightly techno sounds is giving robot and alien, and maybe the sax is saying "where am i" while taking in the scene. The end is a little desperate. The bend range of the note is so impressive The secret of arabia: Imagine if they ended on that last song😂😭, it'd take me a couple of minutes to realize I was supposed to leave haha. What a groovy way to bring us back to reality. An Arabic disco. The clapping! Again, imagine everyone live doing the clapping. It would be so much tirany and followers vibes, but it would be irresistible not to follow. Very "they will not control us" from the Uprising - Muse song. I wish the fade wasn't there, wouldve liked the song to actually end. Overall, for me the album is an easy 5, but my only beef is that this is not the kind of album you introduce to strangers to be like "I like this kind of music", kind of an acquired taste even though it would be so cool to enjoy this with like minded people. This would be fantastic to hear live. Thanks for the journey

Heroes is spacey, unapologetically weird, with chords of vague menace and sly humor-and a treat all the way through. The title track remains one of Bowie and Eno’s towering accomplishments, building to a throbbing emotional climax.

this bowie character is kind of a freaky weirdo you guys heroes/the berlin trilogy is in kind of a weird spot in the bowie cannon. it's post-ziggy, pre-let's dance, in an era where bowie was working to shake off that los angeles influence and do something less for listeners and more for him. it is decidedly devoid of songs like young americans and diamond dogs. this album is a reflection of that. it's weird and chaotic while you listen but has a sort of peace in its lack of commercialism. the song heroes has become commercially anthemic thanks to that movie with the flowers on the wall, but this album in general has a sort of intentional inaccessibility that i really dig. the song heroes also makes me cry pretty instantly upon listening. i have always always wanted to perform that song for an audience, but hold an internal fear that i would totally butcher it. it's so moving and emotionally raw, it's no wonder that everyone who hears it in adolescence has it stick with them for life. "yes, we're lovers, and that is a fact. yes, we're lovers, and that is that." come on man. so simplistically beautiful. shoutout the guys from king crimson, fripp and belew, for playing guitar on this album too. they really make heroes a complete and perfect track. brian eno's influence is also undoubtedly felt on this album, as well as its berlin trilogy partners. it's really interesting that bowie decided to pull from an area as desolate and difficult as west berlin in the 70s. that's wild and very thoughtful in a very bowie way. this is art rock perfection, and i love it, and the rest of the berlin trilogy. bowie will always and forever be a favorite of mine, because he is a cool genius and writes raw shit like this

FINALLY I get a Bowie album I can get down to. I love both the funky, proto-New Wave stuff on side 1 and the Blade Runner soundtrack on side 2.

One of the best listening experiences is starting with Bowie's Station to Station and ending with Heroes. Yes, I know the Berlin trilogy includes Lodger, but I find the others far superior. Bowie is one of my musical heroes, and I have Nine Inch Nails/Trent Teznor to thank for that. Heroes is one of those albums many acclaimed artists drew inspiration from - no wonder. It's fucking fantastic with a dash of experimental weirdness. Heroes is one of those songs that if I let it, will drift me to another emotional space. I've also heard it covered live covered by my favorite bands, and it's always a visceral experience. This is one of the greatest albums every recorded. Everyone should listen to this era of Bowie.

I do love hearing these albums where you can feel the clear difference between the two sides of the vinyl. I've said this before about Bowie, that in my youth I just didn't "get" him, but I'm glad I'm making up for lost time now. The first half of this is all out classic stomping Bowie. Then you get a taste of weird soundscape Bowie, before wrapping it up with a cracking track that brings them both together. That's great.

I give this a five star rating. Mainly out of fear that if I give it any less a time traveling version of myself will punch me in the gut.

When you google this album the first suggested question is “Why is Heroes so good?” which just about sums it up

Stellar. Improves if such a thing were possible by listening to the second side first, which contains more of the ambient tracks. The more uptempo krautrock tracks are just unbelievably good.

I miss when superstars were just weird and bold and put whole ambient halves of records out

Listened to this high and transported to a different dimension

So nice to have this album come up the day after Iggy Pop's The Idiot. Because where that was the prologue to the "Berlin Trilogy", this is the middle act. So I had already listened to it in the morning before it came up on here. It is one of the many highlights of Bowie's career and agreeably his greatest album. This is another one of those template albums that broke/enhanced new ground which led later musicians to follow. You will find me giving most Bowie albums 5 stars, this I want to give at least 6 to

What more could you ask for from an album, a hit song about the essence of love and a song that brings deep seated dread.

Only the second-best of the Berlin trilogy... but that's sort of academic when it's only the second best of one of the greatest trilogies of albums ever recorded... I want to stand in a lonely desert with Sense of Doubt playing on the soundtrack...

An outstanding album from an amazing artist. Moves like a living, breathing creature and leaves you astounded.

Dreams

Simply beautiful. Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden and Neuköln are incredible.

Interesting that there were some songs with no singing. One song I knew already. Enjoyed

This album took a mad turn that I did not expect and I absolutely loved it. I really thought I had my head around what was going on. David flicks a switch and I’m floundering and all the happier for it. After the few songs instrumental interlude, The Secret Life of Arabia (what the hell is that??) sounds so punchy. The bass is luscious. So much prowess and confidence. And THEN, the song just fades out. All too quickly. As if it’s the most normal thing in the world. As if he hasn’t just blown my world apart. Why does it fade out like that??! I didn’t enjoy the first half of the album enough to give it a 5 but it’s great. I’ll state for the record that that Rise and Fall of Ziggy and Young Americans are stone cold 5ers for my money.

Another good Bowie album. A few songs are underwhelming to me like "Beauty and the Beast", but "Heroes" is one of Bowie's best songs. There is still some funky stuff going on/strange ambient tracks that are staples of the "Berlin Trilogy". Robert Fripp's guitar playing is also a good addition, although from reading apparently Michael Rother of Neu! was originally considered.

You want the biggest hit of the past century? Sure, I'll put it in the middle of this weird fuckin' album.

Seems like an early experimental album. I'm sure it would be enjoyable in a drugged up state, but I don't do drugs, so this is not really my thing.

Intellectually, I want to like Bowie. But every time I listen to an album I’m more like 🤷‍♂️

I really wanted this album to be all killer, no filler. It was in the folks’ record collection, but all I could really remember was heroes and beauty and the beast. This album suffers from the syndrome of having one absolutely blindingly, magical tune, a couple of decent songs and then a whole load of instrumental filler. Heroes holds a lot of good memories for me and it’s frankly iconic in DB’s canon. I think most people, whether they like Bowie or not, have absorbed this tune via osmosis. It’s amazing and will forever remind me of working on a play called Dolphins can swim written by my mate. It also reminds me of my cousin who was such a DB devotee her handle was A Lass Insane and flew from Australia to see him perform at Glastonbury. Great memories but, boy, the rest of the album is duff. I have the vinyl but I doubt I’ll ever listen to side 2 again.

I never liked David Bowie. I still don't, but this wasn't bad. I probably won't listen again, but if (most of the songs) on this album came on, I wouldn't rush to skip them like I have in the past

Heard Heroes before and loved the spacey almost disco space rock sound, but the rest of the album was a massive let down. The only other song that stood out was V-2 Schneider. Most albums need a second listen for me to really groove with it but i cant even find myself *wanting to* give this album a second chance. Perhaps i dont understand the album and I'll have a changed point of view in the future.

Had 2 good songs, I am sure I would have liked it more if I was high.

Meh. David Bowie is one of those artists that doesn't elicit an opinion in me. If he's on the radio I won't switch it over, and I won't wait until a song ends before switching it off at the end of the journey. This album doesn't change that. If this album were an emoji it would be “¯\_(ツ)_/¯“

I know he is a genius. I just can’t stand the music. 2 stars

It was okay.. kinda meh. This was my first time really listening to David Bowie and it felt underwhelming.

Trouble is, I wasn't a young man in 1977. The two last tracks are pretty unlistenable. I would rather listen to Talking Heads. Sorry Dave.

At his best, Bowie's formidable talent for hooks and especially bridges can defibrillate songs back to life following the frequently enjoyable detours his eccentric vocals take them on in the verses. But Heroes ain't his best--that includes the title track, which has an exulted status I've never understood--and I'm not sure even his best hook work could rescues the flat-on-its-ass teutonic ambience attempted in the second half. A lot of time on scenery and not enough on plot.

Heroes!

This album still makes me smell the old bus, packed with people, and smelling of old oil and gasoline that took me to school in my first year of high school. The cold weather and the rain wetting the glass, while "Joe The Lion" was banging in my headphones. "Beauty and The Beast" still makes me dance internally, and Heroes still manages to transport me to another planet. I still remember singing "I will be king and you will be queen" to my girlfriend at the time, and she thought it was the most romantic thing in the world hahahaha! "Sons of The Silent Age" and "Blackout" close one of the most incredible Side A's in history! Over the years, I learned to appreciate the songs on Side B's better too. It's my favorite of the Berlin trilogy, by far! 5 stars obviously.

>>> the Beatles

Another favorite Bowie album. Absolute masterpiece. Him and Brian Eno were really cooking

Who knew this album had ambient music -- the more I learn about Bowie, the more I love him. They didn't write any lyrics to this stuff, just got up there and talked. Highly bizarre but in the kind of way you can't get enough of. The music boogies.

A restless suburban teenager in the 1980s, I was already sick of classic rock radio and my ears longed for something groundbreaking. I was too young to experience punk firsthand, and instead saw it and its progeny, the "new wave" through magazine articles and whatever other media I could find. If punk was a revolution, why did it still sound so much like Chuck Berry? Over time, I appreciated the one-man revolution that was Chuck Berry, but that's a story for another day. I got to high school in 1982 and met some cool kids and I taped their record collections and fell headlong into the New Wave. Everyone worshipped Bowie, so I got a schooling on him (and Eno, and Fripp and and and). "Heroes" and "Low" had what my ears were seeking--a willingness to break out of standard pop song structures and do something different without dressing in formal wear and using classical instruments. I was smitten. Really, the most experimental music here reflects Eno's imagination more than Bowie's, but Bowie willingly embraced it and presented it and expanded it. This album will always be a keystone in my musical tastes.

Great but at this moment in my life kinda a downer

Frábær plata. Heroes er auðvitað besta laga í heimi en hin lögin eru öll góð. . Instrúmental trílogían er frábær, ótrúlegir synthar miðað útgáfuár. Augljós Eno áhrif, en passar alveg fullkomlega inn. Gítarinn hjá Fripp í hinum lögunum fær líka 10.

Absolutely Foundational to my taste, encase it wasn't obvious. By no means a perfect album, or even remotely close to Bowies best, (if he even has one they're all beautifully and meticulously flawed) but still phenomenal and eye-opening for a 16 year old me. 9/10

This was the album I decided to listen to first when I decided I was going to 'get into' Bowie and it has stuck with me in a profound way. Every time I listen to this I am immediately transported back to being 18 waiting for the uni bus at Buranda station on a rainy day. The title track brings up a lot of memories, most of them shit, but it is a very dear track to me that always elicits an emotional response from me. Despite (or perhaps because of) how many albums Bowie had released (eleven!!!) in the 70s, you would probably expect him to seem tired. Of course he has a reputation as a musical chameleon, changing genres and playing with different styles, but he does seem tired especially singing on the title track, but not in a bad way, I think it definitely adds to the charm of the album! Much like Low, Side A and Side B are remarkably different, where A is a playful and loud rock album performed with passion and vigor, Side B is 3 songs of dread and unease bookended with lighter songs. Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden and Neuköln are the heart of this album for me. The title track is good, it's special and I have butchered it at karaoke enough to warrant a lifetime ban but these three songs on Side B capture for me the essence of what life was like for me at a certain point. Messy, uncertain and obscure. I could say more about the instrumentals, or the vocals, but this album really did, and still does, move me. Before this project I had probably not listened to this end-to-end for a number of years and it brought me immense job to experience this again. Highlights: Everything, no misses

Bowie in Berlin, nothing not to love

I do prefer Low by a fair margin, but this is still a major achievement

There goes my hero Watch him as he goes There goes my hero He's ordinary

One of my favorite albums by the legendary David Bowie. I love letting myself drift off to this music. A true masterpiece to me!

Classic, let's go

First half bangers, second half dope soundscapes and experimental stuff. 9/10

my review for Low (the 7th album I was assigned for this challenge) outlines a lot of the reasons why that album is my favorite of Bowie's 20th-century output, and many of those same positives also apply to "Heroes", the follow-up. it's no shock that the two have so many similarities. both were released in the same year; both feature many of the same performers and songwriters, particularly the synth treatments of Brian Eno; and both were produced by Tony Visconti, continuing Bowie and Visconti's long streak of collaborations (although it wouldn't get much longer after this). I don't want my adoration of Low to bias my adoration of "Heroes" but, of course, comparisons between the two are inevitable. they form the first two-thirds of what's now called the "Berlin" trilogy of albums along with Lodger, an era which many people would argue represents Bowie's artistic peak. much like Low, "Heroes" is divided into a more rockin' A-side and a more bleepy-bloopy B-side, although the divide isn't as strong here as it was on Low. if you were frustrated by how short the rock songs on Low were, you'll feel much more at home with this one, where there's not a single track under three minutes long. plus, in comparison with how emotionally detached Low can sometimes feel given the brevity of its material, "Heroes" brings back a lot of the funk and soul grooviness of the previous year's Station to Station, but with a newfound precision, thanks to Bowie's recent sobriety. opener "Beauty and the Beast" sets things off with a ton of energy that doesn't relent for the entire A-side, which also includes album highlights "Sons of the Silent Age" and "Blackout." I would argue that the title track is one of the best things ever created by humans, let along just songs. it's one of the most satisfying slow builds you'll ever hear, with a vocal performance from Bowie that may be the best he ever recorded. it never fails to make me stop dead in my tracks and well up with emotion. the electronic tracks are, just as with Low, drop-dead gorgeous. whereas Low used ambient music to create an often oppressive atmosphere, the vibe on "Heroes" is much lighter and more ethereal. just existing inside of tracks like "Moss Garden" and "Neuköln" is one of the simple joys in life. plus, the first four tracks of the B-side all crossfade into each other for a seamless 16-minute ride. Bowie's saxophone trailing off at the end of "Neuköln" feels like a really satisfying conclusion, with "The Secret Life of Arabia" acting as a nice bonus. presumably it's at the end so as not to hang the rock 'n' roll people completely out to dry, but I always thought it would fit better somewhere else in the tracklist. it's the one major gripe I have with "Heroes" despite the fact that, at the end of the day, it's still one of my top five Bowie albums. strong 9/10.

That one guy is real mad about cold war inaccuracies in the title track when really it's just about Tony Visconti cheating on his wife. 5 stars.

Really enjoyed it. Listened to it twice. Easy to work too, had fun organ bits in it, a really good record.

Muito bom, avant garde, thought I had Bowie pinned down but he really surprised me with an ambient sound in the back half, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp elevate this album to transcendence.

It's David Bowie ...

gostei gsotei

Que album de verdade, seguindo depois de ter escutado o Ziggy Stardust, esse album é léguas melhor, mas é injusto comparar pois há um intervalo de 5 anos de um album e outro, mesmo assim, é um verdadeiro respiro de ar fresco. Heroes, com seu começo contagiante e vibrante, não dispensa tempo e demonstra a diferença em sua musicalidade, sem a apresentação de alguma personalidade nova para Bowie interpretar, mostrando como não se distanciou completamente da sua ancora que é o Rock , com as faixas "Beauty and the Beast" e "Joe the Lion" , iniciando o album com duas baladas que estão representando aquele sentimento de tocar aquele rockzinho gostoso, e meu deus como é gostoso, evidenciando ainda mais que David Bowie e Glam Rock são inseparáveis. Passando por essas baladinhas, o album começa a dizer o que realmente quer, e o som transmuta de um jeito maravilhosamente experimental. Heroes dispensa qualquer comentário, simplesmente a melhor faixa do album todo. Depois desse deleite para nossos ouvidos, temos nossos últimos momentos de normalidade (como se houvesse algum até agora) com "Sons of the Silent Age" e "Blackout" , dando mais enfase entre esses dois para Sons of the Silent Age, com seu som suavemente fora de tom e melancólico, soa com algo que poderia ser lançado hoje e não soaria datado, me trouxe sentimentos de desespero e aceitação que eu não compreendo muito bem, mas aceito mesmo assim. Logo após temos "V-2 Schneider", com sua bateria me fazendo de marchinhas militares, avançando com seu saxophone e se transformando em uma faixa instrumental variada e agradável. Seguindo um padrão do ultimo album que escutei do Bowie, "V-2 Schneider" é uma homenagem ao Florian Schneider, fundador do Kraftwerk, enquanto no Ziggy Stardust, "Lady Stardust" homenageava o cantor Marc Bolan, da banda T.Rex. Após essa faixa, chega o ponto de virada do album. Enquanto "Heroes" foi o ápice do album por completo, "Sense of Doubt" e suas subsequentes faixas, entregam o melhor da musica ambiente espacial que Bowie pode trazer para o album, iniciando essa passagem com uma faixa autoexplicativa, trazendo sensações de insegurança e dúvida sobre o que virá pela frente, mas isso é só a chave de virada para uma das melhores "finalizações" de um album até agora. Com direito a transição entre as faixas, o destino final vem acompanhado dos acordes de um koto e sons interestelares especialmente trazidos de um sintetizador, trazendo um som ambiente perfeito vindo direto do Japão. Com toda essa orientalidade, ele fecha absurdamente com "The Secret Life of Arabia", onde o destino final dessa viagem se encontra e encanta o interlocutor de Bowie com fantasias de um amor árabe no deserto. E é com toda essa contextualização que eu reafirmo meu amor por esse album, que pra mim começa bem qualquer coisa com temáticas animalescas de uma noitada de bebida e rock n roll, e se transforma em uma viagem além do esperado, demonstrando novamente a genialidade e amor pela arte da musica de David Bowie.

Just a really great album. There are moments to dance and moments that are peaceful.

9.3/10

10/10. Yes!!!!! This is my favourite David Bowie album!!! This entire album is a bloody masterpiece!!! Thank you!!!!! :)

This is the 87th album I’m rating. I’ve listened to some Bowie before but I absolutely hated it. Adding to my Playlist - Beauty and the Beast, Joe the Lion, Heroes, Sons of the Silent Age, Blackout, V-2 Schneider, Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden, Neuköln, and The Secret Life of Arabia. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. All in all I liked 10/10 songs. This album is weirdly good. I’m shocked because Blackstar was shockingly awful.

good stuff

Every Bowie album is 5 stars and this one is no exception. Songs are great, Eno's noises are great and Robert Fripp contribution is great. Also, it reminds me of the Christiane F film which is great too. Top-notch, although I don't think I can be a hero anymore.

An absolute creative juggernaut featuring arguably one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Mesmerizing vocal performances - he really pushes himself through it the album - and equally inspired instrumentation that goes here there and everywhere without losing the thread. The less said the better. A singular album.

Bowie. Nuff said.

Worth a 5 if just for Heroes

BELOVED

It was uncomfortable and broken into many insignificant parts. One my cat or a cat rather, had a snake wrapped around it and I was too terrified to get it off. Then it turned into a quest to find the movie I was watching. The main character being Flat Top from Dick Tracy, William Forsythe. Then an ex of mine kidnaps my kids leading me on a chase all over the city to different girls I've known all who were, in this situation, lesbians. One in particular was watching the movie I was looking for.

Its David Bowie, he has many different styles throughout his albums, loved it.

Magnificent. Another one of Bowie's best.

Probably me favorite record from the berlin trilogy. I spun my copy to shreads. Heroes is truly magnificent in every sense. Its experimental and it seeks the boundaries of what music really is, whislt staying available for everyone to enjoy. The division of the two sides is near perfect, raw power with tracks like joe the lion on side one, followed by the experimental and soft touch of moss garden and neukoln. The intros and outros are near perfect as well, the soundscape of, for example, V-2 schneider is perfect, a great mix of synth and drums that ecapsulates the feel of life during the cold war, there are not many other tracks, with no vocals, that can do that. Heroes is just in every sense a near perfect record that stands the testament of time. I have only scratched the surface of what makes the record great and could go on and on like a broken record. Safe to say this is going to be my first 10, this record will always sound amazing to me and will always spark my imaginition, this is one of the greatest musicians to ever live at his best, Heroes is pure art. Favorite track: Heroes. Overall score: 10.0000000000/10

Another classic that I've heard many times that I'm going to listen to again now.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Loved this, pop tunes everyone loves sit next crazy instrumentals and it somehow works.

Conceptual, experimental, unpredictable, perfect arrangements, perfect history telling, just a masterpiece and its not even his best album. Always surprised when I hear this album.

Every David Bowie album will probably get at least 4 stars… so the only question is if this one can reach 5. Heroes without a doubt reaches this status for me, especially revisiting it for this project. The title track has long been one of my favorite songs of all time. Beauty and the Beast and Sons of the Silent Age also stand out in the first half. But honestly every single song on the first side has a case to be a top 20 David Bowie song. While the first half is just banger after banger, it’s really the ambient works on side 2 where this record cements itself as maybe my favorite of Bowie’s collaborations with Brian Eno. V-2 Schneider pretends to be a standard Bowie song, and you’re just waiting for the vocals to come in. Except they don’t. This is just easing you into the ambient, visceral feelings the next 3 tracks that each perfectly capture the feeling that titles each of the tracks. Just an incredible 3 song run that rivals any moment on side one. I had appreciated and even loved Bowie before I had listened to this album as I when through his discography chronologically a few years ago. Truly a masterclass in balancing tone between the mainstream and experimentation. This album catapulted him as one of my all-time favorites.

Bowie at his best, riding the waves of everything everything good about rock in the 70s and injecting it with widescreen glamour. Beauty and the Beast is a kind of punk-funk that almost veers into Funkadelic territory with Fripp's processed guitar (?) imitating Bernie Worrel. Joe the Lion is more traditional glam but could easily have been on The Cars with Fripp's guitars again sounding more like a synth. The title track is of course one of the most epic songs ever written. Custom built to be the last karaoke song before your night becomes a drunken mess. Sons of the Silence opens sounding like John Lydon doing a Vegas tour before fleshing out the links between 60s pop and glam. Blackout goes back to proto-post punk with jangly guitars and queasy breakdowns. V-2 Schneider is probably the low point (barely). A nice instrumental number not really adding much. The second half of the album starts with a cycle of ambient tracks largely written by Eno. Sense of Doubt opens with doom laden pianos and synths that could have made the cut for the Blade Runner soundtrack. Moss Garden is absolutely sublime and features Bowie on Koto. Neukoln goes a bit heavier on sounds and you can hear the Warm Jets creeping into it. Tenor sax is weirdly great and keeps the Blade Runner feel going. I wonder what an alternate soundtrack (or a collab?) between Eno and Vangelis (and Bowie and Fripp?) on that sountrack would have been like? The Secret Life of Arabia is practically a Talking Heads song and also hints at Bowie's turn to disco in the 80s. Abdulmajid closes the album with a Marinetti drum machine rythym that would have had the Spaniards frothing. I mean, you have Bowie, Fripp, Eno and Tony Visconti in Berlin. What ever did you think would happen but the creation of some of the best music possible?

top 5 Bowie project. no questions asked.

Yea David Bowie is one of them ones, my apologies sir for not listening to your discography sooner. This was a masterpiece to listen to, a complete body of work, flawless from start to finish. The arrangements are top notch, his voice floats over them, this floating around in your head and taking you along this journey with him. I can’t say enough about it!