Heroes

Classic album and cover. I did not enjoy this album at all. "Beauty & The Beast" is typical Bowie. I cringed during "Joe The Lion", not an enjoyable song at all, I couldn't ride out all 3 minutes of that one. "Heroes" is The Shit, it's just a great song with amazing guitar work and a hook everyone knows. It's stood up well over time, you can hear it on the radio, in ads, in movies. "Blackout" was unlistenable for me. "V-2", "Sense Of Doubt", "Moss Garden" & "Neukoln" offered nothing but soundscape movie-esque music. "The Secret life Of Arabia" was theatrical and odd and not the best vocal he's ever delivered. Solid listener counts from top to bottom with "Heroes" coming in at over 600M listens. That's really the only hit, but "Beauty & The Beast" has nearly 9M. That speaks to the popularity of this album as a whole, one hit but no song has under 2.5M listens. I guess I just don't get it. I did not genuinely enjoy anything beyond "Heroes" - I don't mind learning new songs I'm not familiar with and I'm willing to try experimental but this didn't deliver. 2 stars, NOT a Top 1001 album in my book!

First half is reasonably good. The instrumentals on the second half don't interest me as much. I suspect the majority of the Berlin trilogy might not be for me outside the 'hits'.

One hero, many zeroes.

Didn't really drag me in.

There was some beauty on the instrumental tracks on the back half but overall I found this album pretty beastly.

I checked the global reviews and saw so many 5-stars. I just can’t with Bowie. Heros is good but honestly I like the covers better (yikes I know). I want to like Bowie but I just don’t.

Knew this was going to be on here. Despite the hit song, I don't see the great value in this album. Its electronic, somewhat experimental, sometimes discordant. There are also a few tracks of peaceful, spacey synths. Besides the hit song there's not a lot worth remembering on the album.

I like Bowie, but this album is definetly disapointing. One song can not carry the whole album.

Don't get the hype

It was a chore getting through those instrumentals. I'm sure they sounded fresh back in 1976 but in 2025 they just put me to sleep.

I want to enjoy David Bowie; I really do. I feel the same way about Rush. There's something there; I know it. I'm just not hearing it or I'm missing it for some reason. 2 stars? IDK. That feels too low, but 3 seems too generous for how it didn't click with me.

Just barely ok. Was hoping for something more.

I can appreciate what they were doing and what it was for the time it was created but it's not my cup of tea

Saved by the title track. I didn’t mind the instrumental interlude either. But fuck me some of it is bad.

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with Bowie not being as good as I thought it would be. Might be harsh due to expectation, but I think he’s a bit shit.

C+

Ahh, má maður nota orðið pretentious?

no thank you.

Not the Bowie I came to expect. The song Heroes is great

Honestly outside of Heroes, kind of a bore

• Didn't really like anything other than the title track

This is apparently a sequel to Low. I guess that makes sense, as this has Eno's fingerprints all over it. I don't hate it, and I think the song Heroes is pretty good, but it's too "ambient" for me to actually like it.

Meh. Didn't like the sound of it.

I get Bowie's meant to be a genius or whatever but. If I didn't know that. I wouldn't have guessed that. What's with the discordant nonsense at the end. Sorry David. 2.

The soaring title track aside, Berlin period Bowie does not move me 😐

yea not my gem

Two Bowies in a row! This one was better

At the time, I’m sure that collecting the sounds of a hoe down mixing it with blues guitar noodling and an over reliance on southern stereotypes was magic to a select group of young people who were inundated with the psychedelic sounds of the late 60s. There is no doubt that Sweet Home Alabama is Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Stairway to heaven and there are some remarkable similarities in the way both songs start pastoral and build to an anthem. The similarities stop there. This album is a rather boring and dreary affair and best left to those folks who thought the 8:33 of Sweet Home was the whole album.

Repetitive… not bad thought

The Berlin trilogy should've not been a trilogy honestly. 2/5

1001 albums you must not hear before you die

Aside from the title track...nothing here for me. To experimental?

Title song is the obvious standout. Struggled through the first half but was redeemed by a stronger back end. The instrumental songs were strangely therapeutic.

Strange side B, front was good background lol

I like Bowie, but other than the title song, this album ain't really it.

Takie 2/5. Początek spoko, ale potem plumkanie niepotrzebne.

Oh good, I was worried that David Bowie might have coughed once near a microphone and that vital recording may have been left off this list. The cover art really emphasizes the importance of having people in your life who will say “Why are you holding your hands like that and making that stupid face? You look like an idiot. Stop that.” That type of person might also have said “‘Heroes’ is a good song, but the rest of the first side sounds like song ideas that you may be able to turn into something album-worthy if you work at them, and the second side is just Eno wankery. Take another pass at this one champ.” It’s sad that David Bowie didn’t have that person in his life. Then I would have gotten to listen to a better album.

good couple of songs, but otherwise, too much music and not enough Bowie

At first it was a talking heads album which was fire and then it wasn’t I might just hate music right now tho

Interesting experimentation in the final third, and Heros of course is a classic, but it doesn’t hit like some of Bowie’s other work.

I’m of two minds on how to rate this album. It seems like two albums to me — one part songs, another part ambient. With the exception of the title track, the songs are not good and feature a side of Bowie’s vocal style which i can only describe as “screechy”. The ambient music side is interesting and enjoyable. *As an album,* I’ll give it a 2. I didn’t hate it, but did not necessarily *need* to hear it (despite its influence on pop music that came afterwards).

Rating: 2.2 Brian Eno needs to be sent to space prison and put in a cell with strange microorganisms that will invade his brain and kill any desire he has to ever record music again.

Felt not fully put together like if it was a demo album. Instrumentals are nice to listen to in the background.

I love David Bowie! I feel like this is my least favorite album of his. I'm reading in other reviews about the strong influences of Brian Eno on this one. it's like the lyrics and voice are definitely Bowie - although even in that not his best work. and the music is not Bowie. you could've put any artist on top of these tracks. it was so disjointed. but then there's one of my favorite songs of all time - Heroes. it was the only good track on the album to be honest

What an unfocused mess. Some great tracks in there: "Heroes" obviously, "The Secret Life of Arabia", and mostly-Eno "V-2 Schneider", but the rest goes from okay ("Beauty and the Beast", "Joe the Lion") to downright terrible ("Blackout", and wtf is "Sense of Doubt"). The other ambient songs at the end are decent, but it really doesn't make sense to flow into a short dancy "The Secret Life of Arabia" with an abrupt fadeout ending to finish off the album. Besides the few great tracks, I don't understand the hype of this album even with the Brian Eno collaboration.. it would have worked better as a slimmed down EP. Speaking of the Berlin Trilogy, "Low" is a much more coherent and put-together package even with its ambient tracks on side B.

There’s one exceptional track in Heroes and the rest of the album is flat. A low rating surprised even me considering my appreciation for Bowie, but this record as a whole just doesn’t cut it.

Glad i listened but not for me, especially the end of the album where songs sounded like spa background noise..

I must be missing something... The video adds nothing.

Vocals didn’t hit. Didn’t feel any soul from any of the musical decisions.

I think this goes into the category where good art and something I want to listen to again are diverging. Songs: Heroes

hmm not vibing with the songs

Realmente no me parece el mejor album de David, pero bueno, me parecieron interesantes los tres temas instrumentales y obviamente Heroes es un clásico de clásicos.

Beside Heroes a bad improvisation.

I really tried to like this, I did… But I just didn’t Bowie is obviously a legend, but I don’t think any of the tracks were very strong (the closing track was the closest imo), but I also didn’t think any of them were particularly bad either Part of why I rated it the way I did had to do with my very high expectations This is my first Bowie album and I know there’s plenty more left to hear so he’ll have more than enough chances to redeem himself Honorable Mention: The Secret Life of Arabia

David Bowie's like the most 2.5/5 artist I've ever heard; he's constantly reinventing himself but he's never even all that good at any of his new guises. Still got seven more albums to go, ugh...

Huh. That took a weird turn near the end. I felt like I was listening to a music soundtrack or in an aquarium or something. 🤭 all and all I will no return to this album.

David Bowie is one of the artists that is very hit and miss to me. Like some of his music but most of it not so much. The track Heroes is alright but the rest not so much.

I have heard a ton of David Bowie's hits—and enjoyed many of them— but can't say that I've ever sat down and tried to listen to one of his albums. And after listening to Heroes, I'm not sure that this record was the best place to start trying to be intentional with David Bowie. Heroes meanders around a lot and never really seems to settle into a definite groove...or at least a particularly enjoyable one. Heroes, the title track, is enjoyable (though I would say that I've heard covers of this song that I enjoy more...I know, I know, that's sacrilege), and many of the songs where David Bowie sings are not what I would describe as "bad", but none of them really give me a compelling reason to start the record over either. There is also the back end of this album, which is just kind of a boring, extended soundscape. I didn't love this record, to be honest, and I've got to believe that he's put out much better ones. I hope I get to hear one of those at some point. 2.2/5

Other than Heroes, I didn't really like any other song. Going to give it a 2 but that may be generous, maybe just expecting to be more like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy which is amazing...

Not in my top 10 list for David Bowie only really liked 1 song a couple others were interesting but wouldn’t compel me to purchase album- sorry Ziggy

I think David Bowie is ok, I understand his influence on music, but I don't get why you put this many albums by him on this list. This one is fine. That's it.

I just can’t get into Bowie - 2.5/5: Standout tracks: Beauty and the Beast - 3.5/5 Heroes 3.5/5 Black Out 3.5/5

I hate to do it, but I couldn’t get into this one. I don’t like the cut up version of Heroes either. The long play is so much better. This version feels like a cd is skipping. Not for me.

Girl the brit favoritism is off the charts here... it literally wouldn't have more than 2.6 score if it was any other artist

2, one great song Didn’t love the album

There is a fair amount of David Bowie that I like. Unfortunately, not much of it is on this album. 2.

I still don't like David Bowie. I read that in the book 1,001 albums to hear before you die, he has 9 entries. Aaaack. That means I will have to listen to him a few more times.

Didn’t love this … Bowie has just never been my cup of tea!! Heroes is a phenomenal song though, he really popped off with that one. I just don’t really get the rest of the songs and nothing sounds sonically capturing enough for me. I didn’t expect there to be a few instrumentals on this album but they didn’t really pop off either. Just kinda weird and that’s okay but like… I don’t think an album NEEDS sonic cohesion but this one hasn’t even heard of the concept.

Not my fave. Not my fave at all.

Heroes är ju fantastisk men albumet är galet ojämnt.

2.33

Some of these are great, and others I wasn't able to really dive into. Truthfully there are only a few albums of his that do it for me, but I appreciate his art.

Don’t mind Bowie new wave, but not nearly his best album. Title track Heroes is the best song. Great synth production.

Eh.

Not my cuppa

Talent, but not my jam

Very forgettable album. Even the radio hit 'Heroes' is one of the weaker songs in his collection. 3 of the tracks sound like movie ambient music.

I really am done with Bowie. Every album has maybe one or two good tracks with the rest shit, and yet smoke gets blown so far up his arse he ends up looking like Mt Etna. I’m glad he’s dead.

**A boring album

I like it when Bowie does the soundscapey stuff at the end of the albums, it means you don't have to hear him sing for a bit. It was basically Brian Eno's musc credited to Bowie.

Huh... a pile of most unrelated (though all very good) singles then a weird 25 minutes of Eno abiance. I'm holding Bowie to a high standard with this rating but feel like it's justified. The tracks by themselves are great. Sons of a Silent Age is probably in my top 5 Bowie tracks of all time. But as an album this project fails spectacularly.

I was definitely surprised of this one, not as exciting as I hoped, honestly a bit of a letdown. The title track was good, some of the vocal and other tracks like Joe the line of beauty and the beast were pretty decent. The last track was pretty good too, but a lot of it sounds like ambient filler, not what I was hoping for expecting. I’d say two out of five.

I don't... get it?

5/10. Definitely not Bowies best. Weird vocals paired with odd songwriting. Instrumentals near the end were not needed or good at all, but a few good songs and an overall mid album.

I liked this album until V-2 Schneider ended. Secret Life of Arabia brought it back to life but could go without the 3 shitty instrumental song in between V-2 and Arabia

2+ Stars (6/15)

I liked the title track.

How do these David Bowie albums seem to be getting worse? This one actually starts off okay but the back half of the album is a weird Temu Brian Eno kind of things

Not the best of David Bowie. Kinda meh. 2/5

ok, strange fella, some decent tunes, not really my jam

Wasn't quite a star yet.

It's interesting, I usually really like noise music. Lots of layers and experimental sounds. Not sure why this isn't hitting me. I feel like this generally suffers in terms of the mixing. I think everything is kind of muddled together and trying to shine through, but again I don't reallt think its doing it for me. Middle of the album definitely picks up but overall i find this rather boring and not all that enjoyable. However I must also admit there is probably a lot of "Simpsons did it" stuff going on here where I've listed to so much post rock that clearly borrow/was inspired by this album that it makes me wonder how much of the boring feeling I get is a product of that

Weird. Long boring

1- Hit

There is a lot of Bowie on this list. This is definitely not glam rock. Heroes is the hit, one of his biggest over a career with so many. It is a good song with great lyrics. Sons of the Silent Age is a major come down off the high of Heroes. But there's something very familiar to David Bowie's music, a thread that runs from Space Oddity through Blackstar. It feels a little bit like he was ahead of trends, creating them maybe even, glam and new wave jump out. That might explain why he's such a critical darling, every critic who liked a particular genre of music can look back and see Bowie as one of the pioneers. Or maybe everything he's ever done is just a different version of "art rock" which is the rock music critic equivalent of a bunch of bananas to a troop of monkeys. Back-to-back instrumentals is starting to lose me. Now, back-to-back-to-back, I'm out. This is two albums. One is decent. The other is terrible. One side is a Bowie album. The second side is a Brian Eno record and Brian Eno albums are not good. The Secret Life of Arabia is like a disco song an idiot wrote.

Heroes is alright but the rest was questionable

Innovative and pushing the limits of pop music. I can hear his influence on other bands. Fearless and original but just not something I would come back to listen to again as a complete album. I wouldn’t mind the instrumental only tracks but they’re just not very good. Heroes is probably my fave of all his songs.

Such a disappointment after Young Americans

David Bowie is meh, the whole scene he was a part of is mostly meh. Art pop and glam, meh

The title track is a classic, but the rest of it is just too "Talking Heads" for my taste.

full of filler that is alright nothing special

Very wispy and a bit directionless at points. Didn’t hold my attention. Final tunes a banger tho.

Ok

I hate to say it, but this is t a good album. Heroes is an absolute stone cold classic. But as an album it is very patchy.

Disappointing, I expected more. Wouldn't relisten

„Heroes“ is totally enigmatic to me. When Brian Eno and David Bowie teamed up in the early seventies, they certainly set out to create something new. After all, this was the pre-computer and -digital era, and all those sound collages had to be done on analogue tape and keyboards on eight track tape (I guess). This I will acknowledge, and I guess, that's why this record was influential. The result, however, is hard to listen to these days (2025): The album features spheric sounds on instrumentals like „Moss Garden“, instantly forgettable midtempo rock tracks such as „Joe the Lion“ and only one standout track, „Heroes“. To put it provocatively: I wonder why people adore drug related pieces of art so much?

Didn't love this album. Heroes is not my favorite Bowie hit and the rest of the album was underwhelming for me.

Heroes is great but the rest was not my cup of tea.

I’m sure if Bowie is your thing this is good. Just not really for me.

After listening to 3 Bowie albums I feel that I can safely say I'm not much a fan. He was very influential and important for music as a whole, but not my style.

The second half was way more instrumental than I was expecting and pretty dark.

Not my favourite Bowie

I fail to see how this album is so iconic. "Heroes" is the only good song on the album. The rest is whatever.

I’m not a huge Bowie fan. Ironically enough, my favorite part of this album was the second half with the experimental instrumentals. That part of the album was a neat listen and pretty relaxing. The rest of the album except maybe heroes was a bit much for me. To much going on at once, I felt like the layering between the vocals and the techno was just overwhelming and not in a good way. Nothing really jumped out at me as something I would want to listen to again. Not sure where other people stand on Bowie but this album was a 2 for me.

Heroes is the only song I like which is odd for a Bowie album

I just had a Bowie album a couple days ago. I generally don't like David Bowie. And two in such short order did him no favors. Why did the author of 1001... think everything Bowie is awesome. I did not like this album.

So odd. Much better Bowie out there. Why the 15 minute mellow jazz interlude?

There are two things I like about this album: Heroes, which is a great song, and Robert Fripp's leads. Sorry, no matter how many Bowie albums the generator throws at me (there's 8???), I'm not a fan. I do like the odd song, but that's it. Fripp and Eno couldn't save the mostly instrumental side 2, which sounds like a soundteack to a film that doesn't exist. Liked Songs Added: Heroes

I just don't like it.

Good songs when he sings. The instrumentals are more demanding.

Oh wow - 960 albums in and i've never heard of this guy... ..... Sigh. Anticipating this to be the quickest "2" since ... the last Bowie album (of which this is our NINTH). I'm treating most Bowie albums like I do my quarterly reviews which my boss admittedly never reads - cut and paste. With the exception of the surprising "Low" Bowie almost always slots in at a solid 2.4 for me. Don't like his vocals. I know the title track of course but after the entire album ... yes - more of the same...: -------copy/paste------ It feels like I always use his voice as a cop-out because there are plenty of artists who I listen to that I don't necessarily like the singer's voice and I like the music. It's as simple as this even if I can't articulate it well: I don't ever connect with his music on any emotional level - can just appreciate it from a [long] distance. -----end self-plagiarism----- I don't even like the sonics of this album; I don't get any of it. It's fine, it's just a bit auto-play for me (especially "Heroes"); not dynamic musically or in the mix, not mysterious other than the instrumental curios near the end - weirdly somewhat of an improvement but it's still all so saturated and hard on the ears. TL;DR: I really think there's an emperor's new clothes aspect to a lot of the Bowie mystique which has only grown since he died (I get it). I don't hate his music, I just don't *like* it or ever connect with it and after so many years don't really care that much. 4/10 2 stars.

Heroes is a 5 star track. But one good track does not an album make.

Kinda out there.

M'eh

put this on and fell asleep (derogatory)

Except for the song Heroes, I don't like the album.

Boring.

meh

Sonically interesting. Not enough lyrically for me. Hero’s is the standout and the only track I would seek out to listen to again.

Rather disappointing this one, I’m sure there are much better Bowie albums out there.

Not getting this..... Heroes aside lyrics are just arty farty nonsense.

Wasn’t in the mood. Never been a fan of his music

The title track is the highlight of the album. I love Brian Eno, but the back end of this album is too heavy in it and is more like something I'd listen to for background aound during sleep than I'd listen to for musical enjoyment.

2/5 only cause of Eno/Fripp contributions on this LP.

This album felt like when I was in college and I didn't have time to study for a test but I showed up and did my best to wing it. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 2/5

Mam problem z tym albumem, bo wiem, że recenzją narażę się Cichemu (a co gorsze Julii). Ja najzwyczajniej w świecie nie lubię Bowiego. W ogóle do mnie nie trafia to, co tworzył. Nudzi mnie i drażni. Pamiętam, że miałem jakieś podejścia, ale od razu odpuszczałem. Teraz przesłuchałem cały ten album z uwagi na naszą listę, ale okropnie się przy tym męczyłem. Zawsze słuchając Bowiego mam wrażenie, że bardziej mówi, niż śpiewa oraz, że jego własna muzyka mu przeszkadza w tym śpiewaniu. Nie widzę żadnego połączenia pomiędzy ściężką instrumentów i jego głosem. Dla mnie nie ma w tym śpiewie głębi ani rytmu, często wydaje mi się, że krzykiem próbuje nadrobić niedostatki. Autentycznie zero przyjemności ze słuchania go, a nawet wręcz przeciwnie. Zastanawiam się, co przegapiam w odbiorze jego twórczości, bo przecież cały świat się zachwyca i niemal każdy muzyk, który zaczynał karierę po nim, wymienia go jako dużą inspirację. Wydaje mi się, że słyszę nawet paralele u Sea Power (ci od muzyki do Disco Elysium), których uwielbiam. Ale Bowiego zwyczajnie nie łapię. Cytując Gałkiewicza z "Ferdydurke" Gombrowicza: "Ale kiedy ja się wcale nie zachwycam! Nie zajmuje mnie! Nie mogę wyczytać więcej niż dwie strofy, a i to mnie nie zajmuje! Boże, ratuj, jak to mnie zachwyca, kiedy mnie nie zachwyca?" Momentami kojarzy mi się z poezją śpiewaną, którą ktoś specjalnie utrudnia i tworzy nieprzystępną, bo to bardziej artystyczne. Autentycznie nie rozumiem tego niesamowitego fenomenu Bowiego. I męczy mnie to, bo chciałbym widzieć to, co widzą w tym Ci ludzie, których zdanie cenię. Pisząc to puściłem sobie drugi raz ten album, żeby może spojrzeć na niego inaczej albo odświeżyć sobie wrażenia. Wyłączyłem na czwartym utworze, bo mnie już drażniły te jego krzyki. Jedyne utwory, które mi się podobały to te, w których nie śpiewał. Ten tryptyk Sense of Doubt (świetne piano; swoją drogą to chyba było częścią soundtracku do filmu na podstawie "My, dzieci z dworca Zoo", jedna z ciekawszych książek, jakie przeczytałem w gimbazie), Moss Garden i Neukoln. Z tego co czytałem na tej liście jest jeszcze 8 albumów Bowiego. Nie mogę powiedzieć, żebym był podekscytowany, ale może w międzyczasie się przekonam jakoś.

meh

Not a big Bowie fan, love the song heroes though. The instrumental tracks were strange

I really wish this site would stop handing out David Bowie albums...

The first couple of tracks are pretty good, "Heroes" is great, of course, but then the album descends into weird avant-garde, self-indulgent filler noodling for the next seven tracks. Heroes adds one star by itself.

Some fairly uninteresting instrumental tracks and some uninspired rock tracks (on first listen anyway)

Tiene el "Heroes" y luego una parte instrumental a lo Brian Eno que me ha aburrido, así que bueno hay que oírlo, pero son 2 estrellas.

Really enjoyed the first half of the album and classic rock stuff, but way too many weird, instrumental only songs in the second half for me to rate it highly.

sorry i just dont get it

This album was not for me, unfortunately. Other than a few tracks, I found myself pretty bored listening to it. Lots of filler and drawn out songs.

His voice is a bit boring and the instrumentals were a little long and boring.

This is not the first Bowie album to follow the Bowie format. They start with traditional Bowie songs and move into these instrumental sections, making them somewhat disconnected as an album but I am sure it is because he wants these other songs to get noticed and out to the masses. I liked Joe the Lion and Heroes. The rest were good but were just a little too far out there for me to love.

This album has Heroes on it. Heroes is a really great song. I did not like the other songs on this album. I usually give a little bonus bump for having an instrumental on your album. But NOT if Brian Eno was involved. And if the entire last half of your album are instrumentals you made with Brian Eno then you actually get penalized. I was going to give this album a 3 but then I started thinking about all those people back in 1977 who spent their money to buy the album with Heroes on it, getting it home, and then listening to this shit.

Boring, no idea why people like David Bowie.

# 328 : Well I can listen to it but it's not real good. I liked Heroes of course, but the album is very ordinary throughout the rest of it. Not his best work at all. It was a little better on the second listen, but it could still do with out the meditation music in the middle. I feel like sometime this list mistakes "you MUST listen to this album before you die" with "Hey this artist was popular, or the album had a couple hits on it" with importance. Hereos was the best.

Not for me. But not unlistenable. Highlight - the secret life of Arabia

This album starts off alright, but I just have no idea what this guy was thinking with the back half. Side two just completely jumps the shark. The tone of the album shifts completely. "Moss Garden" and "Neukoln" are pointless filler, and the others are a little better but not quite what you'd call "good". The EP that is side one is fine but nothing exciting. It's awfully drony - "Beauty and the Beast" hangs on the same two-bar phrase and same beat the whole time. Even the title track is kind of long and dull. I thought pretty hard about giving this a one, but it's not quite that bad.

At last a proper Bowie album. I've had all the late career ones previously which are not very good. This one has the title track! Fripp! Eno! Visconti! It's not very good. Sorry once more to the damp-eyed Bowie adherents, it's still style over substance. It mostly goes nowhere. It must have sounded quite cutting edge at the time and I guess it was but there's still not a lot going on in my view. Also the lyrics on the album version of 'Heroes' are fucking laughable. "I... I like my cat... it sits... it sits on the mat... and that... well that's just about that..." Undeniably influential and important but it's charisma and fashion rather than good content.

I'll stick to the hits thank you

Bowie is too weird for me. I get the hype though

I just don't really like the Berlin albums.

Mostly difficult part from Heroes and Moss Garden…I wouldn’t listen again

Going to be honest here, "Heroes" was an tedious listen despite my familiarity with David Bowie. I'm aware that Bowie's experimental era is heavily acclaimed but it all sounded grayscale to my ears. Bowie seemed to have exhausted his creative power by 1974 and majority of the tracks, disregarding the title track ("We can be heroes, just for one day!") were repetitive and mundane.

Well, kinda ok, but not something I'd get overly excited for. I got more from the reviews of the album here, than the album itself. 2 stars.

What I'm finding as I get deeper into this project is that I'm not a fan of David Bowie. His music isn't terrible or anything. I just don't care for it. It doesn't excite me. At all.

Very surprising. I was happy to see Bowie come up, but overall I was disappointed with this album. Not what I was expecting at all. I guess that describes Bowie to a tee though: experimental and unexpected. It just threw me and I was kinda disappointed.

Okay I was super excited to see this only to find out I actually only like one song on the album…

I don't know why heroes belongs to that very bad album

Heroes is the best known song from this album, probably because it also the only one really worthy. The rest are quite chaotic, without coherence, and not very enjoyable. Exception are Moss garden and Neukoln, with a more Zen, easy style. rate: 5/10

Speaking of the best track, I'm feeling a Sense of Doubt that this is a good album.

Nothing grabbed me.

I think I like Bowie singles but perhaps not albums. At least not this one. “Heroes” is alright though!

Was not expecting strange instrumental songs for half the album. Herod is good but that’s about it

More consistent than Young Americans but the latter has the better - or rather more - highs. (Heroes is great but Fascination is on par with it and Young American + Right >> everything else on here.) Not enthused with either Bowie album encountered so far, in any case, and, outside of a few favorite songs (Deranged + The Man Who Sold The World, plus some of the mentioned songs) I remain lukewarm to the artist in general; remain mostly cold to his narrative style and theatrical vocals.

I like Neuköln and that's about it. This didn't do anything to sway me on my indifference of Bowie.

It was alright

Well, "Heroes" is a great song. The rest of the album is pretty bad.

Outside of the title track, this was an interesting album to say the least. In reading more about it, it makes sense that this was an “experimental” album that was done on the spot in the recording studio, especially when it suddenly gives way to an instrumental section that feels like it slipped in from a movie soundtrack. I have to presume that as this was his 12th album, there are others more worthy of a listen…this one was not what I was maybe hoping for or expecting. Maybe I’m being too harsh in my dislike of this album and I can presume lots of people love this Bowie release. Sorry if that’s the case…I promise I really did try to like this!

Feels very improvised

The Brian Eno David Bowie doesn't excite me withe way David Bowie without Brian Eno does. I understand this album and why it's on this list. It just doesn't need to be if you take all other Bowie albums into account.

First and last songs were awful, the instrumental ones were pretty nice

Don't like 'em

Jeg måtte simpelthen opgive den.

Moss Garden was nice… and Beauty and the Beast is a fun song… but I guess I just don’t understand David Bowie…

Tijdens het luisteren hoor je zowel op het art rock als op het ambient-deel veel overeenkomsten met zijn finale en reeds beoordeelde album "Blackstar". Ik denk dat hij deze plaat veelal als referentie heeft gebruikt, en vervolgens alle elementen naar nieuwe hoogtes heeft gebracht. Dit album is kwalitatief een stap terug, en is bij vlagen vrij saai. De befaamde titelsong en 'Sons of the Silent Age' steken er met kop en schouders boven uit. Die doorbreken de roes. Net zoals de dancy afsluiter 'The Secret Life of Arabia' het bloed net voor het einde nog even sneller laat stromen. De ambient fase kan me gestolen worden en spreekt minder tot de verbeelding dan kantje twee op zijn andere Berlin album "Low". Nee, niet zijn beste project dit. 5,5/10 Highlights: Heroes Sons of the Silent Age

Zo iconisch als de hoes, zo geniaal als de titelsong, zo grillig is deze plaat en zo matig is de B kant. Genialiteit straalt af en toe door maar zeker in de tweede helft van het album zitten echt nummers die mij niet zo interesseren. 6/10 Highlights Heroes

In YouTube Music there's a little blurb from Wikipedia. Apparently for this album none of the lyrics for the songs were written until Bowie was standing in front of the microphone in the studio. Considering that, it's incredible that the song Heroes exists. But that also makes me dislike this album a little bit. I want something with a bit more thought behind it. I'm not even a big lyrics guy, but that annoyed me. I think I would have liked this more if I didn't get that little fun fact.

His style isnt for me. I can see why people enjoyed it but today he wouldnt be successful.

Better than Fame and still obviously influenced by genres other than rock, but not very interesting outside of the title track

Over indulgent

I know the song Heroes inside out but I haven't listened to any of the other songs before. It wasn't at all what I expected. It's artsy and experimental. It didn't click for me. Either I wasn't in the mood for that type of music or this album wasn't for me.

Meh

Bowie’s best song may well be on his worst album. The title track is extraordinary; just brilliant. After that, the quality drops off a cliff. The word “indulgent” comes to mind. The first half (save Heroes) sounds like improvisation in the style of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Eno’s solo stuff is far more focused and rewarding listening than their collaborations here. And the Secret Life of Arabia falls into “unintentional parody” territory.

Never got Bowie. Like a few on here, but still do not get Bowie.

Not a Bowie fan. I tried. Heroes rocks......but maybe because I love the redo's? Meh.

I appreciate Bowie’s influence on everyone and others but I can’t get into this album. For me it was Heroes worth listening to and a skip for about everything else. I did listen all the way through, was just bored.

There has to be more to this guy than what this album suggests...

Elephant Love Medley (which samples Heroes) > Heroes by David Bowie, sorry

Best song: Heroes Vibes: Dad classic rock meets middle aged druggie intellectual music. Experimental vocals, come off overly theatrical and british. Second half ambient, fearful prog instrumental rock.

If you put aside the Heroes track, which is very good, the rest of it was fairly bland.

OK

Not another Bowie album

Every song sounded pretty much the same. Alright for background music.

Heroes is still a great song. The rest of the album still feels like it exists because it was fun to make, not because you might like it. It's art, in that it was created because the artist felt compelled to create a thing, not because you might like it.

I did not enjoy this album at all. The song “Heroes” is good but the rest I never need to hear again. Bowie’s singing ability is not great and he is trying too hard to get beyond his limitations.

I don't understand why he's so beloved

Samuel close your eyes… Hero’s and the final track are the only songs worth listening to. Despite me not being a Bowie fan, I didn’t have as many qualms with this one as our last Bowie record, but I didn’t like how the album completely shifts in the second half. The second half is mostly Instrumentals, but hey maybe it’s for the best- they sound better without vocals anyways. I’m still gonna stay open minded, and hope I find a Bowie record I thoroughly enjoy though, because there has to be SOMETHING that makes this man universally loved.

just too weird

Of course I know Bowie but I don't know this one. First three tracks had me really interested. But then it lost its momentum and direction and the second half was pretty disappointing, weirdly avant garde and just a bit random.

I didn't like some of the instrumentals.

It was okay to listen to mostly, but I didn’t like it.

More Bowie...

Love David Bowie’s style but couldn’t jive with the album. The titular song is iconic, but other than that I will not seek out any of the songs from this album.

Скажу честно, мне было не интересно. Боуи крутой, он инноватор, но этот альбом мне как-то... ну никак. Heroes, конечно, я знал, но при этом ничего не ощутил. Мех

This is my third Bowie album on this list. I gotta say I preferred the other two. I don't know what he was going for with the 10+ minute long weird instrumental section but I can't say I appreciated it.

Eclectic, abstract, experimental...all of the above. 2

Came into this album excited for the listen because it's Bowie and I've never taken the time to listen to any of his B-sides. Was very disappointed by this one though. Pretty bland, instrumentally it felt repetitive and weak. 2/5

Many of the tracks seem goofy and just don’t do much for me. I respect the artistic craft and it’s not uninteresting, but I don’t really enjoy listening to it. However, there is some beautiful instrumentation in the title track and shouty vocals in the end that I love. The transition from sense of doubt into moss garden is beautiful though. It feels like being 6 years old watching a helicopter flyover laying in the front yard (psychedelic & nostalgic). I wish I understood the album better though. I feel like I must be dumb for not “getting it”. Can appreciate some cool musical moments though.

like Bowie, but not so much this album

Not great. The lack of forethought is apparent on this pretentious, off-kilter album. There are moments where good musicianship come through, though notably not in the lyrics, but too often these are spoiled by some decidedly not-bodacious sounds. The ambient half provided nice respite from Bowie's awful vocals even though they sometimes felt aimless and repetitive, but I thoroughly enjoyed the calm of Moss Garden. The rock sections were tepid at best, but often strayed into realms of tonal misdemeanor. The importance of the experimental nature of the album was lost on me. 2/5

Bowie has some truly wonderful music! This isn’t it.

This album confounded me in many ways, the greatest of which is how much acclaim it has garnered. On my first listen, I was unimpressed with the loose and sloppy sound, especially the thrown-together-on-the-spot feel of Bowie's lyrics and melodies. The ambient back half of the album was a surprising relief from the disorganization of the front half, and the mostly lack of vocals allowed me to focus on the excellent synth, bass, and solo instrumental work. When I researched the album afterwards, however, I learned that much of this album was indeed improvised on recording, include the lyrics, and that pretty much tanked the record for me. I will gladly concede that I am not the best interpreter of abstract and experimental art, and I was willing to write off my lackluster first listen as my own misunderstanding of premeditated artistic greatness. But when I learned that my inklings of sloppy improvisation were confirmed, I lost interest in appreciating the music. It may be lauded by many as the pinnacle work of Bowie's career, but to me it sounds like an artist got bored by their 12th album. Stand out tracks include "Heroes", "V-2 Schneider", and "Moss Garden".

Genre: Pop Instruments: 2/5 Modern Translation: 3/5 Dance Potential: 1/5 Listening Location: walking to supermarket in Auckland Heard it before: Yes (some) Favourite Song: Heroes and Garden Moss Made me feel: Was surprised by this album— starts a little slow, great middle and then meditative music at the end. Liked the variety, but I just don’t love Bowie’s voice. Most of the time it sounds like he’s yelling.

Heroes is a great song. Not a great album.

Best Songs: Heroes Listen Again: No

I don't know if David Bowie is my thing

Don't care for much of this one

i i could be a good album and you you could be the listener but nothing nothing could make this a good album even if you listen forever and ever could it be heroes? not for one day

Honestly maybe its musical sacrilege but i kinda thought this was mid af. I feel like i am very forgiving when it comes to experimental ambience but the back half of this feels like a slog tbh. I like the last song a lot though

Really wish half stars existed on here so I could give this a 2.5 instead of 2. I'm rating these subjectively tho and not based on historical significance and as bad of a music fan it makes me I really did not like this album. I get the appeal and sometimes I like ambiance but here it just wasn't for me. The majority of the album with the exception of Heroes wasn't for me. Will relisten some and try to adjust my tastes but I don't think it's gonna happen.

This is my first full listen to Bowie and I just don’t think I quite “get” it , at least not the way other people seem to. I found it meh, if anything.

Unfortunately, I still don't "get" David Bowie :/ I wish I did. 2/5

"Heroes" itself is a 10 star song but the rest of the album doesn't really live up to the same iconic and timeless sound in my opinion. I'm a Bowie lover at heart but of all his work, this is my least favorite compilation.

And the creator of this list sure had a hard on for Bowie. It’s like all of his music. Just OK.

Hero ist sicherlich der bekannteste Song von der Scheibe - die in Summe aber nix für mich ist.

2/5. Heroes is good, rest is odd.

First three or 4 tracks are alright and Heroes the track is absolutely a masterpiece. The rest of the album falls pretty short of good for me though. Mostly due to Bowie’s “unique” vocal style.

Not what we needed right then. Seemed chaotic

Ich weiß nicht, woran es liegt - vielleicht am schlecht gealtertenden irgendwie "drahtigen" Sound - aber ich werde mit den Originalen von ihm nicht so richtig warm. Da höre ich lieber die vielen Coverversionen von seinen wirklich tollen Songs. "Heroes" ist mein Favorit auf dem Album.

Better then the last Bowie album from this list. Heroes is a great single & there are a couple others on this album that keep you engaged. It petered out at the end.

It gets way better than this for bowie.

Seriously front loaded, the second half instrumentals are weak. Like the soundtrack to a bad horror movie. I'd have been pretty disappointed if I'd bought the vinyl when it came out. 5 stars for side one, 2 stars for side two.

It took me some time to understand what I was listening and it's not exactly my style, but it's surely a work of art.

This is my third David Bowie album after "Young Americans" and "Low." Like this album's predecessor, Bowie explores electronic sounds in the aftermath of his reawakening from his drug addiction. While the instrumentals are foreboding and depressing, the lyrics are more uplifting and hopeful for the future. Overall, not his greatest work. Side A is rather lazy and uninspiring, despite the tribulations afflicting Bowie at the time. Side B is mostly brooding instrumentals.

I gave this a two last time I got it and while that is maybe harsh, Heroes as a song is not good enough to carry whatever went on in the middle there while the producer was absent.

Another album that left me completely cold.

Other than a few hit songs, kinda a dull ambient album

Not my taste. 2 of 5

Coincidentally, YT music has been pushing "Heroes" (the single) to me a lot lately. If it weren't for the fact that I performed "The Secret Life Of Arabia on keys with a group Wilton James put together for a few Bowie tribute shows back when the man kicked the bucket, I would probably describe this album as "the single and a bunch of forgettable stuff".

OK, so that's what a full Bowie album sounds like.

not his best work, Heroes clearly the standout track

Litt masete, ustrukturert. Treffer ikke min musikksmak så godt.

Maybe I need more listens, but not feeling this one. Bowie has some gems (Space Oddity), but in general is pretty painful to listen to for me.

I've never really understood the love of Bowie's music. I just can't get in to it.

I continue to not really enjoy Bowie

4.5/10

Some great tunes here plus some awful dirge on side 2 that surely no one could listen to more than once.

Heroes is such a great song. What is the rest of this doing around it?

Never really gotten into David Bowie. The album was ok. The instrumental songs were cool but didn’t draw me in. I enjoyed “the secret life of Arabia” 2.5

Beauty and the Beast: dos veces la escuché y ambas veces me pareció todo menos disfrutable. Ni la letra ni la melodia la salva y hasta molesta me resultó Joe the Lion es una canción de mitad para abajo, ok para escuchar de pasada pero no me veo oyendola intencionalmente, la letra tampoco la encuentro profunda. No me gustó Heroes ya empieza con ese riff de guitarra hermoso que logra que la reconozcas inmediatamente, la voz dulce de Bowie te hace sentir que te susurra al oído sus deseos que no se cumplirán. Un himno de la adolescencia, hermoso y eterno. Sons of the Silent Age me gustó desde la primera escuchada, el estribillo es hermoso y cómo manipula su voz Bowie es tan irrepetible como él mismo. Blackout es la canción más movilizante del album. Aunque no me encantó, tiene su tono político clarísimo y me gustó la batería y guitarra V-2 schneider, acá empieza la bizarreada. No me imagino ir corriendo a comprar este CD en su momento para que un tercio de sus canciones sean instrumentales. Copado, pero si estás re duro Sense of doubt, momento bizarro 2.0, pero me gusta Moss garden, me olvidé de que estaba escuchando. Neuklon, ni me di cuenta que habia cambiado la canción. The secret life of Arabia... de dónde salió? Aunque me gustó más que las dos primeras. En fin, quiero que me guste más de lo que me gustó. Quizás es uno de esos álbumes en los que tenés que estar ahí cuando salieron.

Distinctive but very samey, hectic, and a bit shrill in places. Fell short and got a bit off the rails in the middle. Not his best.

I guess I “needed” to listen to this album before I die the same way I needed to learn that Santa Claus isn’t real. Murder your darlings and never meet your heroes. My Buddhist name is the Lion of the Three Jewels so I’m gonna like anything about a guy called lion but that’s about as far as my appreciation for any of the first nine songs went. Heroes is fine, as a song. I should at least admit I’m happy to have had cause to listen to the lyrics because I always thought of it as this like, you know, car advertisement song, and it’s heartening to learn that it’s in fact terribly depressing. I liked sense of doubt and moss garden, they were a cool swimming hole in a country stream after the jangling melodies and inaudible and mostly incomprehensible lyrics of the previous songs. I’ve also been getting into soundscapes a lot more recently, so this was my alley to be up. Neuköln was cool too but the sax and synth were more blade runner than Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan. That Arabia song at the end really just brought me full circle to annoyance and regret. I’d rate it a one if it were anyone else but Bowie, but like the unconvinced suicide, I just can’t bring myself to do it. Two stars.

The first half of the album has Heroes (a song where every single cover is better than the original), and the last half is just noise… trash album

The song Heroes is amazing. I don't love the rest of the album. It's very instrumental and feels kind of empty.

A strange album. Heroes stands out on it for sure. It is so different in every way from the other tracks. There are traces of the rough edges from the early-7s Bowie/Ziggy stuff, the obvious influence of the late 70's punk and it's rough edges. But there is mostly an unfulfilled search for a coherent sound. The songwriting is also forgettable here. I would have hoped for more from Bowie. He has such gems in his catalogue. This album is lesser. Why is this on the list? The whole B side is weak and feels experimental in a half-assed way.

Everything is pretty good other than the instrumentals. “Heroes” is a great track.

Has some experimental sounds I believe for the time. Interesting ideas.. But really not something I’d listen to personally. I know he’s a classic.. hate to bash it. Ahh

It’s too chaotic, too weird.2/5

Too experimental, only found 3 of the songs enjoyable.

I think that Bowie is overrated, and I never really liked the title track to begin with. Listening to this is not really doing much to change my mind. It might be a classic, but I'm not really moved. Border of two and three

Let’s face it. Bowie is brilliant but weird. The songs on this album reflect that. There’s a reason that “Heroes” is really the only hit single from this album. I found the rest of it mostly unlistenable avant-garde crap. But it’s Bowie so an extra star for that.

Strong start with Beauty and the Beast. Best song is obviously Heroes. But whatever.

I’m really surprised how much David Bowie I find lackluster other than the hits. It’s one of those times where what’s popular is actually what’s good. Except I don’t care that much for Heroes, ironically. His other hits are much better.

5 4 - Heroes 3 - Beauty and the beast (reminds me of Silverchair's last album) - Sons of the Silent Age - Moss Garden: Japanese mood music? But peaceful to listen to. - The Secret Life of Arabia 2 - Joe the Lion: what a mess; I actually stopped playing to check if I had some music playing in another application - Blackout: A 3 but for the intentionally off-key vocals - V-2 Schneider - Sense of Doubt: movie music? 1 I'm not sure if 1977-me would have been all that happy shelling out for half a record of mood muzak. Sure, Heroes (the track) is good, but it's not _that_ good. While I didn't hate this, it's too incoherent for me. Feels like a jumble of songs randomly pulled from a few different piles, one of which is marked "Still born" and another "Ziggy rejects". I suppose the theatrical aspect of some songs is to be expected but the muzak tracks don't achieve much for me. Besides "Heroes", I didn't mind "The Secret Life of Arabia". The rest, not so much. 4/10

I wanted to like it but to be honest I just found it quite banal and annoying. The sounds of the guitar paired with Bowie’s incoherent wails, could be compared to an alley of cats and chalkboards. Don’t get me wrong, there were some nice sounds in there, but they were few and far between. I’m disappointed as this album holds quite the legacy and I feel like I am missing some major context that, when I discover it, will transform the album into something beautiful and harmonious. Who knows, I might rediscover this album in 10 years time, with a fresh perspective and an open mind. That being said, I likely won’t be reaching for it again any time soon.

I have heard a lot of David Bowie over the years, and this album is the worst representation of his music I have yet to encounter. Don't get me wrong, some of it was groovy, but some was uncoordinated wailing with disconnected instrumentation in the background. This seems to be a theme of this app, to take a decent artist and give you the worst album in their catalog. I hope the albums get better from here on out.

What happened to the album? Is this a concept? Pretty weird but I love the title track

Prima album, maar niet helemaal mijn stijl. Zitten wel leuke nummers bij, maar veel is voor mij iets te wazig of iets te langdradig.

Chaotic

Not for me

Just liked the title track.

I could not even get through it. Heroes is great but I could not adjust my ear to enjoy any of the other songs.

Too slow. Couldn't keep my focus

A lot of "I get what he's doing, I just don't really like it". Title track is obviously great but nothing else I'd return for. 2/5

I have always been ambivalent about Bowie. Knowing this is a classic, I approached it open mindedly. I appreciate the innovation but still not a fan

Not a great start with “Beauty and the Beast,” but “Joe the Lion” was a bit better before the classic “Heroes.” I can’t remember which I heard first, but for a long time the version of “Heroes” I was most familiar with was the Wallflowers cover. I’m actually not sure which version I prefer (not to say that the Wallflowers are on Bowie’s level…). But the original “Heroes” is by far the best part of the album of the same name. The second half is instrumental, varied, and mostly not objectionable, but it clearly bears the influence of co-writer Brian Eno. Ultimately, one good song is not enough for me to give “Heroes” more than two stars. Every other song is a station-turner.

The title track props up this album.

Oh look - more Bowie.

Heroes is great (but Jacob Dylan did it better). After that, the rest of this album is just Brian Eno being a "non-musician".

I’ll never be a Bowie fan. In fact I think the frog that is now in Tom Holland’s mouth used to be in David’s throat. Sure, heroes is pure nostalgia but I still find the reverberations of his voice mostly funny.

If you remove the terrible instrumental tracks it would be an incredible album. Those tracks sound like a angst ridden teen discovered some new instruments and a synth machine. Those tracks absolutely ruined the album experience for me

This is just bad bad bad. Still have no idea how one album "ziggy" carried his whole career

I think I just like the earlier albums. Hunky Dory, Rise and Fall.....

don't love, unpopular opinion

Can see why heroes was the big single, second half of the album was essentially self indulgent poor quality jazz.

I really love the song "Heroes," but I've never listened to this album before. I had pretty high hopes for this going into it, but this was a really big let down for me. The album started off strong, with "Beauty and the Beast," which had really great instrumentals. The sound was complicated and almost bordering on overzealous, but the synthesizers and production really worked for me. "Joe the Lion" was fine, but "Heroes" is far and away the best song on the album, and is probably a top five David Bowie song for me (I now associate it with JoJo Rabbit, and it makes me tear up these days). But that's where the album took a turn for me; most of the songs after "Heroes" were pretty lackluster in my opinion. I wasn't a big fan of the two instrumental tracks on the last half of the album; they were pleasant enough to listen to, but David Bowie is a great vocalist, and I almost felt kind of cheated that two of the ten songs on this album didn't feature him singing. I think my biggest disappointment with this album is that the title track is such a wonderful centerpiece to build an album around, but I feel like that didn't happen here. I hope that the other 50 Bowie albums on this list won't let me down like this one did.

Not as good as Low, save for the excellent title track.

Oh wow, and I thought the first side was boring and uninspired… then the B side kicks in… This guy’s music just can’t live up to the legendary status for me.

had a headache immediately when i press play fav(s) - sons of silent age

First listen. I know "Heroes" but that's it from the album. The rest is new to me. Notable Songs: Joe the Lion, Heroes, Beauty and Beast Singles: ------------------------------------------ Heroes (#4 UK) Beauty and Beast (#39 UK) Not much stands out to a first time listener of the album. I think it's probably better than I am thinking after the first day. I'm sure my score will rise with future listens... For now... 2.5/5

this didn't grab me in any way. it was fine, but it just sounded like a period of time.

I don't really rate Bowie. There, I said it! Sounding very dated to me already. I can't stand his voice, hate his accent. It wasn't bad, the songs aren't bad, it's a good record, but I just can't stand his voice. Yikes. 2 / 5 stars.

I’m fairly certain that every Bowie album I’ve heard so far had knocked my sock right off with how good it was. With this in mind, and also considering that Heroes is my favourite song by him, I’m very hyped to hear the album in full. Songs I already knew: Heroes Favourites: Heroes Honestly, I’m really quite disappointed by this album. Other Bowie albums have been consistently amazing from front to back with no skippable songs, yet here we have tracks like Moss Garden and Neuköln with are very forgettable ambient tracks. I’d honestly say that the only song worth knowing here is Heroes. I can always appreciate artists trying out new sounds, but the majority of this album was just quite a let-down. And that saddens me.

Veldig ubestemmelig for meg. Tittelsangen er OK, resten er OK minus. Synes det er en rar blanding av instrumentelle sanger og sanger med tekst. Albumet snuser allikevel på 3, men når ikke opp.

Paedo