Heroes

An Album of 2 halves. Decent 1st half, nonsense 2nd.

Some classics but I found it really didn't grab my attention

false

A close second to the more experimental "Low" IMO, but still a rich and rewarding listen. Even Walmart's disgusting co-opting of the title track couldn't spoil this one.

Previous album from Bowie I listened to sucked. So I was not looking forward to this one. But what d'ya know, this is actually a really great album!

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

Een klassiek album, dat is het zeker. ik kon er echter niet zo lang naar luisteren

Examples of heroes are:- Our Lord Jesus Christ, Kris Akabusi, Jade Goody, Michael Barrymore, Purple Aki, Captain Sir Tom, Jesse Lingard, SHACK, Rosie from Rosie and Jim, Jo Wiley's sister, Harvey Price and Sunshine.

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.

Full of team gb spirit. Not shack. He's full of New Zealand lamb chops. Hates the Welsh, loves a kiwi

Joe the lion was fun and the rest of it wasnt

Eclectic Bowie at his best. Some good tunes.

Not as good as the previous album ***

Getting slated by the others and some of it is pretty experimental but it’s fun and original and I like the fact that he doesn’t give a fuck

Nog een keer Bowie, niet slecht...

Niet geluisterd, maar dit album kan ik dromen. En ja, het is weer Bowie, maar in dit geval vind ik dat niet erg. Te gekke plaat, niets meer, niets minder

The 1001 albums you must hear before you die are sponsored by: The Estate of David Bowie. Lekker divers die lijst. 4x Bowie in een paar weken tijd. Of heb ik het concept misschien verkeerd begrepen en gaat het om de 1001 albums by David Bowie you must hear before you die? Misschien is dit album wel meer dan 2 sterren waard, maar Bowie-moeheid is ingetreden inmiddels.

Niet kapot van.

Not the best Bowie album I’ve heard. Heroes is obviously a classic track but that’s about it for this album.

No wonder he called the album "Heroes", that's by far the best track. The health spa moments towards the end were unexpected but not unwelcomed. Overall not for me. 6/10

Definitely not his best work but for the most part I enjoyed it. Went a bit weird at the end, which wasn't really my vibe, but it didn't take away from the rest of the album.

1 amazing song which got it a 2. The opener was the worst Bowie song I’ve heard, and some of the tracks on the 2nd half were just straight up pretentious.

3/5. Alright, not great. Never really been a fan of Bowie.

Decent album but not quite my style. I can see why people like it tho

Just didn't get on with it, wanted to like it but outside of singles just didn't enjoy

dying saxophone

a bit too chaotic, but I liked the style for a background while I work

First couple of tracks a bit weak

Just like the other Bowie album. Some great songs but otherwise nothing astonishing.

Brakuje tytulowi "" ktore sa tutaj dosc istotne, bo wskazuja, ze tytul jest nawiazaniem do czegos, a tym czym nie moze byc nic innego jak krautrockowe granie w wykonaniu niemieckiego Neu!, co juz jasno wskazuje jakie influencje beda tutaj graly pierwsze skrzypce, jako najbardziej berlinski albumik z berlinskiej trylogii, bo nagrany w calosci w jednym miejscu wraz z juz wielokrotnym kolaborantem panem Eno i Viscontim, dodatkowym elementem jest gitarka od krimsonow, bo pojawia sie Fripp na prowadzacej, jak do tego doszlo, ze najbardziej rozpoznawalny trak bowiego pochodzi z albumu ktory raczej nawet do top 5 popularnych plyt z jego dyskografii mialby ciezko sie wbic, tytulowy trak heroes ma wszystko czego potrzeba zeby przyciagnac sluchajacego, liryke o milosci nieszczesliwej, ktora jest jednak tak flexowa do interpretacji, ze pojawia sie w tak szerokim kregu filmowo serialowym, komedia, tragedia, dramat, parodia i nadal brzmi to solidnie, a nie jak piesc do nosa, ale nie tylko liryka tworzy hitowe kawalki, kolejnym elementem jest repetytywnosc melodii, ktora dodatkowo progresuje podczas trwania traka, ale nie jest to jedyny progres, bo jest jeszcze wokal, wedlug wielu jest to najlepszy wokalowy bowie na calym tajmlajnie jego dyskografii, dodatkowo brajanek eno tak szprytnie wykombinowal koncept, ze w ciagu trawania traka mikrofon stopniowo oddala sie od bowiego, wiec poczatek szeptany i lagodny jak na mlodych amerykanach ewoluluje w krzyki, ktore jednak sa cichsze niz poczatkowe szepty, wszystko przez odleglosc od mikrofonu, jest to dosc unikalne wykorzystanie pozycji wokalisty od mikrofonu w celu zbudowania atmosfery i nadania unikanlego charakteru piosence, a to tylko tytulowy trak, otwierajacy piekna i bestia to otwarcie w mocno krautowych klimatach, synthy i wokale, bo glowy miksuje sie z chorkami i przeskakuje chanelowo, lirycznie opowiesci autobograficxznie na tematy okolo narkotyczne, bo przeciez trylogia detoxowa, no i berlin rowniez w tamtym czasie byl podzielony na piekny i bestyjski, co widac rowniez na innych trakach, blackoucie czy tez V2, podobnie jak na Lowie druga strona krazka obfituje w kompozycje instrumentalne, ktore tworza mini trylogie, klimat nawet mroczniejszy niz na warszawce w pierszym traku sense of doubt, ktory prowadzi z tych watpliwosci do mchowego ogrodu, wiec influencje japonskie wchodza mocno, o czym wspominal na blackoucie, trylogia konczy sie neukolnem, na ktorym slychac znowu influencje z troche blozszego wschodu, bo nazwa traku odpowiada tureckiej dzielnicy berlina, wprowadza on znowu w troche mroczniejszy klimat przez ktory przebija sie saksa bowiego i nadaje jednak pozytywnego charakteru, calosc zamykana jest podobnie jak byla otwarta, wiec kawalkiem okolo narkotykowym jak glosi tytul the secret life of arabia, jest to tez najbardziej funkowy trak w tym zestawieniu, wykoryzstujacy chorkowanie polaczone z soulowymi klapami, na plejke wleci tytulowy heroes i blacouta, poza tym instrumentalna trylogia takze by mogla gdzies wyladowac, ale nie mam okolo instrumentalnej plejki jeszcze

Of course this album is fuckin' fab. You all know it. But I had completely forgotten/never heard the instrumental tracks towards the end, and I wasn't really paying attention as I listened because I knew the tunes, but then these started playing and I was in some kind of trance.

6

Me gusta, pero sin tanto flipe

Wowed the back half. The first half was a tad boring, but I loved everything from Sense of Doubt on.

☆☆☆☆☆

Disco con el estilo de Bowie. Alguna canción muy conocida. Tranquilo de escuchar y característico. No me ha sorprendido en exceso y he echado en falta alguna canción que me hubiese gustado más

Really cool, full of tones and sounds that sound odd even today. Marked down for being a little meandering in places, but very strong overall

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

M'agrada molt Bowie, malgrat que he escoltat pocs àlbums sencers seus. Aquest "Heroes" és el dotzè de la seva carrera, el segon de la seva "trilogia de Berlín", ciutat on es va instal·lar una temporada per desintoxicar-se de la cocaïna. Amb el gran Robert Fripp tocant la guitarra i Brian Eno a la producció, té una primera meitat que és una passada. L'he gaudit molt, tot i només conèixer una de les seves cançons (la immortal "Heroes", amb la seva gran història d'amor prohibit davant el mur de Berlín). La primera meitat de l'àlbum és realment interessant, i encara avui sona moderna i atrevida. La segona part està presidida per tot un seguit de temes instrumentals que a mi em semblen més Eno que Bowie, i que no em fan gaire el pes. Si hagués estat un EP de 5 o 6 temes, definiria "Heroes" com a una obra mestra, però la segona part tan fosca, industrial i experimental li fan restar punts. Tot i així, és un àlbum imprescindible i amb una primera meitat gloriosa.

Bowie brooded a wise hive of great albums, but overall this one didn’t grab me. Some great tracks

I really thought that my Bowie knowledge ran deep. And it does, but this is an album that I don't know well. No Bowie is bad, and all Bowie is better than most, but I don't connect with this one in the same way.

Les derniere chanson atmospherique on augmenter la note. Et la chanson titre est un classique. Mais il y a de biens meilleurs album de bowie que celui-ci. 3.25

Mostly good, years without hearing it full throtle

Un poco rollo

I liked the 1st half but the last 4 songs were all weird instrumentals. I wasn't a huge fan of those.

Love the "title" song, others are interesting but most don't grab me although quite dramatic and interesting instrumentals

David Bowie! A name even I know. But fame doesn’t save him from an honest review. As much as I liked some of the instrumental tracks on the second half, I loathed everything else on the album. I‘ll give him three stars, because I can see the potential, if only he would refrain from singing.

M

Hmm. Somehow never listened to this whole thing before and it seems like a lot of these tunes are a little, dare I say, forgettable? I liked “Sons of the Silent Age” and “V-2 (Paul) Schneider.”

David Bowie does ambient!? I've definitely listened to this album before, but somehow it escaped me that side B is just straight up Eno-style ambient instrumental loveliness. I actually like side B more than I like side A, even though "Heroes" is an absolute tune. (And weird to think that it wasn't that popular when first released!) Fave track - "Sense of Doubt" - pure mood! "Moss Garden" is gorgeous, though, too...

I’d say they were all horsing the drugs on this one

Hat mich gar nicht beeindruckt. Es gibt durchaus Sachen von David Bowie, die ich mag, das hier gehört allerdings absolut nicht dazu. Das erste Lied hat mir ganz gut gefallen, das letzte war auch ok, der Rest muss überhaupt nicht sein.

Really cool highs. Kinda boring lows. Overall, I’ll be listening again.

can i just say how happy i am that there are SO many bowie albums on this list? i will always love the title track - and don't tell anyone, but i may love the cover by oasis even more. i know, i'm not real proud of that, either.

Dope first half, too trippy later

I like some stuff from Bowie, but it feels too experimental for me on this one. Didn't like any of the songs on the album and almost fell asleep.

I love Bowie but this is not my favorite of his offerings.

Okay outside of hits. Good instrumental songs

Since we just listened to Aladdin Sane, I find myself comparing the two albums, which is a random touchpoint, but in any case I liked AS better. This one was just not as compelling. The ambient tracks toward the end were interesting, but didn't feel cohesive with the rest of the album.

A couple of good, fun songs... lots of weirdness too

If I didn't just listen to Low it probably would have a four. Not bad, not great

I mean the dude can write a song

🥺 perfeito

Tja

Is it elevated or marred by its very odd ending? I wonder if I'd esteem it quite as much were it not for Howie's sainthood, though I definitely like it.

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.

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.

5 out of 5, every time. David is God.

Moss Garden *chef's kiss*

Thought it would be better

Great songs, but the song heroes is a masterpiece

1. Absolute banger song. Great start into the album. Lots of energy. 2. Loved it. 3. Amazing riff, love the subtle synth in the background. 4. Really nice, kind of psychedelic. 5. Dual vocals nice, instrumentation is strong. Guitar goes ham. 6. Amazing sounding piano, horns fit nice in the song. 7. Strange, but interesting!!!!! 8. Beautiful and really peaceful. 9. Sinister and chilling. Eerie horns amplify the effect. 10. Really groovy and chill. Best song on the album.

Classic Bowie.

Algumas musicas boas, bowie nao é meu forte

The first half of the album is amazing, but the ambient track is not my favourite part of Davie Bowie's career in music. If it was for the first half I would have said a decent 4:5

Heroes is good, the rest of the songs are kind of underwhelming

Oops didn’t really listen to this one. Three stars coz it’s David Bowie

Not my jam but I get it

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

This was more '80s than Bowie. some song sound like he's flirting with a space Odyssey, but some of them are the most annoying part of the '80s.

Ok, Lücke, nie durchgehört. Bowie ist natürlich großartig, habe ich mich aber nie drum gekümmert. Diese Scharte gehörte ausgewetzt. Gute vier Sterne, keine fünf wegen der Längen in der zweiten Hälfte.

The only Bowie album I don't own on vinyl. Part of the Berlin trilogy, lots of classics on this. During this listen, really appreciated V-2 Schneider, and I've always loved Moss Garden.

Great album overall, the instrumental pieces were great, the opening and final songs are very groovy, heroes and sons of silent age are all-time bowie greats

Great nostalgic listen, I enjoyed listening to this again

I like Bowie but not a massive fan. Heroes is an amazing tune. A few good other tracks but not wowed

Yikes

Just awesome

Heroes is a great song but this is not in my top 5 Bowie albums. It is the first of the three Berlin albums I’ve listened too. Blackout is very good.

A truly great musician-- a truly great (and weird) album.

A much darker album than the others. Definitely worth a listen.

I listened to this one back when I had “Low” generated for me. Wonderful record

Love it

<3 Bowie, an incredible release

Seine Stimme überrascht mich, aber überzeugen tut sie mich nicht. Erinnert mich an R.E.M., aber mehr Lärm. Ab der Hälfte kam eine kurze arabische Halbzeitpause und danach war es weniger schlimm. Vielleicht hatte David Pech, weil ich ihn nicht VOR der Arbeit hören konnte.

3/5. Bowie is great, but not something I'd listen to all the time.

Strong opening to the album including the legendary title track 'Heroes'. Tracks 7-9 ('Sense of Doubt', 'Moss Garden' and 'Neuköln') all went a bit weird before finishing on a high. Would listen again but might skip the typically odd Bowie experimental tracks.

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

Eh I'm not really into Bowie I guess

Heard one too many times, one of the best albums ever.

6

Ei toimi mulle

Can't go wrong with Bowie, pretty much ever.

Pretty fun first half but not as good as some of his others.

not his strongest album in imo

I like David Bowie, some songs on this were good but it's not pure gold.

Had some highlights.

Great David Bowie Album

Funny thoughtful lyrics, little to no “music”

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.

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

Never been crazy about Bowie. Feels sacrilegious. Didn't expect half of this album to be instrumental. Seems a bit out-there at certain parts. "Heroes" is still a wonderfully classic track. Favorite tracks: "Heroes", "Blackout"

There's some killer tracks on this thing (Heroes, Blackout, Secret Life...), and some great ambient music on it too, but I'm not sure they work best all on the same album. I dig the sound of it, just not sure it all comes together the best.

not my cup of tea but it was alright.

9/10, better than Low. Iconic, great sounds, his best.

4,5/5

Another decent Bowie album! There are probably too many of his albums on this list now but they're not bad haha. 3/5.

This would be so much better without lyrics. The music is insanely good, but Bowie's lyrics and singing on this album do nothing for me. I'm just not a huge fan at all of this album. Maybe he was making too many in the 70s.

I had higher expectations. Far from his best.

Bowie is a god