HEROES

"Heroes" is the twelfth studio album of David Bowie and that was released in 1977, in the same year of his previous album, "Low". This is his second studio album from his "Berlin Trilogy", with the collaboration of Brian Eno. The others are "Low" and "Lodger". It developed further the sound of "Low". Of the three albums, it was the most befitting of the appellation Berlin, being the only one wholly recorded there. This is also considered one of his best musical works.

"Heroes" has ten tracks. All songs were written by David Bowie, except "Heroes", "Moos Garden" and "Neukoln", all written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, and "The Secret Life Of Arabia" written by David Bowie and Carlos Alomar. The first track "Beauty And The Beast" was issued as the second single taken from this album. It's a song with a disjointed musical combination of piano, guitar, electronics and voice. It features Robert Fripp on lead guitar and the synthesizer work by Brian Eno. This is a great song to open the album and is brilliantly performed. The second track "Joe The Lion" features also the lead guitar of Robert Fripp. The song is a tribute to the American performance artist Chris Barden, who became famous for him have be nailed to a Volkswagen in 1974. This is a very disjointed music track, which demonstrates clearly the influence of German krautrock music on the album. The third track is the title track "Heroes". It was the song chosen to be released as the first single of the album. It remains as one of the best and most known songs of Bowie and became also one of his most covered songs. It's a classic story of two lovers who meet and come together in the shadow of the Berlin Wall, known in history as the "Wall of Shame". It's the great highlight of the album and is also one of the highlights of all Bowie's musical career, a truly classic Bowie's song. The fourth track "Sons Of The Silent Age" is, according to Eno, the only song of the album composed prior to the recording sessions, and it could have been the title for the album. It's a most dark and oppressive song than the previous, with a delicious saxophone work. This is a fine song very enjoyable to hear. The fifth track "Blackout" is a very schizophrenic song with several chaotic and noisy musical moments. It returns to the musical style of the tracks 1 and 2, but with more aggressiveness and musical tension. It has a huge combination of driving beat, great guitar and synthesizers sequences, and frantic vocals. The sixth track "V-2 Schneider" was the song of the album chosen to be released as the B side of the single "Heroes". It was a tribute to Florian Schneider, the co-founder of Kraftwerk and is also a reference to the V-2, a German rocket in WW II. It's an excellent track clearly influenced by the electronic music, especially the music of Kraftwerk. The seventh track "Sense Of Doubt" is the first instrumental track that continuous the influence of electronic and krautrock music. It was the song chosen to be released as the B side of the single "Beauty And The Beast". This is one the darkest, desperate, emotional and oppressive tracks on the album. It represents one of my favourite musical moments too. The eighth track "Moss Garden" is the second instrumental track on the album. It features Bowie playing a koto, a traditional Japanese string instrument. This is a very beautiful piece of music, very tranquil and ethereal, that contrasts with the preceding track. It represents a perfect fusion between the traditional and the electronic music. The ninth track "Neukoln" is the third and last instrumental track on the album. This is another magnificent track with a special Arabian touch. Neukoln is a district of Berlin and the music can reflects, in part, the ruthlessness of the Turkish immigrants who made up a large portion of the area's population. The final section features a wonderful saxophone performance that can transmit to us a touching desperate call. The tenth and last track "The Secret Life Of Arabia" is a more traditional Bowie's song with an exotic mixture of eastern, jazz and funky. Despite be a good song, it breaks, in a certain way, the musical ambience on the album. So, it closes the album, somehow, in a strange way. I rader really would prefer that "Neukoln" was the last song on the album. If that had happened, it would have been the perfect ending to the album.

Conclusion: "Heroes" is, definitely, a great album and is one of the best David Bowie's albums. It developed even further the sound of "Low" and perfectly shows the recent new discoveries of the electronic soundscapes by Bowie, which transport his musical world to a new and darker musical territory. "Heroes" is a great art rock album that captures perfectly the spirit of the electronic and krautrock music and captures also the age of the new wave music. It also shows strongly the great Brian Eno's musical influence all over the album, especially on the second side of the album. Everybody knows the huge influence of Eno in the new wave music, especially in bands like Ultravox. Finally, we can't forget the participation of Robert Fripp, on lead guitar duties, complementing perfectly well Carlos Alomar. We can't also forget the musical collaboration between Fripp and Eno, on an ambient musical project, with the albums "(No Pussyfooting)" and "Evening Star". So, to have Fripp and Eno on a single Bowie's album is a remarkable thing, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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