David Bowie - (1977) Heroes

In 1977, David Bowie and Brian Eno were riding a creative wave-- their first collaboration, "Low", was an artistic triumph and stands among the best work in the catalog of either musician. The followup, "Heroes", nearly equalled their first collaboration.

Following the formula of "Low", the first side of the LP was all rock songs, but this time Fripp and Eno brought in guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp to provide a third voice. The result is staggering-- the entire side is full of brilliant songs that find all three artists at the peak of their form-- explosive post-punk "Beauty and the Beast", sustained-guitar driven "Heroes" (with some of the most passionate singing Bowie has ever done), retro-modern "Sons of the Silent Age"... quite frankly, the whole side is a highlight, whether fierce and powerful ("Joe the Lion"-- check out Fripp underneath Bowie on the bridge) or the aching passion of the title track, this really is about as good as it gets in this vein.

The second side again is largely ambient pieces (excepting the closing track which is a dance piece). This material isn't quite as good as the instrumental material on "Low"-- it's not that it's uninteresting, in fact it's superb. Bowie's koto (a Japanese stringed instrument) performance over delicate synths on "Moss Garden" and the wailing saxopone on "Neukoln" make for fantastic pieces, it just doesn't quite stop you in your tracks like the second side of "Low".

Nonetheless, "Heroes" is unnervingly brilliant material, and as essential an album as anything in Bowie's catalog. Highly recommended.
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Track List:

1. "Beauty and the Beast" – 3:32
2. "Joe the Lion" – 3:05
3. "Heroes" (Bowie, Brian Eno) – 6:07
4. "Sons of the Silent Age" – 3:15
5. "Blackout" – 3:50
6. "V-2 Schneider" – 3:10
7. "Sense of Doubt" – 3:57
8. "Moss Garden" (Bowie, Eno) – 5:03
9. "Neuköln" (Bowie, Eno) – 4:34
10. "The Secret Life of Arabia" – 3:46