Low (David Bowie album)
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| Studio album by David Bowie | ||||
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| Label (s) | RCA Records | |||
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Title (number) |
11 |
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running time |
38:26 |
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Studio (s) |
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Low is the eleventh studio album by David Bowie and was released in January 1977 RCA Records . The sound and production of this album were significantly influenced by Krautrock , the Kraftwerk group and especially Brian Eno , with whom Bowie also recorded the two follow-up albums "Heroes" and Lodger , which together with Low form his so-called "Berlin Trilogy" from 1977 to 1979.
Origin and style
David Bowie recorded Low during 1976 and delivered the finished production to the RCA in time for the Christmas sale. The record company was so shocked after the first listen that they delayed the release until January 1977. This album has nothing in common with the extensive soul - and disco- influenced predecessor Station to Station , rather the sound and basic mood on Low are dark and introverted. Bowie and Eno use experimental sounds and electronic instruments such as the Minimoog . In addition, an extremely alienated drum sound and prepared guitars ensured originality, which is why Low is considered ahead of its time. German bands like Kraftwerk and Neu! .
There are only five vocal pieces on low . The lyrics are short fragments without a classic song structure with verse and chorus and deal with topics such as personality splits , psychoses and suicide. The instrumentals Speed of Life and A New Career in a New Town , however, also strike optimistic and lively tones. The second side of the LP contains four almost exclusively instrumental, atmospheric pieces that are dominated by synthesizer sounds. From low on Bowie never again created an alter ego for a music album such as Major Tom , Ziggy Stardust or The Thin White Duke .
effect
The British band Joy Division , founded in 1976, originally called themselves “Warsaw” before their first recordings were released, inspired by the piece Warszawa on Low .
Singles
From low the single was in February 1977 Sound and Vision / A New Career in a New Town and in June 1977, the single Be My Wife / Speed of Life published.
Track list
With the exception of the marked exceptions, all songs were written by David Bowie.
Page 1:
- Speed of Life - 2:47
- Breaking Glass (Bowie, Davis, Murray) - 1:52
- What in the World - 2:23
- Sound and Vision - 3:03
- Always Crashing in the Same Car - 3:23
- Be My Wife - 2:56
- A New Career in an New Town - 2:55
Page 2:
- Warszawa (Bowie, Eno) - 6:23
- Art Decade - 3:47
- Weeping Wall - 3:28
- Subterraneans - 5:42
Bonus tracks (1991):
- Some Are - 3:24
- All Saints - 3:35
- Sound and Vision (Remix 1991) - 4:43
reception
| source | rating |
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| Allmusic |
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| Rolling Stone |
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| Laut.de |
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| Pitchfork Media |
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Although the album Low received mixed reviews at the time of its release, it is now considered a milestone in experimental rock and electronic music and, according to critics, is one of Bowie's best works. The magazine Rolling Stone chose low at No. 251 of the all time top 500 albums . In the compilation of the 500 best albums of the New Musical Express, the album ranks 14th. Pitchfork Media selected Low as number 1 of the 100 best albums of the 1970s. It was also included in the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die .
Web links
- Information and chart placement at www.teenagewildlife.com (Bowie discography)
- BBC Review - Self-destruction is carried through the album by the icy, mannered vocals
Individual evidence
- ^ Heinz Rudolf Kunze , David Bowie - The Favorite in Idole 8, Rock & Schock , Verlag Ullstein, 1986, Ed. Siegfried Schmidt-Joos , ISBN 3-548-36529-9 , p. 125
- ^ Hugo Wilcken, David Bowie's Low (33 1/3) , Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2005, ISBN 0-8264-1684-5
- ^ Roy Carr, Charles Shaar Murray, Bowie: An Illustrated Record , Avon, New York, 1981, ISBN 0-380-77966-8
- ^ Stuart Hoggard, David Bowie "Changes", an illustrated biography , London, New York, Sydney, Cologne: Omnibus Press, 1983, ISBN 0-86001-772-9 , pp. 57-58
- ↑ Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine on allmusic.com (accessed October 18, 2017)
- ↑ Review by Rob Sheffield on rollingstone.com (accessed October 18, 2017)
- ↑ Review by Ulf Kubanke on laut.de (accessed October 18, 2017)
- ↑ Review by Laura Snapes on pitchfork.com (accessed October 18, 2017)
- ↑ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time on rollingstone.com, accessed October 18, 2017
- ↑ The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 100-1 on nme.com, accessed October 18, 2017
- ↑ Top 100 Albums of the 1970s on pitchfork.com, accessed October 18, 2017