"Heroes" 2017

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I purchased this copy of the remastered "Heroes" CD for one reason: to replace/supplant the defective one in the New Career box set. I know, I know, some people said to contact Warner/Parlophone for a free replacement disc with the correction (the lead vocals drop in volume for a few seconds at around 2:50 into the track - I had to listen with earbuds/headphones to hear it, but like seeing the arrow in the Fed Ex logo, once you know it's there, it's ALWAYS there). The thing is everyone is saying to do so, but NOBODY TELLS YOU EXACTLY HOW TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER!!!! So now I've got my own replacement disc (and if I want to I can exchange the corrected copy for the defective one - LOL!) Concerning the album itself, as the second in the so-called Berlin Trilogy (Low being 1st and Lodger being the 3rd), it's effectively the transitional album from the more experimental Low (with its fantastic visual pun in the cover photo- again, once you get it, you'll never look at the album title again and say "what a stupid title!"). However, the six songs on "Heroes" are actually structured SONGS, not snatches of melodies with some words thrown into rhyme - I was going to say not stream-of-consciousness, but a lot of Bowie's lyrics read like stream-of-consciousness - must be that cut-up method... Lodger would complete the trilogy by eliminating the instrumentals altogether, though keeping the experimentation. It is also why I called it the "so-called" Berlin trilogy: after spending time touring with Iggy and then touring in '78 for Low and Heroes (captured on the live Stage album), Bowie and band decamped to Montreux, Switzerland to record Lodger. Some songs and ideas may have been left over from the Berlin sessions, but other than the presence of Eno and Bowie's backing band, it was produced in an entirely different setting, though stll Middle European.. Scary Monsters would find Bowie and band in New York City (again a completely different vibe and energy).The album opens with a thundering blast of alternative rock in the form of "Beauty and the Beast" with some of Bowie's best vocals to date (soon to be surpassed on the timeless title track though), and some of his funniest lyrics after the somber mood of Low. After another shorter rocker "Joe The Lion," Bowie's masterpiece begins. Bowie had always thought "Changes" or "Ziggy Stardust" would be the songs he'd be most remember for, but this was before "Heroes," and, until Kurt Cobain, dusted it off from relative obscurity, "The Man Who Sold The World." But "Heroes" with its purposeful quotation marks, as if the song's narrator doesn't really believe he and his girlfriend are real heroes, as they carry out a clandestine affair beside the Berlin Wall. Over a down-walking bass line with synth washes and sweeping Robert Fripp guitar noodling, Bowie starts things off simple: "I, I will be king, and you, you'll be my queen, for nothing can drive them away, we can beat them just for one day, we can be "heroes." just for one day." As the song progresses, his voice seems to grow stronger. Producer Tony Visconti in the liner notes for the box set, said he set up a series of sequential microphones for Bowie to sing into. One sat the standard 10-12 inches from his mouth, as Bowie's natural voice grew louder it triggered a second microphone about 10 feet away that was picking up and amplifying the vocals, until it reached a third that got triggered as Bowie's voice almost overpowers the backing track. It's no wonder that people got mad about the volume drop on the initial pressing of the box set CD's. It's an amazing song, and still has the power to send shivers up and down the listener's spine. Bowie introduced into his live set during the Stage Tour and the song stayed up in the set-list through the last tour (The Reality Tour). He also memorably performed it at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, when he shocked the audience, the members of Queen who were backing him, and, by his own admission, dropping to one knee and reciting the Lord's Prayer. Ten years later, the song would take on a new meaning when he performed it at the Concert for New York City after 9/11 before a crowd of policemen, firefighters and other first responders. I remember watching it on HBO when it was first broadcast. Bowie opened the concert with only two songs: an arty take of Paul Simon's "America" played on what looked like a Casio keyboard, and..."Heroes" with the officers in the front row choking back tears. Two songs and while Bon Jovi, Mellencamp, McCartney, and the Who followed, Bowie stole the show and brought down the house.Getting back to the album at hand, "Sons of the Silent Age" seems to be a little bit of filler, though it boasts one of Bowie's loveliest melody lines in the chorus, and the original A-side closes out with another rocker "Blackout" which may have been inspired by the NYC blackouts that summer, or Bowie's own blackout during his period of drug abuse that he allegedly came to Berlin to overcome. Who knows?Some people don't like the instrumentals but "V-2 Schneider" (Bowie's nod/wink to Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider) still rocks. "Sense of Doubt" is the most depressing thing I've ever heard on a record (and some wag in A&R at RCA decided to use it as the B-side to "Beauty And The Beast" - as Charles Shaar Murray once wrote, bet that went over well when selected on the bar/pool hall/arcade's jukebox. "Moss Garden" is a Japanese-styled tone poem and "Neukoln" invokes the neighborhood of Turkish immigrants in Cologne, Germany where Bowie and Iggy shared a flat. And just when you think there should be another instrumental, the band kicks into a slightly Middle-Eastern dance-floor groove for "The Secret Life of Arabia" which may have had its beginnings during "Low" as the lyrics don't seem to have the coherent style as the first 5 songs. The mood and groove itself predates "Rock The Casbah" by five years (hmm, maybe that's even more of coincidence...) so it's obvious that Topper Headon was listening to Bowie...

Best of the best doing his best..

I've seen other comments about the pros and cons of this latest remastering which were all interesting. Having bought Heroes, Low and Scary Monsters and listened to them I can only add the following. I heard elements of the instrumentation that hadn't been noticeable before which allowed me to listen with a fresh appreciation. These three albums are magnificent in whatever form you hear them. I think we can trust Mr Visconti not to 'ruin' them.

Another great Bowie album I somehow never bought before. cd plays fine, but what happened to the case?I assume this was damaged at amazon, since the packaging was in perfect shape.I tried to find an e-mail address for Amazon to let them know about this damage, but I could find none. I did get an address from them thru chat, cs-reply@amazon.com, but it turned out not to accept incoming mail.

So I buy stuff for this little old man at work, we’ve had great experiences and bad ones purchasing old albums, however this is not one of the bad ones. It was in New condition. The album shipped quickly, had a booklet inside. When I gave it to the little old man, he cried with joy. His life aaa reappearing through the songs. He’s a huge Bowie fan, so the ride of his life, The memories he created, the good time he had, and probably bad times too came through an album. It’s amazing what music can do.

Continuing the sonic landscapes explored on Low, Bowie takes us once again on a electronic but still groove-laden trip with more ambient textures and hints of what would evolve into industrial/post-rock music. While he had quit skiing the slopes of cocaine by 1977, he quickly turned to alcohol, briefly alluding to his new addiction throughout the first half. As on Low, the DAM trio saw a variety of rhythmic experimentation, with contributions from King Crimson's Robert Fripp, and Eno. The remaster brings to these sounds more life, especially in the drums and bass.

I find that most new vinyl needs a good clean before it can be played. Otherwise it has a lot surface noise and static. Not this one. Got this today, opened it up and it looked good. Gave it a spin and it sounded even better. I haven't listened to this album in over 25 year and had forgotten how good it is. Very impressed