1:13 Speed of Life 2:41 Breaking Glass 4:03 What in the World 5:26 Sound and Vision 7:05 Always Crashing in the Same Car 9:43 Be My Wife 11:41 A New Career in a New Town 13:37 Warszawa 16:04 Art Decade 18:09 Weeping Wall 20:07 Subterraneans
The idea behind low I think is Bowie just quit cocaine, He felt liked he lost his creativity with making music. since he’s always in a character (ziggy, thin white duke etc..), He didn’t know what to do next, so he moved to Berlin to try and discover his true self. I think The song sound and vision sums up his problem with finding himself. “Blue, blue, electric blue That's the color of my room Where I will live Blue, blue Pale blinds drawn all day Nothing to do, nothing to say Blue, blue” The lyrics shows he seems to be in low spirits, he’s in his room, blinds are drawn and he has nothing to do and nothing to say, he’s blue (sad). But in the next part of the verse he seems to be determined to get out of this rut and find his creative spark. “I will sit right down, waiting for the gift of sound and vision And I will sing, waiting for the gift of sound and vision Drifting into my solitude, over my head” The last line “Drifting into my solitude, over my head”, I think is telling us that he’s going back into his isolation to find himself and that he’s baffled at his current situation. This video talks about more of the idea and meaning behind the whole album: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-M7D4OU0C3JE.htmlsi=O6dDdwCquRw2di8J
Here’s a bit of context. Bowie was dealing with a lot of things in this time period. He had a big cocaine addiction, which was obvious on his previous album Station to Station. He was also working on a soundtrack for the movie The Man Who Fell to Earth. This fell through and really upset and depressed Bowie. One song made it to Low, Subterraneans. Bowie was spiraling and escaped to Europe. He met with Brian Eno after a show in 1976, Bowie was a big fan of Brian’s albums like Another Green World. Those albums and a lot of German krautrock bands like Tangerine Dream, Neu! and Kraftwerk inspired the sound on this album. That’s why this album sounds more artsy, experimental and synth heavy. Without context and instant appreciation of the sounds and songwriting I find this can be a hard Bowie album to get into for some. Which I thought was interesting that people wanted this to be your second Bowie album. But I understand because they know you really enjoy ambient music elements. I enjoy this one, all his Eno albums are dope. Sound and Vision is one of my fav Bowie songs. I think whenever you listen to more you should check out either Aladdin Sane or Hunky Dory, but if you want more artsy Bowie stuff like Low, either “Heroes” or Station to Station. Can’t really miss with any of them lol Keep up the great work Smags! Hope everyone has a great one! 🙂
The record company wondered what the hell Bowie was doing, making this the follow-up to the grandiose Station To Station. Still, as so often the case, he knew what he was doing.
They wondered what he was doing with Station to Station too. They were still pressuring him for another Young Americans, even after StS came out and he was finishing Low.
There's a whole Bowie/Iggy Pop/Kraftwerk interface going on around this time. With a dollop of Eno. You've got Bowie's follow up to Low, Heroes and then the two albums he worked on for Iggy Pop, Lust for Life and The Idiot. Then throw in Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk which namechecks Bowie. That whole Kraftwerk/Neu!/Cluster/Eno/Bowie/Pop period has always been one of my favourite little time periods in music.
"I thought he was gay" is frying me, fr though he was bisexual (had a straight rebrand during the 80s when he got popular popular but went back on it later on). Low is such a shift in his music, I cannot imagine how it must have felt as a fan, you went from glam, to soul, to funk and industrial-ish rock, then out of nowhere you get an instrumental electronic ambient album, I feel like your reaction must have been similar lmao. Low is very much defined in its title, it was Bowie's lowest point in his life, having escaped to Berlin to try recover from a cocaine addiction that was killing him, in the midst of a divorce too. It's cryptic lyrics, the terribly melancholic and sad instrumentals, inspired by both his state of mind and the sights of a Berlin still recovering from everything, the wall, it's so well encapsulated. There's a slight optimism, I think it especially shows in A New Career, but for the most part you can tell it came from a dark place (Always Crashing had lyrics inspired by an incident in which he and Iggy Pop, his friend who also moved to Berlin with him, drove around the hotel parking lot at high speed as Bowie screamed he wanted to end it all, until they ran out of gas). I think it's a wonderful, heavily influential piece, Subterraneans always gets me, the moment the saxophone comes in is something special. Everybody is already telling you all the classic albums you need to listen to (and please please do Station to Station and Scary Monsters at one point), but I also want to bring up some of his later catalog, which I think has stuff worth checking out, mainly Outside (1995), Earthling (1997) and Heathen (2002), all fantastic records!!
This is the first of his Berlin trilogy of albums, Heroes and Lodger are the others. Station To Station is his second big leap into more American music. Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs are more glammy but they sound different from each other. Keep doing is discography and you really won’t be disappointed bro.
Subterraneans and other bits from Low was written by Bowie for the film in which he plays the lead (The Man who Fell to Earth 1976). The only problem was that he was never asked to do the score. The cover of Low is a still from the movie. Type David bowie-Subterraneans-redux-1977 to hear the song paired with footage from that great movie
Please do not encourage him, or we'll have to endure more insightful and brilliantly witty comments like "Sounds like you have a problem, David" etc. Awful.
Pitching in my two cents for what Low represents. Lots of people have given great context on where Bowie was and what he was going through during the Low sessions/Berlin era of his career, but emotionally I think this can be read as a soul-searching journey from start to finish. From the frantic, eccentric nature of side 1 (Speed Of Life to New Career) up to the subdued and tranquil ambience of side 2 (Warszawa to Subterraneans), Low reads like Bowie detaching himself from the rock personas and lifestyle that was literally killing him and trying to find the raw, naked sparks of creativity that got him into music in the first place in a very abstract and removed setting from anything he was familiar with before. Apart from the sheer flex of creativity all over this album, I personally find a very deep and unspoken layer of emotional restlessness and yearning that ties this album together not too different from the likes of Pet Sounds. Perhaps this is what makes it such a fan favorite and beloved classic: it may not an album you can understand very well, but it’s one that you can *feel* from its energy and passion alone.
U should listen to yo la tengo I can hear the heart beating as one I think there’s a few songs you would absolutely love based off what I’ve seen u like in other vids
Bowie tried writing lyrics for "Speed of Life", but he ultimately decided it was better as an instrumental. He had trouble writing more lyrics for "Breaking Glass", but Eno said to just leave it like it was, so that's why it's so short. The words in Warszawa are based on Polish words, but they're made up.
This album is is surprisingly influential especially for how little mainstream exposure it has had, it inspired a lot of people to think about making music differently, particularly in the post punk scene. Maybe not quite as much as the velvet underground but it's right up there.
Great to see you review some more Bowie. Would love to see your thoughts on his 1995 album Outside - or to give its full title: 1. Outside (The Nathan Adler Diaries Or The Art Ritual Murder Of Baby Grace Blue : A Non-Linear Gothic Drama Hyper-Cycle) That alone has got to have piqued your curiosity. And if the title alone wasn't enough, it saw him reunite with Eno after a 16 year gap. It's a fantastic album, barking mad in places, but fantastic.
This album turned me into a superfan. I knew his radio hits and even saw him live but in the summer of 85 a friend had this on vinyl. I borrowed it and was blown away. Its infectious. Once i heard it i was drawn back over and over.
I’m putting my vote out for Music For Nine Postcards by Hiroshi Yoshimura. He was a pioneer in Japanese ambient music (Kankyo Ongaku), and this album is a masterpiece. It borrows many aspects from Eno’s ambient albums, and it is a gem of a record.
if you like brian eno's contributions to this album, i would recommend listening more albums on his discography but he has a lot of albums so it is hard to pick one. here is a few fan favorites: 1- Apollo 2- Here Come the Warm Jets 3- The Pearl (collab with Harold Budd) 4- Before and After Science 5- Ambient 1: Music for Airports
This is my favorite Bowie album by far. Everything is perfect. I remember listening to ""A New Carrer in a New Town" and "Warzsawa" for the first time, I was in the subway going to my uni, and there was this sad girl. Those tracks are unreal You only do great albums mostly. I like your commentary between songs. May I suggest you to review "Half Machine Lip Moves" by Chrome ( industrial punk on acid made by robot aliens)
I guess youtube doesn't like putting links in comments, but I recommend looking up Adam Buxton's short cartoon he made about the making of "Warszawa", it'll provide some context and it's funny.
Once you eventually get around to Blackstar, A new career in a new town is sampled in one of the songs, so it’s a nice call back if your paying attention.
You're lucky man, I wish I recorded my first listen of this album. It only gets better, but the first listen always fleets you at the same time. I think this and King Crimson's Three of a Perfect Pair are quite similar
I agree with the people recommanding you Station to Station, (altough it precedes Low, it's an essential Bowie album). And also, you absolutely need at least 1 album from the the 90's : I vote for "1-Outside" :D !
Subterranians and other bits of this album origins from the soundtrack Bowie thought he was asked to do for the movie “The man who fell to earth” in which he played the lead. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GIG0eIjHEPY.htmlfeature=shared
This and the album after it called "Heroes" have heavy Eno influence. Synths, treated guitars, instrumentals, etc. This is a different era than the Ziggy stuff. If you like this one, you will love "Heroes" . It's basically Low plus Robert Fripp on guitar. These two records plus Station To Station (and the various live recordings from this time period) are my favorite Era Bowie. I think it's smart to wait on Blackstar. I LOVE that record, but hearing more of his catalogue before you jump to that one is an excellent idea.
Bowie described this music as 'new language', insisting it wasn't rock. You're right about Eno's input and influence. If you like Eno, check out early Roxy Music: the first two albums are insanely good
I would love, if you are going to do Blackstar sometime, that you do a listen of the bowie discography. It's so rich and has a lot of mixed genres. Personally I'm a fan of "1.outside, Scary monsters, Diamond Dogs and The man who sold the world". Thank you for your reaction. ❤
Album recommendations: Waiting to Spill- The backseat lovers When we Were Friends- The backseat lovers Something you needed- Flipturn Shadowglow- Flipturn Songs- Adrianne Lenker Unreal Unearth- Hozier Close to Paradise- Patrick Watson Young Americans- David Bowie Everything so far- Pinegrove RMCM- Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners Good For You- Houndmouth The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We- Mitski
I fucking love Sound and Vision. One of my favorite David Bowie songs. Gotta put a plug in for reviewing an album by the band "Spoon". I think you would like them. Start with "Gimme Fiction" or "Kill the Moonlight" and work forwards or backwards.
You really should check out Brian Eno’s first album “Here Come the Warm Jets” for some glam rock goodness, “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy” for really odd art rock and some ambient, and “Before and After Science” for the best of both worlds
this is kinda late but.. LOVE YOUR VIDEOS MY GUY a few recommendations: Process - Sampha (experimental r&b, great production) Nurture - Porter Robinson (light summer electric with fun production) Koi No Yokan - Deftones (very heavy, sexier and heavier radiohead imo) Hypochondriac - Brakence (very experimental emo rap, glitch pop) Reading Writing And Arithmetic - The Sundays (the smiths ish, with beautiful female vocals)
Low is considered the first of the "berlin trilogy" of albums produced by brian eno, named "the Berlin trilogy" by fans because about half of the first album and almost all of the second album were recorded in West Berlin, while David was recovering from a cocaine addiction with his buddy Iggy Pop. The first two of the Berlin trilogy were the products of that recovery, and can often be interpreted as an expression of psychological transformation. It was also one of the most radical transformations in Bowie's Career. So I tend to interpret it as an autobiographical concept album of sorts. Low has one side that I interpret as being about Bowie's life on cocaine, traveling to Berlin ("A New Career in a new town") and then undergoes transformation on side b. That transformation continues on "Heroes", which has a similar structure of vocal tracks on side A and instrumentals on side B. So what I'm saying is you should do "heroes" next given that Low and "Heroes" are both products of a particular time and place in Bowie's life, it's one of the best examples of why Bowie was considered a musical chameleon, a lot of his creative inspiration came from the place where he was creating, one of the reasons he was often moving around all over the world.
Bowie was definitely experimenting and trying to find something new during this period (as he did through most of his career, excepting his 1980s commercial period) other Bowie albums that I personally consider essential (though one can find something exceptional on any of them)... _Aladdin_ _Sane_ (1973) _Diamond_ _Dogs_ (1974) _Station_ _to_ _Station_ (1976) _Scary_ _Monsters_ (1980) _Earthling_ (1997) _Reality_ (2003)
