"HEROES" (Enhanced, Original Recording Reissued)

by

David Bowie

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David Bowie's catalogue is very diverse in terms of styles and personas he's adopted over the years. Most people familiar with his work are likely to name 'Ziggy Stardust,' 'Station To Station' or even 'Let's Dance' as milestone albums. But when someone mentions "Heroes," one immediately thinks of the monolithic title track, which to this day retains a place in David's live shows. In my opinion, 'Heroes,' the album, has always been rather overlooked; the spotlight being stolen by it's sister, 'Low.' And while 'Low' is most definitely a masterpiece, 'Heroes' is an excellent work in it's own right and deserves re-evaluation.

'Heroes' takes the listener away to an alternative world filled with chaos ("Beauty and the Beast"), desperation ("Blackout"), nostalgia ("Sons of the Silent Age") and humor ("Secret Life of Arabia"). David's voice hits startling new heights here, and he's singing as though his life depended on it. The ambient instrumental tracks range from murky ("Sense of Doubt") to soothing ("Moss Garden") to horrific ("Neukoln").

I find it almost a cathartic experience listening to 'Heroes,' for it's as if David is purging all these raw emotions out of his system and trying to make the best of a difficult situation (relevant to his circumstances during the time the album was recorded). Depending on my mood, it's not uncommon that I feel either drained or refreshed after listening to the album in one sitting.

'Heroes' evokes a whole gamut of feelings, and is a most provocative listening experience. It's a wild runaway-train of an album, by an artist who was always far ahead of his time. Highly recommended to all DB fans (new or old) or anyone who likes music that takes you on an adventure.

This is album is a complete paradox! The title track is one of my all-time Bowie favorites and on this cd we get it in all its 6 minute glory (shame on EMI/Virgin for butchering it on the lastest Best Of-collection).

The other stand-out track is "Blackout", a fun up-beat rock/pop/disco song, however, the live verison on "Stage" is superior to the album version in my option.

The problem is, the rest of the album drags. I dont enjoy the other songs all that much. The ambient tracks are not as good as the ones on "Low".

Summary: the track track rocks, but the rest of the album does not. Still, worth getting I suppose. Ps. Check out the under-rated "Lodger".....