"Heroes"

"Heroes"[2] is the twelfth studio album by David Bowie, released in 1977. The second installment of his Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno (the other releases being Low andLodger) "Heroes" developed further the sound of Low.[3] Of the three albums, it was the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. The title track remains one of Bowie's best known, a classic story of two lovers who meet at the Berlin Wall. The album is considered one of his best by critics, notably for the contributions of guitarist Robert Frippwho flew in from the US to record his parts in one day.[4] It was named NME Album of the Year.

Contents
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 * 1 Production and style
 * 2 Release and aftermath
 * 3 Track listing
 * 3.1 Side one
 * 3.2 Side two
 * 4 Reissues
 * 4.1 1991 reissue bonus tracks
 * 5 Personnel
 * 5.1 Technical personnel
 * 6 Charts
 * 6.1 Peak positions
 * 6.2 Year-end charts
 * 6.3 Certifications
 * 7 Notes

Production and style[edit]
Recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in what was then West Berlin, "Heroes" reflected the zeitgeist of the Cold War, symbolised by the divided city. Co-producer Tony Visconticonsidered it "one of my last great adventures in making albums. The studio was about 500 yards from the wall. Red Guards would look into our control-room window with powerful binoculars."[5] David Bowie again paid tribute to his Krautrock influences: the title is a nod to the track "Hero" on the album ''Neu! '75'' by the German bandNeu! – whose guitarist Michael Rother had originally been approached to play on the album[6] – while "V-2 Schneider" is inspired by and named after Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider.[7] Earlier in 1977, Kraftwerk had name-checked Bowie on the title track of Trans-Europe Express. The cover photo by Masayoshi Sukita was inspired by German artist Erich Heckel's Roquairol, as was that of The Idiot, one of Bowie's collaborations with Iggy Pop that was released the same year.[8]

Brian Eno called up Robert Fripp and invited him to play guitar on the album. Fripp, who had considered himself retired from music, said "Well, I don’t know because I haven’t played for three years, but if you’re prepared to take a risk, then so am I."[9] Upon arriving at the studio, jetlagged from his flight in, he played on the track "Beauty and the Beast" and his first take was used in the song's final mix.[9]

Though "Heroes" included a number of dark and atmospheric instrumentals such as "Sense of Doubt" and "Neuköln", it was regarded as a highly passionate and positive artistic statement,[5][7] particularly after the often melancholy Low.[10] This relative optimism was evident not only through '"Heroes"' the song but in the rocking opener "Beauty and the Beast" (released as the second single in January 1978), the raucous "Joe the Lion" and the light-hearted closer "The Secret Life of Arabia". The lyrics for "Joe the Lion", written and recorded at the microphone "in less than an hour" according to Visconti, typified the improvisational nature of the recording.[11]

Release and aftermath[edit]
"Heroes" was marketed by RCA with the catchphrase, "There's Old Wave. There's New Wave. And there's David Bowie..."[7] It enjoyed a positive critical reception on release in late 1977,[4] Melody Maker and NME both naming it 'Album of the Year'.[15][16] It reached No. 3 in the UK and stayed in the charts for 26 weeks, but was less successful in the US where it peaked at No. 35. The album was released in Germany with the track "Heroes/Helden", the lyrics sung partly in German. Its influence is enduring: John Lennon said that when making his album Double Fantasy in 1980, his ambition was to "do something as good as  '​Heroes '​."[4][15]

A number of the album's tracks were played live at Bowie's concerts the following year, the Low and Heroes World Tour captured on record as Stage (1978). Philip Glassadapted a classical suite, "Heroes" Symphony, based on this album, a companion to his earlier Low Symphony. The title track has been covered by numerous artists, and has been frequently used as an encore by recent incarnations of King Crimson, while The Secret Life of Arabia was sung by Billy Mackenzie in 1982 on the British Electric Foundation LP Music of Quality and Distinction. Several tracks were used in the film Christiane F. Bowie performed as himself in the film.

The cover of Bowie's 2013 album, The Next Day, was an altered and obscured version of the "Heroes" cover.

Track listing[edit]
All lyrics written by David Bowie; all music composed by Bowie, except where noted.

Side one[edit]

 * 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

Side two[edit]

 * 1) "V-2 Schneider" – 3:10
 * 2) "Sense of Doubt" – 3:57
 * 3) "Moss Garden" (Bowie, Eno) – 5:03
 * 4) "Neuköln" (Bowie, Eno) – 4:34
 * 5) "The Secret Life of Arabia" (Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar) – 3:46

Reissues[edit]
"Heroes" has been rereleased on CD four times to date. The first CD issue was by RCA in 1984. It was reissued in 1991 by Rykodisc (with two bonus tracks). In the late 90s, Ryko released it on a 20-bit SBM Gold numbered edition. It was released again in 1999 by EMI/Virgin (featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks).

1991 reissue bonus tracks[edit]

 * 1) "Abdulmajid" (Previously unreleased track, recorded 1976–79) (Bowie, Eno) – 3:40
 * 2) "Joe the Lion" (Remixed version, 1991) – 3:08

Personnel[edit]

 * David Bowie – vocals, keyboards, guitars, saxophone, koto, backing vocals
 * Carlos Alomar – rhythm guitar
 * Dennis Davis – drums, percussion
 * George Murray – bass guitar
 * Brian Eno – synthesisers, keyboards, guitar treatments
 * Robert Fripp – lead guitar
 * Tony Visconti – backing vocals
 * Antonia Maass – backing vocals

Technical personnel[edit]

 * David Bowie – producer
 * Tony Visconti – producer, engineer
 * Colin Thurston – engineer

Charts[edit]
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Certifications[edit]

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