Low - DAVID BOWIE***

Speed Of Life/Breaking Glass/What In The World/Sound & Vision/Always Crashing In The Same Car/Be My Wife/A New Career In A New Town/Warszawa/Art Decade/Weeping Wall/Subterraneans

Low is the first of David Bowie’s ‘Berlin Trilogy’ collaboration with Brian Eno. The first side consists of fairly accessible pop songs, with side two comprising more experimental instrumental tracks. Features the UK No. 3 hit Sound & Vision. (US:11 UK:2)

“I've always found it a frustrating listen because most of the tracks on side one seem like sketches, as if their creator didn't have enough imagination to fully complete them. Secondly, the ambient side two is pretty dull.”

“After the weak attempt at commercialism that was Young Americans, David Bowie returned to boundary pushing Station To Station. But the question remained, where was Bowie to go next? The answer was further into experimentation and the result of this was a set of albums which remain among Bowie’s most celebrated works, the ‘Berlin trilogy’. The albums saw Bowie deliberately backing away from the limelight, concentrating more on creating new and exciting music than perpetuating public personas.”

“Low is the first of three albums Bowie recorded with Eno in the seventies. It is not an instantly accessible album, as it demands your patience and attention, but rewards it generously. It contains a delightful mix of quirky pop tunes sounding like vignettes of an altered state of mind, and eerie ambient tracks filled with strange alien sounds. A feeling of loneliness and space permeates the album.”

“Bowie's most overrated album. Most of the instrumentals on here are dark sounding which is all well and good, but they go nowhere and aren't very interesting.”

“Side one is Bowie blazing new ground. The album surely influenced many a band and artist. I think the first six songs are as good as anything Bowie has done. However, side two is a total bore. I have no interest in listening to this muzak. Stick to rock; go off on an electronic tangent and what you get is mediocre side two.”

“Some cool songs here - the first half is very good, overall the melodic themes are strong and the arrangements are great. The second half is completely different - moody electronic music. Unlike the frenetic first half these tracks are very downbeat, slow and sad with very strong melodic themes. Some of Bowie's vocalizations are weird here but overall this certainly reflects the mood of the album's title.”