Heroes - DAVID BOWIE***

Beauty & The Beast/Joe The Lion/Heroes/Sons Of The Silent Age/Blackout/V2 Schneider/Sense Of Doubt/Moss Garden/Neukoln/The Secret Life Of Arabia

Heroes was the second ‘Berlin Trilogy’ collaboration with Brian Eno. Unfortunately it is less accessible than the first, and the more conventional songs are weaker. (US:11 UK:2)

“It saw Bowie continue to delve into a more ambient and texture-rich sound that helped revitalize his career. The recording was at a time where Bowie was very inspired to push himself and create a sound that was challenging and rewarding at the same time. The album starts off with more straightforward songs, but saying more straightforward just means that they're the least ‘out there’.”

“Low Mk 2 and equally as vapid, soulless and insipid, what else is there to say? If the artist himself has absolutely nothing of any real insight to offer I don't feel the need to waste my valuable time analysing his work.”

“Heroes is the middle album of the Berlin trilogy and is as experimental as its predecessor, Low. The album is cut drastically in two parts, the first one being more rock and the second one more experimental instrumental tracks Once again, Brian Eno's collaboration is very important, but Robert Fripp and Carlos Alomar's guitars really add something to this album.”

“The second Berlin album follows a similar format to Low, although there are notable differences. The more conventional songs aren’t always as soulful and impressive, but Beauty & The Beast and Sons Of The Silent Age are both very good, although nothing on either album could really compare to the title track, for which I can’t think of any appropriate superlatives.”

“The ambient pieces are not what I want from a Bowie record. The remaining songs feature a few interesting qualities before slipping into a realm of pure monotony.”

“His lyrics just don't speak to me and the music is often self-indulgent and pretentious. Some good songs still break through but only occasionally.”

“For me Heroes has plenty of decent moments and one moment of absolute genius in the title track. I also think some of the tracks on the second half of the record, as interesting as they are, overstay their welcome and border on self indulgence.”