MAN... what a video. this was insane how it just got better and better with each song that passed by. Eno & Bowie is just musical heaven. This was such a great album side. I had to do in one video because I figured it wouldn't make sense if I did it like usual. What is your favorite track from this album??
It's Sound And Vision for me. I like Bowie's voice, so no surprise I choose one with vocals. Which is not to say I dislike the instrumentals on this album. This is David Bowie totally underground, which is a hard thing to imagine after his superstardom status as of the eighties. Speed of Life, Breaking Glass, What In The World, Be My Wife, Warzawa, Weeping Walls and yes, Subterraneans. And even the songs I didn't mention, are all very well put together. Low is a different kind of David Bowie album. What marks the year of 1977 for the artist, is his move towards cleaning himself from his substance abuse; which involved living in Germany and Switzerland for the better part of a year and a bit. To give anyone context, Bowie in March 1977 toured the US as the pianist for Iggy Pop's band. He was actively living very low fi, as far removed from commercial radio he's ever been since before his Ziggy days. His follow-up album of the same year is Heroes, slightly more commercial and in the same measure, feels slightly less committed. By 1978 David Bowie is a working actor at the top of his game, filming Just A Gigolo and later still, starring on Broadway theater as The Elephant Man. Bowie's ability to explore art within himself makes labeling him an antiquated exercise.
This album is one of the most important pieces of art in my life. It’s a model of allowing order and chaos to live side by side, it’s a reminder of never trying to sand down all the edges, of letting the spontaneity come to the front. I’ve recorded songs, written poems, drawn pictures, all trying to keep “Low” somewhere close the front of my consciousness.
This album just keeps on giving. Every time you play it you pick up on something new. Side 2 is my favourite, with pieces that create moods. There are vocals, not always as words. If I could only ever hear one Bowie album again, it would be this one.
What a mindfuck this album was, coming out of the blue. I loved and love it. Especially side two! Bowie in Berlin with Fripp and Eno, what a series of stunning albums. David NEVER stood still and this world is the better for it.
I was late to comment on this. So thrilled you are doing this, Low is a masterful album, it popularized Ambient music, and set up the template for new wave and synth pop. Brilliant!
absolutely love this album bought it when it came out and lots of my friends didn't like it, Bowie always had this problem with fans who didn't want him to try anythng new. I was always ready for whatever he did next. this is one of my favourites for sure
By far, my favorite record from the "Berlin Trilogy". As I recall, when first released in the mid-seventies it was panned by many critics and received little to no airplay, (in my corner of Canada anyway)......stupid critics. At the time, for me at least, the soundscapes created were revolutionary and turned me on to the brilliance of Brian Eno. This album, Station to Station, and Scary Monsters were totally transformative to my musical tastes. David Bowie, what an artist.
Yeah, corporate radio didn't really know what to do with this album. His previous album had hinted at what was to come, but in 1977 this was pretty left field stuff.
I very much remember Low coming out early 1977 and Heroes coming out at the end of that year. I got both records on release, I was 17, a great year for music. Then in May, 1978 I saw Bowie at the old Boston Garden on the Isolar II tour. Bowie's band were all the players here, plus future King Crimson guitarist, Adrian Belew, and a keyboard player and a viola player. One of the great concert experiences.
I love your full album side reactions, I love getting to appreciate more of the complete journey as it was intended. Hard to pick a favorite sound and vision.
I just got done with a very boring day of meetings and then I click and what a delightful find! I bought this album when it came out and it is in my top 3 Bowie albums. Remember this was 1977! How far ahead of everyone was Bowie?
Bowies vocals take a back seat on this album but he unleashes himself on the next.You should check out Enos work on the early albums of Roxy Music,you wont be disappointed .
Sooooooo Good! Knocked it out of the park with this one L33! Glad you were able to keep awhile side together in one piece, made it that much more enjoyable and took us through the complete journey. Bowie + Eno = ❤🔥🤯🎶
I need to get me some Bowie vinyl…I haven’t seen any at the second hand store or thrift store so that means people hold on to them. I find all kinds of legendary vinyl at antique stores and stuff. It’s really cool
Lee, I discovered your channel on Saturday, and since then, I've watched all your reaction videos about Bowie's music. Wooow, such a pleasure and so much gratitude. Watching your reactions reminded me of what I felt when I first listened to Bowie back in 2014. Those initial feelings tend to fade over time because we get used to them. But it was so beautiful to experience them again, thanks to you. Anyway, I just want to thank you for the time you dedicate to this and for the sincerity and passion you put into it. And welcome to Bowie, a wonderful world!!! Greetings from Argentina.
So, you got to Low at last. Great reaction. Really good decision to listen to the whole of side one in one go, you must go through side two in one go as well. The female vocal during the long intro of Sound and Vision was Visconti's then wife Mary Hopkin, who had a number one single in the UK herself in 1968. Keep up the compelling reactions, it's almost a vicarious experience for an old Bowie fan like me. My favourite track on Low is the last one, Subterraneans; you'll get to it next week. There is a link between the Berlin Trilogy and Bowie's 2013 hit song Where Are We Now?
During the last tour of his career, Bowie often played Low as the encore. A 30 minute album as the final song of a long ass show? Would you be the one to tell Bowie "No"?
I cannot wait for your reaction to side two!!! One of my top 10 LPs of all time. BTW, During the time of recording Low, Eno had a 'Suitcase VCS3' or 'EMS Synthi AKS' that he carried around with him. It had a headphone jack, so he was always messing around with the sounds where ever he went.
Thanks for sharing this with us, L33. Love "Always Crashing in the Same Car" and "Sound and Vision" ,but so short needs a double play for me. Blessings all. Peace.
Fine album, good to hear it again. some of the lyrics cracked me up. "Such a wonderful person, but he's got problems " among others. Eno was a sound sculptor Who ever worked with him benefited, be it David Bowie or Peter Gabriel
One of my top five favorite Bowie albums. A few years ago, I was in Berlin and able to visit the studio where it was recorded. The whole place, the whole vibe, gave me chills. He recorded two more albums there. It was an extraordinary time for him. I got to be right in the place where Bowie wrote “Heroes” and understood the context of the song through a tour guide who was actually from what was East Berlin. After the studio tour, there was a torn van where we went by the guys’ apartment and a gay bar where Bowie like to hang out and a whole bunch of areas where the clubs and cool places were.
David Bowie’s Low👍🏼 I really liked Speed of Life (sounds like Stones and Depeche Mode) and Always Crashing In the Same Car. They were the most interesting to me. Lots of exciting sounds in Always Crashing. Thank you, Lee!
Cult-hero/fellow Brit Nick Lowe subsequently released an EP titled BOWI. When I spotted it in the 45s rack at a busy music store, it took a moment of perplexation, before figuring it out/bursting out in laughter, causing a lot of staring.
Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy' (Low, Heroes, Lodger) are lauded for their adventurous, ground-breaking sound and collaboration with Eno - the soundscapes and aesthetic that anticipated post-punk and all that. But the rhythm section (Dennis Davis and George Murray) on these albums is phenomenal. It's an aspect of these recordings that musicians can appreciate on a very deep level. As a drummer, you're going to love it. And speaking of musicianship, I know from people who worked with Bowie that his vocals were always one take. Great reaction as always. Side 2 is also incredible.
Great side of music Lee. Third song sounded like a Talking Heads track. Hard to pick a fav. Probably the 5th one for me. Can’t wait to hear side 2. Thanks Lee ❤
Side 2 of this album is among my favourite album sides of all time, although I think my favourite complete Bowie albums are Lodge and Scary Monsters, I love the direction he took contrary to chart music, One of the early pioneers of ambient and electronic music, so far ahead of it's time, the music is ageless. This era is peak Bowie.
You gotta understand, this album was decidedly uncommercial and forward thinking, coming from a major rock/pop star at the height of his fame. People did not know what the fuck to make of this! The world was not ready. That snare sound alone was a revelation. This album practically invented the sounds of the 80's in 1977. Particularly New Wave and the New Romantics. Bowie's influence stretched far and wide. His albums made more sense ten years after they were released.
So, this, The Idiot, Lust for Life and "Heroes" are one of the best creative sequences you can hear. Bookend with S2S which you already know and Lodger - underrated benjamin - and you've got everything post-79 figured out already, the 80's were just a rehash.
Really? I don't think so. Low was written and recorded in September- October of 1976, at which time Punk was only just breaking (Anarchy in the UK was released in Nov 1976 reaching No. 38 in the UK singles chart), and had not yet charted. Bowie's record company refused to release Low for 3 months, it came out in January 1977.
I'm not sure he ever decided to do things in absolute chronological order, even though I and others advocated it. He is already a bit out of sync having listened to Station to Station some time ago.
After listening to the stunning Eno/Bowie trilogy, please listen to what Eno did with talking heads afterwards. 1) More Songs About Buildings And Food and 2) Remain in Light. Your life will never be the same.
The live double-album Stage has some great renditions of many "trilogy" songs, including a lengthier version of "Breaking Glass". I vastly prefer Stage to David Live.
![[SFM] Risky Recital](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RzNkY1_Nk3o/mqdefault.jpg)
MAN... what a video. this was insane how it just got better and better with each song that passed by. Eno & Bowie is just musical heaven. This was such a great album side. I had to do in one video because I figured it wouldn't make sense if I did it like usual. What is your favorite track from this album??
Did I miss Young Americans??! ha ha!
Subterraneans is my favorite track closing side 2. So where did Young Americans go to?
It's Sound And Vision for me. I like Bowie's voice, so no surprise I choose one with vocals. Which is not to say I dislike the instrumentals on this album. This is David Bowie totally underground, which is a hard thing to imagine after his superstardom status as of the eighties. Speed of Life, Breaking Glass, What In The World, Be My Wife, Warzawa, Weeping Walls and yes, Subterraneans. And even the songs I didn't mention, are all very well put together. Low is a different kind of David Bowie album.
What marks the year of 1977 for the artist, is his move towards cleaning himself from his substance abuse; which involved living in Germany and Switzerland for the better part of a year and a bit. To give anyone context, Bowie in March 1977 toured the US as the pianist for Iggy Pop's band. He was actively living very low fi, as far removed from commercial radio he's ever been since before his Ziggy days. His follow-up album of the same year is Heroes, slightly more commercial and in the same measure, feels slightly less committed.
By 1978 David Bowie is a working actor at the top of his game, filming Just A Gigolo and later still, starring on Broadway theater as The Elephant Man.
Bowie's ability to explore art within himself makes labeling him an antiquated exercise.
Side 1. Always Crashing in the Same Car.
Side 2. Subterraneans
"Always Crashing In The Same Car" does it for me although "Sound and Vision" is a very close second.
I saw the exact moment, during "Be My Wife, that you stopped trying to work out how they made this music, and just surrendered to the awesomeness.
I love it when that happens!
" Sound and Vision" if I can only choose one. The more one listens to these songs the more addictive they become.
That is so true 🎉
This album is one of the most important pieces of art in my life. It’s a model of allowing order and chaos to live side by side, it’s a reminder of never trying to sand down all the edges, of letting the spontaneity come to the front. I’ve recorded songs, written poems, drawn pictures, all trying to keep “Low” somewhere close the front of my consciousness.
Wow. I very much appreciate your depth of thought and appreciation on this, as well as interpretation. Beautifully stated thank you, rare today.
The berlin trilogy is a journey. I know you are up to it. ❤
1977, what a year for Bowie. Low and Heroes and the two albums he co-wrote with Iggy Pop’s -The Idiot and Lust for Life.
Don’t miss those.
He then goes on tour with Iggy Pop - “TV Eye” that live album at the Agora in Cleveland. Outstanding!
Bowie and Eno are the gift that keeps on giving.
Man, this will be GOOD
Hope I can join the premiere. Listening to it again now. Glorious ❤❤
I had to come back and re-watch this after the side 2 video today. You get it, my young friend. This album is a work of great importance.
Amazing album. Never gets old
What an album. Interesting fact Be my wife was bowies favourite song
This album just keeps on giving. Every time you play it you pick up on something new. Side 2 is my favourite, with pieces that create moods. There are vocals, not always as words. If I could only ever hear one Bowie album again, it would be this one.
What a mindfuck this album was, coming out of the blue. I loved and love it. Especially side two! Bowie in Berlin with Fripp and Eno, what a series of stunning albums. David NEVER stood still and this world is the better for it.
I was late to comment on this. So thrilled you are doing this, Low is a masterful album, it popularized Ambient music, and set up the template for new wave and synth pop. Brilliant!
absolutely love this album bought it when it came out and lots of my friends didn't like it, Bowie always had this problem with fans who didn't want him to try anythng new. I was always ready for whatever he did next. this is one of my favourites for sure
Bowie in the 1970s was as creative as the Beatles in the previous decade, Bowie from 76-80 was simply on a creative high which is unmatched 👌
Completely agree. Bowie’s run of albums in the 70’s are untouchable.
By far, my favorite record from the "Berlin Trilogy". As I recall, when first released in the mid-seventies it was panned by many critics and received little to no airplay, (in my corner of Canada anyway)......stupid critics. At the time, for me at least, the soundscapes created were revolutionary and turned me on to the brilliance of Brian Eno.
This album, Station to Station, and Scary Monsters were totally transformative to my musical tastes. David Bowie, what an artist.
Yeah, corporate radio didn't really know what to do with this album. His previous album had hinted at what was to come, but in 1977 this was pretty left field stuff.
Thank you for doing this, Lee. I appreciate you.
Dennis Davis + George Murray = fav Bowie rhythm section
A GREAT idea! This is likely Bowie's most underrated album. I always thought it was brilliant.
I very much remember Low coming out early 1977 and Heroes coming out at the end of that year. I got both records on release, I was 17, a great year for music. Then in May, 1978 I saw Bowie at the old Boston Garden on the Isolar II tour. Bowie's band were all the players here, plus future King Crimson guitarist, Adrian Belew, and a keyboard player and a viola player. One of the great concert experiences.
Make sure you do Iggy Pop’s The idiot and lust for life as well, Bowie‘s fingerprints are all over those
And Mott The Hoople!
Art rock at its finest!
Gardiner should be credited for Always Crashing in the Same Car due to his solo in the second half (if he composed it).
I love your full album side reactions, I love getting to appreciate more of the complete journey as it was intended. Hard to pick a favorite sound and vision.
Can't wait until you do African Night Flight from the Lodger album.
Side 2 soon, please. Even better. You should see his movie, The Man Who Fell to Earth”.
Next Wednesday!!
Can’t wait 🙏 thank you for watching my friend!
Every time I hear this album I'm blown away by how masterful it is.
I just got done with a very boring day of meetings and then I click and what a delightful find! I bought this album when it came out and it is in my top 3 Bowie albums. Remember this was 1977! How far ahead of everyone was Bowie?
Breaking Glass has long been one of my top 10 Bowie songs.
Definitely! Incredible song and rhythm. So influential.
Bowies vocals take a back seat on this album but he unleashes himself on the next.You should check out Enos work on the early albums of Roxy Music,you wont be disappointed .
This was fantastic .. thank you
Sooooooo Good! Knocked it out of the park with this one L33! Glad you were able to keep awhile side together in one piece, made it that much more enjoyable and took us through the complete journey. Bowie + Eno = ❤🔥🤯🎶
Darn, missed the premiere. Yeah Eno and Bowie- great collaborators. Eno was a key player in Roxy Music, too- another influential band.
Speed of life and sound and vision
Low is my favorite of the Trilogy. It's just so cool! Especially, on vinyl! 😍
I need to get me some Bowie vinyl…I haven’t seen any at the second hand store or thrift store so that means people hold on to them. I find all kinds of legendary vinyl at antique stores and stuff. It’s really cool
Sound and Vision ❤❤❤
Bowie's best album IMO. My fav is Breaking Glass.
Lodged = super underrated. Maybe not as good as a whole, but has some of my favourite Bowie songs.
. Enjoying all your reactions and this is one of the best...and thanks for introducing me to a classic. Puttin it on again now
Cheers man keep it up!
Bought this in 1977 when it came out.
Bowie reprised the harmonica riff in a “New Career in a New Town” in Blackstar’s “I Can’t Give Everything Away”. Heartbreakingly poignant.
Also in Never Let Me Down, I love that harmonica riff.
It is a different riff but glad you appreciate his harmonica skills 😊
Always Crashing is the best! Timeless!
Fun fact: Kraftwerk was a huge influence on Bowie during this time and it shows
Lee, I discovered your channel on Saturday, and since then, I've watched all your reaction videos about Bowie's music.
Wooow, such a pleasure and so much gratitude. Watching your reactions reminded me of what I felt when I first listened to Bowie back in 2014. Those initial feelings tend to fade over time because we get used to them. But it was so beautiful to experience them again, thanks to you.
Anyway, I just want to thank you for the time you dedicate to this and for the sincerity and passion you put into it.
And welcome to Bowie, a wonderful world!!!
Greetings from Argentina.
So, you got to Low at last. Great reaction. Really good decision to listen to the whole of side one in one go, you must go through side two in one go as well. The female vocal during the long intro of Sound and Vision was Visconti's then wife Mary Hopkin, who had a number one single in the UK herself in 1968. Keep up the compelling reactions, it's almost a vicarious experience for an old Bowie fan like me. My favourite track on Low is the last one, Subterraneans; you'll get to it next week. There is a link between the Berlin Trilogy and Bowie's 2013 hit song Where Are We Now?
If you think the drum sounds different Visconti passed the drums through a harmoniser
During the last tour of his career, Bowie often played Low as the encore.
A 30 minute album as the final song of a long ass show? Would you be the one to tell Bowie "No"?
Be my wife is one of my all time Bowie favorites.
Great video for that one, as well.
I cannot wait for your reaction to side two!!! One of my top 10 LPs of all time. BTW, During the time of recording Low, Eno had a 'Suitcase VCS3' or 'EMS Synthi AKS' that he carried around with him. It had a headphone jack, so he was always messing around with the sounds where ever he went.
Those last 3 songs were superb! ❤
Bowie and Eno…enough said.
Thanks for sharing this with us, L33. Love "Always Crashing in the Same Car" and "Sound and Vision" ,but so short needs a double play for me. Blessings all. Peace.
Fine album, good to hear it again. some of the lyrics cracked me up. "Such a wonderful person, but he's got problems " among others. Eno was a sound sculptor Who ever worked with him benefited, be it David Bowie or Peter Gabriel
One of my top five favorite Bowie albums. A few years ago, I was in Berlin and able to visit the studio where it was recorded. The whole place, the whole vibe, gave me chills. He recorded two more albums there. It was an extraordinary time for him. I got to be right in the place where Bowie wrote “Heroes” and understood the context of the song through a tour guide who was actually from what was East Berlin. After the studio tour, there was a torn van where we went by the guys’ apartment and a gay bar where Bowie like to hang out and a whole bunch of areas where the clubs and cool places were.
P.S. You are NOT PREPARED for Side 2. Extremely daring. You’ll see why.
David Bowie’s Low👍🏼
I really liked Speed of Life (sounds like Stones and Depeche Mode) and Always Crashing In the Same Car. They were the most interesting to me. Lots of exciting sounds in Always Crashing. Thank you, Lee!
Some filthy synth on the first two tracks as well
@ 👌🏼Plus drum beat on top ‼️(Speed of Life)
Bass! (Breaking of Glass)
"Low" sounds like the future even until this very day. David was ahead of his time, indeed...
Even though I personally prefer "Heroes" I can definitely appreciate "Low" in its all encompassing genius.
"What In The World" samples Pac-Man, evidently, before Pac-Man was even programmed, hehe.
Cult-hero/fellow Brit Nick Lowe subsequently released an EP titled BOWI.
When I spotted it in the 45s rack at a busy music store, it took a moment of perplexation, before figuring it out/bursting out in laughter, causing a lot of staring.
LOW is my all time favourite album.
It's a perfect side of vinyl.
*BEST ALBUM EVER!!!* 🧡🧡🧡
Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy' (Low, Heroes, Lodger) are lauded for their adventurous, ground-breaking sound and collaboration with Eno - the soundscapes and aesthetic that anticipated post-punk and all that. But the rhythm section (Dennis Davis and George Murray) on these albums is phenomenal. It's an aspect of these recordings that musicians can appreciate on a very deep level. As a drummer, you're going to love it. And speaking of musicianship, I know from people who worked with Bowie that his vocals were always one take. Great reaction as always. Side 2 is also incredible.
So,,so good .🎉🎉🎉
Bowie.
Always changing.
This album was a very strange departure for Bowie at the time.
It's an Art Piece, not a traditional record.
Whenever I hear that insane bass sound I can picture the speaker cones going crazy.
Great side of music Lee. Third song sounded like a Talking Heads track. Hard to pick a fav. Probably the 5th one for me. Can’t wait to hear side 2. Thanks Lee ❤
One word. Genius ❤❤
Outstanding ! This one takes me back to another time many years ago.
Wait till you hear side 2 ❤️
That snare right out of the gate though. Man I love this record.
I love how you enjoyed this journey
Side 2 of this album is among my favourite album sides of all time, although I think my favourite complete Bowie albums are Lodge and Scary Monsters, I love the direction he took contrary to chart music, One of the early pioneers of ambient and electronic music, so far ahead of it's time, the music is ageless.
This era is peak Bowie.
One of the best album sides.
Its side two that blew my mind as a 15 yr old when it came out
Great!
You gotta understand, this album was decidedly uncommercial and forward thinking, coming from a major rock/pop star at the height of his fame. People did not know what the fuck to make of this! The world was not ready. That snare sound alone was a revelation. This album practically invented the sounds of the 80's in 1977. Particularly New Wave and the New Romantics. Bowie's influence stretched far and wide. His albums made more sense ten years after they were released.
"Low", he calls it.
The album that inspired a universe of artists and music scenes
The beginning of the avant garde genre smashing going off the main path series of LPs. This guy was just unflappable.
The new incredible mandala is perfectly placed.
Fantastic album!!❤
That harmonica... And it will come back someday in a future album...
This album is like a book of brief sketches of songs that he and his band could expand on stage.
So, this, The Idiot, Lust for Life and "Heroes" are one of the best creative sequences you can hear. Bookend with S2S which you already know and Lodger - underrated benjamin - and you've got everything post-79 figured out already, the 80's were just a rehash.
So brave! Not afraid to experiment! Low, Heroes and Lodger were music art!
I can't remember who played bass, but he did a fantastic job on this album. Oh George Murray? I spoke too soon.
Great album, great reaction! I always have favored Heroes over Low, but this re-listen makes me question that... in the best way.
Sound & Vision is relatable to those of us who regularly suffer from writers-block.
Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick are two of the most creative guitarists in modern music.
This was Bowie and Enos answer to punk rock.
Really? I don't think so. Low was written and recorded in September- October of 1976, at which time Punk was only just breaking (Anarchy in the UK was released in Nov 1976 reaching No. 38 in the UK singles chart), and had not yet charted. Bowie's record company refused to release Low for 3 months, it came out in January 1977.
Slay🔥🔥
Changed a lot of what was to come later!
I like "sound and Vision" and "Always Crashing in the Same Car" the best.
Who else would open and close with an instrumental? And have you think that's just fine?
excellent again Lee even though I thought it was Young Americans but hey ho.
I'm not sure he ever decided to do things in absolute chronological order, even though I and others advocated it. He is already a bit out of sync having listened to Station to Station some time ago.
Dennis was a total monster. I can’t wait until you get to Look Back In Anger from Lodger, one of the greatest drum tracks ever recorded.
Good luck getting through side 2.
After listening to the stunning Eno/Bowie trilogy,
please listen to what Eno did
with talking heads afterwards.
1) More Songs About Buildings And Food
and
2) Remain in Light.
Your life will never be the same.
This and Be-Bop Deluxe's Drastic Plastic were release about 12 months apart and were almost dystopian in their outlook
The live double-album Stage has some great renditions of many "trilogy" songs, including a lengthier version of "Breaking Glass".
I vastly prefer Stage to David Live.