When it’s timeless in sound & and vision, it’s a…
‘Low’ by DAVID BOWIE
Released 14 January 1977
The short, opening line I use for this ‘Classic‘ series – ‘When it’s timeless in sound & and vision, it’s a…‘ – refers, of course, to that remarkably synths driven electronic diamond SOUND AND VISION (originally recorded as an instrumental) on DAVID BOWIE‘s 11th LP LOW…
… an adventurous, experimental, schizophrenic, uncommercial (certainly the second, almost claustrophobic & darkly instrumental side of the record, with ‘Warszawa‘ being actually one of my favorite tracks) and unintended tour de force. “I had no statement to make on Low” said The Thin White Duke afterwards in an interview. He was actually in a really bad shape at the time. Lots of drugs (“I blew my nose one day and half my brains
came out” he later described, quite hilariously, his dangerous way of life) and other expensive excesses, while living in Los Angeles, led to mental, physical and financial problems and drove the late legend to a state of paranoia. We all know that many
artists produced their best work when their minds were about to explode and that’s
what probably happened here too I guess. Low was designed and written after Bowie‘s escape to West Berlin. It marked the first of three collaborations (followed by Heroes & Lodger, becoming the Berlin Trilogy, although Low was recorded in France) with sound virtuoso Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti. Here’s a great review by Pitchfork.
And press the button, if you want to experience, once again, the full sonic odyssey – originally released 40 years ago, on 14 January 1977 – here…