HEROES

"Heroes" reminds me of "Low" as it really is an album of two halves; side one features pop angst and infectious melodies to rock to. Side two features synthesizer ditties and futuristic Krautrock influences. It begins with the catchy 'Beauty and the Beast' which is a great start and Bowie sounds ominous. 'Joe the Lion' never impacted me but I loved "Heroes" although it was played way too many times on the radio. This 6 minute version is a masterpiece though and once heard is never forgotten. What a wall of sound is generated here and Bowie at his most forceful and emotional; "nothing can drive us away, we can be heroes just for one day."

'Sons of the Silent Age' is a low droning song with Bowie sounding rather robotic. The tracks on side two are in stark contrast, mainly the instrumentals. My favourite track has always been 'V-2 Schneider' that really sounds more like Kraftwerk and I was a huge addict of the Kraut electronica at the time. The synths are heavy and powerful and Bowie is an incredible composer. 'Sense of Doubt', 'Moss Garden' and 'Neuköln' are all bizarre instrumentals with Krautrock nuances and motorik beats. Bowie was influenced and became an influence himself. Many listeners would have been thrown by these tracks sitting proudly on a Bowie album, but it is great to hear and kudos to Bowie for his daring and creativity. Brian Eno and Robert Fripp are once again part of the team and they inject some wonderful ambience in to these tunes.

It is a great album that could have been a masterpiece. There are brilliant moments and some mediocrity so we can round this off to 3 gold stars.