SOUNDTRACK CHRISTIANE F. - WIR KINDER VOM BAHNHOF ZOO

In fact this soundtrack is a very interesting compilation of the era 1976-1980 when David Bowie his inventive progressive explorations appealed to many progheads, including me. I had seen the movie in the cinema when it was just released and I was blown away by both the dramatic story about the very young drug-addicts as the exciting music, it matches perfectly !

The album contains the songs TVC 15, Station To Station and Stay from Station To Station (1976), Warszawa from Low (1977), V-2 Schneider, Heroes/Helden and Sense Of Doubt from Heroes(1977) and Boys Keep Swinging and Look Back In Anger from Lodger (1979). Half of the songs are a tastefully arranged blend of several styles (from rock to soul) featuring swinging rhythms and strong contributions by many guest musicians (from Robert Fripp and Brian Eno to Roger Powell and Adrian Belew) like the powerful bass and distorted guitar flights in the catchy Boys Keep Swinging, delicate interplay between piano and guitar in Look Back In Anger and exciting dual-guitarwork in Stay. The track Station To Station is taken from the live album Stage, it delivers an intro with spectacular synthesizer sounds and biting guitar, followed by flowing shifting moods, very catchy but with subtle work on piano, saxophone and R&R guitar. In the moving Heroes/Helden we can hear David Bowie singing in English and German, Robert Fripp delivers howling guitar work that screams, the lyrics and the guitar reminds me of the emotion in Marillion's Chelsea Monday. My highlights on this compilation are the two instrumental compositions, first Sense Of Doubt: a dark and a bit ominous atmosphere with very low and intense Grand piano runs and chilling Chamberlin (the pre-Mellotron) waves, blended with the sound of soaring synthesizers, shivers down my spine, what a compelling music (to be seen on the German Musikladen 1978 Bowie concert)! Then the final track Warszawa, in my opinion the very melancholical climate deals with the horror that the Nazis caused in Poland during World War II, what an emotion, you can feel a symbolic dark cloud above Warszawa (the Polish capital).

This album is a good introduction to the most progressive work of David Bowie

This soundtrack of a rather dark movie is quite good. It holds lots of songs from the "Berlin Trilogy" (which is just a wrong name for a three album collaboration with Eno, of which only one was fully recorded in Berlin), but not only.

It is an excellent introduction to this segmented part of his huge career. Not the most commercial one, but extremely well perceived amongst fans (to which I belong, if you hadn't noticed).

Some tracks are shortened in length ("TVC15", "Stay"). The plus point of this "compilation" being an extended and bilingual version of "Heroes" ("Helden"). But there are no weak numbers here. This is for sure a superb occasion to get acquainted with this artist.

The four albums covered here do belong to his best work (considering though that "Lodger" is two steps beyond) and the song selection for this soundtrack are quite interesting. They reflect the dark subject of the movie (a young girl being drawn to prostitution). The cold atmosphere of "Sense of Doubt" couldn't be more linked to the storyboard.

There is a live version of "Station To Station" available here. Although slightly shorter than the studio one, it reminds me so many souvenirs.This was the first European tour of the man; and YES. I was there.And thirty two years after, I still remind this fantastic opening song with a great Carlos Alomar on the lead. The return of the Thin White Duke. A highlight not only here, but in his whole career. At least it is how I feel.

I can only encourage you to get in touch with this recording. Of course each individual album, except "Lodger" as I have already mentioned, fully deserve your attention. Great Bowie material. For sure. Do listen to the magnificent cold beauty of Warszawa to be blown away.

Four stars.