Low or really a new high? (Low - David Bowie)

Member Name: cata

Product:	Low - David Bowie
Date:	02/09/01 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Music for musicians

Disadvantages: Not instantly accessable

Low is often regarded as the first of Bowie's Berlin albums, in fact the record was actually written and concieved in France.

True it is written at the time the young Bowie was experimenting with drugs to a large extent, more importantly it was a time when his personal life was under going a period of intense stress. His marriage was on the verge of disintergration bought to life in the song "Be my wife" a plea to Angie to just be normal and live her life with him and his son then called Zowie.

The album is split into two distinct parts and for those of you that can remember vinyl side one contained the songs with words, while side two was the avant guard music that paved the way for so many imitators.

The album kicks off with the song "Speed of Life" a track that sets the tone for what follows on side one. This side is more upbeat than what follows with an almost punkish build to the songs despite being the total anthesis of what punk stood for.

"Breaking glass" in my room again is a drug related song full of strong rhythms that counter balnce the opening track very well. Not an easy song to listen to but one that rewards the listener the more they listen to it.

"What in the world" has been describe as Bowie's plea to the world to let him know what is going on in his life.

This is followed by one of Bowie's biggest hits "Sound and Vision" a song that crossed barriers and became known in several musical fields. Even used by the BBC as incidental music during programme breaks.

"Always crashing in the same car" was written after Bowie spent hours circling a carpark in a pit of despair, then finally deciding to end it all driving the car at a wall, only to find the car runs out of petrol and stops before the point of impact. A deeply disturbing song but at the sametime hauntingly beautiful.

"Be my wife" as I have a
lready said a plea to his wife to calm down and return to family life, a song written from the heart but doomed to failure.

" A new career in a New Town" is Bowie signalling that he is taking charge of his life again, it will be a new beginging, a fresh start for the Chameleon of pop.

Side two is where Eno's influence come more to the fore, this is the side of ambient mood music, except it is not. This music is too powerfull to be described as ambiet music, it demands your attention and its stark beauty is compulsive in the way it draws the listener into its weave.
The tracks are linked but not linked, this music being the closest thing to classical music that Bowie has produced a theme carried on recently by Philip Glass in his two albums reflecting Bowie's music of this period.

This side is bleak and unless you are prepared to listen to the music it is not easily accessable but it does reward the person who is prepared to really open their ears.

To sum up Low signals a new beginging in Bowies work, the end of his first stage and the begingings of Bowie as a serious artist as opposed to a pop phenonemon. Is it his finest work? certainly in some ways it is it really depends on your definition of finest work. For those of you that like pure pop music this album offers only "Sound and Vision" to music lovers it offers a whole lot more. Would I recomend it? Whole heartedly Yes, it is not his best but when my mood is sombre this album fits the bill perfectly, it is however not depressing but a new strange form of uplifting melodious tunes that really brings the listener a new experience with every listen.

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