although i'm already familiar with a few of his albums and all of his hits, only recently have I really started listening to him. i don't quite know why, but all of a sudden i felt compelled to pick up Station to Station, Low and Heroes. I haven't got around to listening to Low yet, but i'm finding his sound to be even more cold and clinical than before. I always kinda thought that about Bowie..not the sort of music I'd play at a party like I would say Prince.

ok I much prefer Prince and I always read the Prince v Bowie threads with interest, usually suprised at the acclaim Bowie receives. I know he's a genius and incredibly influential, but I much prefer Prince's uplifting sound, as well as his darker dance party stuff like 1999.

So right now I find myself digging into Bowie's back catalogue searching for gems like Ziggy Stardust and Scary Monsters. I'm finding Hunky Dory to be quite satisfactory, and I'll give that a few more listens. I have Heroes on in the background and it's pretty cool, but kinda depressing. Not what I need in this cold weather. I'll approach Low with caution and maybe purchase Young Americans next.

It's been well over a year since discovering Bowie through his 2 cd best of and tbh I'm still not sure what to make of him.

btw, I just noticed the album version of Heroes sounds very different to the best of version. which is considered the definitive? I think I prefer the Best Of version.

I think you need a live disc to appreciate him more.

Is the Best Of version of "Heroes" the edit? If so, it's nothing compared to the album one.

And if Station to Station, Low and Heroes are your introduction to his back catelogue, you dove head first into the most challenging stuff. He might just be an acquired taste for you. I can almost guarantee you that with a little more time and once you've absorbed most of his material, you'll have a "Eureka!" moment where it'll all make sense. I'm still in awe of everything he's accomplished and how well he did it all.

kinaldo said:

I think the "cold and clinical" thing could be due to the fact that this was the sound he was going for with these discs. I think that the Berlin Trilogy (Low/"Heroes"/Lodger and Station to Station) have some of that late 70's synth work that can sound really cold and unhuman. I think this was completely intentional.

Hunky Dory, Rise and Fall of Ziggy.., Young Americans, and Aladdin Sane are all a lot "warmer" sounding, partly due to the live instrumentation that dominates these discs.

Also, the version of "Heroes" that you're talking about is just an edit of the album version. They cut out the first part of the song and start the lyrics in the middle. Not a fan!

I think to fully appreciate those albums, you should read a little bit about his life back then. You will experience them in a different way, IMO. "Heroes" for example is not as cold as Low, IMO. His screaming vocals show him kind of shedding his skin and getting out of the whole he was in, whereas Low's "numb" and "bored" vocals really show his depressed state of mind back then.

calldapplwondery83 said:

And Station To Station is just lush. As an album, it might have his top set of vocals.

GangstaFam said:

Agreed!

i have the double cd live ziggy stardust album which i found quite good although i haven't listened to it in a long time. also, the best of version of Heroes probably is a single edit, it's just the album version seemed a bit slower I'll have to listen again.

lilgish said:

There is a reissue of "Stage" isn't there or is it still out of print?

silverchild said:

Reissued in 2005.

silverchild said:

Stage is a recording of the Low/"Heroes" tour, though. It's from the era that he thinks is "cold and clinical". The Ziggy live disc or David Live might be more up his alley.

station to station is really growing on me and stay is particularly brilliant

anyone know of a good bowie website that has detailed reviews of all the albums in his discography, but not AMG?

kinaldo said:

Not sure, but I've always found this to be helpful.

http://www.illustrated-db...graphy.nl/

kinaldo said:

The full English/German version, "Heroes / Helden" is considered the definitive.