Exactly 40 years ago today, the Starman released an album that will be considered one of the best of all-time: Low. The album was recorded in Berlin where Bowie had went to get clean from his cocaine addiction. It was a dark time for the artist, who suffered from terrible withdrawal symptoms that manifested into depression; hence the album title.
Low is one-part of Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy. The artist’s days as glam rocker from out-of-space, Ziggy Stardust were over. The hedonistic life-style of L.A. had taken it’s toll. Broke and broken, Bowie sought solace in affordable Germany, later helping good pal Iggy Pop clean out in the German capital.
If it was up to me, I’d take the Ziggy Stardust period over this time in Bowie’s life. Low has a couple of good songs like Sound and Vision and the haunting instrumental opening track, Speed of Life. But I prefer my Bowie avant garde and peppy. Plus with Bowie being in Germany, he started being influenced by the experimental krautrock movement (a precursor to techno.) The last 3 songs reflect this style and when I played this album yesterday, they were the tracks my students hated the most.
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| A photo from Bowie's Be My Wife video. |
This album wasn’t really liked by Bowie’s producers either. Low was actually completed in 1976, but it took several months to convince the execs at RCA to release the album. When it finally dropped in January of ‘77, the reception was mixed.
Critics loved the first half of the album, as did I. But the B-side is made up of 4 tracks full of odd sounds, no vocals, and just plain sadness. Despite these misgivings, Low was a commercial success, reaching #2 in the UK and #11 in the US charts. Jump ahead 40-years and this Bowie record is regarded by critics as one of the all-time best ever.
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| Publicity Still of Bowie in '77. He looks really tired and frazzled. |
The online music magazine Pitchfork ranks it #1. NME and Q both have it at #14. But I think Rolling Stone Magazine hit it right on the nose: ‘this is the music of an overstimulated mind in an exhausted body [...] sashays through some serious emotional wreckage.’ (Rolling Stone lists low at #249 outta 500 Greatest Albums.)
When we are sick or sad, we don’t always perform our best. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have moments of genius. Remember, nobody liked Van Gogh’s work when he was alive. Now he’s considered the greatest painted of all time.
But Low isn’t just Bowie’s Starry Night as it was a commercial success. The album is also like a chardonnay. When both first hits market, the album, like the wine, are good but it’s not great. Yet, over time, the wine ages and becomes perfect. Allow the wine to age too much and you’ve got vinegar. A really expensive vinegar. All of the ratings I listed for the album are from the 90s-2000s during a techno revival. With the current state of music, I think that time has passed.
Despite the fact that I think this album is now dated, I wish I was in Perth, Wales today. There's a special 1-day only anniversary showing of the documentary Bowie in Berlin: Low & Heroes. Not only are they showing the film, a slew of producers and musicians who worked with Bowie will be on hand.
An album of varying quality by one of my favorite artists. I’d listen to it again, but only the A-side stuff. I give it a 6 out of 10.
David Bowie will return in the pages of A Madman Turns 40 later this year…
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