Review Summary: The title of this fantastic album may be "Low", but it's quality and rating are definitely not. This is one of the most amazing, artistic and underrated albums of the 70s.
In 1977, a rehabilitating David Bowie got together with the god of avant garde, Brian Eno, to make an album. Nobody would have imagined that a sobering up David Bowie would throw together one of the best albums of all time. Eno and Bowie travelled to Berlin and France to create this album. Like everything Bowie did, this album was a shock to everybody. No one could have guessed that Bowie would follow up a funk album with avant garde music. Now on to the songs themselves:
Speed of Life: The album starts out with an extremely memorable instrumental. The song is very groovy and spacey. It's hard to describe the song, but it is one of the stand out tracks on the whole album. The shifts in the song are just fantastic. 5/5
Breaking Glass: This track is one of my favourite Bowie tracks and one of his most overlooked in my opinion. It has some excellent, screaming guitar work and some of the coolest and strangest lyrics I have ever heard. "Don't look at the carpet, I drew something awful on it - see!". My only complaint about this song is it's length. It is just a little under 2 minutes long. It is a song just like Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" where you want it to go on longer, but it is just too short in length. 5/5
What in the World: Another extremely overlooked song, this song is a song that I've never heard anybody talk about. It is one of the weakest tracks on side 1 of the album (which still isn't a bad thing ; it has some tough competition) but is still a gem. 4.5/5
Sound and Vision: One of the only songs off of the album that usually ever seems to make it's way onto compilation albums. This is one of the most upbeat Bowie songs I have ever heard and it's one that I love with extreme passion. Listening to the song is like going on an ecstatic journey through a rainbow. It's just too happy. The lyrics don't come in until about halfway through the song. One of the album's best. 5/5
Always Crashing in the Same Car: One of the most dramatic and most amazing songs off of "Low". The shifts in the song are amazing, thanks to the phenomenal guitar work. The lyrics are great and the guitar outro is the cherry on top of the sundae of awesomeness that is the song. 5/5
Be My Wife: One of the darkest sounding songs on the album. It starts out with an upbeat vibe, and then darkness is kicked in, along with Bowie's lovely lyrics. Probably the most accessible song off of the album, but spectacular nonetheless. 5/5
A New Career in a New Town: I am not a huge fan of this song, but it isn't bad at all. It has a western feel and the title is probably a play on "a new sheriff in a new town", at least I think this, due to the western feel. 3/5
Warszawa: Now we have reached side 2 of the album, or: "The completely Instrumental Side". This is my favourite song off of side 2, but not a bias. I think anyone could agree that this is the masterpiece of side 2. The song is very slow, but it builds up to an epic piece of music that makes you feel like you are inside of a painting. The song feels like something out of a cult sci fi movie. It is hard to describe this song, it is just something you need to listen to to feel it for yourself. 5/5
Art Decade: A great follow up to Warszawa, this song is another great, spacey feeling instrumental. It isn't as dramatic or melancholic as Warszawa, but is another fantastic piece of music off of the album. The biggest complaint is that the song is a bit too repetitive. 4/5
Weeping Wall: A fast, upbeat song. I don't have too much to say about this song, but it is a good song to bring your mood up. Very experimental. 4/5
Subterraneans: A very slow and moody track. I'm not sure if it was the best track to finish off the album, but it isn't an awful end either. It's still a beautiful instrumental. 3.5/5
All in all, "Low" is one of the best and oddest David Bowie albums. The whole albums flows like a breeze of delicious air. The first side is basically flawless and should be very accessible for fans of Bowie's other music, but the second side isn't for everyone. About half of side 2 is amazing, but the rest is just a bit too boring, but the tracks off of side 1 and "Warszawa" more than balance it out. Just like The Who's "Who's Next", this album puts synthesizers to great use without them sounding awful or blocking out the rest of the instruments. It truly is hard to believe that Bowie (with some help from his friends) was able to make music of this artistic magnitude after drugs had nearly killed him completely. This is not my favourite overall Bowie album, but I recommend this album to any fans of rock or of any genre, just to feel this piece of art crawl into their heart through their ears, like it did to me.
(This was my first review FYI. Hope you enjoyed.)
