LOW... By 1977 you could possibly think David Bowie has done it all. From a cross dressing glam rocker, Folk musician and poet, attempting blue eyed soul and funk music, being the first rock musician to moonwalk and among other things. But change has always been a large part of Bowie's career, continually reinventing himself and popular music around him. Low is the first part of the so called "Berlin Trilogy" and his collaborations with the master of ambient music... Brian Eno, Eno's influence whether in producing or composing is very apparent especially on the second side of the record, but the album's first side is filled with bizarre, synth ridden art rock songs this is Bowie at his most experimental state while still retaining a distinct pop sound, a feat which few musicians are able to achieve. Speed of Life the album opener demonstrates this perfectly while being artsy and experimental it is still incredibly catchy to listen to. The formula is still successful all throughout the first side with songs like Be me Wife and Sound and Vision, and the slightly darker songs like Always Crashing in the Same Car, A New Career in a New Town are definitely highlights. Especially Always Crashing in the Same Car a song possibly about recovering from Bowie's cocaine addiction it contains a highly underrated guitar solo and a fantastic vocal performance by Bowie. A Possible complaint that one could have with this album is the lack of vocals, the whole album has surprisingly little vocals this however lets funky baselines, spacey guitars and dense synthesizers shine through and vocals being not so much of a lead instrument but an addition to the already massive wave of sounds and instruments provided. That is always a plus for the album.
As A New Career in a New Town comes to a steady close we are introduced to possibly Bowie's greatest achievement, twenty minutes of foreboding Krautrock influenced Ambient music. Images presented here are large desolate futuristic landscapes devoid of life, all vegetation coming to a slow death with the sun setting over the horizon you can't stop watching what is in front of you, it is some how beautiful, it contains warmth and a deep coldness at the same time like the whole Earth taking a collective sigh and going to sleep. Emotions like regret or sadness creep into your brain but you can't stop watching. All these images and emotions are presented in an electronic haze. Each track is a synthesizer symphony with David Bowie's tortured vocals making brief appears here and there to add more emotion and light. Subterraneans is perhaps the best track on the second side with it's almost paranoid sounding saxophone and vocals completed with densely layered eerie keyboards. The music can almost be classified as scary or disturbing.
Low is a highly influential album, one that continually pushes rock's boundaries in creativity and innovation Low is truly a unique listening experience one that is rarely repeated by any album that was out before or came after.
