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For the album by Testament, see Low (Testament album).

Low is a 1977 album by David Bowie, widely regarded as one of his most influential releases. It was the first of the "Berlin Trilogy", a series of collaborations with Brian Eno. Contrary to the moniker's implication, much of the album was actually recorded in France and only mixed in Berlin. The experimental, avant-garde style would be further explored on "Heroes" and Lodger. The album's working title was New Music Night and Day.

Following the release of the cocaine-fueled Station to Station, Bowie began to rekindle his interest in art. As a recovering cocaine addict, his songwriting on Low tends to deal with difficult issues; many of the songs concern lethargy, depression, estrangement, or self-destructive behavior. The format of the album was unique for its time: side one contained short, direct song-fragments; side two comprised longer, mostly instrumental tracks. While some attribute the instrumental songs to Eno, he shares songwriting credits only on "Warszawa".

Although the music was influenced by German bands such as Kraftwerk and Neu!, Low has been acclaimed for its originality and is considered ahead of its time, not least for its cavernous treated drum sound created by producer Tony Visconti using an Eventide Harmonizer. The album's influence spans many genres that would come to prominence in following years, such as Post-punk, New Wave and Industrial. Not only was it an influence on these styles, but the fact that an artist of Bowie's prominence had experimented with these styles made other proponents of the genres more respectable.

Prior to the album's release, much of the music was intended for the soundtrack to The Man Who Fell to Earth. Time constraints prevented Bowie from completing the music in time for the film's premiere, so it ended up on Low instead. The album's cover is a still photo from the movie. Furthermore, the photographic image juxtaposed with the album's title formed a deliberate pun on the phrase "low profile".

Though written off by many mainstream critics at the time, Low has risen to the top of many critics' "best album" lists. It was rated the #1 album of the 1970s by Pitchfork Media.

Philip Glass based his 1992 classical album Low Symphony on Low, with Bowie and Eno both assisting in its creation. "Bowi", an EP by Nick Lowe, was named in response to Low. Trent Reznor would later claim Low to be one of his influences while creating The Downward Spiral.

Low peaked at #2 on the UK charts and #11 in the U.S.. "Sound and Vision" and "Be My Wife" were released as singles; the former reached #3 in the UK.*

Track listing

All tracks written by David Bowie, except where noted.

  1. "Speed of Life" – 2:46
  2. "Breaking Glass" (Bowie, Davis, Murray) – 1:52
  3. "What in the World" – 2:23
  4. "Sound and Vision" – 3:05
  5. "Always Crashing in the Same Car" – 3:33
  6. "Be My Wife" – 2:58
  7. "A New Career in a New Town" – 2:53
  8. "Warszawa" (Bowie, Eno) – 6:23
  9. "Art Decade" – 3:46
  10. "Weeping Wall" – 3:28
  11. "Subterraneans" – 5:39

Reissues

The album has been rereleased twice to date on CD, the first being in 1991 by Rykodisc (containing three bonus tracks) and the second in 1999 by EMI (featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks).

1991 reissue bonus tracks

  1. "Some Are" (previously unreleased) – 3:24
  2. "All Saints" (previously unreleased) – 3:25
  3. "Sound and Vision" (1991 remix by 808 State) – 4:43

Production credits

    • Roy Young – piano, farfisa organ

David Bowie albums | 1977 albums

Low | ロウ

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Low (album)".

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