Customer Reviews
Germanic - By: M. Evans, 03 Dec 2008 
The most 'Berlin' of Bowie's Berlin period, Heroes is undeniably a classic album, but, like the preceeding 'Low' it's an album of two halves being half instrumental tracks which if anything are even more avante garde than the ones on Low, & won't be to everyone's taste. The feel of the album conjures up black & white images of europein the 30's & 40's with songs like Blackout, V-2 Schneider, Sons of the Silent Age & The Secret LIfe of Arabia being highly evocative. I've always found the title track to be a bit overrated, while Secret Life of Arabia I think is one of his most overlooked gems. Beauty & the Beast & Joe the Lion are somewhat raucous & bizarre, while the instrumental pieces are not the sort of stuff you'd want to listen to very often. So, overall, 'Heroes' is a must buy for any Bowie fan, & is greater than the sum of it's parts, but won't be for everyone.
Just For One Day - By: KPA Lowe, 26 Jun 2008 
In honesty, this is just a copy of the much better `Low' released earlier the same year, with songsin the first half & `sound-pieces'in the second. It is, of course, still by one of the greatest music artistsin history, so it is by no means a dreadful record. The song `Heroes' is, of course, great & the album is definitely worth a listen, just don't expect to be blown away. And for those who aren't impressed, do no judge the near consistent genius of Mr Bowie based on this record.
Instrumentals should be saved for classical music!! - By: D. Whitfield, 29 May 2008 Ziggy Stardust was the first Bowie album I bought, & unsurprisingly it swept me off my feet, it is undeniably one of rock music's defining masterpieces. So I rushed out to buy the Bowie album that reviewers & critics generally seemed to rank second ( I know there are many contenders but heroes certainly featured prominently).
However I was dissapointed, the album only contains 6 full songs, four of the the ten tracks are taken up by pointless instrumentals that despite many attempts still all sound the same & to me seem a waste of space. Sure Bowie is a great sax player but no one buys his albums to hear saxophone music on its own.
Fortunately the first 5 full songs are all very good & of course the title track is one of the finest songs ever recorded, the sort that for 6 minutes or so will take you to another place. That is the only thing that saves this album & makes me keep fishing the cd out.
Heroes will never go out of fashion - By: russell clarke, 08 May 2008 
The second instalment of the Berlin trilogy releasedin October 1977 ( The others being "Low" earlierin 1977 & "Lodger"in 1979)"Heroes" complete with ironic quotation marks is the only album of that feted trilogy that was recorded totallyin Berlin . (At the Hansa studio by the wall)It is also by far the best of the three albums. In fact i would go further & cite "Heroes" as the best album David Bowie ever made.
It is though, a collaborative effort. Brian Eno as well as co-writing some of the songs - the title track, "Moss Garden", "Neuklon" & "The Secret Life Of Arabia"(Along with guitarist Carlos Alomar) is vital to the sound of the album. His genius for creating compelling sonic textures contributes greatly to the albums dark & atmospheric ambience. Eno provides keyboards, synthesizers & most tellingly guitar treatments .
Bowie plays guitar, keyboards, saxophone, koto & lead as well as background vocals long with co-producer Tony Visconti & Anomia Maass. Robert Fripp flewin from the States for one day to provide distinctive guitar parts for much of the album adding ever individual nuances to the album.
The stand out track is of course the title track which over thirty years down the line still sounds innovative & amazing . The tale of two lovers meeting at the wall is one of those tracks that can still reveal something new The first time i heard this song on an MP3 player-the full album version mind not the annoyingly abridged version that usually gets played on the radio - i was amazed to suddenly hear for the first time the skittering keyboards buried deep into the mix & what sounds like a constant rush of wind. Recently voted as the best Bowie track everin Uncut "Heroes" is also one of the most covered Bowie tracks with King Crimson & Nico doing notable versions though it,s inconceivable that anyone could better the original.
Though the album includes a number of portentous & atmospheric instrumentals like "Sense Of Doubt " & "Neukoln" it also has more playful tracks like "The Secret Life Of Arabia" & more assertive rock songs like "Joe The Lion." The best of these is the superb "Beauty And The Beast", one of the most under-rated songsin the Bowie canon with its rasping treated guitar & vociferous backing vocals."V2 Schneider" with it,s bubbling bass is inspired by & a tribute to Kraftwerks Florian Schneider while the static hiss of "Sons Of The Silent Age" & the diaphanous dark fugue of "Blackout" add even more textures to this excellent album.
"Heroes" is also an album that has dated extraordinarily well. Certainly compared to a lot of what was considered seminal at the time "Heroes" is an album that sounds as if it could have been released last week. ...although the fixation of a divided city has long since ceased to be a reality. A truly great album whose themes may touch on the bleaker aspects if humanity but is more the less curiously uplifting . Heroes never go out of fashion after all.
Superb - By: Jack, 11 Mar 2008 Bowie at his experimental best. More accessible & optimistic than Low & containing some of his finest instrumentals, the production on this album is staggeringly inventive. Each listen reveals something new going onin the mix. It's not an album you can put onin the background, it's one you have to sit down, pay attention & listen to. The effort is worth it - the rewards are there, if you have ears to hear. Contrary to the opinion of the Amazon reviewer, "Heroes" IS essential Bowie & his last great recording of the 1970s.
