David Bowie

[THRILLHO]

Top 10 no question about it.

[Canadanne]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone apart from me who isn't particularly keen on the song Heroes? People are always going on about how amazing it is, and I'm just like... huh? It's never sounded that impressive to me - not sure what I'm missing.

Nope! You might be alone in this.

Agreed, I love that song so much.

Why, though? What is it that everyone loves about it?

[Johnny Feathers]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone apart from me who isn't particularly keen on the song Heroes? People are always going on about how amazing it is, and I'm just like... huh? It's never sounded that impressive to me - not sure what I'm missing.

Nope! You might be alone in this.

Agreed, I love that song so much.

Why, though? What is it that everyone loves about it?

Well, I don't want to speak for anyone else, but, in no particular order:

1. The romantic symbolism of the song is about as direct a love song as Bowie has in his canon. 
2. It's a song in his "Berlin Trilogy" that is directly about Berlin, and the wall.
3. The gradual build, starting with the conversational, detached delivery of the first verse, and ending with the operatic wail at the end.
4. Learning more about the recording of the track, how there were three microphones, set to increasing distance and gate threshold from Bowie, who then needed to sing more powerfully in order to trigger each subsequent one.
5. The production (for me, especially)--Eno's phasing swooshes really creating a new sound, on that would almost single-handedly be responsible for the new romantic movement a few years later.  It was a perfect combination of Eno's experimentalism, and Bowie's songcraft.  U2 themselves are indebted to the song's sonics as well.  The lead guitar line basically creates the whole idea of an E-Bow, which Edge would go on to use, along with the "Infinite Guitar".
6. For me, also--the full version of the song ends, not triumphantly, but explodes, burned out, collapsing on itself, with the line, "We're NOTHING!!! And nothing can help us!!!  Maybe we're lying!!!  Then you better not stay..."  It's like a star going supernova--increasing, building, and then exploding, collapsing, dying.  And even despite that, it's just an amazing arc to a song, all goosebumps and hairs on end.
7. Eno's deadpan backing vocals.  "I reme..ember.............by, the wall!"
8. The video of it's cool, too.
9. And it's amazingly easy (and fun) to play along with.

That's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

[Canadanne]

Out of curiosity, is there anyone apart from me who isn't particularly keen on the song Heroes? People are always going on about how amazing it is, and I'm just like... huh? It's never sounded that impressive to me - not sure what I'm missing.

Nope! You might be alone in this.

Agreed, I love that song so much.

Why, though? What is it that everyone loves about it?

Well, I don't want to speak for anyone else, but, in no particular order:

1. The romantic symbolism of the song is about as direct a love song as Bowie has in his canon. 
2. It's a song in his "Berlin Trilogy" that is directly about Berlin, and the wall.
3. The gradual build, starting with the conversational, detached delivery of the first verse, and ending with the operatic wail at the end.
4. Learning more about the recording of the track, how there were three microphones, set to increasing distance and gate threshold from Bowie, who then needed to sing more powerfully in order to trigger each subsequent one.
5. The production (for me, especially)--Eno's phasing swooshes really creating a new sound, on that would almost single-handedly be responsible for the new romantic movement a few years later.  It was a perfect combination of Eno's experimentalism, and Bowie's songcraft.  U2 themselves are indebted to the song's sonics as well.  The lead guitar line basically creates the whole idea of an E-Bow, which Edge would go on to use, along with the "Infinite Guitar".
6. For me, also--the full version of the song ends, not triumphantly, but explodes, burned out, collapsing on itself, with the line, "We're NOTHING!!! And nothing can help us!!!  Maybe we're lying!!!  Then you better not stay..."  It's like a star going supernova--increasing, building, and then exploding, collapsing, dying.  And even despite that, it's just an amazing arc to a song, all goosebumps and hairs on end.
7. Eno's deadpan backing vocals.  "I reme..ember.............by, the wall!"
8. The video of it's cool, too.
9. And it's amazingly easy (and fun) to play along with.

That's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

Thank you for such a detailed response, I love reading posts like this!

[EnduringChill]

I love David Bowie! And I love Heroes, but mostly I just love the whole album. I listened to it a few days ago and was pleased by how cool it is- the first side is full of more conventional songs, the second is mostly instrumental... There's a good blend of catchy music and relaxing/atmospheric music.

My favorite album that I've heard, though, is Diamond Dogs... I love every song on it.

[Johnny Feathers]

I love David Bowie! And I love Heroes, but mostly I just love the whole album. I listened to it a few days ago and was pleased by how cool it is- the first side is full of more conventional songs, the second is mostly instrumental... There's a good blend of catchy music and relaxing/atmospheric music.

My favorite album that I've heard, though, is Diamond Dogs... I love every song on it.

"Heroes" (the album) is definitely great....although I stop short of calling any of the songs "conventional".  Other than Heroes, which is probably the most contemporary sounding song on there, everything else seems pretty off-kilter, in a good way.  Weird production, dense arrangements, bizarre harmonies, and almost "ethnic" sounding melodies (which he'd further explore on Lodger).  It's a weird one, for sure.

[EnduringChill]

I love David Bowie! And I love Heroes, but mostly I just love the whole album. I listened to it a few days ago and was pleased by how cool it is- the first side is full of more conventional songs, the second is mostly instrumental... There's a good blend of catchy music and relaxing/atmospheric music.

My favorite album that I've heard, though, is Diamond Dogs... I love every song on it.

"Heroes" (the album) is definitely great....although I stop short of calling any of the songs "conventional".  Other than Heroes, which is probably the most contemporary sounding song on there, everything else seems pretty off-kilter, in a good way.  Weird production, dense arrangements, bizarre harmonies, and almost "ethnic" sounding melodies (which he'd further explore on Lodger).  It's a weird one, for sure.

Well, definitely not conventional in sound, but more conventional in structure for a rock album. There is at least one verse-chorus song. The second side is a long, instrumental meditation (except for the last song), which is probably less expected. But it's Bowie, you really have to expect something different.

There are so many layers of sound in the songs, it takes a lot of listens to take it all in, I think.

[THRILLHO]

i've been reappraising the Bowieography this week and i've come up with rankings for the 60's/ first half of the 70's

1. Ziggy
2. Aladdin
3. Diamond Dogs
4. Hunky Dory
5. Space Oddity
6. Man Who Sold
7. David Bowie

[Smee]

I love Bowie. Treeeeeeeeeemendous artist. But i have to say...one of my fave lesser known songs of his...is Putting out the fire (Gasoline)

[Boom Cha!]

I love Bowie. Treeeeeeeeeemendous artist. But i have to say...one of my fave lesser known songs of his...is Putting out the fire (Gasoline)

Are you talking about the song Cat People? I agree it's a great song and it does get overshadowed by the bigger hits on Let's Dance.

[So Cruel]

Anyone else hear the influence Bowie had on U2? I listen to Five Years and I hear it. The way the song builds and builds, the subtle piano and keyboards in the background, reminds me a lot of U2. Bono has listed it as one of his favorite Bowie songs.

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[THRILLHO]

I love Bowie. Treeeeeeeeeemendous artist. But i have to say...one of my fave lesser known songs of his...is Putting out the fire (Gasoline)

well lesser known till Tarantino used it in Inglorious Basterds.

[THRILLHO]

just finished the Ziggy Stardust concert film which i had no clue existed. Happened to find a copy of it at the used dvd store down the street. loved it!

anyone else seen this?

[Starman]

Just bought Scary Monsters on CD. One more to the collection.

[THRILLHO]

a rough draft of my rankings of the Bowieography 1967-1979 aka The Golden Years (i'm not gonna bother ranking the covers album Pin Ups)

Upper Echelon
1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
2. Aladdin Sane
3. Young Americans
4. Diamond Dogs
5. Heroes

Mid Echelon
6. Low
7. Hunky Dory
8. Station To Station
9. Space Oddity
10. The Man Who Sold the World
11. David Bowie

Lowest Rung Echelon
12. Lodger (aka the "No More Drugs For That Man" album)