Berlin Trilogy

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Berlin Trilogy
Low (1977)
"Heroes" (1977)
Lodger (1979)

The Berlin Trilogy consists of three consecutively released studio albums by English musician David Bowie: Low, "Heroes" (both 1977) and Lodger (1979). The trilogy originated following Bowie's move from Los Angeles, California to Europe to rid himself of worsening drug addiction. Influences included the German music genre of krautrock and the recent ambient releases of English musician Brian Eno. After canceling a proposed soundtrack album for The Man Who Fell to Earth (in which he starred), he embarked on the Isolar tour and thereafter moved to Europe. Before work commenced on the trilogy, Bowie co-wrote and produced Iggy Pop's debut solo album The Idiot, which featured a similar sound to what Bowie would explore in the trilogy. He also collaborated with Pop for his second solo album Lust for Life before recording "Heroes". Both albums were released in 1977.

The trilogy was recorded in collaboration with Eno and American producer Tony Visconti. All three featured similar recording processes, in which backing tracks were recorded first, followed by overdubs, with lyrics and vocals written and recorded last. King Crimson guitarists Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew contributed lead guitar to "Heroes" and Lodger, respectively. Consequence of Sound considers the trilogy an "art rock trifecta".[1] Both Low and "Heroes" experiment with electronic and ambient music and are influenced by the German music genre of krautrock. Both also contain similar structures, featuring more conventional tracks on side one and instrumental pieces on side two. On the other hand, Lodger, recorded following the Isolar II world tour, features a wide variety of musical styles, including new wave and reggae, with more accessible songs throughout; both sides are thematically split by its lyrics.

Bowie began referring to the three albums as a Berlin-centered trilogy during the promotion of Lodger, although "Heroes" was the only instalment fully recorded in the city; Low was mostly recorded in France while Lodger was recorded in Switzerland and New York City. Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proven less successful commercially. Bowie would later call the music of the trilogy his "DNA". Although the trilogy as a whole received mixed reviews on release, over time it has garnered massive acclaim and has proven highly influential. While Low provided a major influence on the post-punk genre, inspiring artists such as Joy Division and Gary Numan, elements of Lodger have been identified as a precursor to world music. All three albums would later be adapted into classical symphonies by American composer and pianist Philip Glass and were remastered in 2017 as part of the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.

Background[]

I was in serious public decline, emotionally and socially. I think I was very much on course to be another rock casualty. In fact, I’m quite certain I wouldn't have survived the '70s if I'd carried on doing what I was doing. But I was lucky enough to know somewhere within me that I was really killing myself, and I had to do something drastic to pull myself out of that.[2]

– David Bowie discussing his mental state at the time, 1996

In the summer of 1974, David Bowie developed a cocaine addiction.[3] Over the next two years, his addiction increasingly worsened, affecting both his physical and mental state. He recorded both Young Americans (1975) and Station to Station (1976), as well as filmed The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), while under the influence of the drug.[4] He attributed his growing addiction to the city of Los Angeles, California, where he moved to in the spring of 1975.[5][6] His intake escalated to the point where decades later, he recalled almost nothing of the recording of Station to Station,[7] saying "I know it was in L.A. because I've read it was."[8] Although he had enjoyed commercial success during this period, particularly with the singles "Fame" and "Golden Years", he was ready to rid himself of the drug culture of Los Angeles and get sober.[9]

After abandoning a proposed soundtrack album for The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bowie decided to move back to Europe.[10][11] He began rehearsals for the Isolar tour to promote Station to Station in January 1976 and the tour commenced on 2 February.[12] While critically acclaimed,[13] Bowie became a controversial figure during the tour. Speaking in his character and persona the Thin White Duke, he made statements about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany that some interpreted as expressing sympathy for or even promoting fascism.[14] He later blamed his erratic behaviour during this period on his addictions and precarious mental state,[15] saying "I was out of my mind, totally crazed."[16] He later stated: "It was a dangerous period for me. I was at the end of my tether physically and emotionally and had serious doubts about my sanity."[17] At the conclusion of the Isolar tour on 18 May 1976, Bowie and his wife Angela moved to Switzerland, although the two would rarely spend time there.[18]

Development[]

Early influences[]

After completing Station to Station in December 1975, Bowie started work on a soundtrack for The Man Who Fell to Earth with Paul Buckmaster, whom Bowie worked with for Space Oddity (1969), as his collaborator.[11] Bowie was expected to be wholly responsible for the film's music but found that "when I'd finished five or six pieces, I was then told that if I would care to submit my music along with some other people's ... and I just said "Shit, you're not getting any of it". I was so furious, I'd put so much work into it."[19] Notwithstanding, Station to Station co-producer Harry Maslin argued that Bowie was "burned out" and could not complete the work in any case. The singer eventually collapsed, admitting later, "There were pieces of me laying all over the floor".[11] In the event, only one instrumental composed for the soundtrack saw the light of day, evolving into "Subterraneans", later properly recorded for Low.[20][21] When Bowie presented his material for the film to Nicolas Roeg, the director decided that it would not be suitable; Roeg preferred a more folksy sound. The soundtrack's eventual composer John Phillips described Bowie's material as "haunting and beautiful".[22] Six months after Bowie's proposal was rejected, he sent Roeg a copy of Low with a note stating "This is what I wanted to do for the soundtrack. It would have been a wonderful score."[23][24]

While on the Isolar tour in May 1976, Bowie met with ex–Roxy Music keyboardist and conceptualist Brian Eno backstage at a London concert. Although the two had occasional meetups since 1973, they had yet to become friends. Since leaving Roxy Music, Eno released two solo albums in 1975 in the ambient genre: Another Green World and Discreet Music; Bowie listened to the latter regularly on the American leg of the tour. Biographers Marc Spitz and Hugo Wilcken would later recognise Another Green World in particular as a huge influence on the sound Bowie aimed to create for Low;[a][25][26] Christopher Sandford also cites Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (1974) as an influence.[27] Individually, the two also became infatuated with the German music scene, including the acts Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Kraftwerk and Harmonia. While Eno had worked with Harmonia both in-studio and on stage, Bowie exhibited a krautrock influence on Station to Station, particularly its title track.[28][29] After the meetup, the two agreed to stay in touch.[25]

The Idiot[]

Main article: The Idiot (album)
A black and white photo of Iggy Pop performing onstage
After moving to Europe, Bowie co-wrote and produced The Idiot, the debut solo album by Iggy Pop (pictured in 1977). Biographer Nicholas Pegg describes The Idiot as "a stepping stone between Station to Station and Low".[30]

After moving to Switzerland, Bowie booked studio time later in the summer at the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, France, where he made plans to write and produce an album for his old friend, singer Iggy Pop.[18] Pop, who was also suffering from drug addiction, was ready to get sober and accepted Bowie's invitation to accompany him on the Isolar tour, and thereafter move to Europe with him.[31][32] After the two relocated to the Château,[33] Bowie travelled back to Switzerland, where he spent the next few months writing and devising plans for his own next album.[34]

Bowie composed the majority of the music for The Idiot (1977), while Pop wrote most of the lyrics,[35] often in response to the music Bowie was creating.[36] During its recording, Bowie developed a new process, in which the backing tracks were recorded first, followed by overdubs, with lyrics and vocals written and recorded last.[37] He heavily favoured this "three-phase" process, which he would use for the rest of his career.[38] Because The Idiot was recorded before Low, The Idiot has been referred to as the unofficial beginning of Bowie's Berlin period,[39] as its music featured a sound reminiscent of what Bowie would explore in the Berlin Trilogy.[40][41] It was co-mixed by Bowie and Tony Visconti at Hansa Studios in West Berlin.[42]

Bowie became fascinated with Berlin, finding it a place of a great escape. In love with the city, he and Pop decided to move there in a further attempt to kick their drug habits and escape the spotlight.[10][23][43] Although The Idiot was completed by August 1976, Bowie wanted to be sure he had his own album in stores before its release.[44] Château owner and The Idiot bassist Laurent Thibault opined that "[Bowie] didn't want people to think he'd been inspired by Iggy's album, when in fact it was all the same thing".[39]

Although reviewers consider The Idiot good in its own right,[30][45] Pop's fans have criticised the album as unrepresentative of his repertoire and as evidence of his being "co-opted" by Bowie for the latter's own ends.[46][47] Bowie himself later admitted: "Poor [Iggy], in a way, became a guinea pig for what I wanted to do with sound. I didn't have the material at the time, and I didn't feel like writing at all. I felt much more like laying back and getting behind someone else's work, so that album was opportune, creatively."[48] Biographer Chris O'Leary considers The Idiot a Bowie album just as much as a Pop one. Although the Berlin Trilogy is said to consist of Low, "Heroes", and Lodger, O'Leary argues the true "Berlin Trilogy" consists of The Idiot, Low, and "Heroes", with Lust for Life a "supplement" and Lodger an "epilogue".[49]

History[]

1976: Low[]

Main article: Low (David Bowie album)
Brian Eno in 2008
Tony Visconti in 2007
Brian Eno (left) and Tony Visconti (right) each contributed greatly to the unique production methods and sound of the Berlin Trilogy.

The first album in the trilogy was Low, the majority of which was recorded at the Château,[23] with the sessions completing at Hansa in Berlin.[50][51][52] At this point, Bowie was ready to fully move to Berlin but had already booked another month of studio time at the Château, so recording commenced there.[44] The album was co-produced by Bowie and Visconti, with contributions from Eno.[53] Visconti, who was absent for the recording of Station to Station due to conflicting schedules,[54] was brought back to co-produce after mixing The Idiot.[55] Despite being widely perceived as a co-producer, Eno was not. Visconti commented: "Brian is a great musician, and was very integral to the making of [the Berlin Trilogy]. But he was not the producer."[55] According to biographer Paul Trynka, Eno arrived late in the sessions, after all of the backing tracks for side one were "essentially" finished.[56]

Low's music delves in electronic,[57][58] ambient,[9] art rock and experimental rock.[58][59] The tracks on Low emphasise tone and atmosphere rather than guitar-based rock.[9] The music itself is influenced by German bands such as Tangerine Dream, Neu! and Kraftwerk.[60][61][23] Side one primarily consists of short, direct avant-pop song-fragments;[62] side two comprises longer, mostly instrumental tracks.[58] In 1977, Bowie stated that side one was about himself and his "prevailing moods" at the time while side two was about his musical observations living in Berlin.[50] Low features a unique drum sound, created by Visconti using an Eventide H910 Harmonizer.[63] When asked by Bowie about what it did, Visconti replied, "it fucks with the fabric of time."[64] Visconti rigged the machine to Davis's snare drum and fed the results through his headphones so he could hear the final sound.[65]

Upon hearing Low, Bowie's label RCA Records were shocked at what they were presented.[66] Fearing poor commercial performance, RCA delayed the album from its original planned release date in November 1976,[67] releasing it three months later in January 1977. Upon release, it received little to no promotion from both RCA and Bowie himself, who felt it was his "least commercial" record up to that point and instead opted to tour as Pop's keyboardist.[68][69] Despite having no promotion, Low was a commercial success.[68] The success of the single "Sound and Vision" allowed Bowie to persuade RCA to release The Idiot,[70] which they did in March 1977.[40]

The Idiot tour and Lust for Life[]

Main article: Lust for Life (Iggy Pop album)

Although RCA was hoping he would tour to support Low, Bowie opted instead to further support Pop on his own tour to promote The Idiot.[71] The tour began on 1 March 1977 and ended on 16 April. Bowie was adamant about not taking the spotlight away from Pop, often staying behind his keyboard and not addressing the audience.[72] Despite this, some reviewers believed that Bowie was still in charge.[73] Likewise, during interviews, Pop was often asked more about Bowie than his own work. As a result, Pop took a more direct approach when making Lust for Life.[74][75]

At the end of the tour, Bowie and Pop returned to the studio to record Pop's second solo album Lust for Life (1977). Bowie had less domination over Lust for Life; he instead let Pop compose his own arrangements for the tracks,[76] resulting in a sound more reminiscent of Pop's earlier work.[41] Recording took place at Hansa by the Wall in West Berlin and was completed in two and a half weeks, from May to June 1977.[75] The album was released two months later in August.[77] Although Bowie had told interviewers that he planned to do a third collaboration with Pop in 1978, Lust for Life would be the two's last official collaboration until the mid-1980s.[78]

1977: "Heroes"[]

Main article: "Heroes" (David Bowie album)
Bowie performing at Ekeberghallen during the Isolar II world tour, 1978

As the second release of the Berlin Trilogy,[9] "Heroes" (1977) expands on the material found on Low.[79] Like its predecessor, it delves in art rock and experimental rock,[1] while also further continuing Bowie's work in the electronic[80] and ambient genres.[9] The songs also emphasise tone and atmosphere rather than guitar-based rock.[9] However, the songs have been described as more positive in both tone and atmosphere than the songs of its predecessor.[81] Visconti would describe the album as "a very positive version of Low."[82] It also follows the same structure as its predecessor, with side one featuring more conventional tracks, and side two featuring mostly instrumental tracks.[83]

"Heroes" was the only instalment of the Berlin Trilogy that was recorded entirely in Berlin.[84] Most of the same personnel returned from Low,[85] with the addition of Bowie on piano,[86] and guitarist Robert Fripp, formerly of the band King Crimson, who was recruited at Eno's suggestion.[85] Upon his arrival to the studio, Fripp sat down and recorded lead guitar parts for tracks he had never heard before. He also received little guidance from Bowie, who had yet to write lyrics or melodies. Fripp completed all his guitar parts in three days.[87] Bowie was in a much healthier state of mind during the sessions compared to its predecessor. He and Visconti would travel around Berlin frequently.[88] While there, Bowie began exploring other art forms and visiting galleries in Geneva and the Brücke Museum, becoming Sandford's words: "a prolific producer and collector of contemporary art ... Not only did he become a well-known patron of expressionist art, locked in Clos des Mésanges he began an intensive self-improvement course in classical music and literature, and started work on an autobiography."[89]

Eno had a much greater role on "Heroes" than he had for Low, being credited as co-author on four of the ten songs, leading biographer Thomas Jerome Seabrook to call it the "truer" collaboration. Eno would act as "assistant director" to Bowie, giving feedback to the musicians and suggesting new – and unusual – ways to approach the tracks.[86] One of these ways was the employment of Eno's Oblique Strategies cards. According to O'Leary, these cards were "part-fortune cookie, part-Monopoly 'Chance' cards", intended to spark creative ideas.[90] Bowie improvised lyrics while standing at the microphone, after seeing Pop do so for The Idiot.[36][91]

"Heroes" was released in October 1977 in the wake of the punk rock movement.[84] RCA marketed the album with the slogan "There's Old Wave. There's New Wave. And there's David Bowie ..."[81] Like Low, "Heroes" was commercially successful, but performed worse in the US than in the UK.[92] Bowie promoted "Heroes" extensively, conducting numerous interviews and performing on various television programmes, including Marc, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas,[93] and Top of the Pops.[82]

1978: Isolar II Tour[]

Main article: Isolar II – The 1978 World Tour

After releasing "Heroes", Bowie spent much of 1978 on the Isolar II world tour, bringing the music of the first two Berlin Trilogy albums to almost a million people during 70 concerts in 12 countries. By now he had broken his drug addiction; biographer David Buckley writes that Isolar II was "Bowie's first tour for five years in which he had probably not anaesthetised himself with copious quantities of cocaine before taking the stage. ... Without the oblivion that drugs had brought, he was now in a healthy enough mental condition to want to make friends."[94] Tracks from both Low and "Heroes" were played on the tour.[95] Recordings from the tour were released on the live album Stage, released the same year,[96] and again from a different venue in 2018 on Welcome to the Blackout.[97] During this time he also portrayed the lead role in the David Hemmings film Just a Gigolo (1978), set in pre-Holocaust Berlin.[98]

1979: Lodger[]

Main article: Lodger (album)
Robert Fripp in 2007
Adrian Belew in 2017
Guitarists Robert Fripp (left) and Adrian Belew (right) performed lead guitar on "Heroes" and Lodger, respectively.

It was around the time of Lodger (1979) that Bowie began framing his previous two albums as the beginning of a Berlin-centered trilogy concluding with Lodger, largely as a marketing technique to support the unusual new album.[99] Compared to its two predecessors, Lodger abandons the electronic and ambient styles and the song/instrumental split that defined the two earlier works, in favour of more conventional song structures.[9] Instead, Lodger features a wide variety of musical styles, including new wave,[9] Middle Eastern music, reggae and krautrock.[100] Some of its musical textures, particularly on "African Night Flight",[101] have also been cited as presaging the popularity of world music.[99]

Lodger was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, with additional recording at the Record Plant in New York City.[102][103] Many of the same musicians from the previous records returned for the Lodger sessions,[99] with a new addition was future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew.[104] The sessions saw greater emphasis on Eno's Oblique Strategies cards:[99] "Boys Keep Swinging" entailed band members swapping instruments, "Move On" used the chords from Bowie's 1972 composition "All the Young Dudes" played backwards, and "Red Money" took backing tracks from The Idiot track "Sister Midnight".[105] Unlike "Heroes", the lyrics for Lodger were mostly written at a later date; they were unknown during the Mountain sessions.[106] The lyrics have been interpreted as covering two major themes— travel and critiques of Western civilisation on sides one and two, respectively.[105][107] Regarding side one's theme of travel, biographer Nicholas Pegg writes that the songs revive a "perennial motif" prevailing throughout the Berlin Trilogy, highlighting the line, "I've lived all over the world, I've left every place" from the Low track "Be My Wife",[108] pointing out the journey is both metaphorical and geographical.[107]

Lodger was released in May 1979,[109] almost two years after "Heroes".[100] Buckley notes that music videos and artists who were influenced by the music on Bowie's prior releases of the Berlin Trilogy, such as Gary Numan, had begun to gain popularity.[110][111] Although Lodger performed well commercially, Bowie was out-performed commercially by Numan throughout the year.[112][113] According to Buckley, Numan's fame indirectly led to Bowie taking a more pop-oriented direction for his next studio album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980), his first release after the Berlin Trilogy.[112]

Reception[]

The Berlin Trilogy initially received a mixed reception from music critics. Low divided critics;[69] some, including Rolling Stone and NME were negative,[114][115] while others, including Billboard and Sounds magazine, were positive.[116][117] "Heroes" was the most well-received work of the trilogy initially,[118] with NME and Melody Maker naming it their Album of the Year.[83][119] Lodger was the worst-received initially,[120] with Rolling Stone calling it one of Bowie's weakest releases to date.[121] Although all three albums reached the top five in the UK charts,[1] they overall proved less commercially successful than Bowie's earlier records. Buckley writes that with his next album Scary Monsters, Bowie achieved "the perfect balance" of creativity and mainstream success.[122]

Considered by Wilcken to be ahead of its time,[123] Low is now considered one of Bowie's greatest and most innovative records.[124][125] The Quietus argues that Bowie created the blueprint "reinvention" album with Low, a record from an artist at the peak of their popularity that confounded the listening public's expectations, furthermore "challeng[ing] the idea of what an album could be, in its structure and in its ingredients", a feat that wouldn't be achieved again until the release of Radiohead's Kid A (2000).[126] Billboard similarly notes that it wasn't until Kid A that rock and electronic would once again meet and move forward in such a mature fashion.[127]

Although "Heroes" was the best-received work of the Berlin Trilogy on release, in subsequent decades critical and public opinion has typically fallen in favour of Low as the more ground-breaking record owing to its daring experimental achievements. Pegg writes that the album is rather seen as an extension or refinement of its predecessor's achievements rather than a "definitive new work". It has nonetheless been regarded as one of Bowie's best and most influential works.[83][128] Although regarded as the weakest of the Berlin Trilogy on release,[129][100] Lodger has come to be considered as one of Bowie's most underrated works.[130][131]

Bowie would later call the music of the trilogy his "DNA".[132] Consequence of Sound characterised the trilogy as an "art rock trifecta".[1] In 2020, Classic Rock History ranked the entire Berlin Trilogy as Bowie's seventh greatest work, calling the three albums a "fascinating chapter" in Bowie's life.[133]

Influence[]

The Berlin Trilogy is regarded by commentators as among the most innovative work of Bowie's career.[134] Both Low and The Idiot have been considered major influences on the post-punk genre.[135][136] Low has also been regarded by Stylus Magazine as being a crucial influence on the post-rock genre, which would come to prominence among underground musicians nearly two decades after the album's release.[137] Commentators have cited Joy Division, an English post-punk band who formed in the months between the releases of Low and The Idiot,[138] as having been influenced by both albums.[30][139][140] Joy Division themselves have acknowledged Low's influence on the band; their original name was "Warsaw", a reference to the Low track "Warszawa".[141] The band's drummer, Stephen Morris, told Uncut magazine in 2001 that when making their 1978 An Ideal for Living EP, the band requested the engineer try to imitate Low's drum sound, who couldn't.[142] Like Morris, many musicians, producers and engineers tried to imitate Low's drum sound. Visconti, refused to explain how he did it, instead asking them how they thought it had been done.[123] Commentators would later recognise a wide array of artists who were influenced by Low, including the Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Arcade Fire, Gary Numan, Devo, Ultravox, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Magazine, Gang of Four and Wire.[139][143][144][111] Robert Smith of the Cure and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails have also acknowledged Low's influence on their respective records Seventeen Seconds (1980) and The Downward Spiral (1994).[145][146]

Artists inspired by "Heroes" include Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who referred to the "unconscious influence" of Bowie on his singing style,[147] Vince Clarke, who called it a "rebellion inspiration",[148] Ian Astbury of the Cult[149] and Robyn Hitchcock.[150] John Lennon and U2 have also acknowledged the album's influence when making their records Double Fantasy (1980) and Achtung Baby (1991), respectively.[83][151]

Lodger's use of world music has been cited by Trynka as influential on Talking Heads and Spandau Ballet,[152] while Spitz views it as influential on Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980) and Paul Simon's Graceland (1986).[153] In the 1990s, Britpop bands Blur and Oasis would use aspects of Lodger tracks in their own recordings, including the former's 1997 single "M.O.R." and the latter's 1996 single "Don't Look Back in Anger".[154][155][156]

Philip Glass symphonies[]

A black and white photo of an older man with glasses
American composer Philip Glass (pictured in 1993) composed three different symphonies based on the Berlin Trilogy. The symphonies were released in 1992, 1997 and 2019.

In 1992, American composer and pianist Philip Glass composed a classical suite based on Low, titled "Low" Symphony. It was Glass's first symphony and consisted of three movements each based on three Low tracks. It was recorded by the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra at Glass's Looking Glass Studios in New York and released in 1993 through his Point Music label.[157] Speaking about the album, Glass stated: "They were doing what few other people were trying to do – which was to create an art within the realm of popular music. I listened to it constantly."[158] On his decision to create a symphony based on the record, Glass stated: "In the question of Bowie and Eno's original Low LP, to me there was no doubt that both talent and quality were evident there...My generation was sick to death of academics telling us what was good and what wasn't."[157] For the symphony, Glass used both original themes and themes from three of the record's instrumentals. The "Low" Symphony acknowledges Eno's contributions on the original record, and as such, portraits of Bowie, Eno and Glass appear on the album cover. Bowie was flattered by the symphony and gave unanimous praise to it, as does Pegg.[157]

In 1997, Glass adapted "Heroes" into a classical suite, titled "Heroes" Symphony.[159] The piece is separated into six movements, each named after tracks on "Heroes". Like its predecessor, Glass acknowledged Eno's contributions as equal to Bowie's on the original album and credited the movements to the two equally.[159] Unlike the "Low" Symphony, the "Heroes" Symphony was developed into a ballet by American choreographer Twyla Tharp. Both the ballet and Symphony were greeted with acclaim.[159] Glass described Low and "Heroes" as "part of the new classics of our time".[159]

Bowie and Glass remained in contact with each other until 2003 and discussed making a third symphony, which never came to fruition. After Bowie's death in 2016, Glass said the two had talked about adapting Lodger for the third symphony, adding that "the idea has not totally disappeared".[159] In January 2018, Glass announced the completion of a symphony based on Lodger. The work is Glass' 12th Symphony; it premiered in Los Angeles in January 2019. Like Glass's other adaptations, the "Lodger" Symphony is separated into seven movements, each named after tracks on Lodger. The symphony marked the completion of his trilogy of works based on the Berlin Trilogy.[160][161]

Later releases[]

The Berlin Trilogy, along with the live album Stage and Scary Monsters, was remastered in 2017 for Parlophone's A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.[162][163] Named after the Low track of the same name, it was released in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, as part of this compilation and then separately the following year. The box set also includes a new remix of Lodger by Visconti, which was approved by Bowie before his death in 2016.[164][165]

Both The Idiot and Lust for Life were expanded and remastered in 2020 for the seven-disc deluxe box set The Bowie Years. The set includes remastered versions of both albums along with outtakes, alternate mixes, and a 40-page booklet. The two original albums were also re-released individually, each paired with an additional album of live material to create separate stand-alone two-disc deluxe editions.[166]

See also[]

  • Christiane F. (soundtrack compilation of songs from the Berlin Trilogy and Station to Station)

Notes[]

  1. ^ Another Green World features songs with recognisable pop structures along with instrumental ambient tracks that reflect atmosphere and texture, properties Bowie would exhibit for Low.[25]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Goble, Blake; Blackard, Cap; Levy, Pat; Phillips, Lior; Sackllah, David (8 January 2016). "Ranking: Every David Bowie Album From Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  2. ^ Brown, Mick (10 January 2021) [14 December 1996]. "David Bowie, 25 years ago: 'I've done just about everything that it's possible to do'". The Telegraph (subscription required). Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. ^ Buckley 2005, p. 204.
  4. ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 375, 380–381.
  5. ^ Buckley 2005, p. 3.
  6. ^ Spitz 2009, p. 257.
  7. ^ Buckley 2005, p. 234.
  8. ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 380–381.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Mastropolo, Frank (11 January 2016). "The History of David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy: Low, "Heroes" and Lodger". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Buckley 2005, p. 257.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Pegg 2016, p. 383.
  12. ^ Seabrook 2008, pp. 59–61.
  13. ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 566–567.
  14. ^ Seabrook 2008, pp. 67–71.
  15. ^ Carr & Murray 1981, p. 11.
  16. ^ Sandford 1997, p. 158.
  17. ^ Roberts, Chris (29 July 1999). "David Bowie (1999)". Uncut. Retrieved 8 September 2021 – via Rock's Backpages Audio (subscription required).
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Seabrook 2008, p. 74.
  19. ^ McKinnon, Angus (13 September 1980). "The Future Isn't What It Used to Be". NME. pp. 32–35.
  20. ^ Seabrook 2008, pp. 110, 131.
  21. ^ Pegg 2016, p. 269.
  22. ^ Wilcken 2005, pp. 16–22.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Pegg 2016, p. 384.
  24. ^ Seabrook 2008, p. 56.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c Wilcken 2005, pp. 29–32.
  26. ^ Spitz 2009, p. 278.
  27. ^ Sandford 1997, p. 166.
  28. ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 266–267, 384.
  29. ^ Wilcken 2005, pp. 29–32, 54.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b c Pegg 2016, pp. 487–488.
  31. ^ Seabrook 2008, pp. 75–77.
  32. ^ Renshaw, David (11 January 2016). "Iggy Pop: 'David Bowie's friendship was the light of my life'". NME. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  33. ^ Buckley 2005, p. 259.
  34. ^ Seabrook 2008, pp. 79, 94.
  35. ^ Pegg 2016, p. 487.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Seabrook 2008, pp. 80–81.
  37. ^ Seabrook 2008, p. 102.
  38. ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 386–387.
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