A great, interesting and different video, Michael. I like how you put a lot of yourself and your personale history into it. More of this, please 👍 I went to Berlin in late 1975 driving through East Germany (from Denmark) - and even in a very shiny american car (a V8 Ford Mustang 1970 model belonging to my father). The trip thought East Germany was rather depressing: Grey suburbs, concrete 8 stories apartment blocks, a smell of burnt coal etc. But the car turned everybody's head... The East German border police almost split the car apart before we were crossing into West Berlin (mirrors underneath, back seat out, checking the fuel tank etc.). It was an enormous contrast to get into West Berlin: High pulse, lights, music and activity all over (and probably some more illegal things as well). It's not difficult to understand how this environment could be the base for something like "Low" and "Heroes".
Very interesting perspective. This is also my favorite Bowie period. Bowie was my first concert in 77, 78? He did the first half of the show from the Low album and then lots of Station to Station stuff. It was WONDERFUL!!
From Denmark- we went to Berlin on a school trip for a week in 1981. We sneaked out at night and found the Sound Discoteque from the film. That place was really big, with recording booths, cinema and so on. A lifetime experience. The Bowie album was kind of a soundtrack to it all.
Thank you Michael for the background on the Berlin atmosphere when Bowie was living there. Of course I love those albums and I am looking to get those UK originals one day. For now I’m glad to own the reissues collected in the box sets. Thanks for the comparisons.
Great video Michael! The Berlin trilogy is the defining moment in Bowie's career! The remasters are good but I'm so glad as a teenager I got the originals! Probably the most precious records I own! I've always been jealous of how German's feel about these records
I've watched this video three times, Michael, and I'm in awe of the impact of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy on your life and the Inpact on Berlin. WOW, it's So deep to hear others' struggles in the world, and how music in so many ways, is the global healer , no matter how bleak our collective experience may seem. I'm glad you found hope in Bowie's music as I've found inspiration in your story. Thank you 😊
I found Low in a used record shop in winter of 1984. I was 16 and suspended from high school for truancy and drug possession, really in the verge of expulsion. no one I knew had ever mentioned this album or any of the tracks on it at that time. I was not really talking to anyone for about 2 months and the LP became a very private friend until i went back to school.
Pure passion. David - Bowie Street in Berlin - Schöneberg. After an excessive phase, it was probably the longing for peace that led him there. Wonderful to be able to pursue this history of music sgain. ❤️Heike Thanks Michael.
Yes! 🙌🙌🙌🙌David Bowie my absolute favourite ever! 🤗🥰 I love all his music and I’ve loved listening to him talking about his time in Berlin ! He was very intelligent, a deep thinker, kind, empathetic, intuitive, wise ,funny and a master at everything he did! Wonderful what a gift! I loved everything yes very important Michael Great videos Michael 🙌🙌🤗🥰❤️💜❤️ 🤗 ❤️💜❤️
This is why. I feel this channel is coming full circle - original pressings, original stories. The human connections to the music and what was happening historically and personally. Its why I'll take the smell, feel and of course sound of my originals (or whatever copy I bought at the time). Yep, it's great to listen to an incredible UHQR - they are amazing, but they don' transport you the same way. I'm sure you could clean up a Jackson Pollack, but the best restorer and they could even add their own take. Get more people to see it - that's great. I just feel time is part of the story. Thanks Michael.
My favourites too. Lodger is such a diverse album and remember those singles being part of my youth. I never get tired of playing them and sound as fresh as they did all those years ago. Keep up your great work ❤
I found it so moving to hear you talk about the Berlin Trilogy and so refreshing to listen to the comments of one who was there at the time. It brings an interesting new perspective to the trilogy. Danke Sehr. I watch and follow many broadcasters on UA-cam on the topics of vinyl, hi-fi and audiophile recordings. I have only just discovered your channel and wish to let you know how much I am enjoying your broadcasts. You have very quickly become my favourite channel on UA-cam. Your passion for the music is a joy to watch and very infectious. Keep up the good work. Paul, England
Great video Michael..I developed a major obsession with Bowie earlier this year..The catalyst was Low..I never realized what an amazing album I had been ignoring for all these years…Heroes and Lodger became favs as well..loved your thoughts and insight..👍❤glen
Excellent as per usual, Michael. The Berlin albums were magnificent. My personal favourite period even though they might not be his best work. Revisionists in the comments can say what they like but the Berlin period will never stop being the most inspirational part of the Bowie cannon.
Thanks Michael. Great video! I feel very connected on how you describe the influence of Bowie on you life back then. As a 13 year old I began buying Bowie records starting with Scary Monsters which was released in 1980. But not long after that, being 15 or 16 yo I was pulled towards the Berlin Trilogy as did many of my friends. I do have a 1st UK pressing of Low. Somehow it showed up in my Bowie collection. I think a friend forgot to take it back home or so. I'm very attached to the records I bought myself back in the days. They represent so much more than just the music. They're part of who I was as a youngster, how my musical taste developed, they remind me of the friends I hang out with and so much more. That's why I stick to the ones I have. I always handled them with care and a few clicks and pops aside they still sound good.
The instrumental music on Low and Heroes is stunning. One individual shout out for a vocal track on Heroes which never seems to draw much discussion - “Joe The Lion” I think is fantastic!
Great video Michael. You see, that’s the beauty of music and art. Everyone has a connection and story. It’s like going back in time. It brings back memories and fillings. Bowie is number 1 on my list. I was born in Berlin and that’s my connection to this trilogy. For me. Today is special day. It’s my mom birthday and on this day 2015 Bowie announced Blackstar and did a Video for that song. We watched it together and my mom said “This man have infinitive inspiration. I never see or hear something like that “ Thanks for information about how the records sounds. I have all five boxes. But of course I will search for 1st uk pressings. It’s Bowie 😊 It was nice to meet you at the record fair. We talked shortly. No time, because we have to dig through the records. Cheers Michael!
I recall first hearing Helden on a bus in Dublin in about 1982 as a kid. Two punk rockers had a ghetto blaster and were playing it down the back of the top of the bus. That song always stuck with me, particularly the German language version. Teenage years were spent collecting every record Bowie made that I could get hold of and Heroes /Low always stood out. I went many years ago and found the Hansa studios, waited outside and when someone came out I went in and got into the great hall room there. I didn't know until much later that a lot of other artists recorded there too and many epic songs came out of that place. Such an amazing talent and what an incredible period of time.
This period of Bowie is one of his most important periods he used the Krautrock influences and added his own spin to push the boundaries of rock further to the stratospheres awesome episode Michael this trilogy is my favorite. This is what lead me to collecting the German Krautrock band prior .
"Heroes" was the first Bowie LP I bought - on the day of its release. It totally transformed my view of music for ever from the first time I put it on the turntable as soon as I returned home that day, from the first notes of B&TBeast, it completely rewired my brain, and even I think had a physical and total emotional effect on my body and mind. Bowie took me in my mind's eye straight to Berlin itself right beneath the Wall from the seclusion of my bedroom, and I've had an everlasting (and perhaps admitedly romanticised) fascination with the city since then even though I've never visited - something I must do before I depart this world.... Bowie, via his music, then proceeded to take me on journey to the past and the future, from this world and also of course you might say in a way to the stars. I think he's been the single most spiritual influence on my life and my thiniking, and I'll always be grateful to him for that.
One of your best. Nice personal connection and back story to the records. Please, more of these in depth themed videos as you did with a Kraftwerk and Neu.
Thank you for the history in the write-up description. I need to take a deep dive into all three. I don't have Low or Lodger on vinyl but I'll keep my eyes peeled for them.
thanks for the video. I love Bowie. Not everything .. Some is much better than other. But 90 % i love. Especially the Berlin trilogy . Two tumbs up !!!
The first 2 CDs I bought when that new technology was introduced were "Heroes" and Brian Eno Thursday Afternoon. I have been pondering the purchase of A New Career in a New Town for sometime. I hope your review of the quality of the new vinyl was inclusive of that box set my fine Dusseldorf and occasional Berlin visiting friend! "Heroes" is tied for my favorite song (admittedly its a 72 way tie but still!) and oddly I consider it almost a Robert Fripp-Brian Eno song with Bowie vocals! bis zum nächsten Mal
Someone wrote that his band from this period - Station to Station to Scary Monsters - is the best unnamed rock band in history. Dennis Davis on drums, George Murray on bass, Carlos Alomar on guitar and a rotating cast of incredibly creative lead guitarists.
What a beautiful and absolutely fascinating background about Berlin. These albums must have a truly profound meaning for you. I don't have the UK originals of those (I have the 1st US pressings) but I do have a lovely UK pressing of Diamond Dogs (my favourite Bowie album) that I was just listening to today. It sounded FANTASTIC! 👍 I believe Eno produce both Low and Heroes, I THINK that is why they have a very different sound than even Lodger and other Bowie albums. I didn't know about The Idiot in relation to the Berlin Trilogy. I will have to give that another listen soon 😊 I wonder if I should ask Dave whether he thinks there is much difference between the 1st US pressing of Heroes vs. the 1st UK pressing. I should ask him...
Was scrolling through YT on Saturday night after a long day and saw you posted this vid... thought to myself "why is he revisting those albums again? Hasn't he done that already?" (it was a long day) - then realized it was one of your OG comparisons. Very much enjoyed your narrative on Berlin. I think my irth year is one prior to yours... when I was a (young) Teen I suddenly found myself away at school - outside Frankfurt in '78. It was a different time back then. I was the youngest amongst my room mates/school mates and the older students made a trip to Berlin and I've been fascinated with the city and it's history ever since hearing the stories upon their return. Maybe it started when I was too young to be watching Cabaret ... or maybe it was the Trilogy? I don't know, but to this day I've not yet made it to Berlin. Perhaps next year as a visit with family in the Netherlands in under discussion.
Bowie was the master at synthesizing musical styles but after he had exausted them came his 80s material and it kind of exposed him as bring devoid of any inherent originality. He was a master of picking a style and giving it his particular take, none the less.
I was born and raised in Berlin (West). It's hard to believe, but the wall that surrounded us was normal for us. Nevertheless, Berlin was always borderless for us (quite different than for the Berliners on the other side of the Wall). We didn't care about helicopters over the city. We didn't pay attention to them. Berlin was gray in winter and green in summer. The role of Bowie for Berlin and Berlin culture at that time is now clearly exaggerated. Yes, Berlin was happy to welcome everyone from the outside, but then didn't pay too much attention to them. In the end, Bowie's time in Berlin hardly left any traces in the city, except maybe a few stories about his visits to the "Dschungel" discotheque and, much later, a commemorative plaque on Hauptstr. 155 in Schöneberg (he lived there with Iggy Pop). Even if the records of the trilogy certainly represent milestones then as now, their importance for the Berlin music scene in the years 1977-1979 was not as great as is often said today. It was registered that he was there. It was registered that he left. Both were somehow ok.
OK so now I watched the complete video and I have to say kudos; you spoke with passion and authority on a subject which is clearly close to your heart and I like that. My Bowie history is a subject for another time but I was fascinated with your insight of your time in Berlin especially because at the same time I was a young English guy just buying my next Bowie record a 1000 km away. Life's good isn't it?
Came for the Bowie, stayed for the Berlin history. "Low" is a pretty divisive record and many people didn't like it. I had the chance to talk to his ex girlfriend, Ava Cherry, who sang backup on "Young Americans" and introduced him to Luther Vandross a few years ago. She was a regular customer of mine in Chicago. I asked her how she felt about Low and she told me she hated it. It was just too drugged out for her.
There is a wonderful little book about Bowie in Berlin, so well written and researched, capturing the odd fascination with Bowie after his world-famous guise as Ziggy and the passing of glamrock- - now living in an apartment building opening onto the main street, no bodyguards, no security, just Bowie on a bike. HEROES: DAVID BOWIE AND BERLIN, by Tobias Ruther. You can still get it at a very cheap price but don;t let the cheap price fool you about its value, it's a great little book. (There's another 'Bowie In Berlin' book, by Thomas Seabrook, but I have not read that yet.) (There's even a 'Where's Bowie?' Berlin jigsaw puzzle you can buy. I'm not necessarily recommending the Bowie Berlin jigsaw, just noticing it.)
Great Video, 3 must have Albums. By the way, Lodger is recorded in Montreux, Switzerland and New York City. On his album " The Next Day" in the song "Where Are We Now?" Berlin plays a role again. I also prefer the OG's.
The timing of this video is so funny. Almost bought a German copy of Lodger today. Sadly the cover was rough because the vinyl was nm. I was 17 when Low came out and I instantly loved that lp. The following year Heroes came out and he toured the world. I saw one the Madison Sq Garden shows and loved it. Unfortunately it was the only time I ever saw Bowie live. I wasn’t a huge fan of his 80’s lps. Much like so many other classic rockers the 80’s were a difficult time. He like most of the others will recover in the 90’s. Except for Tin Machine which was terrible. Anyway great lps and well worth grabbing when you can.
Thank you for sharing your memories of this important time, not only in music but world history. I love catching up with your videos and thoughts on originals vs remasters. I for one prefer at least 80% originals vs remasters of my collection. Did you ever listen to the German originals of Bowie compared to the U.K originals? 6 years ago I visited Berlin, I did the compulsory David Bowie tours to see his old apartment and Cafe Neufer (sorry I spelt that wrongly). What a City! My visit to the Hansa studios was incredible for me, to be in the room where David recorded his vocals and composed some stuff. Thank you for bringing this back to my thoughts today. Best wishes 🙂
Hello. It was wonderful to hear the thoughts of German citizen who knew Berlin at the time. But even I, a teenager growing up in the suburbs outside Montreal Canada connected with these albums. Such is the universality of music. I wholeheartedly agree the Iggy Pops The Idiot should be included. It is as much a Bowie album as an Iggy album. Bowie himself left an obvious clue that The Idiot is very much a part of the Berlin Period in that he reused the music of Sister Midnight, the opening track on the Idiot on the final and closing track of Lodger: Red Money, with the lyric “project cancelled.” To me this very clearly brings the cycle of albums full circle and to a close very neatly. On a personal note, I was 15 in January 1977 when Low was released. A shy, awkward, insecure and gay teen with a very unhappy home and school life. I was depressed and having suicidal thoughts, but when I heard Low Bowie had given me a lifeline. I could not bear to miss what he might do next. I was not disappointed.
Excellent video. But.... I'm Dutch, you're German, so pretty much "family"..😉 plus are of the samen age (around 55). You really missed one legendary Bowie influencer of that time: the movie " Christiane F. Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo". I saw it in the cinema in 81 and the story and especially the music ( All Bowie, Berlin albums , eveything was about Bowie) blew my mind.. Please , do not forget, or underestimate this major influence!
Tip Michael. Please watch the apple music Neil Young Rick Rubin interview about his latest album. Interesting also regard analogue / digital creating this album. Is available on the apple music UA-cam channel
Hi Michael I don't know if you noticed in your copy of Low, but mine comes with a distortion on side 2, track 2. Its on the right channel of what seems to be a grand piano. Only in this instrument. Another printing issue? After all the problems with Animals is too bad!
Low is the best of Bowie's discs.Sexy,heavy,nasty....yeah! real! Something Bowie avoided most of his weird career. Did Bowie ever reveal who he was? Thanks for the history,Michael.I started college in NYC in 1971.I was into the music since middle school and your observations were enlightening about an important musical and social time,the transition from psychedelia to punk!Cheers,Chet
'Station to Station' is a brilliant album but Bowie was in terrible shape whilst recording it. His move to Berlin brought him down to earth after LA. He lived a comparatively normal life there after the excesses of LA. Although only Heroes was a purely Berlin album, the other two were heavily influenced by his Berlin experience. As a big fan of Cluster and Roedelius in particular, I can appreciate how their music influenced Eno and in turn Bowie. 'Low' is my favourite out of the three but 'Heroes' follows closely behind. 'Lodger' is not on a par with the earlier two in my opinion but is still a very interesting album.
Low was recorded in France and Berlin, Heroes completely in Berlin and Lodger Switzerland/NYC and some Berlin. Eno’s influence was just so major. Those massive box lp rereleases and nearly all the Bowie remaster catalog have been a disaster. Fortunately they are getting better with new studio session lp boxes.. A true disgrace to one of the most icon artists of all time. A missed opportunity of massive proportions A friend has the 3 lp boxes (i own the cd versions). The lps sound wooly - no air, blanket over the proceedings, etched and lacking detail. What were they thinking putting these out? Uk originals really bring out the organic nature of these 3 albums which always appeared to have a metallic instrument sheen (the choice of sound and instruments) on the US 70s rca releases. I bought UK and Japanese Bowie in the late 70s and completed the last of my UK first releases in 2005 way before they became expensive These UK originals are totally different albums with so much air, separation, texture, emotion. Just wow. I first time I heard Warsawa on my upgraded 2000s system I nearly cried It was so emotional My son teaches music in Berlin and I just got back from visiting him (my first time). Of course I did a pilgrimage to David’s flat and Hansa Studios - both have a nice memento aspect The city still has that feel after 35 years and the Moonage Daydream documentary is a must see
Are you really sure that this new records are the 2017 remasters? I have the CD-versions and my observation is, that with these albums the recent Bowie-remasters went downhill, because all three albums are now more bass heavy than ever before. The worst is Low, which sounds more like a remix, the amount of bass they added here is insane. But also Heroes and Lodger got way too much bass. I'm lucky that I have the 1984 RCA CDs, which are still the best. But if these remasters are the same on CD and Vinyl, I wonder why this problem didn't come to your attention, or they're not the same, which is more likely.
I’m sorry but Dave has let you down. I bought the UK Bowie Heroes on day of release. It came with a “tan” coloured RCA label. The reason being that they were pressed in Spain. That same time Elvis Presley had died. Because of Presley’s death every UK pressing plant was full pressing Elvis albums so the masters were sent to Spain to be pressed there. I have my original Heroes on Tan RCA and picked up another one last week. The orange labels releases came after the tan label.
Brit Pop painter Derek Boshier, contemporary of R.B. Kitaj did the cover art for "Lodger". Of the three records, "Lodger" is my favorite. PS - a music video of Joseph Beuys' "Sonne statt Reagan" from 1982 ua-cam.com/video/n1rrkHh6Y9U/v-deo.html
@@Michael45RPM OK so let's try briefly once more and see if this shortened version works: there is a great book all about Bowie's time in Berlin which in my view is essential reading and is titled of course bowie in berlin. When David died I created a very personal homage which can be viewed over at my other full time hobby called valmy images and is called Bowie & Me 1971-2016. Right let's see if that works.....
I wrote my comments on the sound of the records before watching your video I don’t like the new copies - they are really bad and take the lifeblood out of the music Stick w vanilla later UK US RCAs if initial specifically first pressings are not in the cards Nice experience flying into Berlin in the 70s and your friendship The 3 albums are also grouped as the Berlin Trilogy because of Eno. He had yet to work w Cluster that would come later the next year but Brian was certainly drawing from the German scene Bowie liked to have the last song of an album segue into his next change of direction Station to Station - Wild is the Wind Low - subterraneans Heroes - the secret Life of Arabia Lodger - Red Money (maybe two albums ahead to Let’s Dance Red Shoes Red Money
A great, interesting and different video, Michael. I like how you put a lot of yourself and your personale history into it. More of this, please 👍
I went to Berlin in late 1975 driving through East Germany (from Denmark) - and even in a very shiny american car (a V8 Ford Mustang 1970 model belonging to my father).
The trip thought East Germany was rather depressing: Grey suburbs, concrete 8 stories apartment blocks, a smell of burnt coal etc. But the car turned everybody's head... The East German border police almost split the car apart before we were crossing into West Berlin (mirrors underneath, back seat out, checking the fuel tank etc.).
It was an enormous contrast to get into West Berlin: High pulse, lights, music and activity all over (and probably some more illegal things as well). It's not difficult to understand how this environment could be the base for something like "Low" and "Heroes".
Very interesting perspective. This is also my favorite Bowie period. Bowie was my first concert in 77, 78? He did the first half of the show from the Low album and then lots of Station to Station stuff. It was WONDERFUL!!
Low is one of my all time favorite albums & it's influence is undeniable. I never tire of it.
From Denmark- we went to Berlin on a school trip for a week in 1981. We sneaked out at night and found the Sound Discoteque from the film. That place was really big, with recording booths, cinema and so on. A lifetime experience. The Bowie album was kind of a soundtrack to it all.
One of your best videos. Always great to hear a personal story connected to music.
Thank you Michael for the background on the Berlin atmosphere when Bowie was living there. Of course I love those albums and I am looking to get those UK originals one day. For now I’m glad to own the reissues collected in the box sets. Thanks for the comparisons.
Great video Michael! The Berlin trilogy is the defining moment in Bowie's career! The remasters are good but I'm so glad as a teenager I got the originals! Probably the most precious records I own! I've always been jealous of how German's feel about these records
I've watched this video three times, Michael, and I'm in awe of the impact of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy on your life and the Inpact on Berlin. WOW, it's So deep to hear others' struggles in the world, and how music in so many ways, is the global healer , no matter how bleak our collective experience may seem. I'm glad you found hope in Bowie's music as I've found inspiration in your story. Thank you 😊
I found Low in a used record shop in winter of 1984. I was 16 and suspended from high school for truancy and drug possession, really in the verge of expulsion.
no one I knew had ever mentioned this album or any of the tracks on it at that time. I was not really talking to anyone for about 2 months and the LP became a very private friend until i went back to school.
Nice one, Michael45. In my opinion these are the three best Bowie albums.
Pure Emotion....love...love...
Bowie...!!!!
Tanks Michael
Pure passion.
David - Bowie Street in Berlin - Schöneberg.
After an excessive phase, it was probably the longing for peace that led him there.
Wonderful to be able to pursue this history of music sgain.
❤️Heike
Thanks Michael.
Wonderful insight into these albums Michael, I am Lucky enough to have both OGs from New Zealand. it might be a Bowie Sunday here today I think.
Yes! 🙌🙌🙌🙌David Bowie my absolute favourite ever! 🤗🥰 I love all his music and I’ve loved listening to him talking about his time in Berlin ! He was very intelligent, a deep thinker, kind, empathetic, intuitive, wise ,funny and a master at everything he did!
Wonderful what a gift!
I loved everything yes very important Michael
Great videos Michael 🙌🙌🤗🥰❤️💜❤️
🤗 ❤️💜❤️
This is why. I feel this channel is coming full circle - original pressings, original stories. The human connections to the music and what was happening historically and personally. Its why I'll take the smell, feel and of course sound of my originals (or whatever copy I bought at the time). Yep, it's great to listen to an incredible UHQR - they are amazing, but they don' transport you the same way. I'm sure you could clean up a Jackson Pollack, but the best restorer and they could even add their own take. Get more people to see it - that's great. I just feel time is part of the story. Thanks Michael.
Hearing about Bowie makes me Happy!!
My favourites too. Lodger is such a diverse album and remember those singles being part of my youth. I never get tired of playing them and sound as fresh as they did all those years ago. Keep up your great work ❤
Heroes was my personal anthem when I was in college. It’s still my favorite song.
I found it so moving to hear you talk about the Berlin Trilogy and so refreshing to listen to the comments of one who was there at the time. It brings an interesting new perspective to the trilogy.
Danke Sehr.
I watch and follow many broadcasters on UA-cam on the topics of vinyl, hi-fi and audiophile recordings. I have only just discovered your channel and wish to let you know how much I am enjoying your broadcasts. You have very quickly become my favourite channel on UA-cam. Your passion for the music is a joy to watch and very infectious. Keep up the good work. Paul, England
Buchtip: Tobias Rüther...Helden: David Bowie und Berlin. Der perfekte Deep Dive in Bowies Jahre in Berlin
Great video Michael..I developed a major obsession with Bowie earlier this year..The catalyst was Low..I never realized what an amazing album I had been ignoring for all these years…Heroes and Lodger became favs as well..loved your thoughts and insight..👍❤glen
Thank you, Michael. Really enjoyed this.
Great background story! It really puts these records in a very important context. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent as per usual, Michael. The Berlin albums were magnificent. My personal favourite period even though they might not be his best work. Revisionists in the comments can say what they like but the Berlin period will never stop being the most inspirational part of the Bowie cannon.
Thanks Michael. Great video! I feel very connected on how you describe the influence of Bowie on you life back then. As a 13 year old I began buying Bowie records starting with Scary Monsters which was released in 1980. But not long after that, being 15 or 16 yo I was pulled towards the Berlin Trilogy as did many of my friends. I do have a 1st UK pressing of Low. Somehow it showed up in my Bowie collection. I think a friend forgot to take it back home or so.
I'm very attached to the records I bought myself back in the days. They represent so much more than just the music. They're part of who I was as a youngster, how my musical taste developed, they remind me of the friends I hang out with and so much more. That's why I stick to the ones I have. I always handled them with care and a few clicks and pops aside they still sound good.
The instrumental music on Low and Heroes is stunning. One individual shout out for a vocal track on Heroes which never seems to draw much discussion - “Joe The Lion” I think is fantastic!
Wonderful overview. That live version of Heroes on UA-cam is the absolute best
Great video Michael! The legacy of David Bowie, my favorite musical artist, lives on.
The best is yet to come! ❤️💜❤️🙏🌍
Very intimate look inside these titles for you Michael, Thank You.
Great video Michael. You see, that’s the beauty of music and art. Everyone has a connection and story. It’s like going back in time. It brings back memories and fillings.
Bowie is number 1 on my list. I was born in Berlin and that’s my connection to this trilogy.
For me. Today is special day. It’s my mom birthday and on this day 2015 Bowie announced Blackstar and did a Video for that song. We watched it together and my mom said “This man have infinitive inspiration. I never see or hear something like that “
Thanks for information about how the records sounds. I have all five boxes. But of course I will search for 1st uk pressings. It’s Bowie 😊
It was nice to meet you at the record fair. We talked shortly. No time, because we have to dig through the records.
Cheers Michael!
Great video Michael. I love the Bowie Berlin Trilogy, and especially Low. I also appreciated your take on the city of Berlin.
Your best video to date - fabulous insights into Berlin at the time. Great city, great trilogy. Genius artist.
Great that you shared your personal experiences. Berlin, eine Reise wert!
This is one of the best reviews I’ve seen from you. I like the personal touch.
I recall first hearing Helden on a bus in Dublin in about 1982 as a kid. Two punk rockers had a ghetto blaster and were playing it down the back of the top of the bus. That song always stuck with me, particularly the German language version. Teenage years were spent collecting every record Bowie made that I could get hold of and Heroes /Low always stood out. I went many years ago and found the Hansa studios, waited outside and when someone came out I went in and got into the great hall room there. I didn't know until much later that a lot of other artists recorded there too and many epic songs came out of that place. Such an amazing talent and what an incredible period of time.
This period of Bowie is one of his most important periods he used the Krautrock influences and added his own spin to push the boundaries of rock further to the stratospheres awesome episode Michael this trilogy is my favorite. This is what lead me to collecting the German Krautrock band prior .
Well done, one of your best videos!
Thanks for sharing. I have Heroes of those 3 and it's great. I always enjoy your stories behind the albums, great video.
"Heroes" was the first Bowie LP I bought - on the day of its release. It totally transformed my view of music for ever from the first time I put it on the turntable as soon as I returned home that day, from the first notes of B&TBeast, it completely rewired my brain, and even I think had a physical and total emotional effect on my body and mind. Bowie took me in my mind's eye straight to Berlin itself right beneath the Wall from the seclusion of my bedroom, and I've had an everlasting (and perhaps admitedly romanticised) fascination with the city since then even though I've never visited - something I must do before I depart this world.... Bowie, via his music, then proceeded to take me on journey to the past and the future, from this world and also of course you might say in a way to the stars. I think he's been the single most spiritual influence on my life and my thiniking, and I'll always be grateful to him for that.
One of your best. Nice personal connection and back story to the records. Please, more of these in depth themed videos as you did with a Kraftwerk and Neu.
the best records he ever did. i loved Christane F. and all this drug stuff around this time.
Thank you for the history in the write-up description. I need to take a deep dive into all three. I don't have Low or Lodger on vinyl but I'll keep my eyes peeled for them.
I love the story more than albums. Thanks Michael.👍🙂
Great video, love the context provided regarding living in Berlin on that era
I usually lump in the Ig’s Lust For Life and Bowie’s Scary Monsters into Bowie’s Berlin Era, in addition to the albums you mentioned. All classics.
Side two of Heroes is an all timer for me…
I definitely Include “the idiot” into the trilogy
Michael, Great content. My favourite music in my favourite city. I'm glad l lived through it. Thank you
thanks for the video. I love Bowie. Not everything .. Some is much better than other. But 90 % i love. Especially the Berlin trilogy . Two tumbs up !!!
Wonderful video. I learned a few things. Thank you, Michael.
Love the 3-D glasses!
Bowie in Berlin. Recorded at the Hansa or Mansa Studio by the Wall. Great episode Michael.
Thank you for your personal insight, I enjoyed your video very much.
Really great video. Learned a lot watching this one about the time period and regional significance
Great video Michael, “the black leather jacket was something you really needed at that time “ 😎😎😎
There's a documentary of sorts with Tony Visconti out there. The positioning of mics in hallways and restrooms made those albums special.
The first 2 CDs I bought when that new technology was introduced were "Heroes" and Brian Eno Thursday Afternoon. I have been pondering the purchase of A New Career in a New Town for sometime. I hope your review of the quality of the new vinyl was inclusive of that box set my fine Dusseldorf and occasional Berlin visiting friend! "Heroes" is tied for my favorite song (admittedly its a 72 way tie but still!) and oddly I consider it almost a Robert Fripp-Brian Eno song with Bowie vocals! bis zum nächsten Mal
Someone wrote that his band from this period - Station to Station to Scary Monsters - is the best unnamed rock band in history. Dennis Davis on drums, George Murray on bass, Carlos Alomar on guitar and a rotating cast of incredibly creative lead guitarists.
What a beautiful and absolutely fascinating background about Berlin. These albums must have a truly profound meaning for you. I don't have the UK originals of those (I have the 1st US pressings) but I do have a lovely UK pressing of Diamond Dogs (my favourite Bowie album) that I was just listening to today. It sounded FANTASTIC! 👍 I believe Eno produce both Low and Heroes, I THINK that is why they have a very different sound than even Lodger and other Bowie albums. I didn't know about The Idiot in relation to the Berlin Trilogy. I will have to give that another listen soon 😊 I wonder if I should ask Dave whether he thinks there is much difference between the 1st US pressing of Heroes vs. the 1st UK pressing. I should ask him...
Was scrolling through YT on Saturday night after a long day and saw you posted this vid... thought to myself "why is he revisting those albums again? Hasn't he done that already?" (it was a long day) - then realized it was one of your OG comparisons. Very much enjoyed your narrative on Berlin. I think my irth year is one prior to yours... when I was a (young) Teen I suddenly found myself away at school - outside Frankfurt in '78. It was a different time back then. I was the youngest amongst my room mates/school mates and the older students made a trip to Berlin and I've been fascinated with the city and it's history ever since hearing the stories upon their return. Maybe it started when I was too young to be watching Cabaret ... or maybe it was the Trilogy? I don't know, but to this day I've not yet made it to Berlin. Perhaps next year as a visit with family in the Netherlands in under discussion.
Bowie was the master at synthesizing musical styles but after he had exausted them came his 80s material and it kind of exposed him as bring devoid of any inherent originality.
He was a master of picking a style and giving it his particular take, none the less.
Fantastic
I was born and raised in Berlin (West). It's hard to believe, but the wall that surrounded us was normal for us. Nevertheless, Berlin was always borderless for us (quite different than for the Berliners on the other side of the Wall). We didn't care about helicopters over the city. We didn't pay attention to them. Berlin was gray in winter and green in summer. The role of Bowie for Berlin and Berlin culture at that time is now clearly exaggerated. Yes, Berlin was happy to welcome everyone from the outside, but then didn't pay too much attention to them. In the end, Bowie's time in Berlin hardly left any traces in the city, except maybe a few stories about his visits to the "Dschungel" discotheque and, much later, a commemorative plaque on Hauptstr. 155 in Schöneberg (he lived there with Iggy Pop). Even if the records of the trilogy certainly represent milestones then as now, their importance for the Berlin music scene in the years 1977-1979 was not as great as is often said today. It was registered that he was there. It was registered that he left. Both were somehow ok.
OK so now I watched the complete video and I have to say kudos; you spoke with passion and authority on a subject which is clearly close to your heart and I like that. My Bowie history is a subject for another time but I was fascinated with your insight of your time in Berlin especially because at the same time I was a young English guy just buying my next Bowie record a 1000 km away. Life's good isn't it?
Came for the Bowie, stayed for the Berlin history. "Low" is a pretty divisive record and many people didn't like it. I had the chance to talk to his ex girlfriend, Ava Cherry, who sang backup on "Young Americans" and introduced him to Luther Vandross a few years ago. She was a regular customer of mine in Chicago. I asked her how she felt about Low and she told me she hated it. It was just too drugged out for her.
This may be controversial but I really like the 1991 "Sound + Vision" remasters, they also come with great bonus tracks.
All of it brilliant innovative
heroes the track is definitely special. as the albums are. but the track is something else. Robert fripp guitar is iconic in true sense.
Great video 👌
There is a wonderful little book about Bowie in Berlin, so well written and researched, capturing the odd fascination with Bowie after his world-famous guise as Ziggy and the passing of glamrock- - now living in an apartment building opening onto the main street, no bodyguards, no security, just Bowie on a bike. HEROES: DAVID BOWIE AND BERLIN, by Tobias Ruther. You can still get it at a very cheap price but don;t let the cheap price fool you about its value, it's a great little book.
(There's another 'Bowie In Berlin' book, by Thomas Seabrook, but I have not read that yet.)
(There's even a 'Where's Bowie?' Berlin jigsaw puzzle you can buy. I'm not necessarily recommending the Bowie Berlin jigsaw, just noticing it.)
I’ve gone through many copies of Low, but I can’t find one that isn’t noisy.
Great Video, 3 must have Albums. By the way, Lodger is recorded in Montreux, Switzerland and New York City. On his album " The Next Day" in the song "Where Are We Now?" Berlin plays a role again. I also prefer the OG's.
The timing of this video is so funny. Almost bought a German copy of Lodger today. Sadly the cover was rough because the vinyl was nm.
I was 17 when Low came out and I instantly loved that lp. The following year Heroes came out and he toured the world. I saw one the Madison Sq Garden shows and loved it. Unfortunately it was the only time I ever saw Bowie live. I wasn’t a huge fan of his 80’s lps. Much like so many other classic rockers the 80’s were a difficult time. He like most of the others will recover in the 90’s. Except for Tin Machine which was terrible.
Anyway great lps and well worth grabbing when you can.
Thank you for sharing your memories of this important time, not only in music but world history.
I love catching up with your videos and thoughts on originals vs remasters.
I for one prefer at least 80% originals vs remasters of my collection.
Did you ever listen to the German originals of Bowie compared to the U.K originals?
6 years ago I visited Berlin, I did the compulsory David Bowie tours to see his old apartment and Cafe Neufer (sorry I spelt that wrongly).
What a City!
My visit to the Hansa studios was incredible for me, to be in the room where David recorded his vocals and composed some stuff.
Thank you for bringing this back to my thoughts today.
Best wishes 🙂
Thx for your amazing videos. Is it possible to post the discogs links to the releases in the future? Sometimes I get lost there. Cheers!
Hello. It was wonderful to hear the thoughts of German citizen who knew Berlin at the time. But even I, a teenager growing up in the suburbs outside Montreal Canada connected with these albums. Such is the universality of music. I wholeheartedly agree the Iggy Pops The Idiot should be included. It is as much a Bowie album as an Iggy album. Bowie himself left an obvious clue that The Idiot is very much a part of the Berlin Period in that he reused the music of Sister Midnight, the opening track on the Idiot on the final and closing track of Lodger: Red Money, with the lyric “project cancelled.” To me this very clearly brings the cycle of albums full circle and to a close very neatly. On a personal note, I was 15 in January 1977 when Low was released. A shy, awkward, insecure and gay teen with a very unhappy home and school life. I was depressed and having suicidal thoughts, but when I heard Low Bowie had given me a lifeline. I could not bear to miss what he might do next. I was not disappointed.
Excellent video.
But....
I'm Dutch, you're German, so pretty much "family"..😉 plus are of the samen age (around 55).
You really missed one legendary Bowie influencer of that time: the movie " Christiane F. Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo".
I saw it in the cinema in 81 and the story and especially the music ( All Bowie, Berlin albums , eveything was about Bowie) blew my mind..
Please , do not forget, or underestimate this major influence!
thats true, the reason may be that i was forced to read the book in school..... i hated it
@@Michael45RPM 😆
@@Michael45RPM but in the book there was no Bowie!😉
The movie is full of Bowie..
I am kinda excited about Jean Michel Jarre concerts in China 40th douple cd and LP have you heard anything ?? especially the mastering. Thank You
I love the Berlin trilogy. I’ve often thought that Eno brought in Robert Fripp for “Eno > Rockstar” translation😂
Totally agree
Tip Michael. Please watch the apple music Neil Young Rick Rubin interview about his latest album. Interesting also regard analogue / digital creating this album. Is available on the apple music UA-cam channel
Good call Michael on the Idiot. Let’s start calling it the “Berlin Quadrilogy” here on 45 RPM Audiophile.
Hi Michael I don't know if you noticed in your copy of Low, but mine comes with a distortion on side 2, track 2. Its on the right channel of what seems to be a grand piano. Only in this instrument. Another printing issue? After all the problems with Animals is too bad!
I mean the 45th anniversary special release
Low is the best of Bowie's discs.Sexy,heavy,nasty....yeah! real! Something Bowie avoided most of his weird career. Did Bowie ever reveal who he was? Thanks for the history,Michael.I started college in NYC in 1971.I was into the music since middle school and your observations were enlightening about an important musical and social time,the transition from psychedelia to punk!Cheers,Chet
Hi,
David Bowie in Berlin is as Veni, vidi, vici.
A little side note is that Lou Reed, despite making an album called 'Berlin' never even visited the city!
And Bowie, despite having a single called Life on Mars, never actually visited Mars
'Station to Station' is a brilliant album but Bowie was in terrible shape whilst recording it. His move to Berlin brought him down to earth after LA. He lived a comparatively normal life there after the excesses of LA. Although only Heroes was a purely Berlin album, the other two were heavily influenced by his Berlin experience. As a big fan of Cluster and Roedelius in particular, I can appreciate how their music influenced Eno and in turn Bowie. 'Low' is my favourite out of the three but 'Heroes' follows closely behind. 'Lodger' is not on a par with the earlier two in my opinion but is still a very interesting album.
A machine learning remix of The Idiot would be a godsend imo.
or Raw Power, for that matter
hi from spain...i agree with you.
for me the trilogy..
low
.the idiot
.heroes
..he left la drug daily dosis and went to berlin with iggy..to berlin..
Low was recorded in France and Berlin, Heroes completely in Berlin and Lodger Switzerland/NYC and some Berlin. Eno’s influence was just so major.
Those massive box lp rereleases and nearly all the Bowie remaster catalog have been a disaster. Fortunately they are getting better with new studio session lp boxes.. A true disgrace to one of the most icon artists of all time. A missed opportunity of massive proportions
A friend has the 3 lp boxes (i own the cd versions). The lps sound wooly - no air, blanket over the proceedings, etched and lacking detail. What were they thinking putting these out?
Uk originals really bring out the organic nature of these 3 albums which always appeared to have a metallic instrument sheen (the choice of sound and instruments) on the US 70s rca releases. I bought UK and Japanese Bowie in the late 70s and completed the last of my UK first releases in 2005 way before they became expensive
These UK originals are totally different albums with so much air, separation, texture, emotion.
Just wow.
I first time I heard Warsawa on my upgraded 2000s system I nearly cried
It was so emotional
My son teaches music in Berlin and I just got back from visiting him (my first time).
Of course I did a pilgrimage to David’s flat and Hansa Studios - both have a nice memento aspect
The city still has that feel after 35 years and the Moonage Daydream documentary is a must see
Are you really sure that this new records are the 2017 remasters? I have the CD-versions and my observation is, that with these albums the recent Bowie-remasters went downhill, because all three albums are now more bass heavy than ever before. The worst is Low, which sounds more like a remix, the amount of bass they added here is insane. But also Heroes and Lodger got way too much bass. I'm lucky that I have the 1984 RCA CDs, which are still the best.
But if these remasters are the same on CD and Vinyl, I wonder why this problem didn't come to your attention, or they're not the same, which is more likely.
my ambition is porsche, autobahn, low, fast lane, and coke.
Don't forget about Lou Reed
I’m sorry but Dave has let you down. I bought the UK Bowie Heroes on day of release. It came with a “tan” coloured RCA label. The reason being that they were pressed in Spain. That same time Elvis Presley had died. Because of Presley’s death every UK pressing plant was full pressing Elvis albums so the masters were sent to Spain to be pressed there. I have my original Heroes on Tan RCA and picked up another one last week. The orange labels releases came after the tan label.
Brit Pop painter Derek Boshier, contemporary of R.B. Kitaj did the cover art for "Lodger". Of the three records, "Lodger" is my favorite. PS - a music video of Joseph Beuys' "Sonne statt Reagan" from 1982 ua-cam.com/video/n1rrkHh6Y9U/v-deo.html
Please less commercials would be good….
idiot is part of berlin trilogy, lodger is part of scary monsters, let s dance sell out trilogy
and kratwerk.
Looks like my first comment was deleted - shame, I thought it was very informative.
it for sure was... youtube sometimes sucks so sorry
@@Michael45RPM OK so let's try briefly once more and see if this shortened version works: there is a great book all about Bowie's time in Berlin which in my view is essential reading and is titled of course bowie in berlin. When David died I created a very personal homage which can be viewed over at my other full time hobby called valmy images and is called Bowie & Me 1971-2016. Right let's see if that works.....
The Idiot killed Ian Curtis.
I wrote my comments on the sound of the records before watching your video
I don’t like the new copies - they are really bad and take the lifeblood out of the music
Stick w vanilla later UK US RCAs if initial specifically first pressings are not in the cards
Nice experience flying into Berlin in the 70s and your friendship
The 3 albums are also grouped as the Berlin Trilogy because of Eno. He had yet to work w Cluster that would come later the next year but Brian was certainly drawing from the German scene
Bowie liked to have the last song of an album segue into his next change of direction
Station to Station - Wild is the Wind
Low - subterraneans
Heroes - the secret Life of Arabia
Lodger - Red Money (maybe two albums ahead to Let’s Dance Red Shoes Red Money
he tried be a aversge guy...pics with his fogs..etc.etc..
dog
.sorry... in these pics looks like a normal man...compare with the 1975 grammy awards.....