LOW (EMI) In the late '70s David Bowie disappeared to Berlin where he collaborated with Brian Eno on these three highly influential albums which almost single-handedly inspired the early '80s wave of electro-pop synthesizer music. They were-quite deliberately-his least commercial albums (and ironically, their low sales cost him the renewal of his RCA Records contract) but almost 15 years on, the critical acclaim they received at the time still seems justified. Low (1977), with its poppy tunes, remains the most accessible. The more complex Heroes (1977 too) now sounds a trifle self-indulgent and the less than sophisticated use of William Burroughs's cut-up technique on some Lodger (1979) lyrics rather dated-but musically all three albums remain a crucial part of rock history. Bonus tracks include a few mix and unreleased recordings of Some Are and All Saints (Low), Abdulmajid (Heroes) and I Pray Ole (Lodger).
Q Rating: ****

Following through with the avant-garde inclinations of Station to Station, yet explicitly breaking with Bowie's past, Low is a dense, challenging album that confirmed Bowie's place at rock's cutting edge. Driven by dissonant synthesizers and electronics, Low is divided between brief, angular songs and atmospheric instrumentals. Throughout the record's first half, the guitars are jagged and the synthesizers drone with a menacing robotic pulse, while Bowie's vocals are unnaturally layered and overdubbed. During the instrumental half, the electronics turn cool, which is a relief after the intensity of the preceding avant-pop. Half of the credit of Low's success is due to Brian Eno, who explored similar ambient territory on his own releases. Eno functions as a conduit for Bowie's ideas and, in turn, Bowie made the experimentalism not only of Eno, but of the German synth-group Kraftwerk and the post-punk group Wire respectable, if not quite mainstream. Though a handful of the vocal pieces on Low are accessible -- "Sound and Vision" has a shimmering guitar hook and "Be My Wife" subverts soul structure in a surprisingly catchy fashion -- the record is defiantly experimental and dense with detail, providing a new direction for the avant-garde in rock roll.