The Pick of the Bunch . Bowie's second instalment in the Berlin trilogy is a criminally underrated masterpiece, brimming with invention and vigour.    'Low' was most certainly an amazing achievement and an absolute treat to listen to, but unlike most, I feel that "Heroes" tops it in every regard.    The first side (like 'Low', containing the more conventional songs) has more urgency than the tracks on 'Low'. There is more energy and more depth to the song writing. Where 'Low' was fragments/ideas with magnificent textural framing, Heroes' first side shows really intricate song writing being beautifully combined with dense and innovative arrangements that take the clunky synth and electronic sounds of 'Low' and fuse them into a more sophisticated whole.    The lyrics are also much more intriguing. 'Low' was lyrically and vocally quite sparse, but on "Heroes", Bowie delivers some of his most compelling lyrics. Just couple of the fantastic snippets that pop up include:    'Your lips cut a smile on your face'    'There's slaughter in the air  Protest on the wind  Someone else inside me  Someone could get skinned'    'Sons of the silent age... Don't walk, they just glide in and out of life  They never die, they just go to sleep one day'    And of course we all know the gorgeous lyrics that the title track possesses. Not to mention Bowie's ultimate vocal performance on this track. In fact, the vocals on the "Heroes" album soar like on no other release of his. The songs climax and Bowie belts out some amazingly expressive and emotive performances. Overall, the first half of the record takes the best parts of `Low's' first half and 'Station to Station' and turns it into the most successful and engaging group of tracks that he has ever released.       The second half of the album sees Bowie reprising the ambient themes explored on 'Low' but once again this album outdoes its predecessor. The instrumental tracks on "Heroes" are even more evocative than those on 'Low'. Bowie and Eno once again strip away the clunky synth and electronic sounds and create more focused and more atmospheric pieces second time around.    Bowie feels like more of a presence on this album overall. Less detached, and not hiding away from himself as much. This is further displayed by the re-introduction of his sax playing on a number of tracks. He adds personality and flair to 'Sons of the Silent Age', provides one of many gorgeous melodic layers on 'V-2 Schneider' (which trumps both 'The Speed of Life' and 'A New Career In A New Town'), and his free-jazz styled, heavily treated playing on 'Neukoln' is oddly appealing. Bowie also plays the Japanese Koto on 'Moss Garden' giving a beautifully subtle and sensitive performance on what is a perfect ambient piece.    If you own 'Low', love it, and are wondering which album to get next... well I can't recommend "Heroes" highly enough. If you own 'Station to Station' and love it... ditto. If you have some of Bowie's other albums from some of his other periods and are curious about which of the more experimental albums to start with, this is the one. It's one of those albums that is experimental without compromising quality song writing. It takes the ideas first generated on 'Low' and expands and improves upon them, while introducing a highly unique and infinitely appealing aesthetic all of its own. It is also more timeless than 'Low'. It's sounds are still fresh and haven't dated a bit in the 30 years since its release.     It is not only the best of the Bowie and Eno collaborations (The Berlin Trilogy), it is also, in my opinion, the greatest achievement by this most amazing artist.
Output: POS