"Heroes" is the twelfth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 14October 1977 through RCA Records. Recorded in collaboration with the musician Brian Eno and the producer Tony Visconti, it was the second release of his Berlin Trilogy, following Low, released in January the same year, and the only one wholly recorded in Berlin. Sessions took place in mid-1977 after Bowie completed work on Iggy Pop's second solo album Lust for Life. Much of the same personnel from Low returned for "Heroes", augmented by guitarist Robert Fripp.
The majority of the tracks were composed on the spot in the studio, the lyrics not being written until Bowie stood in front of the microphone. The music builds upon its predecessor's electronic and ambient approaches, albeit with more positive tones, atmospheres and passionate performances. The album also follows the same structure as its predecessor, side one featuring more conventional rock tracks and side two featuring mostly instrumental tracks.
The cover photo, like Iggy Pop's The Idiot, is a nod to the painting Roquairol by the German artist Erich Heckel. Upon release, "Heroes" was a commercial success, peaking at number 3 in the UK and number 35 in the US. It was the best-received work of the Berlin Trilogy on release; NME and Melody Maker each named it their respective album of the year. Bowie promoted the album extensively with television appearances and interviews. He supported Low and "Heroes" on the Isolar II world tour throughout 1978, live performances from which appear on multiple live albums.
"Heroes" has received enduring praise, particularly recognised for Fripp's contributions and the album's place within Bowie's longterm artistic development. Though critical opinion has viewed Low as the more groundbreaking record, "Heroes" is regarded as one of Bowie's best, most influential works. The title track, initially unsuccessful as a single, has remained one of his best-known and most-acclaimed songs. An altered and obscured version of the cover artwork was later used for the cover of The Next Day (2013). "Heroes" has been reissued several times and was remastered in 2017 as part of the box set A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982).
Background
In the second half of 1976, David Bowie and his friend Iggy Pop relocated to the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, France, to escape from the drug culture of Los Angeles. There, Bowie produced Pop's debut studio album The Idiot (1977) and recorded his own, Low, in collaboration with the musician Brian Eno and the producer Tony Visconti; the album was the first in what came to be known as Bowie's Berlin Trilogy.
Low was released in January 1977, receiving little to no promotion from both RCA Records and Bowie himself, who instead opted to tour as Pop's keyboardist. After the tour's completion, Bowie and Pop returned to Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin, where they recorded Pop's next solo album Lust for Life from May to June 1977. By the time he finished Lust for Life, Bowie was ready to begin work on his next record. He and Eno spent a few weeks devising concepts and ideas for the new album before they were joined by Visconti, who was busy with other commitments.
Production Studio and personnel For the album, Bowie, Visconti and Eno regrouped at Hansa Studio2 in West Berlin. Although the album was the second installment of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, it was the only one recorded entirely in Berlin. The studio was a former concert hall converted into a recording studio that had been used by Gestapo officers during World War II as a ballroom. The studio was located about 500 yards from the Berlin Wall, leading Bowie to describe it as "the hall by the wall". Describing how the location of the studio affected the creative process, Visconti recalled: "Every afternoon I'd sit down at [a] desk and see three Russian Red Guards looking at us with binoculars, with their Sten guns over their shoulders, and the barbed wire, and I knew that there were mines buried in that wall, and that atmosphere was so provocative and so stimulating and so frightening that the band played with so much energy". Despite the dark atmosphere, Visconti particularly had an exciting time creating the album, saying, "It was one of my last great adventures in making albums."
Most of the album was recorded with the same personnel as its predecessor Low, with Carlos Alomar, George Murray and Dennis Davis as the core band. Bowie played piano, having gotten significantly more experience playing the instrument during his time with Pop. An addition to the lineup was the guitarist Robert Fripp, formerly of the band King Crimson, who was recruited at Eno's suggestion. The guitarist recalled: "I got a phone call [from Brian Eno] when I was living in New York in July 1977. He said that he and David were recording in Berlin and passed me over. David said, 'Would you be interested in playing some hairy rock 'n' roll guitar?' I said, 'Well, I haven't really played for three years – but, if you're prepared to take a risk, so will I.' Shortly afterward, a first-class ticket on Lufthansa arrived." 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. Fripp's playing received significant praise from Visconti and Eno, who were impressed with Fripp's ability to play for songs he had never heard before with such "virtuosity". According to the biographer Nicholas Pegg, Fripp was not Bowie's first choice. Michael Rother of the German band Neu! had originally been approached to contribute, but shortly before the sessions began, he was contacted by an unknown person and informed that Bowie had changed his mind, although later interviews with Bowie suggested otherwise.
While producing other Bowie records, Visconti found that new ideas were flowing at a consistent basis and because of this, sometimes they tended to be forgotten. In order to counteract this, he kept a two-track tape running at all times. Murray recalled: "Tony had the insight to see what was happening in rehearsals so he just switched on the tape machines and let them run." Visconti himself later recalled: "It came in handy so many times...because we'd get lost. We'd start with an idea then go in the wrong direction, and after an hour we'd say 'How did this start again? During the sessions for Low, Visconti became frustrated with the lack of studio staff present at the Château. At Hansa however, he was assisted by in-house engineer Eduard Meyer, who Visconti recalled was critical in maintaining a positive atmosphere. Likewise, the mood during "Heroes" was brighter and more optimistic than the sessions for Low. Bowie in particular was in a healthier state of mind. He and Visconti would travel around Berlin frequently and one on such occasion, they met Antonia Maass, a local jazz singer who would go on to provide backing vocals on "Heroes".
Recording process
According to the biographer Thomas Jerome Seabrook, the recording process for "Heroes" began at a very quick pace, following along from Lows process, with the basic backing tracks for side one being completed in just two days. As per engineer Colin Thurston, rough demos were recorded with himself on drums, Visconti on bass and Bowie on keyboards, which the musicians heard once before recording. Although he fed Davis's drums through his Eventide H910 Harmonizer on Low, Visconti used it sparingly on "Heroes", only during the mixing stage, and as such, the drum sound is atmospheric to the room; Davis also added congas and timpani to his set to take advantage of the large studio space. Visconti gave high praise to Davis, calling him "one of the best drummers I've ever worked with," further calling Alomar and Murray "amazing musicians...you'd just throw a few chord changes at them and they'd run with it." In an interview with NME later in the year, Eno said the initial phase of recording was "all done in a very casual kind of way." Bowie gave "very brief instruction", then the band would play. Hesitant at first, Eno found the process surprisingly effective, with most tracks being done in one take. Eno stated, "We did second takes, but they weren't nearly as good."
Overall, 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 Seabrook to call it the "truer" collaboration. Eno himself stated "We both worked on all the pieces all the time." Eno would act as "assistant director" to Bowie, giving feedback to the musicians and suggesting new – and unusual – ways to approach the tracks. One of these ways was the employment of Eno's Oblique Strategies cards. According to Chris O'Leary, these cards were "part-fortune cookie, part-Monopoly 'Chance' cards", intended to spark creative ideas. Although these cards were used greatly throughout the Lodger sessions, Eno and Bowie only used them on "Heroes" when creating the instrumentals, including on "V-2 Schneider", "Sense of Doubt" and "Moss Garden".
Following the initial sessions in July, recording for "Heroes" became more sporadic, with overdubs, vocals and mixing lasting until August. Like its predecessor, lyrics weren't written or recorded until all but Bowie and Visconti departed. Seabrook characterises this stage of recording as "sporadic bursts of inspiration surrounded by longer stretches of contemplation." When making The Idiot and Lust for Life with Iggy Pop, Bowie became fascinated with Pop's ability to improvise lyrics while standing at the microphone. For "Heroes", he decided to use the same method. Visconti later attested: "He'd never have a clue what he'd sing about until he actually walked in front of the microphone." Bowie usually completed his vocals in only one or two takes; Visconti provided backing vocals in the same fashion. The final mixes were done at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, a studio that would become one of Bowie's mainstays. An engineer at Mountain, David Richards, would also become one of his regulars. Richards' assistant was Eugene Chaplin, the son of silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
Music and lyrics As the second release of the Berlin Trilogy, the music on "Heroes" expands on the material found on its predecessor Low. The songs have been described by Consequence of Sound as art rock and experimental rock, while also further continuing Bowie's work in the electronic and ambient genres. Like its predecessor, the songs on "Heroes" emphasise tone and atmosphere rather than guitar-based rock. However, they are more positive in both tone and atmosphere than the songs of its predecessor; the author James Perone considers it more accessible, while Visconti described it as "a very positive version of Low." Biographer Paul Trynka writes that the record evokes "both past and future". It also follows the same structure as its predecessor, with side one featuring more conventional tracks, and side two featuring mostly instrumental tracks.