David Bowie - Low (1977) (1 Viewer)

[pete]

IT DOES

The drums sound like there's a bit of cardigan stuck to the needle.

 

[Anthony]

That'd be the Eventide H910 Harmonizer which @chris d will fill you all in on later.

 

[rettucs]

ehhhhhhhhhhh

Hear an epic three-hour version of David Bowie’s Low

 

[nooleen]

my laptop sound has come back

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

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Would love an explanation from those of you well versed in recording and production as to what exactly is going here. If anything...

Brian Eno.

 

[MacDara]

Just getting a listen to this now through my computer speakers. I kinda like the blown-out drum sound so far.

The title seems to be a misnomer, it's quite vibrant and driving on these first few tracks.

 

[MacDara]

The songs feel a little truncated, though, as if they had all these ideas they wanted to include, but couldn't get away with a double LP.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Just getting a listen to this now through my computer speakers. I kinda like the blown-out drum sound so far.

The title seems to be a misnomer, it's quite vibrant and driving on these first few tracks.

The title probably refers to Bowie's mental state at the time.

 

[MacDara]

The title probably refers to Bowie's mental state at the time.

Fair enough, but his expression is anything but low, no minor-key dirges so far.

 

[pete]

Too many fade outs.

 

[MacDara]

Too many fade outs.

Yeah that's my feeling too, like they went 'ah that's enough, we need to make space for the next one'. The likes of 'Sound and Vision' deserve another couple of minutes to resolve properly, if you get me.

 

[MacDara]

I HATE the vaudeville piano opening on 'Be My Wife'. And it's odd hearing him sing in his own accent.

OK I'll hold off on the rest of my thoughts till I'm done with this first listen.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Here's a really boring review of Low that almost saves itself by containing some interesting bits about the recording of it:

David Bowie: Low

 

[chris d]

The Eventide H910 Harmonizer is it? Well,

The Eventide H910 Harmonizer was used extensively on the drums on "Low". It created a pitching cascade effect, which is fairly subtle it has to be said, but Visconti continued to liberally use this effect on a lot of late seventies and early '80s recordings.

One was used on old re runs of I Love Lucy on New York City's Channel 5. They sped up the programme to fit in more ads and used the H910 to downward pitch shift the soundtrack.

Have some of that.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Classic Thumped muso pricks album choice. Decent album mind.
I got a nice clean copy of this on vinyl in the 90s for 50p in that mangey charity shop on Manor St, probably long gone.

 

[travispickle]

Great choice and a great album too.

On a related note there' s a good album called Subterranean (new designs on Bowie's Berlin) by Dylan Howe, which works as a nice companion piece to Low et al.
It also ties in neatly with Blackstar in that it's also relocating Bowie's music in a jazz setting. A really nice album to check out.

 

[MacDara]

Right, so, my impression after my first listen - it feels like two different records. The second half is more spacious, the songs are mostly instrumental and have more room to breathe, compared to Side A which has loads of bangers that fade out far too quickly. Side B also has a much darker mood more appropriate for the title. I'm feeling like it would have been better to have a double LP, or two separate albums entirely.

 

[egg_]

Side A and side B dude

 

[travispickle]

Slapping on the LP now, this is deadly!!

 

[egg_]

Bass sound is mad on side A too. Odd distortion, seems to be gated or something. Man that bass player can funk. Really diggin track 2