After the release of 2017's acclaimed A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) box set, breakouts of five selected albums from the set as stand-alone releases are now available. The five — Low, Heroes, Stage (2017 version 3LP), Lodger, and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) — haven't been available on vinyl officially for more than a quarter of a century.
A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) is the third in a series of box sets spanning Bowie's career, following Five Years (1969-1973) and Who Can I Be Now (1974-1976).
Heroes, released in October 1977, "is one of Bowie's more stellar moments working with Brian Eno, Heroes again sees the artist moving into barely chartered waters, creating moving, emotive rock and putting it right up against some very detached and futuristic synthesized sounds. The collection opens with a ferocious rocker, courtesy of Robert Fripp's taut, snarling guitars ('Beauty and the Beast'), and then slides into the roar of 'Joe the Lion' without missing a beat. Bowie's vocals have rarely sounded as desperate as they are on 'Heroes,' the anguished 'Blackout' rages on a peculiarly up beat, and suddenly the listener finds they've slipped into a parallel world of icy soundscapes." 'Heroes' should have a place in Bowie's Top Ten for its anthemic, heroic, pleading dynamic.
"The next four tracks present glassy synthesizers, stark piano, the ping of Asian-styled guitars, and other styles presumably left over or influenced by the Low recordings. The delicate 'Moss Garden' is particularly beautiful, and 'Sense of Doubt' is brooding and ominous. The closer, 'The Secret Life of Arabia,' moves with the rhythm of a snake charmer, and Bowie's vocals are irrepressibly intoxicating. Challenging, and worth the effort." — Amazon.com
Side A:
1. Beauty and The Beast
2. Joe the Lion
3. Heroes
4. Sons of The Silent Age
5. Blackout
Side B:
1. V-2 Schneider
2. Sense of Doubt
3. Moss Garden
4. Neukoln
5. The Secret Life of Arabia