David Bowie's Low (33 1/3)

Seems quite meticulously researched. (The Amazon description should make some mention of that; it seems unnecessarily vague is describing what the book is.)

I did find 1 minor factual error in the first few pages (it was Gus Dudgeon who produced the "Space Oddity" single, not Paul Buckmaster!).

But given the density of detailed information packed into this relatively small book (culled from a variety of books and music articles published over the past few years), that may be a forgivable offense.

Overall, this book is filled with interesting facts, beginning with the recording of Station to Station, then the actual recording of Low and the beginning of Bowie's Berlin period.

Among other things, the book recounts:
- how various influences (Kraftwerk, Neu!, etc.) actually worked their way onto the album
- how Eno recorded the album's signature drum sound
- some of the strange devices used in the studio to "inspire creativity"
- an insight into Bowie's working methodology at the time
- and generally does a great job of analyzing the album in the context of Bowie's career and mindset

I have found this a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it to all Bowie enthusaists and especially fans of one of Bowie's very best albums, Low.

This is perhaps the finest, most detailed analysis of Bowie's work I've ever read, and I earnestly entreat the author to consider taking on the remainder of the Berlin trilogy albums. In spite of the minor error or three (that's Walter Tevis who wrote The Man Who Fell To Earth, not Travis), this book answers so many questions I've always wanted to ask about "Low"-- which is saying a lot, as this has remained one of the most important albums of all time to my own musical work. Great stuff!

There are a few things I'd expect from a book like this: a description of the way the album was made, detailed but not concerned with trivia; analysis of the music itself, detailed but not overblown; biography of the artist, at least enough to understand where the album came from. This book has all of that. It's difficult for an entire book about a single album to be intriguing from start to finish, but this mostly manages.

Highlights included: a solid description of just where Bowie was, mentally, when he made the album (a description which does a lot to explain the album's unique mood). Explanation of the album's influences, with focus on acts like Kraftwerk and Neu!, as well as the ways the album connects to its predecessor, Station to Station. And track-by-track analysis which actually feels justified: not drawn-out or unnecessary (although not of much interest to anyone but the committed fan), but not clipped or peremptory.

It's a book-length analysis of a brilliant album. If you're a hardcore David Bowie fan, a lot of it is already familiar to you; if you love the album but don't know anything about its history, it's a must-read. There's nothing "ambitious" about the book--it's no more or less than the story of Low--but it does its job well.

Having first listened to this record years ago, and understanding it is among Bowie's best, I found refreshing history bits about the record I never knew about. REcommended read for Bowie fans.

I've read 7 or 8 of the 33 1/3 book series, which I consider to be a great idea for people to experience their favorite albums with deeper understanding. The 2 best, in my mind, are the Kinks Village Green Preservation Society, and David Bowie's Low.

This book sets the standard & should be the model for how the others in the series are written. It begins with background on where Bowie was in his career, leading up to Low. Then a detailed description of the early creative process, chronicling how they first recorded Iggy Pop's "The Idiot" as a way of fleshing out sonic ideas that would govern Low. Followed by the early sessions in France, as Eno entered the creative mix, soon followed by longtime Bowie producer, Tony Visconti . And then traveling to Berlin to finish mixing at Connie Plank's Hansa by the Wall studio.

Hugo Wilcken doesn't dwell too deeply on a technical description of the songs, and he definitely doesn't resort to one of those dry "at 2:37 into the song there is a bridge that pre-supposes the chorus structure while belying a sub harmonic tonality of the root level rhythm...." type texts that can creep into some other books of the series.

Instead, the author focuses on the life being lived by the artist as the songs were being created, and how it influenced and shaped the process. He describes conceptual ideas that manifest themselves into creative decisions, such as the merging of dense Germanic electronic sound with an American soul-based rhythm section. Plenty of description of the surrounding atmosphere in the whole process. You feel like you are there as it happens.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience for anyone who loves that album.

I would love to hear his take on the rest of the seventies records

I would love to hear his take on the rest of the seventies records

Bowie's time in and around Berlin has long been a subject of tremendous interest, and this small book does a nice job of distilling it into manageable form. Wilcken shows tremendous respect for both the subject matter and the reader, and does not waste space. I think there's something important in this book about the nature of creativity, although it may take a second read, or another book covering the same material, to be sure.

This is a smart little book about David Bowie's album Low, which is one of his finest and strangest records (recently winning an online poll among Bowie fans ranking Bowie's best albums).

In a hundred-odd pocket-sized pages, Hugo Wilcken covers the recording of the album in appropriate detail and takes the time to talk about each individual song. He also explores the lead-up to Low, starting with Bowie's previous album, Station to Station, as well as the Iggy Pop album The Idiot, which Bowie produced and co-wrote (and first experimented with some of the sounds used on Low). For such a small book, there's a wealth of information in these pages, and Wilcken writes it all in a clear, easy-to-follow style. Highly recommended.

And if you like this one, other books in the 33 1/3 series I've read and recommend are:
Geeta Dayal's book on Brian Eno's Another Green World [[ASIN:0826427863 Brian Eno's Another Green World (33 1/3 series)]]
Jonathan Lethem's book on Talking Heads' Fear of Music [[ASIN:1441121005 Talking Heads' Fear of Music (33 1/3)]]
Mark Polizzotti's book on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited [[ASIN:0826417752 Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited (33 1/3)]]

The amount of detail taken place in this book doesn't even amount to five pages of the Low chapter from Paul Trynka's biography on Bowie. Wilcken is a fine writer, but there is a serious absence of information within this text. Wilcken pushes his own views on the albums back story and while he has every right to do so--as he is the writer--he also strays away from the point. He confuses his interpretation of each song with the actual back story or event that led to its creation. He harps on about Bowie's display of autism throughout the album, but he fails to draw attention to more of the basic human confusion that influenced most of the songwriting. He fails to high light Bowie as a chameleon in mid transformation, as well as Iggy Pop's own influence on this album and Bowie's vocal styles from the Ziggy years on out, as well as the depth of their friendship. He also does not draw enough attention to Bowie's own crumbling marriage with Angie Bowie, and her own hatred of Low and her inability to evolve as he did. Also--how are you going to write a book about Low without mentioning the fact that Bowie not only pushed out two of his own albums (Low, Heroes) in one year, but also cowrote and produced two of Iggy's albums (The Idiot, Lust for Life) as well. All within 1977--in the same year as basic dumbed down punk was finally exploding across the world, Bowie had managed to inspire four of the most futuristic and game changing albums of all time. All four inspiring a whole new genre of music within itself. He mentions Ian Curtis' affinity for The Idiot, but he does not contrast what Bowie was doing with what the rest of the world was doing.

This book is a pleasant afternoon read. It gets a little repetitive (I will never be able to hear the word 'autism' again without thinking of the 600 mentions this book contains), but it's nice enough. If you're a Bowie fan don't even bother. Listen to the album, read the lyrics, and read Paul Trynka's bio. It gives a much more thorough and unbiased analysis, as well as the actual truth.