Low (David Bowie album)

Did You Know?

• Bowie developed a cocaine addiction in 1974 that worsened over the next two years, affecting his physical and mental state.
• Bowie and Iggy Pop recorded Pop's debut solo studio album The Idiot from July to August 1976, during which Bowie developed a three-phase recording process.
• Bowie originally worked on a soundtrack for The Man Who Fell to Earth with Paul Buckmaster but withdrew his work when asked to submit it alongside other composers.

Recording and production

The Low sessions began on 1 September 1976 at the Château d'Hérouville in France, with the working title New Music: Night and Day. Returning musicians from the Station to Station sessions included Carlos Alomar, George Murray, and Dennis Davis. New members included Roy Young and Ricky Gardiner. Mary Hopkin, credited as Mary Visconti, contributed backing vocals to "Sound and Vision". Bowie and Visconti co-produced the album, with contributions from Eno, though Eno was not a co-producer. Visconti stated that Eno was integral to the albums but not the producer. Benoît Clerc noted Eno was responsible for the sound textures. Sessions began with Bowie and the rhythm players running through backing tracks quickly, starting in the evening and continuing into the night. Bowie left Alomar in charge of guitar, bass, and percussion arrangements. Some song ideas were brought from Switzerland, including "What in the World" from The Idiot.

Songs

Low features Bowie's first explorations of electronic and ambient music, and has been retrospectively categorised as art rock and experimental rock. The songs emphasise tone and atmosphere over guitar-based rock, influenced by German bands such as Tangerine Dream, Neu!, and Kraftwerk. Side one consists of short, direct avant-pop song-fragments with downbeat lyrics reflecting Bowie's state of mind. Side two comprises longer, mostly instrumental tracks conveying musical observations of Berlin. Visconti described the song/instrumental split as a yin-yang balance. Some tracks, including "Speed of Life" and "A New Career in a New Town", were originally intended to have lyrics but were left as instrumentals. The instrumentals feature Eno's portable EMS AKS synthesiser, which had no keyboard, only a joystick.

Artwork and release

George Underwood designed the cover artwork, featuring an altered still frame from The Man Who Fell to Earth showing Bowie in profile as his character Thomas Jerome Newton, wearing a duffel coat against an orange background. The cover was intended as a visual pun meaning 'low profile'. RCA Records rejected the album on hearing it, urging Bowie to make a record more like Young Americans. Bowie kept the rejection letter on his wall. Former manager Tony Defries also tried preventing its release due to his royalty settlement. RCA delayed the album from its planned November 1976 release. Low was eventually released on 14 January 1977 with catalogue number PL 12030. It received little promotion from RCA or Bowie, who toured as Iggy Pop's keyboardist. The album reached number 2 in the UK and number 11 in the US. Two singles were released: "Sound and Vision", a UK top five hit, and "Be My Wife".

Influence and legacy

In later decades, Low has been acclaimed for its originality and cited as an influence on the post-punk genre. Susie Goldring of BBC Music wrote that without Low, there would be no Joy Division, no Human League, no Cabaret Voltaire, and likely no Arcade Fire. Spitz acknowledged its influence on Joy Division, Magazine, Gang of Four, and Wire. Simon Reynolds noted that Joy Division and others responded to Low's inhibition and repression. Colin Larkin cited Gary Numan, Ultravox, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark as influenced by Low. Wilcken found Radiohead's Kid A, particularly "Treefingers", to reflect similar influence. William Doyle wrote that Bowie created the blueprint 'reinvention' album with Low. Bjorn Randolph felt the album had crucial influence on the post-rock genre. Doggett wrote that Low established Bowie as an artist impossible to second-guess.