History Music / LowDavidBowieAlbum

Critically, however, response to the album was much more tepid, with reviewers generally panning the album as banally pretentious. In the decades since, though, the album has been very thoroughly VindicatedByHistory, being recognized as a major influence on both PostPunk and PostRock and with many regarding it as one of Bowie's greatest albums, if not his ''absolute'' greatest. The album was listed at No. 251 in ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s list of the [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]] (later being bumped up to No. 206 on [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime2020 the 2020 revision]]), No. 14 on ''Magazine/{{NME}}''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime list]] in the same category, and No. 101 on ''WebSite/AcclaimedMusic'''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums list]] of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time.

Critically, however, response to the album was much more tepid, with reviewers generally panning the album as banally pretentious. In the decades since, though, the album has been very thoroughly VindicatedByHistory, being recognized as a major influence on both PostPunk and PostRock and with many regarding it as one of Bowie's greatest albums, if not his ''absolute'' greatest. The album was listed at No. 251 in ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s list of the [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]], No. 14 on ''Magazine/{{NME}}''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/NME500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime list]] in the same category, and No. 101 on ''WebSite/AcclaimedMusic'''[='s=] [[UsefulNotes/AcclaimedMusicAllTimeTopAlbums list]] of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time.

[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Don't you wonder sometimes ... 'Bout sound and vision?"'']]

The resulting album was met with heavy skepticism from executives at Creator/RCARecords, who felt that the album was far too experimental and pushed Bowie to put out a different album more in the vein of ''Music/YoungAmericans''; Bowie's manager, who received the majority of profits from Bowie's music, outright attempted to block ''Low'' from being released. Eventually, however, Bowie persisted; in retrospect, this incident is generally considered the start of souring relations between Bowie and RCA that would culminate in him leaving the label just five years later. Despite RCA's skepticism though, ''Low'' went on to be a considerable commercial success, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard 200; it would go on to be certified gold in both the UK and Canada.

Having recently become embroiled in controversy after getting LostInCharacter as [[Music/StationToStation the Thin White Duke]] and making a number of pro-fascist statements on live TV, Bowie [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized]] just how deeply his state of mind had been damaged by his cocaine addiction, and retreated to Berlin to rehabilitate. While there, he became interested in {{Krautrock}} musicians such as Music/{{Kraftwerk}} and Music/{{Neu}} as well as the works of Music/BrianEno (later a major contributor to the album). Combined with the turmoils of the rehabilitation process, this led to Bowie moving into a more minimalist, instrumental approach that was mostly panned by critics at the time, but has been VindicatedByHistory as one of his most influential albums and is considered a contender for his magnum opus. ''Low'', along with the rest of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy", was a major influence on PostPunk and PostRock. The album is best remembered for the Top 10 hit "Sound and Vision".

The album was listed at #251 in ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[UsefulNotes/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].

** The 1977 EP ''Bowi'' by Music/NickLowe was a PunBasedTitle on this album. Lowe did this because ''Low'' seemed a pun on his name, without the final letter "e". So he did the same with Bowie's name. Also, Lowe's 1978 album ''Jesus of Cool'' includes an AffectionateParody of "Sound and Vision" called "(I Love the Sound of) Breaking Glass"; [[WordOfGod according to Lowe]], the [[SimilarlyNamedWorks similar title]] to this album's "Breaking Glass" is a coincidence.
** Music/JoyDivision initially called themselves "Warsaw" after the title of "Warszawa" from this album.
** "Warszawa" is featured in the film ''Film/ChristianeF'' from 1981.
** Philip Glass "1st Symphony "Low"" from 1992 was inspired by this album, even having three movements titled after (and based on) songs from this record: "Subterraneans", "Some Are" and "Warszawa". Later he would also base his 4th Symphony on Bowie's ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'' in 1996 and his 12th Symphony on ''Music/{{Lodger}}'' in 2018 (following over 20 years of DevelopmentHell).
** Eddie and the Hot Rods based their song "Always Crashing in the Same Bar" on Bowie's "Always Crashing in the Same Car".

** Philip Glass "1st Symphony "Low"" from 1992 was inspired by this album, even having three movements titled after (and based on) songs from this record: "Subterraneans", "Some Are" and "Warszawa". Later in 1996 he would also base his 4th Symphony on Bowie's ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum''.

* DistinctSingleAlbum: The first side is made up of art-rock pieces, while the second is almost entirely instrumental.

** The chant on "Warszawa" sounds like Music/TheStooges' "We Will Fall". Bowie was a fan of the band and a friend to Music/IggyPop, producing ''Music/TheIdiot'' and ''Music/LustForLife''.

Having recently become embroiled in controversy after getting LostInCharacter as [[Music/StationToStation the Thin White Duke]] and making a number of pro-fascist statements on live TV, Bowie [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized]] just how deeply his state of mind had been damaged by his cocaine addiction, and retreated to Berlin to rehabilitate. While there, he became interested in {{Krautrock}} musicians such as Music/{{Kraftwerk}} and Music/{{Neu}} as well as the works of Music/BrianEno (later a major contributor to the album). Combined with the turmoils of the rehabilitation process, this led to Bowie moving into a more minimalist, instrumental approach that was mostly panned by critics at the time, but has been VindicatedByHistory as one of his most influential albums and is considered a contender for his magnum opus. ''Low'', along with the rest of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy", was a major influence on PostPunk. The album is best remembered for the Top 10 hit "Sound and Vision".

* SanitySlippageSong: "Breaking Glass" was intended as a song from the viewpoint of someone who lost his mind. As Bowie himself was often high on cocaine during this period he acknowledged that he was basically referring to himself.

!! "Blue, blue, electric blue, that's the colour of my tropes":

* WhiteVoidRoom: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjCM_X3xpRM The music video]] for "Be My Wife" is set in one.

* BilingualBonus: "Warszawa", the Polish name of Warsaw, the capital of UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}.

* FaceOnTheCover: Bowie shown in a profile shot.

[[caption-width-right:350: ''"Don't you wonder sometimes/Of sound and vision?"'']]

--> ''Sometimes you get so lonely''
--> ''Sometimes you get nowhere''

** Just like ''Music/StationToStation'' the album cover of ''Low'' is a still from the movie ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth''.

Having recently become embroiled in controversy after getting LostInCharacter as [[Music/StationToStation the Thin White Duke]] and making a number of pro-fascist statements on live TV, Bowie [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realized]] just how deeply his state of mind had been damaged by his cocaine addition, and retreated to Berlin to rehabilitate. While there, he became interested in {{Krautrock}} musicians such as Music/{{Kraftwerk}} and Music/{{Neu}} as well as the works of Music/BrianEno (later a major contributor to the album). Combined with the turmoils of the rehabilitation process, this led to Bowie moving into a more minimalist, instrumental approach that was mostly panned by critics at the time, but has been VindicatedByHistory as one of his most influential albums and is considered a contender for his magnum opus. ''Low'', along with the rest of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy", was a major influence on PostPunk. The album is best remembered for the Top 10 hit "Sound and Vision".

''Low'' is the eleventh studio album by Music/DavidBowie, released in 1977. It is the first of his "UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}} Trilogy", along with ''Music/HeroesDavidBowieAlbum'' from 1977 and ''Music/{{Lodger}}'' from 1979. (Despite this, most of the album was actually recorded in UsefulNotes/{{France}}.)

* NewSoundAlbum: Bowie's second major 180, ''Low'' was a considerable departure compared to anything he had previously put out, being a proto-PostRock album with {{Krautrock}} and AmbientMusic influences, as well as traces of {{funk}} in the rhythms on side A.

* NewSoundAlbum: This was a considerable departure compared to Bowie's previous output. The sound was more comparable to {{Krautrock}} and {{ambient}}, though there was still some {{funk}} influence on the rhythms of the songs on the first side.