eventide h910 harmonizer it fucks with the fabric of time

Each song in that suite discusses some problem that David Bowie faces due to his cocaine addiction, and which seems to have stayed with him even after he had cut himself off from the drug.

The first side of Low is, in effect, a seven-part suite on the hedonistic, drug-filled life of a rock star in mid-1970s Los Angeles and its effects on one’s mental health.

Put together, they serve as a testament to the power of creative reinvention that continues to stun listeners and musicians to this day. Low’s two sides encapsulate a “before” and an “after”-a world Bowie wishes to abandon, and a world he decisively embraces. This is most evident in the differences between the album’s two sides: the catchy art-rock style and lyrical emphasis on Bowie’s private life in Side 1 versus Side 2’s depictions of atmospheres, locations, and other people’s lives through the use of ambient music. Regardless of how much of it was actually produced in Berlin, Low represents in multiple ways the artistic transformation that Bowie sought to achieve in moving to Berlin. Critical success, on the other hand, was harder to achieve: although some praised the album’s novelty, innovation, and resulting beauty, others criticized the seemingly boring and weak musical material on Side 2. RCA’s worries were not to be, however: Low peaked at No.

Low was released on January 14, 1977, by RCA Records, which had held off the release for three months for fear of poor commercial performance. The Eventide Harmonizer, which contributed to Low’s influential sound. Visconti brought along a new toy to the Low recordings: the new Eventide Harmonizer, which, in Visconti’s words, “ with the fabric of time.” Much of Low‘s signature sound, which would be emulated by bands for decades to come, was put together thanks to this machine, especially on the drums and on the vocals on Side 2. The first of these, Low, was largely not even recorded in Berlin itself-much of it was recorded at Hérouville as a collaboration with co-producer Tony Visconti and Brian Eno, the latter of whom would inform much of the ambient music present on Side 2 of the album. It was during this late-1970s sojourn in Berlin that Bowie released some of his most innovative and influential work: the so-called “Berlin Trilogy” of Low, “Heroes” (both 1977), and Lodger (1979). Before long, they were off again, this time to Berlin: the city divided, the frontline of the Cold War, and where an English rock star could thrive without passers-by stopping and screaming, “Hey, it’s David Bowie!” He then met up with his buddy Iggy Pop-who also wanted to get away from LA and cocaine-and they moved to the Château d’Hérouville in France, where Bowie had previously recorded 1973’s Pin Ups and where they now worked on Iggy’s album The Idiot. (Wikimedia Commons/Flickr user Jean-Luc)Īnd so, seeking an escape from the drug-fueled decadence of Los Angeles, Bowie fell to Earth (Europe, specifically) in the summer of 1976 and took refuge in Switzerland. In the meantime watch the video below.David Bowie in 1976, while in his Thin White Duke persona from the Station to Station era. If they made a video for each Low track, it would be an incredible documentary (seriously guys, do a Kickstarter or something). The story is told here by voice actor Adam Buxton with a wonderful tongue-in-cheek humor.

What you see here is factually accurate, even though it seems pretty silly - Bowie and Eno really did come up with ideas through random chance cards, Visconti described the Eventide H910 Harmonizer (an early pitch shifter) as “fucking with the fabric of time,” and he really did do more than people think to make that album what it eventually became. Each track has its own amazing story, and among the most interesting is the one behind “Warszawa,” now the subject of a cartoon by the Brothers McLeod. As covered in Hugo Wilcken’s reverent 33 1/3 book, the thing was recorded when Bowie was at his creative peak and his mental/emotional bottom. Low is certainly one of David Bowie’s very best albums, but when it comes to backstory, no other album compares.

Eventide h910 harmonizer it fucks with the fabric of time