15 David Bowie Songs That Showcase His True Genius

7. Heroes (1977) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgcc5V9Hu3g The title track from David Bowie's follow up to Low (released in the same year) is probably the man's most famous, iconic and beloved track. When The Big Book Of Rock is finally written, Heroes will have a whole chapter to itself. The feedback filled guitar part, supplied by Robert Fripp, contributes to the "wall of sound"-esque beautiful noise. Bowie's vocals, initially quiet and subdued, rise to the extent that he's shouting to be heard by the end, mirroring the desperation of the song's characters, and sounding, well, heroic. The rest of the album builds on the iciness of Low, building brooding instruments in amongst more conventional songs. Bowie's time in Berlin was a time of rebirth, both musically and personally. Though he - along with his friend Iggy Pop - had left L.A. to land in what he called "the smack capital of Europe", they were both able to get off drugs and the self destructive paths they were on. Heroes would be followed by 1979's Lodger, the final piece of the "Berlin Trilogy" and, remarkably, the 11th album he released in the 1970's. He would never again be as prolific as he was in that decade, but he still had plenty more reinventions to come.