David Bowie, Warszawa - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- čas přidán 26. 03. 2024
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An admiring tribute, full of wonder - even reverence - for the experience and spirit of Warsaw. I especially appreciated the inclusion of native Polish choral music, as a means of acknowledging and honoring their voice of experience.
Here’s the link to the original song by David Bowie:
• David Bowie - Warszawa
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by David Bowie
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Don't listen to the naysayers, this is a great introduction to Bowie (kudos, Vlad). It's a little odd, it's melodically interesting, it uses materials from non-pop genres, it can be challenging in places, it breaks from his past work in several interesting ways, and he leans allllll the way into his Scott Walker obsession. So, peak Bowie.
If all you know are the hits, you don't know Bowie.
Yeah, I didn't actually know this song (I guess I don't know Bowie!), and I agree that this is actually kind of a wonderful choice -- on two fronts: For Amy herself (yourself, if you're reading this; using third person since speaking primarily to the OP and other readers), I imagine this is a fun way to sort of give her one taste of something very interesting, which will give her a desire to explore more -- while still leaving space for her to be utterly surprised (and yet, still delighted) by what else she encounters. And for the "don't know Bowie" contingent, it will expose us (since I count myself among them) to sides of Bowie we've missed by only listening to the radio hits! Kudos, Vlad!
I think that the reasons you listed could justify why this WOULDN’T be a great introduction; not that I mind at all, it’s a great piece, just not the one that I would pick to introduce someone to Bowie. To Eno maybe lol.
@@dago87able Not a great intro if your 14 year old cousin asks you "have you ever heard of David Bowie", but perhaps a good choice for a classical musician who is comfortable with some of the weirder places this song goes (I had to laugh when she mentioned how smoothly the modulations go, because to a pop-acclimated ear, running the key centres A, C, and B-flat one after the other sounds bonkers). And yes, great Eno introduction, too!
@@arferbargel Yeah no, I agree, particularly enjoyable for Amy, for sure, just not representative enough imho, but again it doesn’t needs to be.
Probably the only way Eno could make it onto this channel, so I'm happy@@dago87able
More Bowie please
Subterraneans please!
@@slavicgarou6414 would love that and Station to Station would also be incredible
Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing Reprise would be my choice.
You might be interested in the fact that Philip Glass wrote his "Symphony N° 1 (Low)" based on the 1977 Bowie album. It features three movements based on the pieces "Subterraneans", "Some Are" and "Warszawa".
Thanks, I didnt know that.
I know it. I own the recording. 😁
czcams.com/video/QDN6It6QbWg/video.htmlsi=C9DrNkXjY3c3fRvt
If I were to listen to all of Bowie's albums for the first time, from beginning to end, I'd probably struggle to believe they were all done by the same artist. Bowie has been described as a 'musical magpie' in that he wasn't afraid to incorporate sounds and styles that he'd heard into his own music. The effect this had was that his output changed quite dramatically over his career. I've always said to people who say they don't like Bowie, well, you probably haven't found your preferred era of his yet.
Bowie was incredible, especially in the 1970s. So was Eno. The two joined up were a powerhouse.
Gotta put Fripp in there
A first class choice as an introduction to David Bowie. Probably his most important instrumental piece and let's not forget the extremely important contribution from the avant-garde artist Brian Eno.
You are in for endless surprises as you explore David Bowie, one of the true greats.
May be the only reaction to this on CZcams. Love it!
"Life on Mars" has some fascinating chord changes.
Well of course he turned down a knighthood, he was already a (thin white) duke. 😁
One of the first concerts I ever attended was at the old Boston Garden on May 6, 1978, part of Bowie's Isolar II tour . I was 17 and David performed most of his recently released Low and Heroes albums, and a number of cuts from Ziggy Stardust and Station to Station. David was in fine form that night and used many of those live recordings on his Stage live double album. The first song he performed that night was Warszawa.....
The American composer Philip Glass composed a symphony based on this album-Low Symphony.
Snap!...My 1st ever concert was Bowie at Newcastle City Hall June 14th 1978. My 2nd was the same show 2 days later. Pure magic!
My first Bowie concert was the same tour 30th June 1978 Earls Court, London and Warszawa was the opening piece. It was mesmerising.
I was agape that you found and chose this, and had to stop what I was doing just to watch and listen. This is not one of his crowd pleasers, but the song I return to most often, and a Bowie and Eno collaboration at the most beautiful. Not just of Warsaw, but the essence of Bowie and of Eno, at their Low.
I have never imagined this before as the starting point to Bowie, or to Eno, but it really is.
I like to joke that this is my go to Karaoke song.
For me, one of the best, most influential artists of the 20th/21st centuries. A man who created extraordinary music right up until his death.
My particular favourite is Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing Reprise from the Diamond Dogs album.
Anything Bowie, I'm here for it.
That's my choice for Amy's next Bowie song too!
Yep love that. But I also think We Are The Dead from the same album is a remarkable song.
@@MrJambug you'll get no argument from me on that one. Great song.
Totally agree!!!
I especially love this done live on David Live.
Yes, more Bowie please. You could devote an entire channel to analyzing his music. A musical genius, incredible collaborator and tremendous innovator - as a writer, arranger and performer. The world will never see another quite like him.
I’m so delighted that you’re listening to this song, not only because it’s a Bowie song, but that it’s opening the door to Brian Eno’s music. As others have pointed out, this is an Eno collaboration that maybe leans a little more in Eno’s direction than Bowie’s. Nevertheless a wonderful composition and performance! More of BOTH artists please 🙏!!
Well said. Heaven knows what Amy would make of Another Green World. If she thinks Warzawa is beautiful wait till she hears Becalmed. When it's time, I'm going into the next world on that.
@@MrJambug Hear hear! I can only hope that this tickled Amy's fancy enough (plus after reading the reams of viewer comments praising both Bowie AND Eno) that she delves into the Eno world too. How many people's lives would be enriched if they were introduced to Eno here along with Amy. A boy can dream!
@@musicalBurr I am a massive Bowie fan, but beyond doubt the 4 albums I return to most out of my entire collection of over 3,000 albums are Here Come The Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Another Green World, and Before And After Science. 4 absolutely remarkable ground breaking records. Out of the 4 Bowie said it was AGW that influenced him most. You'd never of guessed given the sonic landscape of the Berlin Trilogy that followed🤣If Amy was to delve into ENO's 'Rock' albums I would like her to analyse The Fat Lady Of Limbourg. From his Ambient work An Ending (Ascent) because at least everyone would know what that 'beautiful piece of music' was they keep hearing in the background on those science programs was!!!
This song is more indicative of Brian Eno's work. With all due respect. 🙏
Whole album is amazing
Bowie is the most important artist of the last 50+ years. I would highly recommend the title track from album Aladdin Sane, one of Bowie’s most avant-garde jazz influenced works. My all time favorite song…
There's so much choice to choose from Bowie's catalogue. He worked with some great collaborators allowing him to produce such an eclectic body of work.
This was a part of his three album collaboration with producer Brian Eno, who is a musical legend on his own. Eno is maybe better known as a producer for artists like U2, Coldplay and Bowie but he started out as a member of the art/glam rock band Roxy Music before becoming a solo artist who would go on to create (or at least coin and describe) the genre of ambient music as well as become one of the pioneers of electronica. I urge you to listen to some of his solo work. His art rock piece, "St. Elmo's Fire" would be an excellent choice or perhaps the beautiful, haunting "An Ending (Ascent)" if you want to hear him in more of his ambient mode. Bowie is a genius but he definitely had a lot of help on this one and I hope you get the chance to check out Eno's solo work.
Don't forget to mention Tony Visconti, he doesn't get enough credit for all the Bowie albums he produced
Hear hear!! Amy (and Vlad!), please dive down the Eno rabbit hole. The album “Another Green World” is going to tickle you down to your musical core!
Eno is, indeed, a producer but worked as such on only one Bowie album: 1. Outside. Tony Visconti produced the so-called Berlin Trilogy with Bowie.
Visconti, not Eno, produced “Heroes,” one of the albums in the Berlin trilogy
As someone who always admired Bowie but never was more 'into' him than his hits this deepened my respect for him. I think this is one of the best things you can achieve with a channel like this so thank you for sharing!
Also, Brain Eno. I think it is fair to say this man has his fingerprints all over late 20th/early 21st century music. A name to watch out for in production credits in the songs you listen to.
Interesting choice. "Warszawa" is not a song I would choose to introduce anyone to Bowie's music, but at the same time, you haven't really heard Bowie
if you haven't heard "Warszawa". Or Brian Eno, for that matter. It's a fantastic mood piece. Filled with both beauty and cold war dread.
I love the fact that this is your first Bowie song to listen to and you pick something really unusual and kind of a deep cut but something which is really very impressive. The this comes from is full of things like this, which was quite experimental at the time.
Those flutes you were commenting on were played using a keyboard activated tape loop player invented by Harry Chamberlin in 1949. Eno is one of the masters of electronic composition. You might enjoy some of his other work. As a bit of a troll, I'll suggest his 1974 Baby's on Fire from his first solo album, Here Come The Warm Jets. You're intrigued by the electric guitar and the track features Eno's old friend and collaborator Robert Fripp, a ruthlessly avant garde technical guitarist, and a quiet, unassuming English gentleman.
David Bowie is a WORLD
More than that, I think. Bowie is many, many worlds. Take your pick: Ziggy Stardust? Aladdin Sane? The Thin White Duke? The soul singer of the mid-70s? The avant-garde song stylist of the Berlin years? The blond haired pop rock singer of the 1980s? The broadway actor? The film actor? The painter? The Internet pioneer? The fashion icon? The bisexual alien? The family man? There are just so many Bowies to choose from. I just recently watched the film “Moonage Daydream” and was amazed at how of these many personas and identities I had forgotten about.
@@patricknelson5151 You're totally right
Bowie is my number 1 music artist. If anyone asked me to recommend an album to introduce them to Bowie I would not have suggested Low first. It is a great album and all his albums are unique so maybe Warszawa is an ideal starter for someone with a classical background. Looking forward to Amy’s reaction and getting a new perspective and hopefully learning more about it.
Subterraneans is another great listening experience from Bowie
This a strange -- and wonderful -- introduction to Bowie. Though when I think of it, there is no one song to start your Bowie journey that would possibly represent the breadth and width of the artist's career. While most of his works have a more 'regular' songs structure, no single piece could represent him to a greater or lesser degree. Instrumental, rock, folk, jazz-influenced, soul, pop -- Bowie did it all. Keep going...
Brian Eno did all the music for this one. Bowie just did the vocals. If you're into this, you definitely need to check out Eno's 70's stuff.
I would love to hear your opinion on another DB song.
Word On A Wing from the album Station to Station, very moving.
Fun fact: David Jones decided to go with David Bowie because Davy Jones of the Monkees was already a famous teen heartthrob.
Actually, "the" David, or Davy, Jones hadn't actually reached cultural saturation when Bowie made the move - but he was well-known, from his British stage/screen career, and the low-key start to his Stateside musical career. But by the time the Monkees went mega, Bowie was Bowie.
when Bowie first came out, I thought he was just a Showboat because of his makeup and dress. Over the years I found out how I was way off the mark and learned to love his work.
Low is one of the least known but best works of David Bowie.
And my personal favourite
@@solarwindlass And mine. A perennial I don't stop listening to.
Low and “Heroes” in particular are masterpieces. I probably listen to Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane more often but whenever I listen to these albums, I feel like I’ve been transported to another world.
Along with Queen and Zeppelin, Bowie is one of my all time favorites. The albums between 1969 to 1983 alone are vital. Many of the later albums from the late 90s to early 2000s are so fascinating, and his last two album's The Next Day and Blackstar, might be some of the better final statements from an artist.
The music for this song was composed entirely by Brian Eno at the request of David Bowie to evoke the 'very somber atmosphere' that Bowie experienced during his visit to Warsaw in 1976.
Instrumentally performed by Brian Eno (Mini-Moog, piano, Chamberlin [keyboard instrument that plays tape loops [recordings] of orchestral instruments, in this case Eno used the voices of cellos and flutes] and EMS Synthi).
David Bowie wrote the lyrics and performed the vocals (based on 'Helokanie' by a Polish folk choir, although the words he used are not Polish but invented by Bowie).
"Warszawa" is part of the album Low (released January 1977).
Between 1976 and 1978, David Bowie and Brian Eno actively collaborated. From that collaboration emerged what is known as 'the Berlin Trilogy' made up of the albums: 'Low', 'Héroes' and 'Lodger'. [It is known as the Berlin Trilogy because during those times David Bowie lived in West Berlin]. It is Bowie's most experimental stage.
I would recommend paying a lot of attention to Brian Eno because, 'from the shadows', he is a fairly important figure in the musical development of the 70s and later, both in his solo career and in collaboration with other musicians as well as in his own facet. as a producer.
Bowie getting a lot of credit for Eno's work here. A brilliant 30 min doc could be made about how they worked together on this.
the flute and violin sounds are the Chamberlin (sister to the Mellotron) which is the sound of real instruments recorded/ sampled onto tape, and each of its keyboard keys play back these taped sounds. This is why flutes and strings sound real but not quite either
It's great that you are beginning a journey into the music of David Bowie! This is such an interesting piece to start with. It was a very bold move on his part to release an album with several instrumentals, and other experimental sounds in the middle of a pretty successful career as a rockstar. You can imagine it's not what his record label would have wanted. This is an amazingly original composition. Nothing else sounds quite like it. It sounds modern, and futuristic, and ancient all at the same time. Very unique, and adventurous.
American composer Philip Glass did large scale symphonic works based on the Berlin trilogy if I remember correctly.
His catalogue is so huge. you should do a few more such as "The Man WHo SOld The World", "Fame", "Rebel Rebel", "Suffragette City", his "Ashes to Ashes" video was ground breaking, "Black Tie WHite Noise", "Life on Mars", "Young Americans", to name a few. His live performances were mesmerizing.
I saw that someone suggested “The Man Who Sold the World” for the covers series. That might be a good next step. Also, “Fame” might be interesting to Amy since it is a collaboration between Bowie and John Lennon.
Rebel rebel would be a pointless reaction
She should do the major Tom trilogy. There's lots to unpack and many musical styles
Cool idea. Amy could do a cover comparison of Man Who Sold the World. Bowie said he was especially proud of that song and all the covers.
Definitely agree with the comments re: Brian Eno. I’m sure Amy would find his work very interesting. She was previously ran across him in the U2/Pavarotti video.
Space Oddity?
I want to thank your husband with his help he has given you and all that he does in the background for your show.
Thanks for this, you sent me to the shelf for another listen to Low. This remains one of my favourite Bowie albums, and so one of my favourite albums.
More Bowie...please!
Stunning reaction, interpretation and feelings. Thank you for that. This comes out of the album LOW, which by its time evoced a lot of controversy. Instead of producing "hits" as a just established popstar he delivered an album almost without words. And even the words are a fantasy-language( as far as I know). You think what he sings in WARZAWA is a sort of polish? May be I don`t know. But what a stunning, calm and contemplative but also overwhealming piece of music.According to contemporary intervieuws Bowie said to Brian Eno:"let us do a calm piece with an almost religious feel to it". They succeed totaly. So don`t forget Brian Eno. He has at least the same credit to it. Another stunning piece is Subterraineans on the same album. Calm as well, simular qualities but also something else: harmonic singing without lyrics an almost polyphonic approach and a wonderful and lost sax hanging in the air between East and West-Berlin over the wall.
So beautiful and a marker of the genius of Bowie and Eno.
I forgot what a beautiful piece of music this truly is.
Not something you're likely to notice on first listen but...the "way out" of the choral section, back to the main melody, recaps the initial modulation from the introduction, before that main melody emerges for the first time. As you observed, we begin by tolling a repeated A...which then moves up stepwise (in the melody) to C. We then suddenly modulate to F#, the key of the main melody. That section runs through D#m, C#, B, and then alternates F# and B. The F# turns minor, we drop a step to E...and that's where the vocal section begins.
The latter half of that section moves to A with a stepwise ascent similar to the move from A to C...and then, from that A, we move (by way of a passing G) up to C. That rises a half step to C#...which is, of course, the fifth (implied dominant chord) of the F# we then return to.
So we get A-C-F# both times.
Ah, the work of Eno is strong with this one. Beautiful. A superb pairing of creative genius.
Brian Eno should be included in the discussion whenever we talk about Bowie's Berlin records. Maybe one of the most fruitful musical collaborations in the past century. Most of the base motif is in piano or analog synthesizer, but there is also a lot of Chamberlin, which was a keyboard that played tape loops of orchestral instruments
You've probably sussed this out by now, but this piece is *all* keyboards! There's a piano in there, the rest is all synthesisers of various types, mostly (or entirely, can't quite remember off the top of my head) played by Eno. In any case, it's one of the most beautiful things Bowie ever did.
All played by Eno, who also composed the instrumental piece. Wikipedia:
"Warszawa" (...) is named after the Polish city of Warsaw, which Bowie visited in April 1976. He found the landscape to be desolate and wanted to capture this through music. Eno mostly composed the song. He heard Visconti's four-year-old son playing A, B, C in a constant loop on the studio piano and used this phrase to create the main theme."
Glad you’ve finally got to Bowie. He’s deserving of a listen to his back catalogue. Great place to start though.
Amy, I'm so glad you finally listened to Bowie. For me, the most fascinating "modern" artist ever. While his outstanding 70s production needs to be explored more, his last album Blackstar was his finest in decades (imo). He died only 2 days after the release of the album, so he was already gone when most people got a chance to hear it. Which made it really painful to listen to, especially since many of the lyrics revolved around mortality.
He knew he was dying and left his fans a goodbye message. However, in typical Bowie fashion, it was cryptic and thorny and not at all easy to digest but all the more wonderful for that.
I remember listening to it the day it came out (a Friday), and hearing it all of that weekend and loving it... and then waking up on Monday morning to find out he had died. So at least I know that my love of the album was not because of his death. I was listening to it objectively those first few times.
A treasured memory: flipping over Low for the first time and hearing that side unspoiled. Quite a shock - in a good way. Was very disappointed when Lodger did not have that "interesting" side.
I support Vlad's choice here. It's as if he introduced Freddie Mercury with Barcelona. I've honestly never heard this song before but Bowie's genius and respect for humanity beam through.
You've got to listen to this album if you've never heard this song before, one of his best albums!
Low was released in 1977 and still sounds ahead of its time.
Loving the Alien is also beautiful. Word on a Wing. Heroes. Dead Man Walking. Lazarus.
How wonderful to listen to a deep cut as an introduction. This was a marvellous video, I always break down and cry listening to this song.
Wonderful job !
Enjoying your lovely very well thought comments. Love Bowie.
Cygnet Committee is another Bowie song that would fit this channel very well. A lot of Bowie's stuff is quite original and complex anyway, so it would be nice to see it here.
One of my favorite Bowie songs. Try "Outrage at Valdez" by Frank Zappa on the Yellow Shark album. It might be my favorite of Zappa's more "classical" pieces, and it's performed by a terrific classical ensemble with Zappa conducting. Very emotionally evocative.
The expressions on your face says it all about this stunning piece of music
For me, Bowie stands alone as a total true artist. More than a musician. It is an exaggeration, but not a huge one, to say Rock and Roll Suicide may have saved my life. As a pre-teen survivor of sexual abuse back in the early 70's, that chant of "You're not alone" brought me ought of many dark places. Still the only celebrity of any stripe that made me cry with his passing.
This track was written by Bowie and Brian Eno.
I was struck by the similarities between this song and Arvo Part's work in his tintinnabuli style, which he developed at around the same time - 1976 for Part's Fur Alina and 1977 for Low (the album this some comes from). I've been a Bowie fan since my early years and came across Part's work in my late 20s
What a great start to Bowie. One of my favorite albums to play in my store as background music.
What an adventure you’ll have delving into Bowie. Each album was done in different and unique styles. There’s a Bowie song for everyone, regardless of personal tastes.
From Bowie's best album LOW. The whole album is original, seminal and brilliant. With it he and Eno carved out a new kind of genre-crossing Pop music that stands the test of time. Warzsawa is one of my favourite tracks and reminds me a lot of Barber's epic Adagio For Strings with that beautifully melancholic doom-laden repetition. Superbly accomplished. x
Interesting choice for first Bowie reaction. For me personally the flip side to Heroes had some enthralling instrumentals.
This comes from the Bowie / Brian Eno collaboration and was written by Eno while Bowie was away in Paris dealing with legal issues.
I have to jump in again. The 'how' of this was recorded is like nothing the harpist ever dreamed of. We (Bowie, Eno and Visconti) laid down a click track for five minutes. We didn't count it in bars, we counted in beats. I spoke a number for each beat. So the main them came in on beat 74, for instance. The main melody wasn't written until my 4-year old son kept playing the notes A-B-C over and over again on the piano. Brian Eno heard him and physically pushed my son off the piano seat and finished the phrase that opens the melody. There were a lot of technical tricks used. For instance, Bowie wanted to sound like a young boy singing in a quasi-Slavic language. I dropped the speed of the tape by 5 semitones and Bowie sang it in a normal adult voice. When the tape was brought back up to pitch he sounded like a boy. I will stop here, because this could be a chapter all by itself in a book. In case you don't know, it's Tony Visconti, the co-producer of Low, writing this.
Pleasantly surprised when I saw this as the latest offering. Side 2 of the album Low (which this is from) always felt magical to me Subterraneans being the other special track. Brian Eno went on to have both a distinguished career as a producer but also pretty much invented the genre of music known as ambient. An Ending (Ascent) from the 1983 Eno album Apollo is an incredibly beautiful piece of music.
One of the brilliant things about Bowie was his musical diversity. He was both an innovator and a champion of other musicians. A truly great artist.
Thank you so much for your wonderful analysis ❤. I'm already 40 years fully in love with this peace of music.
Beautiful song. Great pick Vlad. This is at least as much an Eno song as it is a Bowie song. Great analysis Amy. Thqnks
I think it’s safe to say that it’s more an Eno song than a Bowie song. But both voices can be heard here.
@@musicalBurr yes this could have been on an Eno album. It’s really hard to tell how much of either artist was involved but it’s definitely Enos “sound”, that’s probably what Bowie hired him for in the first place.
one of his best works, from his best album. I've been meditating to the B side of Low since the early '80s.
This was Bowie's first album (Low) of a trilogy he collaborated on with Brian Eno in Europe. (the other two being Heroes and Lodger). If you'd like to listen to a similar ambient/symphonic style from that period, please check out Brian Eno's "Another Green World" (1975) and "Before and After Science" (1977).
Oogity boogity
@@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek Why the condescending tone? I was a teenager in the 70s and I followed both Bowie and Brian Eno, so I'm not some 'newbie' to these events. I too assumed that as the "Berlin Trilogy", all three albums had been recorded in Berlin, but I changed "Berlin" for the more general "Europe" in my comment because much of Lodger was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland. For more info, you can look it up at "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lodger_(album)"
@@SteveMenardDesignDXM it just makes no sense to call it the Europe trilogy as most of his albums were recorded in Europe and he was European.
@@SteveMenardDesignDXM This so-called Berlin trilogy is a bit imaginary and fanciful, as only the album "Heroes" was recorded entirely in Berlin. Low was mainly recorded in Hérouville, France and then finished in Berlin. As for Lodger, it was actually recorded in Montreux and also in New York City.
@@a.k.1740 That's true. That's why I wrote Europe, as I checked the facts before posting, and I realized that indeed the other two albums were recorded in other parts of Europe, and even in NYC. But as you said, the "Berlin-trilogy" tag has become a romantic concept in David Bowie lore.
Hopefully, Talking Heads is next :)
What you refer to as 'Soundtrack Music' is in fact the sonic landscape produced by Eno for this song, a place, somewhere you can access through the music. In his own words about Ambient Music:
"For me, the central idea was about music as a place you go to. Not a narrative, not a sequence that has some sort of teleological direction to it-verse, chorus, this, that, and the other. It’s really based on abstract expressionism: Instead of the picture being a structured perspective, where your eye is expected to go in certain directions, it’s a field, and you wander sonically over the field. And it’s a field that is deliberately devoid of personalities, because if there’s a personality there, that’s who you’ll follow. So there’s not somebody in that field leading you around; you find your own way."
Low my fav Bowie album , Bowie and Brian Eno's synthesizer , many times in the 80s I was driving home at 1am at night , pitch dark , no one else on the road just me and the 8 track playing Warszawa on the Low tape , the occasional head light of a car coming at me and then passing , very trippy . Then the song Always Crashing in the same car comes on
nice, finally Bowie ) Station to Station next please ;о
“One of the traditional…” don’t think that phrase has ever been associated with Bowie.
What a great choice, usually everyone starting with Bowie's Space Oddity, and I don't recall anybody had ever analyze Warszawa, even this composition, made so much impact on so many musicians, from Filip Glass, to Joy division, who when formed in 1977. has first give them selves name Warszawa, and publish they first single under that name, later change it in Joy Division.
Analyses and reaction on spot, just superb, what to say.
I can wait to see, I presume Vlad's choice, for next David Bowie song, cause his opus is unintentionally grandiose, and Amy, you still did not hear his lyrics writing, that is astonishing.
Let it be surprise, I would not suggest anything for future, in this comment.
Amy, Vlad, keep on good work, you beautiful people!
David Bowie: vocals
Brian Eno: piano, Minimoog synthesizer, Chamberlin EMI
Thank you.
This has indeed Brian Eno written all over it ... I find it a strange introduction to listen to a mainly Brian Eno composition as a David Bowie introduction. I didn't know this, but I like it.
The live version on "Stage" is stunning. Must listen to it right now!
this piece is from his album "Low", and other pieces are much the same... listen to it all the way through!
Composed and recorded in late 1976, released in Jan. 1977, "Warszawa" for me shares a certain musical and cultural affinity with Henryk Gorecki's "Symphony No. 3, Op. 36", which was virtually contemporaneous in its genesis and premiere, i.e. 1976-77.
Another intriguing Expressionist mood piece from the Berlin Trilogy is "Neukölln" on 1977's "Heroes" album.
A noteworthy contrast in Bowie's vast oeuvre would be "Life on Mars" from 1971's "Hunky Dory", or "Width of a Circle" from 1970's "The Man Who Sold The World."
Bowie was open about his appreciation of German bands at the time and even named some of the songs after them, with Heroes being a reference to the Neu! track Hero. I know that the band Can, at least, was formed by an actual student of Stockhausen.
Now you really surprised me, my favorite Bowie track. It's not one of his more famous songs. A brilliant work of art, thank you so much for this. And thank you for making me a better and more sensitive musician, I owe you so much, again, thank you!!!!!!!!❤
Hi!!! I started having piano lessons at seven years old so I can read music. Now I sing lead and also play lead guitar in a very well-known band in Rio, Brazil. I learned to play guitar by my own in my teens. I´m 61 now, so I think I have de same Rock background as Vlad. I would never be able to thank you enough for your invaluable lessons. I learned from you that playing music for people is more than playing the right notes at the right time and in tune. With you I learned something that I call: “Bring tears of joy and smiles of sadness from their eyes”. Sorry for the long text and God bless you and your family.
Bowie's career was one of endless creativity/experimentation.
The piece is entirely electronic except for the voices and piano. Largely composed by Bowie's collaborator on the album Low, Brian Eno.
Very interesting choice. I love this piece. Definitely not a typical Bowie work. Enjoy the long journey exploring his music.
@On-Tel-Official_VirginRock You're most welcome :) My personal favorite Bowie songs are probably "Five Years" and "Life on Mars?" There is just so much incredible music in his catalog. Honestly you should listen to the entire album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars." Absolute Masterpiece. Enjoy!
I enjoyed this video very much. I always loved this track and is very different from his all his other music. I hear a lot of Eno in this piece.
What a fantastic surprise! This may be somewhat characteristic of Bowie's 'Berlin trilogy', but it is not typical of Bowie's entire ouevre. A great track though, from a great album. Bowie was a restless experimenter. You could spend as much time with him as with the Beatles 150 - this track is a kind of junction between rock and electronica, but Bowie is also a junction between pop and rock as well. His albums sometimes have folk influences and his last album, Blackstar had modern jazz ones as well.
You may like to compare and contrast tracks from his albums 'Hunky Dory', 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust', 'Heroes', 'Scary Monsters and Super Creeps', 'Let's Dance' 'Heathen' and 'Blackstar'.
He has so many aspects, many of which you read out to us at the beginning of your analysis, a true artist. One you didn't is that in the late 1990s he predicted in aninterview that the Internet would dominate all of our lives...
Then there is Brian Eno, who you will keep on coming across when you leave mainstream rock music...another rabbit hole to go down!
More Bowie, please. He is someone who, as you once said, you could get your teeth into.
If you want to listen to polish song about Warszawa/Warsaw listen to "Sen o Warszawie" (translation: "A dream about Warsaw") by Czesław Niemen (if you decide to listen to it don't translate lyrics in google translator)
I wouldn't take that BBC Greatest Britons poll too seriously. According to that, Princess Diana beats Darwin, Newton, and Shakespeare. And apparently Geoffrey Chaucer isn't quite as great as Robbie Williams.
I was wondering what your reaction was going to be when the singing started and as expected you loved it
I feel a sense of Angelo Badalamenti's "Laura's Theme" in there too. Written much later of course but wow, the emotion!
so happy to see bowie on this channel!!
Finally!
I scrolled through a bit but didn't see the comment that this is actually from a polish traditional song that Bowie was listening to as he was travelling behind the Iron Curtain, where he was almost trapped from lack of 'papers'. I forget the history but its a polish song with I think polish lyrics. Of course given the crazy Bowie and Eno spin.
I found a link to this in one of Bowie groups on Facebook. As this is one of my very favorite Bowie songs, I was intrigued. I am SO glad I watched this... it is a unique song and it's interesting to see a first reaction to it, especially from a classical aspect. I love that you loved it.
hopefully this makes you want to check out brian eno
It's been a long time since I've listened to this song, though I played the grooves off this album back in the day. What must it be like to hear it for the first time? Wish I remembered.
This is really owing to Brian Eno, and while David Bowie may have been an equal partner in this creation, here he is playing on Eno's playground. I love it, but I'm also an Eno fan. This work is not typical of Bowie. It will not give you much of an idea of his body of work.
It's actually "owing" to Bowie's son Duncan who was a young child at the time and kept playing the same deep A note over and over and Eno taped it. This became the starting point to the piece. There are three albums and countless other Bowie instrumental's to also listen to.
Sorry but didn't you ever watched a Eno interview about his work with Bowie? I'm telling you this because he said people think he was the one to experiment but instead it was David who was the one to experiment wildly and he was the one who was trying to give a more structural shape to the material. so you're giving Bowie less credit than he deserves for this.
And talking about sounds and atmosphere I suggest you listen to The Idiot album from Iggy Pop written (the music) and produced by Bowie in 1976 without Eno so you can understand more.
No, I'm not. Perhaps you need to listen to more of Eno's work.