Album
“Heroes”
"Heroes" is David Bowie's twelfth studio album, released on 14 October 1977 through RCA. It is the second part of his Berlin Trilogy, arriving after Low earlier the same year, and the only one of the three recorded entirely in Berlin. Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti were again alongside him, with most of the Low players returning and guitarist Robert Fripp added to the mix.
Much of the music was improvised in the studio, and Bowie held back the lyrics until he was standing at the microphone. The electronic and ambient leanings of Low remain, but the mood is warmer and the performances more impassioned. Side one holds the more conventional rock songs, while side two is mostly instrumental. The title track, a slow starter as a single, has become one of his best-loved songs. Fripp's playing is often singled out for praise.
“Heroes”: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 40:38Tracklist
- 1Beauty and the BeastDavid Bowie3:36
- 2Joe the LionDavid Bowie3:07
- 3“Heroes”David Bowie and Brian Eno6:10
- 4Sons of the Silent AgeDavid Bowie3:19
- 5BlackoutDavid Bowie3:49
- 6V‐2 SchneiderDavid Bowie3:11
- 7Sense of DoubtDavid Bowie3:58
- 8Moss GardenDavid Bowie and Brian Eno5:05
- 9NeukölnDavid Bowie and Brian Eno4:35
- 10The Secret Life of ArabiaAlomar, Bowie, Eno3:47
- Produced by
- David Bowie, Tony Visconti
- Recorded at
- Hansa Studios (West Berlin), Hansa Tonstudio
- Recorded
- July–August 1977
- Mixed at
- Mountain Studios
- Engineered by
- Colin Thurston, Tony Visconti
- Labels
- RCA, RCA Victor
- Length
- 40:38
Line-up
- Carlos Alomar · guitar
- David Bowie · piano, background vocals, chamberlin, string synthesizer, tenor saxophone, synthesizer, vocals, koto
- Dennis Davis · drums (drum set), tambourine, percussion, congas
- Brian Eno · analog synthesizer
- Robert Fripp · guitar
- George Murray · electric bass guitar
- Antonia Maass · background vocals · guest
- Tony Visconti · background vocals, percussion
Singles
- “Heroes" / "V-2 Schneider” · 23 September 1977
- “Beauty and the Beast" / "Sense of Doubt” · 6 January 1978
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1977–2018 | 3 |
| Dutch Albums · 1977–2018 | 3 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1977–2018 | 6 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1977–2018 | 11 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1977–2018 | 13 |
| Swedish Albums · 1977–2018 | 13 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1977–2018 | 15 |
| Austrian Albums · 1977–2018 | 19 |
| French Albums (SNEP) · 1977–2018 | 19 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) · 1977–2018 | 30 |
All 17 charts
| Swiss Albums · 1977–2018 | 34 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape · 1977–2018 | 35 |
| Italian Albums · 1977–2018 | 38 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1977–2018 | 44 |
| German Albums · 1977–2018 | 44 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1977–2018 | 57 |
| Spanish Albums · 1977–2018 | 71 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Gold |
| New Zealand · 2025 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
91.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
12k
ListenBrainz listeners
142k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
35k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from David Bowie
Full discography →
David Bowie
1967
David Bowie
1969
The World of David Bowie
1970
The Man Who Sold the World
1970
Hunky Dory
1971
Do Anything You Say
1972
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
1972
Rebel Rebel / Queen Bitch / Sorrow / Amsterdam
1973
Images 1966–1967
1973
Aladdin Sane
1973
Pin Ups
1973
Diamond Dogs
1974
David Live
1974
Young Americans
1975
Station to Station
1976
ChangesOneBowie
1976
Low
1977
David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf
1978
Stage
1978
Lodger
1979
David Bowie
1980
Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps
1980
The Best of Bowie
1980
Christiane F.: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo
1981
ChangesTwoBowie
1981
In Bertolt Brecht’s Baal
1982
Rare
1982
Supergroups
1983
Serious Moonlight
1983
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture Soundtrack
1983
Let’s Dance
1983
Golden Years
1983
Fame and Fashion (David Bowie’s All Time Greatest Hits)
1984
Love You Till Tuesday
1984
Tonight
1984
Labyrinth: From the Original Soundtrack of the Jim Henson Film
1986
Never Let Me Down
1987
Glass Spider
1988
Sound + Vision
1989
Changesbowie
1990
Early On (1964–1966)
1991
Black Tie White Noise
1993
The Singles Collection
1993
The Buddha of Suburbia
1993
Live Santa Monica ’72
1994
RarestOneBowie
1995
1.Outside: The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle
1995
Earthling
1997
The Deram Anthology 1966–1968
1997
The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974
1997
The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979
1998
‘hours…’
1999
Liveandwell.com
2000
Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions 68–72
2000
All Saints (Collected Instrumentals 1977–1999)
2001
Heathen
2002
Best of Bowie
2002
Reality
2003
Club Bowie: Rare and Unreleased 12″ Mixes
2003
Live EP (live at Fashion Rocks)
2005
The Collection
2005
The Platinum Collection
2005
Bowie 1965!
2006
The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
2007
Outside / Earthling / Hours / Heathen / Reality
2007
iSELECT
2008
VH1 Storytellers
2009
Space Oddity
2009
A Reality Tour
2010
The Next Day
2013
Pin-Ups Radio Show
2013
The Next Day Extra EP
2013
Nothing has changed.
2014
Five Years 1969–1973
2015
★
2016
Who Can I Be Now? 1974–1976
2016
Lazarus
2016
Legacy
2016
No Plan
2017
Live Nassau Coliseum ’76
2017
Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles ’74)
2017
A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
2017
Welcome to the Blackout (live London ’78)
2018
Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
2018
Glastonbury 2000
2018
Conversation Piece
2019
Is It Any Wonder?
2020
ChangesNowBowie
2020
I’m Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
2020
The Width of a Circle
2021
Toy
2021
Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)
2021
Brilliant Adventure EP
2022
Toy E.P.
2022
Fun Mix
2022
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The best of 1977
All of 1977 →
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Smoke on the Water
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The label →Hunky Dory
David Bowie · 1971
Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps
David Bowie · 1980
Rebel Rebel / Queen Bitch / Sorrow / Amsterdam
David Bowie · 1973
Low
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Foo Fighters · 1999
Wasting Light
Foo Fighters · 2011
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
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Diamond Dogs
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Young Americans
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 October 1977 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 October 1977 | |
| Wikidata | 14 October 1977 | |
| US release | 1977 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 14 October 1977 | earliest UK or European date |
27 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | EMI | 724352190805 | other |
| — | CA | Parlophone | 724352190805 | other |
| 1977 | US | RCA | other | |
| 1977 | GB | RCA | other | |
| 14 October 1977 | GB | RCA | original | |
| 1980 | US | RCA | other | |
| 1981 | GB | RCA International Series | other | |
| 1984 | DE | RCA | 0035628385710 | other |
| 1984 | US | RCA | 078635252224 | other |
| November 1984 | XE | RCA | 0035628385727 | other |
| 1991 | XE | EMI | 0077779772025 | other |
| 1991 | US | Rykodisc | 014431014321 | remaster |
| 27 September 1991 | JP | 東芝EMI 株式会社 | 4988006660977 | other |
| 8 April 1997 | US | Rykodisc | 014431814327 | other |
| 17 September 1999 | FR | EMI | 724352190805 | remaster |
| 28 September 1999 | US | Virgin Records America, Inc. | 724352190805 | other |
| 7 February 2007 | JP | EMI | 4988006850606 | other |
| 25 November 2009 | JP | EMI Music Japan Inc. | 4988006876361 | other |
| 2014 | AR | Parlophone | 724352190805 | other |
| 2014 | US | Parlophone | 724352190805 | remaster |
| 2014 | CA | Parlophone | 724352190805 | other |
| 2017 | XW | Parlophone | 190295842819 | remaster |
| 2017 | — | Parlophone Music Denmark | 190295842833 | other |
| 23 February 2018 | XE | Parlophone | 190295842840 | other |
| 23 February 2018 | XE | Parlophone | 0190295842857 | other |
| 14 October 2022 | DE | — | 0190296413759 | other |
| 4 December 2022 | — | Parlophone | 5054197378751 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| coverartarchive | 1464×1464 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |