David Bowie: We Could Be Heroes: The Stories Behind Every David Bowie Song by Chris Welch

David Bowie: We Could Be Heroes: The Stories Behind Every David Bowie Song Reviews

• 
  Alec Downie

  As a massive Bowie fan I have read myself blind so hard to get anything new from this, other than I discovered James Brown did a version of Fame, called Hot (I need to be loved).
  
  I am also not the type of Bowie fan that defaults to defensive when people make "valid" criticisms so it was a disappointment that the book was ruined by snide needless comments or observations that were personal opinions about production, writing or playing, from a person that I do not think has sold millions of records.
  
  I was also expecting, "stories behind every song", eg the root of the song or more in depth meaning, rather than opinions on drum fills or out of tune sax.
  
  In the end it was a struggle to finish, as it was not factually correct and sloppy in places but if you are not a huge fan, it is an easy intro.
• 
  Andrew Smith

  Not massively insightful although it did allow me to discover some gems I hadn't come across and added some meaning and background to songs and albums with which I was already familiar. Would have appreciated some context as to who the author is and by which authority they are writing this book. And the consistent use of "Said Bowie ..." before every quote felt a bit lazy...
• 
  Hannah

  This book reads like the mutterings of a disgruntled and unimpressed music critic. This is far less a book that contains stories about each Bowie song, but rather a review of each piece, with measly insights into the musical components that make up any given song.
  
  I was disappointed that there really were no stories, given the date of the book that might be understandable, but even so surely the backstory (real or imaginative) could have been presented for Heroes, for instance? Perhaps the direct quote from Bowie himself? The book also contains glaring typos several times that leads one to think it was a rushed job done without much care.
  
  The inclusion of several quotes from Bowie about each album, or about the time in which it was created, are the only thing of value in the book, but sifting through the commentary makes it almost a painful thing to sieve. If you're a major Bowie fan, this book probably won’t contain much you didn’t already know (or, indeed, know better).
  
  (If you thought this review was harsh, it’s basically how the book itself is intoned.)
• 
  Paula

  This series from Carlton Books is a lot of fun--the history of various rock legends, seen through the prism of their song catalogs. This covers Bowie's work between '70-'80. Honestly, the writing isn't great--it can get a little florid, or gossipy--and there always seem to be some questionable facts, but I love this kind of obsessive rock journalism. Did you know Peter Noone covered "Oh You Pretty Things"on his post-Herman's Hermits solo album? That's the kinda stuff you learn with these books.
• 
  Lottie

  Very nice. I love the layout. Helped fuel my David Bowie addiction nicely. Learnt a lot. Was obsessed with this book when I first bought it two years ago, took it with me to school everyday and stuff. C001 facts
• 
  Alecsander Ray

  I think, perhaps, this would suit someone who wanted an introduction to Bowie in the 70s.
  It sometimes seems a bit over critical and, although there's the eternal lyrics v music debate, doesn't dwell enough on the lyrics. (I think he missed what Station to Station was about.)
  A good introduction.
• 
  Tracey

  I liked learning about the background of each song.
• 
  Jessy Faiz

  Buku yang mengupas mengenai apa yang terjadi di balik semua lagu yang dibuat oleh si bunglon musik rock. Proses kreatifnya, ide dasar di belakangnya dan event-event apa saja yang menggugahnya untuk menggubah lagu (some hits, some miss, lots of it are not for the uninitiated, hehehe, he's quite a tough act to follow...)
  
  All in all, buku ini sangat informatif bagi para penggemar Bowie, meskipun ada beberapa tipo (minor dan jarang, tapi ada).
• 
  Wilde Sky

  The music and life of a singer / songwriter are examined in this book.
  
  I found the first half of this book really (probably because I favour his early music), the last sections were a bit laboured.
• 
  Melissa Smith

  I loooove David Bowie!
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  Hannah Jo Parker

  Bought this at Powell's last weekend. Can't believe I didn't own it before now.
• 
  Wilde Sky

  This book details the various albums / songs produced by David Bowie up to 1980.
  
  I found this book to be not very in depth but still interesting.