Heathen (stylised as uǝɥʇɐǝɥ) is the 23rd studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released in Europe on 10 June 2002, and the following day in America. His first release through his own ISO label, it reunited Bowie with producer Tony Visconti for the two's first full-album collaboration since 1980. Recording took place at New York studios from August 2001 to January 2002 and featured guest musicians including Dave Grohl and Pete Townshend. Two tracks, "Afraid" and "Slip Away", evolved from Bowie's shelved Toy project, while three were covers of songs by Pixies, Neil Young and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy.
Musically, Heathen displays an art rock and art pop sound reminiscent of Bowie's 1970s works. The spiritual lyrics, reflected in the artwork and packaging, were based on his accumulated feelings of dread, thoughts on ageing and hopes for a better future for his newborn daughter. Commentators interpreted some tracks, particularly "Sunday" and "Slow Burn", as partial responses to the September 11 attacks, although Bowie denied any influence.
Boosted by a vast marketing campaign and promotional appearances, Heathen reached number five in the United Kingdom and became his highest charting album in the United States since 1984, reaching number 14. The single "Everyone Says 'Hi'" reached number 20 in the UK. Bowie supported the album on the Heathen Tour throughout mid-2002, performing Heathen in its entirety at several shows.
Tracklist:
1. Sunday
2. Cactus (Black Francis)
3. Slip Away
4. Slow Burn
5. Afraid
6. I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
7. I Would Be Your Slave
8. I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship (Norman Carl Odam)
9. 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
10. Everyone Says 'Hi'
11. A Better Future
12. Heathen (The Rays)
Personnel
According to the liner notes and biographer Nicholas Pegg:
David Bowie – vocals, keyboards, guitars, saxophone, stylophone, drums
Tony Visconti – bass, guitars, recorders, string arrangements, backing vocals
Matt Chamberlain – drums, drum loop programming, percussion
David Torn – guitars, guitar loops, Omnichord
Additional personnel
The Scorchio Quartet:
Greg Kitzis – first violin
Meg Okura – second violin
Martha Mooke – viola
Mary Wooten – cello
Carlos Alomar – guitar
Sterling Campbell – drums, percussion
Lisa Germano – violin
Gerry Leonard – guitar
Tony Levin – fretless bass
Mark Plati – guitar, bass
Jordan Rudess – keyboards
The Borneo Horns:
Lenny Pickett – baritone saxophone
Stan Harrison – alto saxophone
Steve Elson – tenor saxophone
Kristeen Young – backing vocals, piano
Pete Townshend – guitar ("Slow Burn")
Dave Grohl – guitar ("I've Been Waiting for You")
Gary Miller – additional guitar ("Everyone Says 'Hi'")
John Read – bass ("Everyone Says 'Hi'")
Solá Ákingbolá – percussion ("Everyone Says 'Hi'")
Philip Sheppard – electric cello ("Everyone Says 'Hi'")
+++ Description, Tracklist and Timecodes by Alexander4History +++
