V-2 Schneider

"V-2 Schneider"
Single by David Bowie
from the album "Heroes"
A-side	"'Heroes'"
Released	23 September 1977 (1977-09-23)
Recorded	July–August 1977
Studio	Hansa Studio by the Wall (West Berlin)
Genre	Art rock electronic
Length	3:10
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	David Bowie
Producer(s)	David Bowie Tony Visconti
David Bowie singles chronology
"Be My Wife" (1977) "'Heroes'" / "V-2 Schneider" (1977) "Beauty and the Beast" (1978)

"V-2 Schneider" is a largely instrumental song written by David Bowie in 1977 for the album "Heroes" , and released as the B-side of "'Heroes'". The song was not played on the subsequent Isolar II Tour and its first live rendition occurred in 1997, 20 years after it was recorded. ^[1] Mojo magazine listed it as Bowie's 95th best track in 2015. ^[2]

Background

It was a tribute to Florian Schneider, ^[3] co-founder of the band Kraftwerk, whom Bowie acknowledged as a significant influence at the time. ^[4] The title also referenced the V-2 rocket, the first ballistic missile, which had been developed for the German Army during World War II, and whose design (and engineers) played a key role in the American space program. ^[5]

The only words sung are those in the title, initially distorted by phasing. ^[1] Musically, the track is unusual for the off-beat saxophone work by Bowie, who kicked off his part on the wrong note, ^[6] but continued regardless. ^[7]

Live versions

A live version recorded during the Earthling Tour at Paradiso, Amsterdam in June 1997, was released as the B-side of the single "Pallas Athena" in August 1997, under the name Tao Jones Index. ^[8] This version also appeared on the bonus disc for the Digibook Expanded Edition of Earthling .

Other releases

• It appeared on the compilation Chameleon (Australia and New Zealand 1979).
• It was featured in the film Christiane F. and its soundtrack.
• It was released as a picture disc in the RCA Life Time picture disc set.
• It was included on the Bowie instrumental album All Saints .

Cover versions

• Philip Glass – "Heroes" Symphony (1996)
• Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps – 2000 repertoire
• Shearwater – as part of a live performance of the entire Berlin Trilogy for WNYC (2018) ^[9]

References

1. Nicholas Pegg (2000). Op Cit: p.228
2. "David Bowie – The 100 Greatest Songs". Mojo . No. 255. February 2015. p. 54.
3. Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: p.92
4. Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: p.302
5. O'Leary 2019, chap. 2; Doggett 2012, p. 336.
6. Buckley 2005, p. 280.
7. David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story: p.324
8. "Pallas Athena" at Teenage Wildlife. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
9. Dorris, Jesse (23 October 2018). "A Surprising Tribute to David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, Played in a Manhattan Mall". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 26 November 2022.

Sources

• Buckley, David (2005) [1999]. Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin Books. ISBN   978-0-75351-002-5.
• Doggett, Peter (2012). The Man Who Sold the World: David Bowie and the 1970s. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN   978-0-06-202466-4.
• O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater Books. ISBN   978-1-91224-830-8.