I was listening to the album this weekend, and I realized that the format reminded me of Low, where it seems to be split between the more structured A and freeform B side. Feels like it splits at "Lights in the Sky". I just realized the cover of the album looks very similar to Low. I knew it reminded me of something, then it popped out at me. Definitely one of those aspirating-coffee-what-the-fuck moments.

Ok, well, I obviously love Low, but I never caught any similarity between the two.
If I were to compare it to a Bowie album, it would be "Heroes"

I know that Trent claimed that Low was one of his influences while creating The Downward Spiral, but that's a different story.

You just made me listen to Low for the first time. Thanks.

No obvious similarities so far, though.

The later half of the album is one of the reasons why I think it's actually closer to "Heroes."
Low's instrumentals were very ethereal, smooth, flowing, and personal. They also had light traces of nonsensical vocals, while "Heroes" had none, just like the instrumentals on The Slip.
The instumentals on "Heroes" were less beautiful and graceful and more like droning, mood pieces (which is exatly what Corona Radiata and The Four of Us Are Dying are...)
And then the two last tracks on each album (The Secret Life of Arabia and Demon Seed) are both vocal tracks with really repetitive lyrics.

Man, I agree completly with you. I'd never realized the similarities between the cover and the structure [First half, song with lyrics, and the second half mostly instrumental] of these two great albums!

I'm gonna listen again "Low"...also one of my favorites from David Bowie.

After hearing the bloodless symphonic mess that Philip Glass made of Low, I'd rather he stuck to his own music.

The slip and Low have nothing in common for me. I know Low very well, and have done since 1991. I agree that the cover is similar, although the reference is probably unintentional. But musically they couldn't be further apart. Low is far more varied across the album, and is of a wholly different mood. A sense of location – Paris and Berlin – is also far more prominent on Low. The slip also sounds much more aggressive and more rough-and-ready. It sounds like it could almost have been recorded live – the DVD rehearsals are fairly accurate to the sound of the record.

However … the second track on Ghosts is a fairly blatant nod to Bowie's Warsawa and Subterraneans (both from Low) – especially in the plodding piano chords and sustained buzz backdrop.

Ah! Yes the covers are nearly similar in style. I really enjoy Low. A New Career in a New Town is so fitting of the title.

The Slip only has two instrumentals during the second half of the album not to mention the fact that the first half of Low contained very odd rock whereas the first half of the Slip contained very straightforward rock.

GREAT POST!

Low is one of my favorite albums of all time and you nailed it on the head, gastonia.

SecondHandSyringe posted:

No, we're not saying its identical.

I'm glad we agree.

SecondHandSyringe posted:

Its just similar..

The only thing even remotely similar to it is that it has two instrumentals on the second half of the CD and a side profile shot of the artist on the cover (which isn't exactly exclusive to Low).

Oh. OK. Time to kill my sources.

Deliberate posted:

LURTSCH posted:

So how about the rest of the Bowie Berlin Trilogy ("Heroes"/Lodger)?

Oh, and as for this, how about reassessing the so-called "Berlin trilogy"? Let's see now …

Low – recorded mainly in Paris, and partly in Berlin
"Heroes" – recorded in Berlin
Lodger – recorded in Montreux

Hmm.

Deliberate posted:

The slip and Low have nothing in common for me. I know Low very well, and have done since 1991. I agree that the cover is similar, although the reference is probably unintentional. But musically they couldn't be further apart. Low is far more varied across the album, and is of a wholly different mood. A sense of location – Paris and Berlin – is also far more prominent on Low. The slip also sounds much more aggressive and more rough-and-ready. It sounds like it could almost have been recorded live – the DVD rehearsals are fairly accurate to the sound of the record.

However … the second track on Ghosts is a fairly blatant nod to Bowie's Warsawa and Subterraneans (both from Low) – especially in the plodding piano chords and sustained buzz backdrop.

Agreed. I listen to Low regularly, and though I know Trent's quoted it at least once as one of his favorite albums I don't see it in The Slip. Of course everything you're influenced by affects your work somehow, I'm not sure this was a direct hit. Sure the covers are similar, so perhaps the structural similarities are intentional, but I don't know about going any farther...

Deliberate posted:

Oh, and as for this, how about reassessing the so-called "Berlin trilogy"? Let's see now …

Low – recorded mainly in Paris, and partly in Berlin
"Heroes" – recorded in Berlin
Lodger – recorded in Montreux

Hmm.

"Berlin" is more of a reference to the German (Kraftwerk, Neu!)musical influence than the location of the recording.