Constellation “Heroes” is a track-by-track exploration of David Bowie’s 1977 album “Heroes”, one of the most forceful and elusive records of his career. Combining lyric interpretation, studio history, cultural context and legacy, the book examines how the record was made, what shaped its songs, and why it still resonates. The chapters move from the album’s abrasive opening tracks through the instrumental sequence and into the bonus material, drawing the divided city outside the studio into Bowie’s restless collage of language, sound and image.

 

For readers drawn to the late-1970s arc that runs from The Idiot, Low and Lust For Life through the Isolar II Tour and Lodger, this is an immersive and deeply considered inquiry into the creative world surrounding “Heroes”. Discerning, imaginative and historically attuned, the book traces a web of connections from Chris Burden to Blackstar, from Tokyo to German Expressionism, from Cold War unease back to Bromley. Framed by Bowie’s Berlin era, it follows the currents that infused the album and offers the most expansive and searching reading of “Heroes” to date, a record still transmitting.

 

‘A sharp and impressive quest through the many layers of “Heroes”. A must for any Bowie lover.’ – Eduard Meyer, sound engineer at Hansa Studios 1976–2003.

 

‘A fascinating study of Bowie’s creative process, bringing an almost forensic insight into the ideas and influences behind the music.’ – Kevin Armstrong, guitarist with Bowie at Live Aid1985 and beyond.

 

Hans Meertens is a Dutch artist, writer and illustrator whose work is shown internationally and held in private, museum and corporate collections. He studied fine art in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands, and refined his practice through residencies in New York City. He is the author of On Track… Iggy Pop 1977–1999: Every Album, Every Song, a detailed survey of Iggy’s solo output from that era. A longtime admirer of David Bowie, he turns his focus in this book to a defining work at the heart of his enduring fascination with Bowie’s universe.