Tony Visconti:

"What’s really great about the so-called Berlin Trilogy was that David did not want to chase the Top 10. It was at times chaotic and some of the songs were constructed by chopping out big pieces of a jam, a process like carving a piece of wood until a recognisable form appears. The rhythm section, Carlos, Dennis and George, were key to that.

"They would jam in tight formation, so something was immediately there from the start. It’s amazing how an evening starts with absolutely nothing, then 'Heroes' and 'Joe The Lion' exist by the end of the night.

"I only had this kind of freedom with David. Most other artists I’ve worked with actually wrote their songs before they stepped into the studio – and they rehearsed beforehand. David wouldn’t do such things for Low, Heroes and Lodger – well, maybe one song was a finished song, but the rest were cerebral jams!"

Originally published in Hot Press in 2019.

Revisit Heroes below: