V-2 Schneider

"V-2 Schneider"
Single by David Bowie
from the album "Heroes"
A-side"'Heroes'"
Released23 September 1977 (1977-09-23)
RecordedJuly–August 1977
StudioHansa Studio by the Wall (West Berlin)
Genre
Length3:10
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)David Bowie
Producer(s)
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 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

References

  1. ^ a b 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.