"Heroes" EP (2009)Recorded: July-August 1977
Producers: David Bowie, Tony Visconti

Released: 7 August 2009; 29 September 2017

David Bowie: vocals, piano, ARP Solina String Ensemble, Chamberlin, percussion, guitar
Robert Fripp, Carlos Alomar: guitar
George Murray: bass guitar
Dennis Davis: drums
Brian Eno: synthesizer, guitar treatments
Tony Visconti: vocals, tambourine, tape reel as percussion

2009 EP

  • “Heroes”/“Helden” (2001 remastered version)
  • “Helden” (German version 1989 remix; 2002 remastered version)
  • “Héros” (French single version; 2007 remastered version)
  • “Heroes” (Live; 2005 remastered version)

2017 EP

  • “Heroes”/“Helden” (German album version)
  • “Helden” (German single version)
  • “Heroes”/”Héros” (French album version)
  • “Héros” (French single version)

Two “Heroes” EPs were released, containing foreign-language versions of David Bowie’s 1977 masterpiece. The first came out in 2009, with the second a posthumous release from 2017.

The first EP was a digital download, released by Parlophone on 7 August 2009. It contained four versions of the song “Heroes”. The lead track was Bowie’s English/German performance, which had been remastered in 2001.

It was accompanied by a 1989 remix of the shorter German version of “Helden”, remastered in 2002; a 2007 remaster of “Héros”, the French-language single edit; and a live performace of “Heroes” by Bowie, previously released on the Stage album, which was remastered in 2005.

The French and German renditions had been recorded in 1977 by Bowie. They comprised the shorter single edits of the song with new vocals, and had originally been released on 7″ in those countries. Full-length edits were also made, which included parts of Bowie’s English-language performance. These were issued on the respective editions of the “Heroes” album in France and Germany.

A different EP with similar artwork was released as part of the 2017 box set A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982). This one was more straightforward, with the full-length and edited German-language versions as the first two tracks, followed by the full and edited French-language recordings.

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