Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
After the purposefully dirty proto-punk onslaught of I'm Bad, Kim Fowley shifted gears into something less outwardly off-putting on 1973's International Heroes. The album has often been described as Fowley's glam rock effort, though the addled folk-rock of the arrangements (banjos, accordions, and even pennywhistles bob in and out of the mix) has a good bit more to do with Hunky Dory-era David Bowie than the electric swagger of Ziggy Stardust or the more proletarian sounds of Slade and the Sweet. As usual, the lyrics reflect the darkly witty obsessions of sleaze genius Fowley, whether he's trying to impress a nameless woman with his incoherent love grunts on "So Good Wish You Would," or making some kind of socio-political statement about the media on "Ugly Stories About Rock Stars and the War." While Fowley has always been a bit of a loon, he's a loon with professional standards, and International Heroes shows that he knows how to put together an album; the studio band is sharp and the arrangements are imaginative, even when Fowley's attempts to sing with a Dylan-esque drawl help to push tunes like "World Wide Love" and the title track toward absurdity. Fowley gets a bit of his rock & roll groove back on the grand finale "Dancing All Night" but for the most part, International Heroes is one of Fowley's "thoughtful" albums, which is to say he was hoping America's youth would come to love him for his mind as well as his body. And the truth is, they'd fallen for worse before, and have ever since: at least Fowley has the talent and the force of will to back up his crazed world view on plastic and make it curiously fun.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Kim Fowley, MainArtist - Scott, Composer - Fowley, Composer
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
S. Battin, Composer - Kim Fowley, Composer, MainArtist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Kim Fowley, Composer, MainArtist - Glenn Turner, Composer
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
K. Scott, Ensemble - K. FOWLEY, Composer - Kim Fowley, MainArtist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Kim Fowley, MainArtist - Kim Vincent Fowley, Composer - DeWolfe, Composer
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
K. Scott, Composer - K. FOWLEY, Composer - Kim Fowley, MainArtist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
S. Battin, Composer - Kim Fowley, Composer, MainArtist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Kim Fowley, MainArtist - Schuckett, Composer - Kim Vincent Fowley, Composer
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Kim Fowley, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Kerry Scott, ComposerLyricist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
K. Scott, Composer - K. FOWLEY, Composer - Kim Fowley, MainArtist
(C) 1973 Capitol Records Inc This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 1973 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Album review
After the purposefully dirty proto-punk onslaught of I'm Bad, Kim Fowley shifted gears into something less outwardly off-putting on 1973's International Heroes. The album has often been described as Fowley's glam rock effort, though the addled folk-rock of the arrangements (banjos, accordions, and even pennywhistles bob in and out of the mix) has a good bit more to do with Hunky Dory-era David Bowie than the electric swagger of Ziggy Stardust or the more proletarian sounds of Slade and the Sweet. As usual, the lyrics reflect the darkly witty obsessions of sleaze genius Fowley, whether he's trying to impress a nameless woman with his incoherent love grunts on "So Good Wish You Would," or making some kind of socio-political statement about the media on "Ugly Stories About Rock Stars and the War." While Fowley has always been a bit of a loon, he's a loon with professional standards, and International Heroes shows that he knows how to put together an album; the studio band is sharp and the arrangements are imaginative, even when Fowley's attempts to sing with a Dylan-esque drawl help to push tunes like "World Wide Love" and the title track toward absurdity. Fowley gets a bit of his rock & roll groove back on the grand finale "Dancing All Night" but for the most part, International Heroes is one of Fowley's "thoughtful" albums, which is to say he was hoping America's youth would come to love him for his mind as well as his body. And the truth is, they'd fallen for worse before, and have ever since: at least Fowley has the talent and the force of will to back up his crazed world view on plastic and make it curiously fun.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:32:51
- Main artists: Kim Fowley
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Zonophone
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1973 Capitol Records Inc. ℗ 1973 Capitol Records Inc.
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.