Heathen

Bowie wrote the songs alone at Looking Glass Studios in New York in the spring of 2001. He then recorded with Visconti from August at Allaire Studios in the Catskill Mountains, a studio the guitarist David Torn had suggested. Bowie told Interview that walking in felt like an on-the-road-to-Damascus experience. The drummer was Matt Chamberlain, and Bowie played guitar, saxophone, stylophone, keyboards and drums himself. According to Nicholas Pegg, the drums on Cactus are his only recorded drum performance.

Afraid and Slip Away grew out of the shelved Toy project, and Slip Away is a remake of Uncle Floyd. The album includes covers of Cactus by the Pixies, I've Been Waiting for You by Neil Young, with Dave Grohl on guitar, and I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy. Pete Townshend played guitar on Slow Burn. Bowie denied that it was a response to the attacks of 11 September 2001.

Release and reception

It reached number five in the UK and number 14 in the US, his highest US placing since 1984, and Everyone Says 'Hi' reached number 20 in the UK. He toured it in mid-2002 and played the whole album at several shows. Eric Carr of Pitchfork wrote in 2002 that it was the best Bowie release in years and the sound of acceptance, and he picked out Slow Burn and the covers as highlights.