Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars [Limited Edition, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

David Bowie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition, Live, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00007MF8Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,231 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

David Bowie's final concert as his most famous alter ego is one of the more legendary shows in the rock canon, but aficionados have frequently held this audio document, as recorded by Dylan/Monterey Pop documentary director D. A. Pennebaker, in somewhat low regard. Of course, the wonderful Ziggy Stardust album was such a pristine production that any live reproduction suffers in comparison, but fans may notice a significant improvement three decades later. Whether time has made the closer-to-garage-rock ethos of the live Spiders from Mars play better or whether it just sounds better is hard to say. But this 30th anniversary version does sound a whole lot better than all previous versions. Producer Terry Visconti has remastered what was once murk into something that sounds crisp and clear. The new packaging is lovely and the entire concert--incidental intro music and all--is documented for the first time. Pity the rights couldn’t be re-secured to include Jeff Beck’s long-deleted appearance on "Jean Genie," and Jacque Brel's "My Death" is still a tad melodramatic. But you also get most of the great Ziggy tunes, a few earlier classics, several from the then-unreleased Aladdin Sane, a terrific "All the Young Dudes," and perhaps the best cover ever of the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat." --Bill Holdship

Product Description

30th anniversary 2 CD special edition! Digitally remastered glam-rock classic features David Bowie as his gender-bending alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, in this final performance given at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1973. Limited edition digi-box packaging includes a silkscreen printed clear O-card (slipcase) as well as a pull out poster & mock ticket. Virgin. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally... Last Ziggy show gets treatment it deserves!, April 4, 2003

By 

M. Olson "bone jammer" (Olympia, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars (Audio CD)

For many years Bowie fans have had to accept the shoddy sound quality of previous releases of this album. Now, a full remaster with vibrant sound has been made available.

The show has been expanded somewhat in that it now consists of two discs, and "Width Of A Circle" has been restored to it's original 15 minute length. Intros and farewell speech are included, making this the best official release yet.

The packaging is also quite nice. The CDs are housed in a black box each in their own cardboard sleeves. Included in the set is a mini poster with highlights of newspaper headings and pictures from that fateful night, a reproduction of a concert ticket from the show, and finally a introspective booklet.

Finally... a David Bowie LIVE album worth the addition to any Bowie fan's collection!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular sound, great performance, April 13, 2003

By 

C. S. Junker "soul_survivor" (Burien, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars (Audio CD)

This new mix of Bowie's legendary "farewell" concert in 1973 is in every way an improvement on the Rykodisc release. I originally owned the album on a two-record vinyl LP set, and for the first time, it sounds like a concert rather than a live recording. The balance between the ambient noise of the crowd and the performance is much more realistic, the bass and piano have more punch, the guitar is jackhammer solid, and Bowie's vocals sound better than ever.

In contrast to previous audio releases on vinyl and CD, this contains the soundtrack as presented in the film. The original 2-disc vinyl release, and subsequent CD reissues, not only have a mix that's markedly different from what you hear in the movie, but some of the performances are different. For example:

In the older issues, on "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" Bowie hits a spectacular high note on the last word ("free") and holds it for several seconds as the band segues into "All the Young Dudes". It's a spine tingling moment, one of the high points of the recording... but it's not here --- and it's not in the movie. Bowie sings an ordinary low note at the transition.

I saw the movie in a theater and again on VHS and laserdisc, and recently watched the new DVD release. I'd forgotten how strong these differences were! Some of them can be attributed to the difference in the mix, but others must have been taken from a previous performance.

This new mix is a dramatic improvement in every way; but I'm going to hang on to my old Ryko CD; I miss that high note. It
really makes a difference!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hang onto this album, it's Bowie's legendary classic!, December 20, 2005

By 

howzat "howzat" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (Audio CD)

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972.), David Bowie's fifth studio album

As the 1970's progressed, David Bowie became recognised as a music legend. However, in the early part of his career, Bowie was much less known and hadn't yet broken through into the mainstream, even though he'd released classic albums such as 'Hunky Dory'. This all changed in 1972 with the release of the 'Ziggy Stardust' concept album. David Bowie's newly adopted persona in the album transformed him into a famous star overnight. Over time, David Bowie's glam rock styled 'Ziggy Stardust' has been hailed as his ultra-definitive album and perhaps as his greatest. So does 'Ziggy Stardust' live up to its great reputation?

'Ziggy Stardust' is unlike any other album I've heard. Even though the style is totally glam rock, a trend which was very popular in music in the early 70's, the concept around the album and the whole transformation Bowie made himself within the work is what makes it pretty unique. The concept of the album aside, all of the tracks on the album hold up individually in their own right. There are plenty of great concept albums such as 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd or 'Tommy' by The Who which require you to listen to the album as a whole to 'get' all of the tracks in context; with 'Ziggy Stardust', there is no such problem and all of the songs can be well appreciated as unrelated songs. This is why plenty of the songs, such as 'Starman' and 'Suffragette City' achieved popular status and plenty of radio play. Bowie and his backing band capture the glam style brilliantly. Mick Ronson is one of the main stars of the album with some legendary inspired solos plus the piano intertwines on some of the songs are played by him. The music on the album has a crisp and fresh sound to it and hasn't aged at all. You can tell the music is 70's glam but at the same time it never sounds dated.

In the past ten or fifteen or so years, the David Bowie album series has undergone a number of remasters. The first of these was the 1990 remaster series which features the original 11 track album and bonus tracks including songs 'Velvet Goldmine' and the single 'John I'm Only Dancing'. Since then, an enhanced series of Bowie albums has become available and this is the version you're most likely to find on the CD shop shelf. These new versions have awesome sound quality for the original albums and come with well constructed booklets of lyrics however the enhanced CD's have no bonus tracks featuring like the earlier version. This is a shame because the remasters are excellent and it seems strange that they miss off extras that feature on an earlier version!

The album is the epic saga of a space rock stars ascent to superstardom and his subsequent fall. 'Five Years' gets the album going; a footstep sounding drum opening leads into a great piano driven song. Bowie gives a pleading vocal performance about the end of the world drawing near. The orchestral background and whirlwind finish is classic. The glam style then truly kicks in with 'Soul Love'. This is one of the really catchy songs off the album, with some great driving guitar work from Mick Ronson and a great saxophone interlude. Bowie is a more than capable saxophone player and it is probably his most underrated musical ability. 'Moonage Daydream' for me is the height of this great album. This spacey sounding song rocks in great style. Epic, moody choruses contrasted by punchy verses make this song great and Mick Ronsons futuristic sounding exit solo is phenominal. 'Starman', another one of Bowie's most famous songs follows. This is another great, catchy song with a space theme. To finish the first side of the album is 'It Ain't Easy'. A good song, although probably the weakest on the album - ironically Bowie didn't write this one! The song has a killer chorus with wailing guitars.

'Lady Stardust' then 'Star' open up the second half of the album. Both songs are great glam rocking songs; 'Lady Stardust' is especially great with a great piano melody carrying the tune. Another famous track, 'Hang On To Yourself' is next. This is a great fast paced song with a great guitar riff and inspired 'C'mon C'mon' chorus. Then, who could forget the opening guitar sequence of 'Ziggy Stardust'. Bowie sings the story of the rise and fall of the rock n' roll star; another one of the albums highlights. 'Suffragette City' follows; another classic glam sounding song with a driving riff and a really cool chorus. However, after all of these pretty upbeat songs, the album closes on a more mellow and darker note in the 'Rock n' Roll Suicide'. Lyrically brilliant, this acoustic starting song builds to an emphatic climax before finishing with the grand sound of a string orchestra.

The 'Ziggy Stardust' album immortalised David Bowie. This, coupled with his famous 'Ziggy Stardust' tour which followed are some of the highlights of his great career. This album is up there with his other great works such as 'Hunky Dory' and 'Aladdin Sane'. Bowie's glam rock phase was perhaps his most successful era and this masterpiece has it all. If your looking to start a Bowie album collection, this is the work to begin with.

MY RATING: 9.5/10