Customer Reviews

Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars

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Without doubt this is Bowie's greatest and most classic album. I didn't pick it up till 1975, when Bowie was already hitting us with "Fame" and "Young Americans". But I've been hopelessly in love with it ever since. I'm the "boy in the bright blue jeans", who "jumped up on the stage". And I definitely cried when they "asked if I knew his name". I guess "Lady Stardust" is my favourite track. The sad jangling piano, and Bowie sounds almost in tears with angst as he portrays the fateful Ziggy and the Spiders causing the crowd to love and be in awe at the music of this "new" band. Bowie just manages to do that on this album; tear your heart to pieces as you feel for this man trying to vent his emotion from inside. A melody to die for, utterly singable with tears in your eyes.

"Five Years" took some getting used to, but you soon realize what a monumental crescendo of a song it is. It sets the background for the world that Ziggy is born into, something reminiscent of the world of Diamond Dogs in a way; very 1984. A world on the edge of social rebellion and chaos. And Ziggy tells us in this song, in monologue form, building and building to the terrible conclusion that we have "Five years" left to live, all awesomely backed by a frenetic string section.

"Starman" was the great hit most people know, and remains a timeless classic similar in stature to his other great "Life on Mars". These are the songs that Frank Sinatra wished Burt Bacharac had written for him, if only it would have fitted in with the rest if his act! Starman gives us some hope that may be out there there is a greater being and knowledge that might help our sorry world. Trouble is he thinks he'd blow our mind.

"It ain't easy" grew on me enormously, purely for the superbly slick guitar playout, Mick Ronson presumably, and the lovely run into that sad piano beginning of "Lady Stardust" (if you've gotthe Cd that is! Records, please turn over! And don't we all listen for the "hmmm" from Bowie at the end of the line "all the woman really wants, you can give her something too".

"Soul Love" is brilliant for the melody, the harmony and the way he sings "the priest that tastes the word, and told of love, and how my God on high is all love" with venom. Bowie just strung all these fantastic song melodies together, and made it seem effortless. The sign of true genius.

The absolute genius moment being the end of "Soul Love" and count one, two, BANG ... the intro to "Moonage Daydream", right on que, is enough to put goosepimples on goosepimples.. "I'm an alligator; I'm a Momma Poppa calling for you". True space age lyrics from the days when he used his cut up bits of paper to string lyrics together. All driven by Ronsons powerful axe guitar, Daydream is a brilliant ride into orbit to escape the devastation below. The relentless beat through to the end of the track is vey powerful, and we are treated to the monumental guitar solo at the end where Ronson makes the guitar sing and sweep through space, full of harmonics and reverb. It takes a moment to come down to Earth after "Daydream".

"Star" is a fabulous rocker, that seems to change gear three or four times, with Bowie cleverly fitting the lyrics to the changes. The brilliant backing vocals going "you know that I ..." while Bowie comes in with "I could do with the money, (you know that I) I'm so wiped out with things as they are". A true nod towards the greats of Rock `n' Roll, like Elvis himself.

"Hang on to yourself" is a good rocker as well, most loved for it's neat guitar riff, but it's just an hors d'hoerve before we get one of the greatest guitar beginnings of a song in history. That of "Ziggy Stardust" itself. It's hard to say why it's so brilliant, but the melody, and the power and the tightness of the guitar playing, right down to the tone of the guitar are superb. Bowie recounts the end of the Spiders from Mars in typical angst torn voice. I have to say that Bauhaus did a fab cover version of this in 1982 which got somewhere towards the original guitar and vocals.

"Suffragette City" I've never been as bigger fan of as most people. It is good; it's brilliant, I'm not so keen on the overly drawn out play-out. We still hold our breath for "wham bam thank you man" though.

Finally we have "Rock `n' Roll Suicide". One of my favourites. The laconic beginning, lulls you into a false sense of security. But Bowie is the master of changing up a gear, which he does with towering saxophones in the background as Bowie sings "Chev brakes are snarling, as you stumble across the road". What is it? A shameless plea to someone, amid the stupidity and mistakes of a life gone wrong, a shout to someone that "you're not alone; I've had my share, I can help you with the pain". There are few more emotional songs around.

Ziggy is one album I never grow tired of. I love it always, I grew up with it, and it's part of me. How many albums can we say that about. Not many.

Remember - play it loud!

this is the definitive ziggy stardust, not the re-release currently on shelves. it has 5 extra cuts, among them 'velvet goldmine', the inspiration for the movie of the same title. the extra cuts flesh out the concept of ziggy stardust. the music, the concept, the lyrics, all perfect. it's interesting that someone came out with a concept as fully realized as ziggy stardust. perhaps this is why the glam genre pretty much tailed off after this; nobody could measure up to this for all of the previous reasons. anyways, this is the essential buy; while the track listing on the wide release is sufficient, this tells the whole story and any other version would be incomplete to me.

Ordered a CD through Amazon. Was a little concerned that it would take almost two weeks to receive. But it amazingly arrived exactly when I needed it. I had ordered the CD a week before I needed it for my husband's birthday. And it arrived on my husband's birthday. Great timing and I did e-mail seller about how long it would take to arrive. Received a rapid response. Ordering through Amazon is the best and would give it AAAAA+++.