Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
2 1/2 stars, January 9, 2001
This book was okay, but more superficial than I expected. It's advertised as getting to the heart of the writing and recording of the album itself. I was expecting details about neat studio tricks (how they got this or that sound), whose idea it was to arrange the piece this or that way, discussions about different mixes of the songs, what the different people involved with the album were like to work with, etc..., but the book isn't particularly detailed in these areas. I would wager that a lot of the people who like this album enough to buy a book about it would also want more of these esoteric details. But I guess it might be enjoyable if you're kind of a casual Bowie fan and want to get an idea of the tenor of the times during the which the album came out. Great album, okay book.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
He was his own Clockwork Orange..., July 5, 2007
I think it's okay to use books for different reasons. I have my study-books, my bonk-over-the-head-books, my fluffy-fairytale books, and my coffee books. Imagine if you can get all this in ONE book, which would be this! It's fun. You can take your time with it. Read it on the beach, the bus, in bed, in the tub, at breakfast. Aw heck, go ahead and have a cigarette when you're done! It's an inspirational book about what inspired Bowie... What it was that was making his time, speaking to him through the media, through culture and fashion, other people's music, and the collective unconscious. Bowie was able to integrate different levels of culture (American, British, Asian) into the platform of his performance style, creating a SCENE. Which means, he finally had a huge following.
Okay... Much of the scene was about sexual freedom. Funny to think back on it now, as this book will entice you to do. Now, we approach a time where many alternative groups explore things like bisexuality as a "norm". Polyamory becomes yet another freedom beyond tradition and stererotypes, an option that peaks tons of interest, whether people like it or not. Sure, people had orgies back in the '60's and '70's. But haven't we all been swinging for awhile now? Bowie was right there in the beginning... Back when there was no term like "safe sex". I also think his emotions were conflicted much of that time; in his photos, his heart and chest always seem blocked. He was pulling on the raw energy of whatever that was in his codpiece. He was his own Clockwork Orange. And as you read and learn of his life, you'll see his first and most enduring love/sex affair has been with his fans. Bowie was always more passionately involved with us than he would have led us to believe. In that regard, he hasn't changed.
Bowie, when he finally started hitting it big at the age of 24, became his own scene. This has been parodied in films like "Velvet Goldmine", but also in his own documentary "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust". Great photos, decent, informative writing, this is worth your collection if you're a fan. You'll enjoy it and get a kick out of it. You'll learn much about what makes this person, David Bowie, tick.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stardust Memories, March 21, 2001
David Bowie is the ultimate chameleon in rock. He has changed his image and persona and taken on alter egos so many times it's tough to remember them all. One that rises above them all and is impossible to forget is Ziggy Stardust. The image of the androgynous glam rocker has lived on and gave rise to Mr. Bowie's most critically acclaimed and arguably best album. Mark Paytress examines the making of the album as well as the circumstances surrounding the creation of Ziggy Stardust and his Spiders From Mars. The book also details Mr. Bowie's career before the album with the most revealing and interesting being his early days in the music business. Mr. Paytress writes in too much a fan style as opposed to a journalistic style, but overall it is a solid book.
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