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Amazon.co.uk Review
Of all David Bowie's many distinctive personae, none have done more to lodge this most ingenious of British artists in the world's consciousness than his 1972 amalgam of the alien visitor and Christ-like rock star: Ziggy Stardust. Cheap glamour, spacemen and ambiguous sexuality surface throughout the loosely conceptualised collection that is The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. If its premise sounds faintly ludicrous, then inspired and dramatic songs such as "Starman" and "Five Years" dispel all doubts about Bowie's genius, and the theatrically tragic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" brings the album and it's fictional protagonist to a close. As a cultural and musical signpost, Ziggy Stardust points simultaneously backwards to early rock & roll and forward to the simpler, tougher inclinations of late-1970s punk and New Wave rock. As one of the defining rock albums of the 20th century, its influence is immeasurable. --James Littlewood
Review
It sounds like a cliché, but to an entire generation this album has become a yardstick by which to measure all others. Why the hyperbole? Because the strength of Ziggy lies in its completeness. Not a track is out of place, in fact not a NOTE is out of place, and at just over 38 minutes it is (and this has been scientifically proven, boys and girls) the perfect length. Every R&B and Hip Hop artist in the universe take note. So, does it still stand up after 30 years? Is it a major strand in rock's rich tapestry, with its gender bending bravado and melodramatic sweep; or just an ephemeral piece of fluff about a bisexual pop star living through the apocalyptic countdown?
With its so-called classic status written in stone, a perverse logic makes you want to reassess the album in a negative light. It can't be as good as all that can it? But remember, there's a reason why all those bands have dined out on this sonic template (step forward Suede, Supergrass and countless others). Within two short years Bowie had transformed himself from fey folk wannabe into a glam icon, via a brief flirtation with heavy metal. In doing this, lest we forget, he forged the template for the truly modern pop star that has yet to be broken. How this was achieved had a lot to do with two factors.
One was his adoption of three lads from Hull as his backing band, renaming them the Spiders From Mars and thus making the wild Les Paul stylings of guitarist Mick Ronson an essential element of his sound. The second was young David''s choice of producer. Most people associate Tony Visconti (the man who gave Bolan his glam sheen and who had played on and produced the aforementioned metal album The Man Who Sold The World) with this period. It was, in fact, with his previous album Hunky Dory that DB found the perfect studio partner for this phase in his mercurial career. The pairing of Bowie with Ken Scott at Trident studios allowed him to finally nail a simple format of guitar, bass, drums and piano into the place where the New York nihilism of the Velvet Underground met a quintessentially English way with a tune and a vocal. Ziggy represents the peak of their achievement.
Having perfected the format Bowie took his greatest leap forward by taking a cycle of songs and moulding it into a loose story of the nominal Ziggy and his Christ-like rise and fall at the hands of adoring fans. It allowed Bowie to take the central role onstage, hiding behind a mask of glamorous decadence that some would say hes yet to renounce. The songs weren't bad either. The part sci fi, part demi-monde narrative unfolds via the sophisticated use of shifting perspectives, beginning with "Five Years" and its tale of despairing humanity at the brink of destruction. Ziggy is observed through the eyes of one besotted fan who, following the star's death, takes their own life in the thrilling climax of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide". From piano-led sumptuousness ("Lady Stardust") to plain old dirty riffage ("Suffragette City") Dave was on a creative roll that would catapult him to the heights of success but ultimately lead him to destroy the Frankenstein's monster that had him and his audience confusing fantasy and reality.
So here it is, with the obligatory second disc featuring early versions by fake band Arnold Corns, demos, outtakes that most bands would kill to have as prime material (including "Velvet Goldmine": yes, the film was named after it), b-sides and one of Bowie's greatest singles, "John I'm Only Dancing". It's a worthy treatment of such an aural treasure and one can only hope that generations to come will come to love it as much as their peers. Ultimately, what Ziggy really represents is an artist who was in the right place, with the right people and the right songs at the right time. The future held plenty more surprises; but for millions this will always be the place where the world's most famous Martian truly fell to earth. --Chris Jones
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
buy it now!,
By
This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered (Audio CD)
Quite simply, this album is a masterpeice, and it's easy to see why it launched Bowie into the mainstream. Conventional enough to listen to anytime, anywhere, while still having the ability to provoke the listener. It mixes a rough concept with beautifully crafted rock songs that talk of intergallatic rock stars and the end of the world. Each song is a brillient slice of perfect pop/rock that appeals to both young and old, working both as light entertainment, and on a deeper level if the listener so chooses.
The album gets off to a flying start with the slow fading in of the drums on "Five Years". The song speaks of the end of the world, and how the narrator is trying to experience as much of the world as he can before it ends in five years time. "Soul Love" is a smooth, soft groove that is suddenly interupted by the epic that is "Moonage Daydream". "Starman" is a nice almost child like ditty which you'll be singing all day long. "It Ain't Easy" is weird and waky, but non the less charming. "Lady Stardust" is just a brillient song (allegadly about Marc Bolan!?!). "Star" talks of the trials and tribulations of numerous humans trying to make it big. "Hang On To Yourself" is the punkiest song ever, strangly 6 years before it even existed (typical Bowie). "Ziggy Stardust" is a brillient guitar song, that leads onto the rip roaring "Sufferagette City". The last song on the album is one of the classic album endings. "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" moves effortlessly from acoustic guitar into an uplifting shout along at the end. "The Rise and Fall..." is good from start to finish. i only give it 5 stars cause it won't allow me to put 6. buy it! buy! it! buy it! buy it! buy it!!!!!!!!
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music From The Red Planet,
By
This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered (Audio CD)
The opening track ’Five Years’ introduces this album as it means to continue. Sounding weird, beautiful, compelling and completely other worldly. The previous album had had the track ’Life On Mars’….well, frankly one listen to this album at the time should have prompted the question are there recording studios there too ’cos it sure as hell sounds like it. This is not just down to Bowie’s alien vocals which are superbly evocative throughout this set but the sound of the whole band too. They use the same instruments as had been used on countless albums beforehand. Yet here the piano sounds ghostly, the drums surreal and the guitar I can only describe as ziggy. If such a word exists. If not, it bloody well should.So back to the start. ’Five Years’ is a marvellous futuristic piece full of fear and love and things just slipping away. These were to become major themes on Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album two years later. ’Soul Love’ is beautiful. A general comment: Bowie rarely reached the melodic heights he reaches on this album. ’Moonage Daydream’ is wonderfully freaky…far out as Bowie sings…great guitar from Ronson and a good punchy horn section in the middle. ’Starman’ was a hit single and is about as catchy as anything Bowie has recorded. And what’s wrong with that? Any song with the line ’Let all the children boogie’ is alright by me. ’It Ain’t Easy’ brings Side 1 (vinyl) to an uneasy close. A little depressing this one. Side 2 (vinyl) opens in superb fashion. ’Lady Stardust’ is my favourite Bowie piano song, rivalling anything in this vein from ’Hunky Dory’ (where it’s up against some pretty stiff competition to quote Edmond Blackadder). And another tune from another world. ’Star’ is the only track here which doesn’t amaze. It’s OK. But then the album closes so strongly that one quickly forgets anything but perfection. ’Hang Onto Yourself’ is a superb frantically paced number where the intense playing perfectly matches the desperate lyric. The title track should need no introduction. It is brilliant. And also recorded at Record Plant Mars. It’s funny that at the time Bowie’s whole persona was this mad Ziggy character. Now 34 years later, this album survives as just Great Music. So it’s not all in the presentation, thank God. Otherwise we’d all be still raving about Adam And The Ants. ’Suffragette City’ is compulsive stuff, both musically and lyrically. Presumably this is the capital of The Red Planet. And you can see why. Then the album closes as all great albums do with a stupendous number. ’Rock And Roll Suicide’ contains one of Bowie’s most captivating lyrics and most affecting vocals. Give me your arms…cos you’re wonderful. The kind of words you would say before everything turns black. The great thing about listening to this timeless classic album from 1972 is that one almost feels as if one is there. In some mad parallel universe. Where people freak out to moonage daydreams whilst pushing through the market square. Where Time takes a cigarette and puts it in your mouth. And where all the children boogie.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seminal early 70s glam fest,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars: Remastered (Audio CD)
After digging around hippy events and rubbing shoulders with Marc Bolan, Ziggy Stardust sees David Bowie move from cult icon to megastar. All songs form a loose sort of concept album pre-empting the cod glam of the Sweet and Slade. Highlights include: Ziggy Stardust (about Jimi H?), Lady Stardust (about Marc B?), Starman and pretty much most of the rest. A live show (available on video) mates the power of the songs with a theatrical and (for the time) daring use of sexual imagery. The kids went barking and a legend was born (and went into a coma circa 1980). Adolescent and pretentious maybe, but the soundtrack to many teenage years.
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