Quite Possibly THE Most Captivating Albu

Posted : 8 months ago on 18 December 2007 01:41 (A review of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars)

I first heard of Mr. Bowie through a good friend of mine, who described him as the most dynamic musician of all time. I first shrugged this off, due to my heavy obsession with the Beatles at that point in time. A few monthes would pass. I heard "Changes" quite a bit on the radio, and I thought quite highly of it. Then I read a few tidbits about Bowie and I knew his music was definatly worth checking out. So, I saved up some of my allowance (I was in 9th grade at the time,) and raced my bike down to the local music store. It was here that I found and purchased Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' album (one of many versions that I would yet listen to countless times.)
In this outing by David, he would establish himself as a maverick, not only in glam rock, but in the general realm rock music. 'Ziggy',is essentially a quasi-rock opera about an emaciated, bisexual alien who would journey to Earth and attempt to deliver rock 'n' roll salvation, only to be destroyed by his own fiery fame.

Opening with the song "Five Years", we learn of a looming apocalypse. In response Ziggy Stardust and his band, the Spiders from Mars, scheme to save humanity, with their music (i.e. "Moonage Daydream, "Starman".) However, the fame, promiscuity, and drugs catch up with Ziggy, as he reaches a point of "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide."
On this particular edition of 'Ziggy', we're treated to some Class-A bonus tracks (the single "John, I'm Only Dancing," and "Sweet Head" among them.) In short, without Bowie's character Marilyn Manson would be stuck working in a record store right now. Bowie IS the original Manson, and he defined several layers of future alternative rock with this glittery space opus. Worth the repeated listening, trust me!

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