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Pet_Sounds · 11-23-2014, 11:06 AM

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
Part 1

Earlier this week, I took a leap of faith and committed to writing a review of an album by an artist of whom I had no previous experience. The commitment was to Urban's themed week, the artist was David Bowie, and the album was Ziggy Stardust, which I chose simply because of its fame. Why haven't I listened to Bowie before? I really don't know. He's never entered my thoughts. This is the first of three installments, in which I'll be exploring the story of Ziggy Stardust and the idea of a "concept album" in general. But for now -- a simple mini-review.

I had no idea what to expect when I played this for the first time. My only experience with Bowie was through his duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" with Bing Crosby. But I'd read in a special edition of Rolling Stone that Paul McCartney's "Jet" was inspired by him. I love that song, so my hopes were up.

My expectations were far exceeded. From the beginning of "Five Years" to the end of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" I was glued to my headphones. As soon as the album was finished, I played it again. Then I bicycled down to my local used record store and purchased a CD. Bowie's vocals are fantastic - smooth, but with an bite. The guitar work is slick and tight. The lyrics have me hanging on every word. The concept, however, is what really intrigues me. However, more about that later…

Ziggy Stardust will be in frequent rotation for some time. It's possibly one of my top ten favourite albums. I'll be exploring David Bowie's discography further. (Got a rec, Urban?) Definitely a 10/10.

Watch for more on the concept and storyline of the album in tomorrow's second installment….

11-23-2014, 11:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
Pet_Sounds Remember the underscore Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: The other side Posts: 2,488	The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars Part 1 Earlier this week, I took a leap of faith and committed to writing a review of an album by an artist of whom I had no previous experience. The commitment was to Urban's themed week, the artist was David Bowie, and the album was Ziggy Stardust, which I chose simply because of its fame. Why haven't I listened to Bowie before? I really don't know. He's never entered my thoughts. This is the first of three installments, in which I'll be exploring the story of Ziggy Stardust and the idea of a "concept album" in general. But for now -- a simple mini-review. I had no idea what to expect when I played this for the first time. My only experience with Bowie was through his duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" with Bing Crosby. But I'd read in a special edition of Rolling Stone that Paul McCartney's "Jet" was inspired by him. I love that song, so my hopes were up. My expectations were far exceeded. From the beginning of "Five Years" to the end of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" I was glued to my headphones. As soon as the album was finished, I played it again. Then I bicycled down to my local used record store and purchased a CD. Bowie's vocals are fantastic - smooth, but with an bite. The guitar work is slick and tight. The lyrics have me hanging on every word. The concept, however, is what really intrigues me. However, more about that later… Ziggy Stardust will be in frequent rotation for some time. It's possibly one of my top ten favourite albums. I'll be exploring David Bowie's discography further. (Got a rec, Urban?) Definitely a 10/10. Watch for more on the concept and storyline of the album in tomorrow's second installment…. __________________ Everybody's dying just to get the disease Last edited by Pet_Sounds; 11-23-2014 at 01:06 PM.