The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (2012 Remaster)

A classic album from a very exciting time in David Bowie's career, this one to complete my CD collection of 1970's Bowie to me the best era.

quickly and reliably

Probably Bowie's finest work...no need to say much more

Disc one has ‘Ziggy’, of which it has all been written. However, I’ll say it again. This is, without doubt, the most important and influential album of the 1970s. From ‘Five Years’ through to ‘Rock’n’Roll Suicide’ we are treated to spontaneous, edgy, exciting, virtuosic ‘pop/rock’ the likes of which had never been heard before. Bowie never sounded better than when he was backed by (only) the three ‘Spiders’. The 2003 remastering is clear and concise. The comprehensive liner notes, in booklet form, along with the photographs (some that were not familiar) are well worth having. This double CD release is a well thought out and meaningful package. Disc two, however, is what makes this actual release an essential purchase. To have the ‘B’ sides ‘Amsterdam’ (1971) and ‘Round and Round’ (1972) available on CD is a real boon. ‘Amsterdam’, in particular, has David Bowie on top form, vocally and he ‘stacks’ his 12-string guitars to a crescendo in this emotional rendition in the ‘chanson’ by Jacques Brel. ‘The Supermen’ (1971 recording with ‘The Spiders’) is a revelation. Just listen to Mick Ronson’s guitar, especially on the second chorus. This serves to illustrate how and why this period (1971-2) is Bowie’s most creative (arguably) and most interesting. On ‘Velvet Goldmine’, ‘Sweet Head’ and ‘Holy Holy’ (the later version, as opposed to the 1970 ‘Blue Mink’ version) Bowie’s optimism and ‘swagger’ are so evident. These recordings are the last that Bowie made before the stardom that was inevitable. Ziggy was a monster, indeed! Oh, such wonderful music. Thank you, Messrs. Jones, Ronson, Bolder and Woodmansey. It just doesn’t get any better than this.

I have various issues of this iconic album on c.d. and vinyl, including the sought after UK first pressing pre-mainman vinyl, but this Blu-ray audio disc issue which features several different mixes is hands down the best you will ever hear it.You will need a Blu-ray player compatible with Blu-ray audio discs..I feed digital audio output from my Sony player into a decent quality DAC and then into my HiFi amplifier. Recommended.

What can I say. If you thought the previously available 5.1 mix of the Ziggy album was fantastic ( I thought it was and I still do ) then when you listen to this in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio it’s going to blow your socks off! Honestly this is something really special. If you want to have an idea of what it felt like to be in the studio with Bowie and the Spiders when this album was recorded, back in the early 70s remember, then this will give you a pretty good idea. I think Bowie himself if he was still with us would also be suitably impressed. If you’re a Bowie fan or even someone just wanting to hear how a Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio album should be done ( Kudos to Ken Scott and Emre Ramazanoglu 👍🏻 ) Then you would be extremely foolish to miss out on this. As a side note, if your audio equipment is unable to process Dolby Atmos then it folds down into a 5.1 mix that is different to the previously available one. Also included is a 2024 stereo remix of the album, a hi- res version of the original album 1972 mix and the 2012 remaster of the original 1972 album. Which of these different versions you prefer or think is worthwhile is subjective depending on what your preference parameters are. Me I like the 2024 stereo mix but I will always be a sucker for the original 1972 album mix that I have actually grown up with. Worth a mention is there is a constantly rolling and constantly changing full screen saver of the albums Ziggy photos taken in Heddon Street. This is great and saves you having to knock your TV screen off in order to prevent shadowing / damage etc. Via the Atmos version though Ziggy Stardust really will live forever that in a way is quite scary from a realism point of view.

When something is bombarded with praise it raises expectations so high that it is impossible for that something to live up to it. This is the problem with Ziggy Stardust. Nevertheless it does have a great cohesion as an album and boasts some of Bowie's greatest tracks, such as the classic 'Starman,' which let's face it is worth the price of the album on it's own. We also have other greats like Sufferagette City, Rock and Roll Suicide and the blissful, 'Five Years' which opens the album and certainly lives up to the hype. Unfortunately, the moment 'Soul Love' began I felt a twinge of disappointment in my gut. Unfortunately also is the fact that 'Soul Love' isn't alone in being a weaker track, as we also have 'It Ain't Easy,' and 'Hang On To Yourself' that latter track sounds like a carbon copy of 'Queen Bitch' from Bowie's previous album and it's that lack of originality that brings it down. In fact that is something that also lets the entire album down. Ziggy Stardust is not in this writers eyes the ultimate Glam Rock album, for that try T-Rex or Roxy Music, the original pioneers of the genre. Ziggy Stardust excels in commercializing the Glam Rock sound but it does little in the way of experimentation, something Roxy Music certainly excelled at in their early days. Overall then this is without doubt a solid album and well worth a purchase. However, it is a little over-hyped by many which has sadly tarnished its legacy somewhat, although nothing will tarnish the legacy of songs like 'Starman,' 'Five Years,' the two Stardust tracks and the closing 'Rock and Roll Suicide.'

This review is for the Remastered Hybrid SACD. After owning the stereo version in various formats this surround version brings out more layers in the album. If you find the `sweet spot' and close your eyes you could be in the studio. I met Bowie in early '67 at a Traction Engine Rally in Pickering, North Yorkshire. He was still Davie Jones at that time and a member of the group `Riot Squad'. He was clearly confused and trying to find himself when I first saw him licking the rear tyre on a Massey Ferguson 35X. Even in those days he was gathering a crowd, but sadly for the wrong reasons. I took him for a mug of Bovril and a sit down and we discussed our shared love of tractors and farm implements in general. As it turned out this meeting was to have a gargantuan impact on Bowie's career and his meteoric rise into superstardom. Although never credited or even mentioned in the history of David Bowie I am content in knowing I had an influence. I suggested a name change as people were confusing him with Davy Jones from the Monkees. What about Piggy Corndust? I said. David spat hot Bovril all over my wellingtons and started to laugh uncontrollably. I didn't know whether to be offended or pleased. Thinking back to the tyre licking incident I realised there may have been some substances involved so I let it pass. My suspicions were confirmed later on when David asked if I'd like to "...toke on his fatty" Luckily he then produced an expertly rolled joint which wiped the shocked look from my face. We wandered round taking in the sights and sounds, stopping briefly to finger a magnificent looking A.J International Rotovator and Seed Drill. Little did I know at the time, David was gathering ideas for songs, although we did discuss an idea about a five year farming almanac set to music called `Five Years'. It was meant to contain useful information on crop rotation, inter-planting and how to avoid carrot fly. However, David was in a morbid phase and chose to ruin the song by making it about the last five years on earth. Alas, looking at the lyrics I can see where his influence sprang from: Pushing through the market square (Farmers Market section of the Rally) So many Mothers sighing (They'd sold out of Jersey Royals) News had just come over (Over the Tannoy) We had five years left to cry in (Market was closing so there was five minutes left to buy in) And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor (Felt like a tractor more like) Similarly the chorus to the track `Soul Love' takes me back to an incident with a stall holder. David was adamant he wanted to buy a dove but the seller wouldn't let David touch it until he showed him the money. Inspirations have I none (I'm not going to hurt it) Just to touch the flaming dove (He just wanted to touch the flaming thing) All I have is my love of love (I love all creatures) And love is not loving (I'm not feeling the love back, otherwise clueless) I sympathised with David over the dove incident, I just think the stall holder took a dislike to him because of all the makeup he was wearing. David calmed down after rolling another herbal cigarette which he dragged down like a vacuum cleaner. He quickly became paranoid and kept shouting about an electric eye being on him and someone putting a ray gun to his head. David was becoming a real handful so I thought about getting him home before he freaked out any more. There was clearly a reference to this in the track `Moonage Daydream' Keep your `lectric eye on me babe Put your ray gun to my head Press your space face close to mine, love Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah! David said he was proper hungry and had something he called `the munchies' so we bought all the burgers and hot dogs left on a stand that was packing up. I suggested that we get a bus to my place so he could have a rest but David insisted on driving his Austin Morris 1100. I had a sense of foreboding about this but didn't want to leave him in the state he was in. Inevitably we were pulled over by the local constabulary and David being David started rambling on about a starman. David was charged for public order offences and I put up surety guaranteeing he would be in court on the following Monday morning. I must confess I was one of many people stifling laughter when the policeman read out David's statement in the County Court with a broad Yorkshire accent: There's a starman waiting in the sky He'd like to come and meet us But he thinks he'd blow our minds There's a starman waiting in the sky He's told us not to blow it Cause he knows it's all worthwhile He told me: Let the children lose it Let the children use it Let all the children boogie.......Your Honour The three magistrates were not as amused but luckily David was only bound over to keep the peace for 6 months.

After fifty years or so this is still my favourite Bowie album and the new High Res Surround Atmos mix is simply phenomenal.

David au top. Superbe album. low est aussi indispensable,en fait toute la discographie de Bowie est vitale.... A découvrir et écouter sans aucune modération.

Perfeito!

Great quality release. Atmos mix sounds amazing with a 5.1.2 set up. You feel like you are surrounded by the band with discrete sounds coming from all the speakers. Perfect nuances, well balanced, and clean audio. 2024 HD stereo mix is the cleanest of all the stereo mixes, but original mixes are a good too in PCM stereo if you want to experience the album as it was released back in the day and don't have a vinyl copy. Great work was put into this release. I'm especially happy of the inclusion of splash art on the TV screen since so far my only other experience had a single image for the entirety of the play. The only downside of this whole package is that the included booklet does not include song lyrics, it only gives you information on the artists' contribution to each songs. I hope we get some more pure audio releases. PS: video on screen is muted as I did not know if it would get taken down for copy rights, as well the audio that would have been uploaded would not do justice to how well this is mixed.