The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Great guitars. The theatrical singing actually fits the songs really well here.

This album defined the aesthetic of a generation

I've been waiting for this one. The best bowie album and it's not close Will I listen to again: 100%

Easy 5. The 70s just have so much good music.

Wasn't sure about the first two tracks. Moonage Daydream pulled me in, and by the end I really enjoyed.

I think I'm just one of the only people on the planet that doesn't love David Bowie, and I'm ok with that. But if all his albums were more like this maybe I would. By far the best of the 4 albums I've had so far on this list. A really good 4* album.

beautiful angel sent from the heavens

I do not like Bowie, I probably should but just not my type :(

Classic and perfect

God damn. So good. Moonage daydream could come out tomorrow and be perfect. I love this album, it starts out so strong and ends perfectly.

Oh hell yeah! Absolutely one of the best albums of all time. And one of Bowie's best for sure, his most important I would say if not necessarily my favorite. But in my book Bowie can do no wrong and I can't fathom the person that would listen to this record and not enjoy it. I feel like this is one of those albums that is objectively outstanding. I know music is subjective (to some degree) but there are a few things that just can't be argued against. This album deserves to be discussed in the same conversation as Beethoven's 5th or pretty much anything by Mozart. I truly believe this is one of the best pieces of music that humanity has ever produced. There is no way to overstate how good this record is and the more I listen to it the more I think it may be the best record ever. The only bad thing about this album is that when it's over, whatever you play next isn't even going to come close and will be a little disappointing. 5/5

It's fine, not for me but not bad.

Absolute masterpiece, top 10 oat without a doubt except if you’re a contrarian

Five thousand stars

I have come to the conclusion that David Bowie is the most grossly overrated artist of all time. This did not impress me much.

esse é O album do cara puta que pariu quem falar que esse não é um dos maiores da música em inglês vai estar mentindo ou tem graves problemas de audição

assustador como five years eh uma das maiores openers de álbuns da história. acho ela lindíssima. eh o magnum ops do mano, né, fazer o quê. tenho nem o que falar. não tem UMA musiquinha ruim, todas pedradas. gosto demais desse. um marco pro glam rock e com uma pegada até mei punk de vez em quando, hein. muito bom mesmo, merece o hype.

Still perfect

Um clássico absoluto. Disco maravilhoso em todos os aspectos: composições, arranjos e interpretações. Obra-prima!

Great album, can see where it influenced Glam Rock and later Punk Rock. Really stands the test of time.

Brilliant. I’ve always known of this as one of the defining ‘no-skip’ albums, and it absolutely lives up to its name. It won’t be in my daily rotation of anything, but whether it’s a masterpiece isn’t a question. I’m an alligatoooor

This was the album that propelled Bowie into being a rock icon, and the Ziggy character became a hero for outcasts everywhere. I've been a fan for 50 years and have 28 of his albums (most on vinyl). This is his foundational work for anyone wanting a classic introduction.

Maybe my favorite of Bowie’s catalog.

Albumazo de principio a fin

goated but not my cup of tea

Wall to Wall bangers

Musicality- 0.7 Vocals - 0.7 Vibes - 0.6 Listen to again - 0.2 Execution - 0.8 Total - 3.0

Moonage Daydream a rock band classic and one of my favorite Bowie tracks. Classic after classic here.

Amazing album from a great era in Bowie's career. Ziggy Stardust persona aside the collection of songs on this album is incredible. Favorite tracks: Moonage Daydream, Ziggy Stardust

Not a big fan of Bowie's album. I love the singles. "Changes" is his best release, I'd say, haha. That said, I think this is his best album. It's the most consistent and most listenable. My favourite Bowie songs are not here, but like I say, this one is more consistent.

Starmaaaaan

Stone cold classic. Again my musical roots are probably influencing me here but this album is peak Bowie, who himself is an absolute top artist. Not a bad track on here, and it both takes influences from others and provides the influences that influenced much that came after. Bowie of course had more than one peak, but this was the beginning. Can't be lest than 5/5.

Pretty good, already listened to it last week. Not exactly my style though.

Probably my favorite album by Bowie, the one I find the best overall album from start to finish. The singles are great, of course. Moonage Daydream is also one of my very favorites.

Déjà écouté avant. Top : Suffragette City Flop : It Ain't Easy

Classic, probably his best album. Already have the vinyl.

It's fantastic!

Had to chew on this one for a few days. See also: " Bowie strikes me as rather demanding" (to quote myself). I appreciate artists who can make me pause my generator to give them more time to sink in.

It's not my absolute favourite Bowie album - I'm increasingly leaning towards to Station to Station – but it's still getting five stars. I'm not THAT much of a contrarian.

Banger

Don't know why I couldn't have had this as my first Bowie album. Then again, I'm sure most of the stuff he released is incredible. I am quite worried about what album I'll get next though. This is my third 5 star album this week, so I feel like I'm due for an absolute stinker...

Never the biggest Bowie fan, but can appreciate it's a good album

Great album. I didn't add any songs to my likes

Not a huge fan of all of the individual songs, but the hits are amazing, and I feel like it flows really well. This is probably a low five for me, but I think it’s incredible.

Just amazing album overall. Experimental yet singalong bangers. 5/5

Glam rock and art rock built from electric guitar, piano, driving drums, melodic bass, and theatrical vocals feels like walking into a small theatre where the curtain rises on an elaborate alien rock opera and everyone onstage seems completely committed to the performance. There is plenty of colour, drama, and memorable songwriting, but for me the theatrical persona can sometimes feel more interesting than the music itself. I can see why the spectacle is compelling, yet I often remained slightly outside it, watching Ziggy perform rather than being pulled into his world.

The least annoying Bowie album so far. Maybe I'm starting to come around? Or maybe I was too sleepy to find his shtick as annoying as I usually do as I listened to this on my morning commute. Either way, this was surprisingly tolerable for a Bowie album

Skvelý album. Ale keďže mám od neho aj obľúbenejšie, tak 4.

I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but I’ve always felt that Bowie's mythical status overshadows his actual musical achievements. "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" is a good example of this. While the album is widely regarded as a milestone in rock music, to me it's just average glam rock, sometimes with orchestral accompaniment, featuring songs that try too hard to be edgy. The story of "Ziggy Stardust" seems more important than the music itself. Above all, Bowie’s vocals are simply too theatrical and over the top here. I realise that Ziggy Stardust's stage persona, image and provocatively presented, ambivalent sexuality were a welcome break with convention for young people of that era, offering an alternative to post-war prudery. However, when "Ziggy Stardust" was released, I was only five years old. This album has never held any significance in my personal history; other Bowie albums played a much greater role in my youth. Musically, the album simply leaves me baffled. What’s so great about it? Would it be as well known today if it had been released by other glam rockers, such as Slade or Mott the Hoople? Hardly. Once again, Bowie’s image (or more precisely, Ziggy's stage persona) outshines the music itself. Of all Bowie's overrated albums, this is perhaps the most overrated of all. Sorry folks.

⭐️

(7/7) what a blast

Insane how good this album is

Greatest Bowie album and I don't think it's particularly close.

Really well rounded album! Moonage Daydream and Starman are both great songs, but just a very solid album! 4.5

I don't get David Bowie

Album #148: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie Genre (W): Glam rock, proto-punk Singles: Starman / Suffragette City, Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide I have listened to this album once before. Thoughts?: I love Bowie’s lyrics and the story! I also find that certain songs touch me on places where similar songs aren’t able to, it’s crazy and I love it! Favorite tracks: Side One*, Star, Ziggy Stardust*, Suffragette City, Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide

I found this uneven. Some bangers. Some meh.

can it be classic and mid? it's really just the singles for me.

A fantastic album with great songs.

Now, that's what I call music! Incredibly solid from beginning to end.

I'd been a Bowie singles listener for a little while before I started delving into the albums... and this is the one that immediately rewarded me for the decision. Every track here is as good as most of the singles. My "Best of Bowie" didn't even have Starman on it, which I realized was a travesty as soon as I heard it. Even the oft-maligned "It Ain't Easy" is a welcome addition to this record. If I had to pick one song, it'd be Moonage Daydream -- where science fiction and rock 'n' roll collide in a supernova. I always consider it a tossup between this and Low for my favorite. They're such different types of albums... but I think the sheer song-for-song punch of Ziggy takes it. An easy 5/5.

Fav: Five years Least: Star

This is my fourth Bowie record for this project, and the first one that I really, really liked.

I’m not the biggest Bowie fan as demonstrated by the fact that this is my first time listening to this album! But even so, I recognised a lot of it as more than half of the album is made up of stone-cold classic songs. The remaining 5 or so are okay. So really this should be a 4 or 4.5 star album but that seems churlish given the perfection of the good songs. 5 star men out of five.

The master of reinvention. Classic album but prefer his Laughing Gnome period….

Starman will always be the best bop I associate with David Bowie. That and Major Tom. This entire album was decent too!

It's rating as the best bowie album on thos site is well deserved. As a fan of the metal gear solid video games, which are full of references to bowie songs because the creator was massive Bowie fan, I can only have respect for his early works. The guitar on here especially gives a good lush sound. It isn't all that cohesive as a concept album, that story was a bit of an afterthought after all. A solid timeless listen.

Perfect.

Classic record. Arguably Bowie's best work.

1972 Glam rock, proto-punk Uno de los mejores álbumes de Bowie. No tiene más xD Todo el álbum, pero especialmente: - Five years - Soul love - Moonage daydream

Owned and loved for many years. Wow. Just a phenomenal album. From the opening drum of Five Years to the closing of Rock N Roll Suicide, this was absolute perfection (almost...I've never been fussed with It Ain't Easy). So easy to see why it has such a high reputation. Bowie knew how to write a tune and the playing is top notch Five Years is maybe my favourite Bowie tracksuit on any album. The slow build up, the lyrics, the drama...just wonderful. Rock and roll suicide isn't far behind as is the title track. Starman may have been slightly dented due to over exposure but it remains a fantastic pop song with an insanely catchy chorus! One of the finest albums of the seventies! Favourite tracks. Five Years, Rock and Roll Suicide, Ziggy Stardust (everything is pretty much great though!!)

Heard before?:✔️Will listen again?:✔️ When I was 13 years old, I had a phase where every single day I would listen to this album front to back. Full focus too, I would do nothing else while this album was playing, just lie on the bed or on the floor and mouth along to every word. Like a lot of things I was obsessed with when I was at that age, I didn't expect this to impact me now as much as it did. But now I understand I'm still that girl lost and confused finding safety The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Absolute fucking masterpiece and it's not just nostalgia talking

Took me a couple listens to get into it but I think I’m starting to get it. I’ve always been a bit confused on why people almost universally praise Bowie (but really wanted to understand). Suffragette City was the standout track for me but I do want to sit and listen properly to the lyrics at some point.

what magic is this???

It's okay

This album really is the peak David Bowie. All the songs are bangers, it is def a no-skip album. However, the glamour rock that Bowie is known for is not really my cup of tea. Loved the record tho.

This was really fun, really interesting, and honestly, this feels like the pinnacle of glam rock to me. It’s a genre that I don’t think gets enough love, and the further we get from that era, the more I worry it’s going to be forgotten. Thankfully, David Bowie certainly isn’t going anywhere. What makes this album so fascinating is just how strange the whole thing is. Bowie builds this bizarre story involving space, romance, fame, politics, and the rise and fall of this larger-than-life character, and somehow wraps it all up in music that sounds unmistakably like 1972 while also feeling strangely futuristic. Sometimes the production is rough and almost lo-fi, other times it sounds huge and theatrical, and that contrast really works. Bowie’s voice can definitely get a little strange at times, and not every song feels like some massive piece of this grand rock opera. Still, there’s enough personality and great music here that I was pretty much along for the ride the whole way. It’s weird, theatrical, catchy, and completely confident in what it’s doing. There really wasn’t anyone else quite like Bowie, and this album makes it pretty obvious why he became such a legend.

I can’t think of a single thing I would change. For now, I’ve added “Star Man” to my playlist but I’m sure I will change my mind when I listen again.

Awesome sauce

Man, what can I say. This album, this persona, is absolutely out of this world in more ways than one. You lit up for Starman and I’m pretty sure I almost cried to see you look so excited for the music. Absolute masterpiece of classic and iconic Bowie. Don’t sleep on it little Man.

I slept on David Bowie, and for that I apologize

took a few listens but im more of a bowie fan innit

OK, so it's obviously great and it was fun to spend a bit of time with this again after a long while, but if I'm being truthful here (it'd be weird not to, wouldn't it?), I just don't feel it like I feel my other fives, so it's a four. (I'm guessing Low will show up eventually, and that's a whole other story.)

Could easily be a Best Of album. Fantastic.

David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) On Day 241, not giving this LP a top score would be a grave, cardinal sin. This album is remarkably diverse in its musical arrangements, yet every track remains tightly grounded to the core narrative of an alien rockstar sent to save humanity. It was banger after banger, completely blowing me away. Everything from the instrumentation to the lyrics was executed with absolute precision. My standout personal picks were "Soul Love" and "Hang On to Yourself" (a fantastic, high-energy punk track), but monumental cuts like "Starman," "Ziggy Stardust," "Moonage Daydream," and "Five Years" were exceptional as well. Concise, high-concept, short, and pure fun to listen through. An undeniable 5-star masterpiece. An undisputed 5/5.

Nunca nunca me había tomado el tiempo de escucharlo completo y me encantó

wasn't expecting all of the tracks i haven't heard a billion times (ie everything except the title track and suffragette city) to be bangers

Used to not really like this album but have really grown to love it. Starman is the standout for me but it's a great theatrical sounding album all together

Such a great rock opera. Maybe the best one I can think of off the top of my head.

WOW WOW WOW. Fair Play

It was pretty meh for me. Not really my thing

I think this is now my 5th Bowie album. I still can't say I'm a fan of him as a musician, but this is the best album of his that I've been subjected to so far. Still didn't love it, and I feel like I'm being a bit generous with the rating. But relative to the other stuff I've heard of his, this feels like it could be a 4/5.

Bowie in general is rather overrated in my book, but this one is pretty great.

five years really is THAT song huh

B, 68% The first thing Ziggy Stardust does is announce the end of the fucking world and the second thing it does is make apocalypse sound suspiciously like community theater. I mean that affectionately, partly. “Five Years” begins with Mick Woodmansey’s drumbeat coming down the street one dull thud at a time, not Armageddon drums, not John Bonham knocking God unconscious, just this almost bureaucratic pulse while Bowie starts reporting catastrophe like somebody reading a newspaper aloud after the pubs have closed. Earth has five years left. People are crying. Children are drinking milkshakes. A cop kneels to kiss somebody’s feet. The entire species has received an eviction notice and Bowie, rather than doing the obvious rock-star thing and screaming immediately, keeps accumulating pathetic human details until the song finally cannot contain him anymore. His voice rises from reporter to witness to hysterical asshole clutching strangers on the pavement, and by the time he is repeating “five years” the vocal has gone beautifully ragged around the edges. This is one of the places where Bowie’s theatricality stops being costume and becomes nervous-system damage. He does not convince me because the apocalypse is plausible. He convinces me because the man singing has abruptly become unable to regulate himself. That final vocal sounds like somebody who started acting and accidentally discovered a real emotion in the middle of the performance, which is a dangerous thing to happen to David Bowie because the motherfucker’s entire career depended on keeping several emergency exits available between himself and sincerity. And then, almost immediately, the record starts fucking around. This is what keeps The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars from becoming the enormous personal revelation its reputation keeps sending ahead like an advance publicity team. I like the bastard. Quite a lot of it works beautifully. Several moments are absolutely lethal. I understand why the album colonized bedrooms, wardrobes, adolescent sexuality and record collections for fifty years. But the myth is bigger than the music, and hearing it now means confronting an album whose concept has been inflated by cultural memory into some kind of queer extraterrestrial Wagnerian rock scripture when the actual record is a compact batch of very good glam songs, several extraordinary performances, some thin connective tissue, one cover that should have been arrested at the border, and a story so barely present that people have spent half a century reverse-engineering a libretto Bowie plainly could not be bothered to write. Ziggy is supposedly an alien rock messiah, except perhaps he is a human receiving extraterrestrial messages, except perhaps none of that matters, except he rises, becomes famous, gets consumed by his own ego and audience, and dies, or gets torn apart by black-hole people, or rock-and-roll suicides himself, or something. Nobody knows because Bowie apparently looked at narrative continuity and said, “Darling, continuity is for heterosexuals.” Fine. Concept albums usually become unbearable the instant somebody starts taking attendance. What matters is that Bowie discovered an image capacious enough to swallow every song whether the song actually belonged there or not. That is different from writing a coherent narrative and much more interesting. Ziggy is less a character than a contaminated atmosphere. Once Bowie places the name on the sleeve, suddenly every cheap little rock-star gesture becomes evidence. Every sexual ambiguity becomes mythology. Every reference to fame sounds prophetic because we know what happened afterward. Every guitar chord Mick Ronson plays acquires silver boots. This is branding elevated into ontology, which is one of Bowie’s genuine superpowers. He understands that if you give an audience the right haircut, the right photograph and three suggestive nouns, they will do several million pounds’ worth of conceptual labor for free. People talk about Bowie as a master of reinvention, but what interests me more is how extraordinarily good he was at getting everybody else to finish the reinvention for him. Ziggy exists because the public agreed to hallucinate him. The hallucination was helped immeasurably by Mick fucking Ronson, who is the actual physical body of this record. Bowie supplies the face, voice, scenario, bisexual extraterrestrial theater and cheekbones sharp enough to open letters, but Ronson supplies weight. Listen to “Moonage Daydream,” which begins with Bowie declaring himself an alligator, a mama-papa coming for you, a space invader, and several other things that would sound like lyrics found written on the wall of a bus station bathroom if Ronson did not immediately make them feel carved into stone. The guitar tone is enormous without being sludge, bright enough to bite but thick enough to have hips. Then the arrangement starts expanding around him, strings climbing, saxophones blowing hot air into the ceiling, Bowie stretching vowels until “freak out” becomes less instruction than sexual weather, and Ronson eventually produces that long closing solo, one of the album’s rare moments where the whole Ziggy fiction stops feeling like Bowie putting on a very good coat and starts feeling genuinely cosmic. Not cosmic like Carl Sagan. Cosmic like someone put amphetamines in the Book of Revelation and gave it a Gibson Les Paul. That song gets to me bodily. The riff has thrust. There is no tasteful word for it and I do not want one. It comes through the speakers pelvis-first. Bowie’s vocal sits on top behaving like he has transcended ordinary sexual categorization, while Ronson underneath is doing something much more primitive, dragging the whole thing forward by the belt loops. Glam’s great trick was never simply androgyny. It was making masculinity so artificial that it became available for play. Bowie could put on makeup, dye his hair, wear a jumpsuit that makes his torso resemble a particularly elegant insect, sing about boys and girls and stars and himself with the pronouns all getting pleasantly slippery, and none of it weakened the rock phallus because Ronson was standing there making the guitar sound like the rock phallus had just discovered lipstick and was extremely pleased about it. That is considerably more interesting than the current museum version of Ziggy, where everybody behaves like Bowie descended in 1972 to personally invent queerness while Britain gasped into its tea. Britain had plenty of queer people in 1972. It had also only partially decriminalized sex between men in England and Wales five years earlier, under restrictions that would look fucking deranged now. Glam’s ambiguity lived inside that tension. Bowie’s famous public declarations about sexuality mattered because they were occurring in a culture where being queer could still wreck employment, housing, family, safety, everything, but Bowie’s ambiguity was also commercial theater, celebrity strategy, genuine desire, provocation, self-invention and bullshit all at once. Trying to separate those strands now is like trying to identify the original ingredients after somebody has baked a cake, eaten half of it, thrown it at Mick Jagger, and sold the remaining slice to the Victoria and Albert Museum. What I love is precisely that the performance will not sit still long enough to become morally tidy. Bowie does not present gender as inner truth waiting to be liberated. He presents it as wardrobe, gesture, appetite, angle, lighting, hair, rumor, voice, posture, commerce. That feels more modern to me than a lot of the reverent language subsequently built around him. Identity here is something you make while everybody watches, then they copy it, then you get bored and kill it. But the songs, the actual fucking songs, keep refusing to become as monumental as this interpretation wants them to be. “Soul Love” is lovely, featherweight, almost lazily seductive, with that saxophone curling around the vocal while Trevor Bolder’s bass keeps the thing moving beneath Bowie’s little anthropology of love. I like the looseness. The groove has air. Bowie sings the different kinds of love as though examining specimens under colored glass, maternal love, romantic love, religious love, stupid human attachment generally, and the arrangement never declares which one is meant to matter. Then “Moonage Daydream” kicks the door open and makes the preceding delicacy look like foreplay. That contrast is smart. But elsewhere the album keeps relying on songs whose charm depends heavily on the accumulated force of the persona. Remove Ziggy from “Star” and you have an enjoyable glam-rock number about wanting to become a rock star, precisely the sort of thing a thousand bands would later write after deciding becoming famous counted as metaphysics. “Hang On to Yourself” is better because the Spiders finally start playing like they have somewhere to be. The rhythm is impatient, compact, almost proto-punk in the way people enjoy saying after the future has already happened. The guitars chatter, the drums run, Bowie spits the lines instead of caressing them, and suddenly the album sounds less like a concept record than four people in a room who could plausibly make your drink fall off the table. Then there is “Starman,” which is probably impossible to hear innocently now because it has spent half a century being transformed from pop single into official state hymn of Wonder, Difference, Childhood, Space, David Bowie Memorialization and every commercial where a car drives through the desert while someone experiences Personal Transformation. The song survives this abuse better than it has any right to. That octave leap on “star-man” is such a shameless little piece of pop architecture, an instant opening in the ceiling, and the chorus has the melodic inevitability of something that seems obvious only because Bowie already wrote it. You can hear bits of “Over the Rainbow” in its upward yearning, you can hear old pop craft underneath the sci-fi lacquer, and that is Bowie all over. He is rarely the alien he claims to be. He is a magpie with fantastic tailoring. The future in Bowie is usually assembled from things sitting around the past, Anthony Newley, Jacques Brel, Little Richard, music hall, Warhol, science fiction paperbacks, Japanese fashion, gay clubs, mime for Christ’s sake. His genius is montage. He takes cultural material that should not coexist, puts it under the same orange hair, and waits until everybody decides the combination must have arrived from Mars. “Starman” is also where the fantasy of rescue works because Bowie keeps it small. The alien does not descend with commandments. He is hanging around the radio, reluctant to blow our minds. Kids hear him. Parents are horrified because parents in pop songs are contractually required to hate anything fun. It is stupid and perfect. The song understands that teenage utopia is not a political program. Teenage utopia is receiving one transmission your parents cannot decode. I never needed the transmission specifically to come from outer space. Sometimes it came from a record, sometimes another weird girl, sometimes a badly compressed video on the internet, sometimes some artifact made twenty years before I was born that suddenly said, there are other freaks, congratulations, unfortunately they are also idiots. That mechanism still works in “Starman,” even after the song has been bronzed by canonization. For three minutes, Bowie remembers that salvation needs a hook. And then we hit “It Ain’t Easy,” where the record turns into a hitchhiker who has climbed into the wrong car. I fucking hate the sequencing more than I hate the song itself. Ron Davies wrote it, plenty of people recorded it, Bowie had already cut it during the Hunky Dory period, and here it sits at the end of side one like somebody wandered onto the stage carrying an entirely different musical. It has its virtues. Ronson’s guitar crunches nicely. Bowie gets to do that strangled upper-register thing in the chorus. The gospel-rock structure has some muscle. But on an album whose later reputation depends so heavily on the idea of coherent persona and world-building, sticking this fairly generic blues-gospel cover in the middle is hilarious. Imagine Sgt. Pepper suddenly including a competent cover of “Mustang Sally” because they had one lying around. This is where the myth and artifact get into a fistfight and the artifact wins. Ziggy Stardust was not delivered on tablets. It was assembled like records are assembled, from sessions, available material, commercial judgment, momentum, accidents. I like knowing that. It makes the album human again. Unfortunately the human decision was still bad. Side two is where the Ziggy mythology finally begins to acquire enough concentration to justify the fucking title. “Lady Stardust” is one of Bowie’s sweetest songs precisely because the theatrical language starts pointing toward tenderness rather than spectacle. The piano is simple, almost old-fashioned, and Bowie sings about this ambiguous beautiful performer from the position of someone watching, admiring, possibly desiring, possibly recognizing himself, probably all three because Bowie never met a mirror he could not convert into a love triangle. The line between attraction and identification gets deliciously useless. Do I want that person, do I want to be that person, do I want other people to want me the way I want that person? Congratulations, you have discovered half of queer adolescence and approximately seventy percent of fashion. Bowie gets this without announcing it. The ambiguity is in the grammar of looking. “Lady Stardust” does more for Ziggy as a figure than half the supposed concept because it lets him exist as an object of fascination before “Ziggy Stardust” converts him into biography. That title track is probably the record’s cleanest piece of rock mythology, which means it has also inspired several generations of people to misread being in a band as the Trojan War. I tease because the song earns it. Ronson’s opening guitar figure is magnificent, not complicated, not trying to impress anyone, just a descending shape with enough harmonic unease to immediately suggest glamour curdling into resentment. Bowie tells Ziggy’s rise and collapse from the band’s perspective, which is the smart move. Celebrity is always more interesting from three feet to the side. Suddenly the messiah is also the asshole hogging the light. “Making love with his ego” remains a tremendous phrase because it gets the physical comedy of narcissism exactly right. Ego masturbation is the central erotic act of rock stardom, and Bowie knows because obviously he fucking knows. The song’s greatest trick is that Ziggy can be Bowie, Bolan, Hendrix, Vince Taylor, Iggy, some invented composite, your singer, your girlfriend, yourself at 2:30 in the morning explaining your artistic destiny to somebody who desperately wants the Uber to arrive. The mythology works because its details are archetypal enough to be portable and trashy enough to remain rock and roll. “Suffragette City” is stupider and more fun. This is not an insult. Stupidity is one of rock’s primary renewable resources, and any critic who cannot enjoy a song for being gloriously dumb should be forced to listen to progressive rock concept albums about agricultural taxation until they develop humility. The guitar bangs, the piano hammers away, the sax gets shoved into the walls, Bowie yelps “wham bam thank you ma’am” like he personally discovered casual sex that afternoon, and for three minutes the record quits worrying about becoming a cultural landmark and behaves like something you might actually blast too loudly. Even here the gender play keeps leaking around the song’s supposedly heterosexual swagger. “Henry” is being told to get lost because a woman is coming over, except this is Bowie and the entire performance is so lacquered, camp and knowingly theatrical that straightforward masculine bragging has already dissolved by the time it reaches the microphone. Bowie can sing a macho line without restoring macho solidity. Everything comes wearing quotation marks, but crucially the quotation marks are drunk. That quality is why I am less impressed by the solemn Bowie cult than by Bowie himself. Bowie was funny. The man understood ridiculousness. Ziggy looks incredible partly because he looks absurd. The costumes are not timeless elegance, they are aggressively specific acts of visual insanity. The hair alone resembles a fox dying heroically in a chemical fire. That is good. Glam understood something subsequent respectable culture repeatedly forgets, namely that transformation without ridiculousness is just personal branding. You have to risk looking fucking stupid. The Top of the Pops “Starman” performance became epochal not because Bowie floated down from heaven but because he put an arm around Mick Ronson, looked into the camera like he knew exactly which children were watching, and made alien sexuality look less threatening than the adults’ panic about it. Yet the entire thing also contains the inherent comedy of two skinny English men dressed like interplanetary prostitutes miming to a pop song on BBC television. Sublime and ridiculous are roommates. Stop evicting one. The album itself sometimes wants sublime status without supplying enough ridiculous life underneath it, which is where I stall out. Ken Scott’s production is strong, clear and muscular without turning the Spiders into an arena-rock refrigerator, but it can also make the record feel smaller than the legend. The guitars are not enormous by later standards. The drums are often dry and straightforward. The bass is functional rather than fetishized. There is piano, sax, strings when needed, but the basic sonics remain recognizably early-seventies rock, not some impossible Martian technology. Again, that should be liberating. Bowie was not beaming transmissions from Alpha Centauri. He had a very good band. But once the extraterrestrial glitter gets stripped away, I am left asking whether every song deserves the reverence, and several absolutely do not. The record has too many patches where I admire the construction while my pulse continues filling out paperwork. “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” rescues the ending by abandoning subtlety so violently that subtlety should probably file a restraining order. Bowie starts alone with acoustic guitar, singing about aging as though twenty-five were the final stage of terminal decay, which is adorable. “You’re too old to lose it, too young to choose it,” he says at an age when I would now regard somebody as a fucking larva. Rock music has always been catastrophically bad at imagining adulthood because its commercial mythology depends on selling teenagers the idea that turning thirty constitutes spiritual death. Bowie was already smart enough to see through many rock myths while remaining completely infected by this one. Yet the song works because it keeps expanding past the premise. The arrangement grows, strings and horns climb in, the tempo seems to tighten around him, and suddenly he is no longer singing about rock stardom or suicide or Ziggy with any useful specificity. He is singing directly at the lonely bastard listening. “You’re not alone.” There is a reason people carried that out of the record. The sentiment is nearly embarrassingly simple, but Bowie sings it like simplicity has finally defeated cleverness. This man who spent the whole album constructing masks, roles, aliens, performers, stars and mirrors ends by grabbing the listener by the shoulders. The vocal gets huge. The arrangement gets ridiculous. He repeats himself because sometimes repetition is what you do when you are trying to get through to somebody whose brain has become a locked bathroom door. That is the emotional payoff the album keeps being credited with having all the way through, when really it earns it in bursts. “Five Years” earns it. “Moonage Daydream” earns it. “Starman” earns it through pop craft. “Lady Stardust” earns it quietly. The title track earns it through myth compressed into riff and resentment. “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” earns it by taking all the theatrical machinery and finally pointing it outward. The rest is often extremely enjoyable scaffolding. Which is enough. More than enough, usually. I do not need every canonized album to rearrange my organs. But Ziggy Stardust has spent so long being treated as one of rock’s sacred organs that encountering the actual thing produces a funny disappointment. I expected a cathedral and found a very good club with extraordinary lighting. The cathedral was built afterward by everyone who came through the doors. Punk kids took bits. Goths took bits. New Romantics took entire fucking truckloads. Queer kids took the permission structure. Indie boys took Bowie’s cheekbones and somehow made them heterosexual again, an achievement of scientific importance. Lady Gaga took the transformations. Suede took the sexual languor. Every singer who realized identity could be stagecraft rather than confession owes something to Bowie, directly or through descendants. But influence accumulates outside the grooves. Put the needle down and there are eleven tracks, not the twentieth century changing costumes in real time. Maybe that is the perversely appealing thing about the record now. Its greatest achievement occurred partly in people’s heads. Bowie supplied enough material for the fantasy to reproduce itself. The songs became costumes and the costumes became songs. Ziggy became more coherent in memory than he ever was on vinyl. A generation of listeners filled the gaps because gaps are erotic. Explain everything and the fantasy dies. Bowie understood this instinctively. He gives you a name, orange hair, a dead world, a starman, a messianic rock singer, some ambiguous fucking, ego, fame, collapse, suicide, and then walks away before anyone can ask whether Act Two is missing. I am still less seduced than history insists I should be. There are stretches where I am having a perfectly good time while waiting for the masterpiece to return from the bathroom. Then Ronson hits that riff in “Moonage Daydream,” or Bowie’s voice tears open at the end of “Five Years,” or that stupid heavenly octave lifts “Starman” right through the ceiling, and for a few minutes the mythology stops being somebody else’s nostalgia and starts operating on me directly. That is enough to keep me from dismissing the cult, and not enough to make me join it. I will come to the service. I will sing several hymns. I will absolutely make fun of the priest’s outfit. The priest, fortunately, would have understood.

This is the best Bowie album. 5/5

so crunchy and fun

I definitely thought Elton John sang Starman. Whoops. Very fun, enjoyed this so much more than Station to Station. I get the Bowie hype now.

My personal favorite Bowie era. The best tracks were great and the worst tracks were at least ok.

What a joy to listen to. Didn’t have my absolute favorite Bowie songs but was such a cohesive album with so many great songs.

This is my favorite David Bowie album. Before becoming a pop icon, Bowie was an unparalleled rocker and this was his masterpiece. I’ve listened to it dozens of times, and I always love an excuse to listen to it again. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do!

Oh NOW you send me the best Bowie album, just had to trudge through the mud first

I've listened to it a lot and I just love it. I will say I was planning on giving it a five early on but the second half is a little bit weaker imo.

Igual es que estoy yo equivocado pero esto suena mucho más a lo que esperaba de Bowie que Heroes. Muy divertido y muy chulo, me ha encantado.

10 stars. I maintain this id the best album of all time. Holds up and has variety.

It’s great, it’s sounds like a classic, it prob sounded like one in 1972, very tasteful, love it, it’s great

I love me a good concept album, and this is probably the godfather of them. Songs that tie into a story but are also amazing outside of that framework are a mark of true art to me. Beautiful album and probably Bowie’s best.

As far as glam rock goes this is probably number one.

I’ve been pretty tough on Bowie throughout this whole project, mostly because his ambient stuff, like the Berlin Trilogy, just doesn't do it for me. And honestly, even Ziggy Stardust isn't 100% perfect... tracks like "It Ain't Easy" definitely drag compared to the rest. That said, you can’t deny how much raw, theatrical energy this record has. From the drum build-up in "Five Years" to the huge, moody finish of "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide," the whole rock opera thing just works. When this album is on, it’s basically glam-rock perfection. "Starman", "Moonage Daydream", and "Suffragette City" are absolute bangers, and Mick Ronson’s guitar work makes them sound huge. It’s rare to find a record that’s this ambitious and theatrical without ending up super cheesy. Even with my ongoing Bowie burnout, blasting this thing at full volume is a total blast. It’s a stone-cold classic for a reason.

Amazing! Have not listened to it in so many years has made me want to buy the CD!

3,5

buenas melodías y buenos pianos. me recordó a steely dan un poco.

Goosebumps first song - 5 years - 5 stars? Pretty good

Five Years Moonage Daydream Starman Hang on to Yourself Ziggy Stardust Suffragette City Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

Ziggy Stardust sits apart from other Bowie records. It is not just the momentus success and cultural impact it had, although it is the only one to regularly hit the top twenty of normie Best Of lists. It is also partly the near-completeness of the character work. Every Bowie concept record must wrestle with failure, but, on Ziggy Stardust, he almost keeps his attention on the story throughout. Certainly, putting the name of the character in the title gives that character an outsized presence. Inversely, there is little of Bowie, the artist and person in the record, although I've read and understood Simon Goddard's Ziggyology. The line between Ziggy and Bowie is more clearly drawn than the line between Bowie and the Thin White Duke, say, while, on Outside1, he plays mutilple characters, but Bowie is all of them. The Thin White Duke is too real; the facade of Outside1 too obvious. Ziggy is most obviously a marketing stunt. Or that's what I tell myself to understand why I don't listen often to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Bowie's performance of an alien is less weird than his actuality as an artist through the 70s. It is the safe, normie choice. Even if he doesn't communicate it very well, the story is a simple one - it's hardly the Machina mystery. For all the shock of Ziggy's initial appearance, this is the acceptable, approachable form. More acceptable even than 80s mainstream Bowie, who must come with the burden of selling out. A safe, acceptable version too of Vince Taylor and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, the insane, outsider artists that he's aping on the record. I would add that, in my memory, the album is mediated through other performances - Starman on TOTP, Five Years and Suffragette City on the Old Grey Whistle Test, Ziggy Stardust in The Hunger, Rock'n'Roll Suicide by you in Charlie's Café. I have no particular need to hear the record, it is all engrained and fragmented. And who wants to listen to It Ain't Easy and Soul Love, the weak strains that contaminate the masterpiece hypothesis? But none of this really holds when you listen to it, as I did, several times yesterday. There's Bowie - the real person, Bowie - singing "I never thought I'd need so many people." It Ain't Easy is pretty good. Mick Ronson never does better as an arranger and no person could ever be expected to do so well or better. It's a magnificent record. I asked Aislinn why we chose Moonage Daydream for our wedding processional at City Hall. Neither of us can remember. But yet another iconic performance of a track from this album. I really don't need to ever listen to it again. I will though. 5 Yesterday I wrote one of the longest reviews I have written yet about an album I don’t like. Today here’s an album I revere and I honestly find I have nothing to say about it. Still, kicking an album that other people love does call for explanation and for justification, whereas love needs neither. What could there be to say about The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust… anyway? Shall we rehearse the old ‘ah but…It Ain’t Easy’ bit? It Ain’t Easy is fine, it’s just that ’Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Chorus’ becomes unacceptable when you have Star packing musical high adventure into ten seconds less, or Rock and Roll Suicide into exactly the same amount of time. There - that’s justification for the alleged blemish. What explanation could there possibly be for the rest of this? There is none. 5/5

Brilliant in many ways

I'm looking forward to a lot of Bowie albums on this list. Although I prefer Thin White Duke Bowie, even if he is a fascist, Space Bowie is fun. Still maintain he can't sing though, but if you're this cool it doesn't really matter does it?

Such an incredible album. Absolutely timeless.

He does go on, doesn't he? My fave tracks: Moonage Daydream, Lady Stardust, Suffragette City

Heard it a gazillion times but it always sort of floated past me. This was the first time I listened to it with intent, and it was better than expected

This was the first Bowie album I listened to, and I imagine this is what it’s like to start supporting Blackburn in August 1994.

Much better than previous efforts, but still inconsistent.

Stellar

I imagine this is how Andy Dufresne felt after crawling through 500 yards of (relative) shit and coming out the other side

Well, no.. No thanks.

This is the clear-cut masterpiece from David Bowie, so often called a chameleon for his ability to impersonate different musical personas across his musical career, but here he just shines at his brightest, and feels the most authentic in an album where nothing feels out of place. 10/10 [KEEP]

Buen album, excelente producción tecnica, escuche la version remaster 2012 y suena perfecta. Las canciones tienen un buen nivel y durante el disco hay algunos climax de elocuencia musical.

This is an obvious 5. It gets a 5 just for having "Starman". This is the album that defined what the rest of the 1970s would sound like. There's "BZ" and "AZ", before Ziggy and after Ziggy.

Listened before?: yes, a few times Five Years - 5/5 Soul Love - 5/5 Moonage Daydream - 5/5 Starman - 5/5 It Ain't Easy - 3/5 Lady Stardust - 5/5 Star - 4/5 Hang On to Yourself - 3/5 Ziggy Stardust - 5/5 Suffragette City - 5/5 Rock 'n' Roll Suicide - 5/5 Average score: 4.6/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ not surprised at all that this landed so highly in rating, there's a reason this is considered a classic to nearly everyone. i have only heard maybe a few albums from Bowie but so far i consider this his best work ever

Meh not for me 1.5

What can I say, it's Ziggy Stardust?

Not much to say. Classic is a classic. Some great attitude and storytelling.

Loved it

Way out there. The hits are great. The rest: so esoteric.

Best of the Bowie albums on this list so far but there is too much Bowie on here. 5 out of 220 albums so far is a bit much.

This feels ahead of its time. But not just ahead a few years, but a few decades. This album is wonderful.

Beautiful album I have it on vinyl

Soooo good! Such a classic album! So many good songs!

El mejor álbum de Bowie, amo amo amo las melodías

Masterpiece, from top to bottom all 10/10

i enjoyed it

Excellent album. My first time listening to Bowie

Okay, so I think this is Bowie's best album. Is it as instrumentally innovative as Low or Heroes? No. Is it as experimental as Blackstar? Also no. But I think this is his most consistent album and has some of his best stuff, with "Five Years" being a top 10 Bowie song for me. This is a very high 4, almost a 5

I love this album, it's one of my all time favs. It is a rock opera album about the rise and fall of "Ziggy Stardust" so it is part story and part 'real life' end of his alter-ego. On the Ziggy Stardust track he literally breaks character, and the following two tracks (Suffragette City and Rock 'n' Roll Suicide) are performed way different - especially Suffragette City - in the sound the next album is going to take in the Alladin Sane era. IE it ends similar to how the next album with 'Alladin Insane" starts, in that it's more similar to "Watch that Man" than anything on the Spiders Album, so it really was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. 5***** And of course when the tour for this album ended he made it clear it's all over. While Ronson knew it before it suprised the rest of "The Spiders From Mars" band there playing (Woodmansey and Bolder).

Not my favorite Bowie album, but Ziggy Stardust was the first song I learned on guitar. 5/5.

Güzel albüm ama hype a değmez

This is easy to point at as a GREAT record, mostly because it just is. It's catchy and it rocks and the story is compelling and interesting. After over 50 years, it's still being interpreted and reinterpreted.

I love this chameleon!!!

fucking banger

The most standard rock oriented Bowie release, but man does he absolutely pull it off. Favorite track: Starman

Pretty great. Bowie was the coolest and this record is no exception. Loved it and will listen again

Incredible. One of the greatest albums of all time!

yea

I can see why people love David Bowie but his music just isn’t my thing. Didn’t enjoy listening to the album but it’s undeniably well made and Bowie has undeniable talent

Easy 5. One of my all time favorite albums.

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗 (rounded up because, I mean…. come on) This is crazy talk for a dude with a Bowie tattoo, but I’ve always been a bit resistant to Ziggy Stardust et al., and I can’t exactly describe why. It’s not like this album isn’t loaded with stone cold classics—“Five Years,” “Moonage Daydream,” “Starman,” “Lady Stardust,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Suffragette City,” “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide”… what an onslaught, an unstoppable roster. Since I hadn’t listened to the album in full since high school, my now-matured (but still relatively atrophied, mind you) frontal lobe could appreciate that even the weaker entries are standalone bangers—“Soul Love” and “It Ain’t Easy” really earned my respect this go-around. I think, more than likely, my dismissal of Ziggy Stardust comes down to reopening the wounds associated with it. As I’ve mentioned in many Bowie reviews before, though I’d been hearing him my whole life, I never really listened until after Blackstar and his passing. Ziggy Stardust was on constant replay at the end of the school year that 2016, channeling a lot of the angst of my first breakup into bigger, angstier, existential things. Perhaps my most vivid memory of Ziggy Stardust comes from later down the line, when “Lady Stardust” came on my shuffle while I was driving to volunteering after having just put my childhood dog down—what an ethereal juxtaposition of feelings. Even without all that baggage, songs like “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” and “Five Years” easily bring me to my knees. I don’t know how anyone can be unmoved by Bowie’s raw wailing at the end of “Five Years”—lately, it feels like an American anthem, but it’s always felt like an outpouring from a place where that apocalypse was actually happening. Clearly, he’s channeling the depth of the dream that inspired it. Sure, all that hippy-dippy bullshit aside, “Suffragette City” and “Moonage Daydream” really, really rock, and in completely different ways, to boot. Yet where would this album be without its tenderness—its luscious, trembling, reverent strings that somehow do little to impact the grunge of this album? I had to scroll to find a one-star review of the album, but it essentially says Sgt. Pepper ruined a decade of albums thereafter because of the maximalist overproduction that muddies songs like these, but I couldn’t disagree more. Ziggy Stardust thrives on this contrast, which in somehow compacts into a cohesive, unmistakable signature: seedy, angsty, bombastic, and vulnerable all at once, and did I mention summer sodium-vapor aglow? Muggy and hot like a city summer night. “Hang Onto Yourself,” to me, might be the only weak link, but “Ziggy Stardust” does an effortless recovery. This album is unstoppable. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

The thing is, I'm not actually a music critic and sometimes don't have the vocabulary, background, or energy to say why something is good. But this is good!

Friday, 31 July, 2026 Happy feast day of st Ignatius! This is an amazing album. It’s amazing. What do I need to say?

I happen to be a fan so this was an easy 5/5 for me.

God bless Ziggy Stardust.

Let all the children boogie

Started the 1001 albums two days ago and my first two albums were David Bowie, it isn't always this good. What an album this is, one of my absolute favourites, a masterpiece.

fav song: lady stardust

Omgomgomg beste bowie album. Geen skips. Alleen maar goeie nummers. Wajooow deze is zo goed!

A classic in all senses of the word. Bowie at his finest. Fave track: Starman

Bowie’s best album keeps things (relatively speaking) pretty straightforward, which I find to be quite interesting. Simply put, this is one of the greatest artists of all time at his absolute best. From the concept to the album artwork, to the ridiculous album title and across every single track – Bowie does not miss. Probably a shoo-in for top 10 in this list overall. 5/5

Perfect album. Five years is a transcendent experience.

i dont think its perfect but still quite good yes. also KANYE WEST IN THE BACKGROUND 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 what did he know!!!!

What can you say that hasn’t already been said about this album? Perhaps not his best but it was the one that propelled him to super stardom. Some great tracks throughout and he and Ronson really gelled musically

Already one of my favs. Masterpiece, but not his best.

A shame about the sex with children

Enjoyable album, nothing stands out but nothings bad, would listen again

Easy five stars.

9 - Bowie at his best. Excellent.

Far out

I wished I liked this album more. Starman is always a classic, but overall I was just not connecting with the music.

It’s in my all time favorites list.

So good.

There is no other work of art like this one.

really great 4 stars but need to listen to more

Classic record that has some of the best songs of all time but it falls short of being perfect. I will always sing the praises of timeless songs like “Moonage Daydream,” “Starman,” and of course “Ziggy Stardust.” The overall story and concept of this album is super cool and unique. But for some reason I feel like there’s a few moments on this record that drags on with average to slightly above average tracks. Don’t get me wrong, I can fully understand if this is someone’s favorite album of all time. It’s very solid, just not that perfect in my opinion.

Good, but not the best album imo.

This is #day714 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… the crazy run of albums Bowie released in the '70s has always amazed me. Think about it: eleven fucking albums from 1970 to 1979... And then, remember what those albums actually are. This particular one perhaps captures the zeitgeist of the whole decade better than any other and is undoubtedly one of Bowie's signature works. It's just a real pleasure to listen to. "Five Years," "Moonage Daydream," "Starman," and "Ziggy Stardust" are timeless. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day715.

5 years good! Star man good! Solid album, good? Maybe 6 or 7 HAH

3.5 stars

David Bowie will always have a special place in my heart.

I'm rating this based on my personal enjoyment, and it was cruising for a 2-star rating until Suffragette City came on and upped my enjoyment. Bowie is still not my thing, though.

It's good but there were other Bowie albums I enjoyed more

Well here it is. Don’t generally like Bowie. But this album is awesome. I HAVE listened to it a lot. But, can’t deny Ziggy Stardust. 5 Boolean:TRUE

STARRRRRR MANNNNNNN

Who am I to question David Bowie? Little to no filler, an exhilarating listen from start to finish.

Hyvä kokonaisuus, hittibiisejä ja niitä tukevia rauhallisempia biisejä.

Класика)))

Ziggy is my favorite of Bowie’s incarnations for the creativity and emotion. Knowing what drew people to his unique style, you can almost hear him saving lives with the power behind how he sings, “you’re not alone,” in “Rock and Roll Suicide.”

Almost a story here, but Bowie’s way of dabbling with genres (and succeeding) is what makes this one worth the listen.

es un 100/10 te amo david bowie

Pretty good. But it is bowie

I personally reach for Hunky Dory first, as it has more songs I absolutely completely love. I almost gave this a 4 to leave room for better albums or at least albums I like more, but I gave it another listen and it is undeniably a 5-out-of-5 album even if it doesn't have as many songs that I couldn't forgive myself for leaving off my best-of-Bowie playlist.

7/10

It was interesting, I've never listened to David Bowie before.

I don't know what I would point to if I went any lower than 5 stars.

Thank you Bowie for allowing us to join you high into space. What a journey. Bowie alone has the range of a full band.

Amazing album and my favorite from Bowie, at least what I’ve heard so far. It deserves every bit of critical acclaim it has received over the years.

i want to give this a 5, but there were just a couple i didn't care for so much? the ones i did care for fucking hit though, obviously

It's a vibe. Need more songs about space tbh. Would've loved this if I was born 60 years ago, probably.

I'm not particularly fond of the Ziggy Stardust era, but upon this listen, I realized how wrong I've been. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is an ambitious work, comprised of songs with a rocking urgency that demands to be heard. Bowie was on a tear with this one.

Not my favorite Bowie, but some good songs.

Bowie can do no wrong. Fantastic album. This one always gets me, its so fricken good.

No misses.

Bowie doing what he does best. Surreal storytelling and fuzzy guitars firing on all cyllinders.

Possibly my favorite Bowie so far, a real stunner. Highlights-Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, and Rock 'n' Roll Suicide.

*Bowie's not my favorite but this record is diverse and ahead of its time

Muy buen disco de Bowie.

I like this album as much as I can like Bowie.

This is an album that I really, really wished I liked more than I do. If I never hear Moonage Daydream again, I will be happy (at least in the moment when I think, "Gosh, I'm glad I'm not listening to Moonage Daydream. Fuck, I hate that song.") Anyway, this album makes me feel bad about being a philistine and a boor, but I still don't like it.

This and Hunky Dory are my favorite Bowie records. There are a ton of great songs and everything sounds so good. The drums are dry and sharp sounding. Bass sounds great. The guitar tone is immaculate.

I'd heard not quite half of these before, and they're mostly great -- Starman and Suffragette City especially. I figured the rest would be a letdown, but not so. Star and Rock and Roll Suicide were my favorites of the previously unknown-to-me batch.

5/5 - Peak Bowie and peak glam for me. This is a brilliantly conceived and executed album.

Ahhh, my last Bowie album on the list. I've waited patiently for this one, which is easily his best album IMO. I'm glad I finally got the opportunity to listen to this classic. Liked Songs Added: Moonage Daydream Starman Ziggy Stardust Suffragette City

Man, I have been getting absolutely inundated with the heavy hitter albums lately. Within the span of four albums I've rolled Never Mind the Bollocks, Bad and now Ziggy Stardust. This is technically my fifth Bowie album, though I've assembled a pre-written review for The Next Day in the time since my last Bowie album, therefore bumping that number to six. Anyways, Ziggy Stardust. This was the first and only David Bowie album I had listened to before I happened upon this website. Truth be told, I still don't consider myself a fan of his music, though I've felt tempted to revisit Low, Heroes and Black Star. Those albums were pretty solid. Aside from knowing that this is the "Wham, bam thank you ma'am" album I honestly don't remember a single thing about this music. I might as well be listening to it for the first time again. Here goes. Yeah, not bad. I'm certainly more favourable to this music now than when I first listened to it. I like the warm, acoustic sound which defines much of this album. It pairs nicely with Bowie's distinctive vocal style. There's a respectable level of variety in the instrumentation and styles of this album, too. I favoured the brass numbers, strings, organs, ragtime pianos, plucky bass guitars and early synths which define much of this album's sound. There's a surprising level of cohesion to the music despite its grandiose style and wide array of influences. I'm probably going to be put up on a cross for my next take like I have so many times before, but I appreciate Bowie's songwriting chops without being head over heels for them. He's usually on the pulse of a good vocal melody, though what can I say? His songwriting just doesn't resonate with me as much as the other acts that I'm favourable to. All in all, I thought this album was a cohesive and adept listen. There's "Starman" - I forgot it was on here. Great tune. The songwriting and vocal delivery (particularly around the chorus) are the obvious highlights. I'm a big fan of Bowie's swaggering performance. It's gratifying in how effortless it sounds along with pairing very nicely with the preppy, yet restrained instrumentation. On that subject, the instrumental is very solid. The bass is incredibly smooth, the glam rock guitars satisfying in their level of kick and the strumming acoustic guitars effective in guiding the music along, with the strings being the crowning jewel which brings the harmonic sounds of the song together. Overall, a good song. I've been out of work for quite a while on the "researching why these albums are in here" front. I have no faults over taking a break. Anyways, yeah. It's Ziggy Fucking Stardust. Of course we're letting this feller through. I cosign this inclusion.

Still a few songs that I don't totally love, but damn, this is a really great album. I didn't realize just how many bits and pieces are stuck in my brain. The chance to go back through the Bowie catalog has been really fun.

I don't listen to alot of David Bowie, but when I do it is this era of David Bowie!

One of my favorite albums of all time 5 years, is a beautiful song in which the first half the society described after learning there are 5 years left for earth, and random things the narrator thinks and sees. The second half of the song he breaks down and realizes he can't do anything about it, and David sings so emotionally and makes it as believable as it can be. 9.5/10 Soul love is a pretty good song with a great chorus 7/10 Moonage daydream start is iconic, the instruments work perfectly together and with his unique singing 8/10 Starman, even apart from it's catchy and big chorus has satisfying and fun to listen to first part 8/10 It ain't easy has a good beat, and surprising chorus 7/10 Lady stardust, another good song, not a lot to say 6.5/10 Star, energetic, happy and hopeful 7/10 Hang on to yourself, fast paced short song but a bit repetitive 6/10 ZIGGY STARDUST, rememberable amazing song and a delight to listen to in every way I have no complaints other than the bit cringe lyrics 9.5/10 Suffragette city, AKA hey man! Is a unique song which always feels good, and has the feeling that it reminds me of something and I don't know what... 7.5/10 Rock n' roll suicide. I can imagine it helped a lot of people since it came out, and it might be there for me as well when I'll need it. Beautiful song. 10/10

Yeh it’s fine and good. More theatre than an album to listen to but yeh it’s Bowie.

BOM DEMAIS CARALHO

Don’t wait Five Years to listen to this. That would be Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.

I like this one the more that I think about it and listen to it knowing the premise of a rock opera about a bisexual alien rock star coming to a Earth that day 5 years left? There's a lot of on at once ngl but a lot of it sounds quite epic

I just really never understood the hype for David Bowie. I'm not a hater, but I've always found David Bowie's music so basic. The production on this album is so barebones and unedited, and the sound equalization is so unbalanced. That being said, the actual music is pretty decent though I'm not a fan of Bowie's voice. I love the lyricism and the topics as well as how they're presented but Bowie's unique shaky and almost whiney at times voice is very off-putting, personally. I enjoyed this album overall and understand it's place on this list though I'll likely not return in the future. I'll give a 6/10

Этот сайт упорно считает, что я обязан полюбить Дэвида Боуи, но нет. Хотя, по-моему, этот альбом чем-то лучше, чем те 5 или 6, что я уже здесь прослушал.

Obviously!!

Bueno

Art at its best. Magical album

This is the first and only Bowie album that I’ve listened to in its entirety and actually enjoyed most of. Then again, a lot of his biggest and best songs come off this album. I guess this is the album that made me try ink I like Bowie, when in reality I only like the stuff that managed to get on the airways.

Great album

Provavelmente um dos melhores ambums que já escutei em toda história 🤘

🥰

STARRRRMANNNNN

Vou falar o que deste disco? O primeiro que escutei do Bowie na minha vida, e o que me deu o estralo para adentrar a discografia de um dos maiores artistas de todos os tempos. E um disco fenomenal, conceitual do começo ao fim e com uma identidade característica em que tinha os discos do David Bowie. Parece uma coletânea de tão bom. Obviamente não poderia deixar de ser 5 estrelas para essa obra prima deste gênio que foi David Bowie. Digo isso olhando para o quadro dele que eu tenho em meu quarto.

10 stars masterpiece perfect Five years/rock 'n' roll suicide probably the best opener/closer duo of any album ever i dont care

Maybe the best album of all time

3.5! I really liked Suffragette City.

One of the best albums ive ever heard! Fun music and david bowies vocals are incredible. Definitely a great album

Loved it some suprisingly heavier stuff from Dave. I love the lyrics and the whole Ziggy experience his voice is great on it too RIP DB

At first, I didn't really understand what I was listening to. It sounded like typical rock music from that era. However, little by little, song after song, I started to like the album more and more. It’s a cohesive album, with great music and unusual lyrics. I liked it so much that I even read up in detail about David, his character Ziggy, and where it all led.

This album is fantastic. Bowie's run from the late 1960s to early 1970s is unrivaled by a solo artist, other than Prince's 1980s. Man, this is close to being Bowie's best album. The top 10: 1. 'Hunky Dory' 2. 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' 3. 'Aladdin Sane' 4. 'The Man Who Sold the World' 5. 'Let's Dance' 6. 'Reality' 7. 'Diamond Dogs' 8. 'Low' 9. 'Young Americans' 10. 'Station to Station' The point is, Bowie rules. Top tracks: "Five Years," "Starman," "Moonage Daydream," "Ziggy Stardust," "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"

Great shit. Such a wonderful look at an artist when they go out on a limb. Big time 4 for sure.

--Five Years...soaring orchestral --Soul Love...not my favorite Bowie but I love the sax solo --Moonage Daydream...great song no notes --Starman...my favorite superhero --It Ain't Easy...today I learned this is a cover --Lady Stardust...very nice, pleasant piano --Star...the bass line is simple but really works --Hang On to Yourself...fun rocker --Ziggy Stardust...timeless riff --Suffragette City...this track's a total blam-blam --Rock 'n' Roll Suicide...love those horns. fitting closer

7/5 så jävla bra platta

Acknowledging it as a classic by one of my favourite artists, I need to admit there’s some moments that annoy me. When I worked in retail as a kid, some older guy infiltrated the house sound system and taped over one of the cassettes. I don’t remember anything he included beyond “Suffragette City” and “Five Years”. I can’t figure out if he happened to choose the two songs from Ziggy that I was predisposed not to like, or if I was driven to dislike by hearing them once an hour of every day I worked there. It’s tough for any music to stand up to that much constant repetition. Most other aspects of the album are a win for me. The concept and characters. The fact that Bowie’s had discovered the idea of becoming someone else in performance. The iconic artwork. I have a few issues with production choices here and there, although I accept a lot of them were simply of their time. I guess a hot take is that I’m not convinced that glam rock is the best fit of genre for Bowie. Obviously he could be considered fundamental to glam, but I think other eras of his career have found better styles for his output. There was no point in denying my reservations to come here and wax about this classic album, likely saying nothing new. But now I’ve said what I felt was necessary, it’s fair to also say “Hang on to Yourself”, “Moonage Daydream”, “Starman” (for heaven’s sake) and my personal favourite “Soul Love” illustrate the undeniable brilliance of an album that earned its place in history almost instantly all those years ago.

Now we're talking!

I mean 5/5, iconic. I own a 1st edition vinyl.

This was fantastic. I have never listened to any of the tracks outside of Starman but I really enjoyed how cohesive it was. Amazing stuff.

Nice

I realise I don't like Bowie

Pretty good. First and last song ruled. Very cool production. Acoustic guitars sounds so sick also thr drums sound great.

More noncing. This time 1970s noncing. Stop sending me Bowie please. Favourite track: nope

Not my fave Bowie

A very fun David Bowie album Fav songs - Soul Love, Starman, Ziggy Stardust

david bowie is a legend and pretty much everyone knows him, but i’d never really dug deep into his discography before this challenge i’m fucking loving it.

Great, as always from david!

If you put a ray gun to my head to force me to name a better album, I don't think I could.

A little story: Shortly after his death in January 10 years ago, I was listening to a Sound Opinions retrospective on David Bowie while out for a run and they were discussing the song “Five Years.” They played a snippet where it leads into the chorus. Bowie is singing about all the people and weird things he’s seeing as people are processing the news about the planet dying. His voice rises in stridency and it almost sounds like he’s gasping to get it all out: “Your face, your race / The way that you talk / I kiss you, you’re beautiful / I want you to walk.” Then the song breaks into that glorious chorus like sun through the clouds and I just stopped in my tracks, bawling my eyes out in the middle of the street. How I processed Bowie’s passing.

Easiest ★★★★★. Remembered I need to get our 10-year-old in on this album. This is one of the few albums I like to imagine what it would have been like to be alive and in the audience when the artist was touring on it, how electric, how fun.

I always skip the title track but still love this record.

До этого я никогда не слушал боуи, но хотя знал и понимал его величие. Прекрасный альбом, который с каждым разом будет открываться для тебя по новому! Вспм обязательно слушать!

There's a starman waiting in the sky!

6. jul 2026. 1.58am it was okej :D 3/5 best: ziggy stardust (shocker nostalgija podsjeca me na srednju) ii rock n roll suicide worst: five years (prva pjesma ovog projekta i IMMEDIATELY sam je mrzjela ne znam iz kojeg razloga)

starman, lady stardust, hang onto yourself

A classic right in the early phase of Bowie's elite run of groundbreaking albums in the 70s. During this era Bowie produces glam rock style music. Honky tonk piano juxtaposed with hard rock guitar and a flamboyant story about spiders from Mars.

his best work. definitely some songs that i still think about to this day. Would I listen again: yes Deserves to be on this list: yes! 4.4

An absolutely perfect album from beginning to end. What a concept and so perfectly delivered. Banger after banger, emotionally deep, instrumentals are insane, and Bowie’s voice is so good. It’s rare you make a song so good and so poignant that it’s forever associated with an area of human endeavour, but whenever we breach the surly bonds of earth to reach for the heavens; at least someone will be singing in their head Starman.

I can appreciate why this is considered one of the most influential albums in rock history, but after finally listening to it I came away more respecting its legacy than impressed by the music itself. Glam rock just doesn’t connect with anything in me. The concept is ambitious and it's easy to see how Ziggy Stardust became such an iconic character. The album's theatrical approach and blend of glam rock, storytelling and science fiction were clearly ahead of their time and I can understand why so many artists cite it as an inspiration. That said, the songs themselves didn't do much for me. Aside from a handful of memorable moments, most of the tracks felt surprisingly underwhelming and I never found myself emotionally invested in the music. I also struggled with Bowie's vocal style. While I recognize his charisma and unique personality as a performer, his voice simply isn't one that resonates with me, making it difficult to fully connect with the album. Maybe this is one of those records that's more important in the context of music history than it is enjoyable for every modern listener. I don't dislike it, but I also don't hear the revolutionary masterpiece that so many others do. I respect what it accomplished and the doors it opened for future artists, but on a purely personal level, it just didn't click with me. A historically significant album that deserves recognition for its influence, even if the music itself left me wanting more.

532/1089 - Alright, ya got me. I admit this is really good, well-constructed music. I like Bowie now. (This review was written around two-to-three Bowie albums in when I explored his discography more)

Here we are, 367 albums in and I have gotten my ninth of the nine David Bowie albums. Less than a one in nineteen thousand chance of getting them all so quickly apparently. Surely someone up there is out to punish me. Anyway, it has been an up and down journey, with the high point ironically being Low. I'm glad I got this last because it is great.

Such a lovely album to re-listen to, I only first this album a few months ago and while still loved it, never returned to it as much as I should have. Nearly every song is a back to back banger, Bowie’s energy never dies through the entire album and even managed to make somber songs feel so powerful. Going back to listen to it really made me appreciate more of the underrated songs, ‘Lady Stardust’ is such an amazing song and I feel as if there’s from Lennon influence in there which is sick. It’s crazy to think that nearly 8 years before this he was releasing some of the most mediocre folk ever created.

я не фан Бові. Деякі пісні відверто визивають нудоту, але до деяких і не можу сильно причепитись ахах. Вмикати для прослуховування власноруч не буду, проте якщо десь бути грати - ок, трохи фіолетово

The less well-known tracks sound much like the pop music from that era. Post Beatles and pre-Abba. Glam rock, Bay City Rollers and such stuff which mostly isn't great. A bit surprising, I'd have expected more edgy stuff.

No notes. Stone cold classic.

Inexplicably this is the first Bowie album on the list so far. If I could contort my mind to not compare Bowie to Bowie, this might be a 5. But there are albums of his I like so much more.

Great album

While this album does not rank in my best of the best, it has risen in status for me over the years. Among 1,001 records it certainly deserves the highest marks. I occasionally pick up on the thread of this narrative, but it seems more thematic than a clear rock opera story like Tommy. That is a benefit as the storylines in these rock musicals fail to engage me. In fact, when I pay attention to the “tragedy” in the title track, it diminishes the song, although “Making love with his ego, Ziggy sucked up into his mind” is one of several terrific lines in it. Side One contains none of the startling rock and roll of the second half. It is a daring choice that probably played a role in limiting my original enjoyment of the record. Now, the life and death struggle of “Five Years” sets up other dramatic moments to come. “Soul Love” has a terrific fade in as the drum pattern makes this crooner tune worthwhile. “Moonage Daydream” encompasses everything that is great about Bowie and this record. Touches of weirdness, the blasting power chords matching the raygun in the lyrics and Bowie’s one-of-a-kind ability to take the listener into his characters’ world, which only “Heroes” can match. “Moonage” is so good it overcomes the flute interlude that could contaminate the tune. Bowie is a sharper and more varied songwriter than other glam artists. The two Stardust songs are the ones that sound most like the genre to me. Nothing too wrong with that, especially when he unloads with the revved up engines of “Hang On to Yourself” and “Suffragette City.” Those tracks and many other moments in the album find Mick Ronson creating a distinctive style. It has the riff mastery of Jimmy Page and Keith Richards, along with unfiltered trumpet-like blasts of sounds. One of the joys in revisiting Bowie over the last decade or so, is realizing how much he rocks. Ronson obviously plays a major part in that sound. Ignore any preconceptions with this record, and the personal story-lines related to Bowie’s career. Not a flawless record, but one with an enormous number of memorable qualities.

Many moons ago, I listened to this album for the first time in my junior year homeroom period, its runtime perfectly fitted into the remaining time after roll call. This was also when I had just discovered Jetpunk, many things occurring after the fog of 2020. I don't know what prompted me to listen to a series of classic rock albums (Hunky Dory, Pet Sounds, Transformer, Imagine, among others were spun throughout this year, though most of them probably occurred in the period of a month or two in the spring). Undoubtedly it's because Ziggy felt like a requirement as not just a music lover, but a human being (and a sister of Emmet Rigg who once gifted him a poster of the album) to listen to it. At the time, I had liked it, and returned to a few songs, mainly the hits, but Hunky Dory received more attention for the reminder of my entanglement with Bowie. Now, I won't state, which Bowie I prefer (I'm sure we will still have a few more pop up on here), but I adore this album in a way I never did before, likely because it had been both neglected since the first listen and during the first listen for hard-hitting questions of Jetpunk. From the first note of "Five Years" I was captured. I probably had not listen to that song since my 2022 listen, but safe to say it is my current favorite song. The lyrics, which I always gravitate towards, are incredibly, but the instrumental, primarily the emphasis the piano adds to Bowie's voice make me adore this song. "Moonage Daydream" was always been beloved for the first line alone. I could listen to that part on repeat forever and never tire of it. The chorus of "It Ain't Easy" captures the same feeling within me and, of course, few things in life compare to "Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am!" Any song Bowie mentions stars, ladies, or space is incredible, but I think the neglected hero of the album is the success of "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" as a closure, not only a great song, but wrapping up the narrative of the album in both lyrics, but in the much tougher category of musical narrative, where the instruments make me feel as if I'm floating away into the ether with Ziggy. "Don't let the sun blast your shadow/Don't let the milk float ride your mind/They're so natural, religiously unkind"

Final (I think) verdict on Bowie: He’s got at least as much crud as he’s got cream, but when he’s really on one he can make some pretty great stuff. Unfortunately, even his great stuff has a ceiling, on account of him always seeming kinda annoying. This one, and Hunky Dory, are the Bowie 5s.

normal, no lo escuché completo

Would I listen again: …no I haven’t connected with Bowie thus far, not sure why.

This was alright. Can't really think of much else to say about it.

Great tunes, performances, production a bit not my bag but I respect it and yet, this whole alternate personae deal Bowie, et al went through has just never connected with me. Simply put: I just feel alienated from the enterprise, which makes sense, he is from space after all. But this character stand-in thing inserts just enough distance to the proceedings that it doesn’t emotionally resonate with me.

Music composing was good.... but, not my type :(

Lovely, but not instantly memorable. Great soundtrack music

That was the moment when David Bowie decided "being famous and acclaimed isn't enough, I want to be legendary"

The album that got me into Bowie as a kid. Holds up perfectly.

3.5

4.5 if I could give half stars. Album is an all timer! Fav Tracks: Basically every song is a banger

Hang on to yourself is pure rock, star man phenomenal as it always is. Better in context, I must say. Bowie's lyrics are absurd while staying grounded in the grit of an American night during the 1970s. Suffragette City is a banger, and reminds me that Bowie existed during the 60s which? Obviously, but not in my head he didn't.

Banger after banger. Que descubrimiento Soul Love. A ver si continuo con esto.

great. i think i prefer bowie's later stuff these days though.

Fav songs: Moonage Daydream, It Ain’t Easy and Rock’ n’ Roll Suicide

One of his best 4.5

It was quite nice a change from my usual style! (I like starman)😋💗

David Bowie es genial, de mis discos favoritos de todos los tiempos. Five Years siempre me va a hacer llorar. Ziggy forever.