For those who do not know, David Bowie is one of the most influential musicians of all time. He is also one of those people who has pretty much done it all. Start a band at the age of 15? Check. Name yourself after an early American hero? Check. First solo album in 1967 (that was actually a major flop)? Check. Hit it huge in 1969? Check. Come to dominate the world for the next four decades? Check. Star in several amazing films along the way? Check. Sing with the late Freddie Mercury? Check. Make peace with the late Marc Bolan shortly before his unfortunate death? Check.
Did I not say this man has done it all?
Early 1972 brought one of the major changes to rock and roll at the time: The rise of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. This was a period in which Bowie dyed his hair a vibrant red, wore fantastic costumes, and basically created a new persona on stage - Ziggy Stardust. The album released in conjunction wit this era, 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars cemented his breakthrough in the UK (and started his ascent to stardom in the US). While this enigmatic character only lived for a short while, his send off was as dramatic as everything he did. The end of Ziggy Stardust came in a grand concert forever commemorated in the Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars film. Afterwards, Bowie moved on to creating other personas such as the Thin White Duke.
As mentioned above, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars was released in 1972. Its first single, "Starman," served to cement Bowie's breakthrough status in the UK and show him as a force to be reckoned with. As one may guess from the name, the character, and song titles, this is a concept album revolving loosely around the character of Ziggy Stardust. The idea proposed by some as to the overall theme to this album is that Ziggy Stardust is an alien who comes to earth to spread a message of peace in love in the last five years he has left to live. For those familiar with Bowie's film work, this could serve as an early inspiration to is role in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth.
The album starts off with the, in my opinion, lackluster "Five Years." Every album needs its starting point however. "Soul Love" is an interesting song, but one I don't tend to pay as much attention to. The third track, "Moonage Daydream" is a great one, perhaps asking the listener to pay attention to Ziggy Stardust and love him. Maybe. I don't know. I don't delve much into song meanings as I feel they can mean different things for different people. Songs were meant to be cryptic.
The fourth track is the album's first single, "Starman." This has been one of my favorite songs for years. It's experimental, full of soul, and just great. To me, it has this quality of looking to the sky and feeling there is something there. Perhaps a literal reading of the lyrics would suggest the Starman is Ziggy Stardust, who wants to spread his message of peace and love, but is afraid that humans can't handle him. I suppose you could extrapolate this idea and apply it to the idea of God being up there, but that's up to you. Regardless of meaning, it's a wonderful song and could serve as a nice introduction for those of you who have never listened to this great man:
The next few tracks are really solid in my opinion and worth checking out. However, I want to shift focus to the final three tracks. The last ten minutes give or take of this album are worth every penny you pay for it. And then some.
The first of these songs is "Ziggy Stardust." This song has been covered by many artists, including a couple of my favorites, Bauhaus and AFI. It's just a great song to jam to. A look at the lyrics suggests this is the incomplete story of Ziggy Stardust. Basically, Ziggy plays guitar, is damn good looking, narcissistic, pale, and awesome. Which is true. The next song is "Suffragette City" which is also another one of my favorites. It's really catchy. What is it about? I have no idea. But I love it.
The album ends with the slow at first epic "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide." It's a dark song as you'd expect from the title. In terms of its place in the concept album, I'm guessing this represents the end of Ziggy. However, as the song progresses, it does pick up and suggests that maybe Ziggy shouldn't die? I don't know. It starts solemn and then picks up as Bowie yells "You're not alone!" If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it. And it even says "You're wonderful!" a lot. Seriously. Need an anti-suicide anthem? Go with this or Queen's "Don't Try Suicide." But in all seriousness, it's a grand way to end an already sensational album. Here is "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" played as the final song from the end of the Ziggy era (there's a lot of cheering in the beginning to get past before the song begins):
Since this album (his fifth at the time), Bowie has continued to release now 23 studio albums (and a number of best of compilations and studio recorded albums). His more recent releases have had a more electronic influence and aren't as popular as his work in the 70s and 80s, but still worth checking out. 2004 saw the last major touring from Bowie as he had an acutely blocked artery that required emergency angioplasty. Since then, fans (myself included) have begged for is great man to return to the stage again if he is healthy enough and bring his sweet music back. In 2012, we are still waiting. Hopefully this icon will make his grand return. The stage beckons, Mr. Bowie.
Rating: 5 out of 5
More information: Official David Bowie Website
I am shocked that you do not like Five Years! It's got such an urgent and poignant feel to me. I also love the imagery he uses, but then again, that is always what makes Bowie songs fantastic. I admit that Five Years does feel like a slow start, but the rhythm is so steady and certain. That certainty musically represents the concept of knowing and accepting your fate, which is what I find so powerful about the song. Of course, it's all interpretation. I am curious: what do you take away from it that makes it lack luster?
ReplyDeleteDebate! lol.
ReplyDeleteI can see where it fits into the theme and concept of the album. I'm just not usually one for slower songs. The anticipation of later songs like "Ziggy Stardust" makes me want to skip over ones like "Five Years." It isn't a horrible song, just not a personal favorite.
Perhaps in the future a little less biased direction for the music reviews would be good? I'm just winging this at the moment, haha.