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

Listening to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars for the second time only made me appreciate it more. I liked it a lot on my first listen, but this time I found myself even more drawn into its atmosphere and the world Bowie creates. The album feels like much more than a collection of songs; it tells a story and builds an entire identity around the character of Ziggy Stardust. I love how Bowie combines glam rock, theatrical elements, and a slightly futuristic sound to create something so distinctive. There is a great balance between energetic, guitar-driven tracks and more emotional, introspective moments. Songs like "Starman" and "Ziggy Stardust" are immediate highlights, with melodies and choruses that are incredibly memorable. "Moonage Daydream" also stands out for its almost otherworldly atmosphere and explosive guitar work. At the same time, tracks like "Five Years" give the album a more melancholic and dramatic side, making its themes of fame, alienation, and the end of the world feel surprisingly human. One thing I particularly enjoy is how Bowie manages to make such an unusual concept feel accessible and emotionally engaging. His vocals and delivery add so much personality to every song, making the whole experience feel theatrical without becoming excessive. I also appreciate how cohesive the album is, as each track contributes to the larger story and atmosphere. Even though it was released in 1972, it still sounds remarkably fresh and influential. Overall, this is an album that I enjoyed even more the second time around, and I can definitely see why it is considered one of Bowie's most iconic works.

To some, the apex of Bowie. For me, not quite, but still good nonetheless. This album has it all. It has a story that's to be respected, and the musicianship is a benchmark on how to create an album with a timeless quality mixed with a lot of memorable riffs and passages.

It perfectly mixes being an album with a lot of mainstream ease to it, but also being admirable from a “musical wanker” standpoint with the reinvention of the psychedelic sound on Moonage Daydream, rock n roll on Suffragette City, or because of the sheer amount of depth it possesses.

From any point you look at it, a stone-cold classic.

Not really my jam :-/

Look its just alright. I liked Starman and Suffrage City, but everything else just didn't grip me. 3/5

Favorite track(s): Five Years, Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Lady Stardust, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

A defining album for every music fan that I know. A defining album for one of the best songwriters of all time. A defining album for the ideas of pop and rock music.

Heard before
Previous rating: 9/10

Have listened to this many, many times and will take any excuse to listen to it again. Probably one of my favourite albums ever, something about it makes me come back to it again and again. I love every track but if I had to narrow it down to three favourites, right now, it would be Moonage Daydream, Lady Stardust and Suffragette City.

Well here it is, in all its sequined, slightly tatty, horny, gender-fluid, era defining, English, well hung madness.

The idea that it's a concept album - or worse, a rock opera - is obviously a con job. It's a collection of killer songs that threaten to connect up into something coherent, but never really do. There's a story - that was obviously written after the fact - that sort of floats above them and provides a framework, but they don't really fit into in any neat and tidy way.

But what songs they are! There's not a skip on the album. Even the cover of Long John Bawldry works a treat. The band is tight and plays like their lives depend on it. Bowie sings like Antony Newley having a breakdown and is all melodrama and sex on a stick.

Before this album Bowie was a niche artist who sold a few albums to a small audience. The moment he went on Top of the Pops, draped his glittering arm around Mick Ronson's shoulders and sang Starman he was a superstar. "Just watch me!" Indeed.

my favorite album ever. when i die, rock n roll suicide will be played at my funeral

One of Bowie's most consistently enjoyable albums. Whole thing is real solid... even if none of my favourite Bowie songs are on it (Moonage Daydream notwithstanding).

Simply one of the best records ever made. Without a doubt my favorite David Bowie album and what more is left to say than; there’s a star man waiting in the sky🎵

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

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.

Maybe my favorite of Bowie’s catalog.

Déjà écouté avant.

Top : Suffragette City
Flop : It Ain't Easy

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.

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...

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.

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

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.

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.