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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Where the lyrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars take you, and where it was really made.

The cover was shot on a London street outside a furrier's shop. The shop's sign became part of the image, and it was taken down in 1991.

Key places

Trident Studios, where the album was recorded (1972)

Recording site Trident Studios — The album was recorded from November 1971 to February 1972 at Trident Studios in London. Most tracks were recorded almost entirely live in this studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Heddon Street photo shoot for the cover (1972)

Album cover Heddon Street studio — The cover photograph was taken on 13 January 1972 at Brian Ward's Heddon Street studio, just off Regent Street. Bowie stood outside the K. West furriers at 23 Heddon Street. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fifth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released 16 June 1972 in the UK on RCA Records
• Co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott
• Features the Spiders from Mars: Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass), Mick Woodmansey (drums)
• Loose concept album and rock opera centred on Bowie's alter ego Ziggy Stardust
• Ziggy is a fictional androgynous and bisexual rock star sent to Earth as a saviour before an apocalyptic disaster
• Ziggy wins fans but falls from grace after succumbing to his own ego
• Most of the concept was developed after the songs were recorded

Background

• After a promotional US tour in February 1971, Bowie returned to Haddon Hall in England and began writing songs
• Hunky Dory, the fourth studio album, was released in December to very positive reviews but sold poorly
• Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust were almost recorded back-to-back
• Ziggy's sessions officially began at Trident on 8 November 1971

Recording

• Recorded from November 1971 to February 1972 at Trident Studios in London
• Most tracks were recorded almost entirely live
• Ronson used an electric guitar, a 100-watt Marshall amplifier and a wah-wah pedal
• Bowie played acoustic rhythm guitar
• Starman was written after RCA executive Dennis Katz complained the album lacked a single
• Starman replaced Round and Round on the track listing at the last minute

Cover

• Photographed in monochrome by Brian Ward and recoloured by illustrator Terry Pastor
• Taken on 13 January 1972 at Ward's Heddon Street studio in London, just off Regent Street
• Bowie stood outside the furriers K. West at 23 Heddon Street
• The K. West sign was removed in 1991
• In March 2012 the Crown Estate installed a commemorative plaque at No. 23

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London.
• Studied art, music and design; took up saxophone in 1961.
• Adopted the stage name David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.

Career

• Breakthrough with "Space Oddity" in 1969, reaching the UK top five.
• Glam rock success in 1972 with the Ziggy Stardust persona and album.
• Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", Lodger) with Brian Eno and Tony Visconti in the late 1970s.
• Greatest commercial success with Let's Dance in 1983.
• Fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine from 1988 to 1992 before resuming a solo career.
• Final studio album Blackstar was released two days before his death in 2016.

Legacy

• Sold over 100 million records worldwide.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics responded favourably; some praised the musicality and concept while others struggled to comprehend it
• NME's James Johnson said the album had a bit more pessimism than previous releases and called the songs fine
• Melody Maker's Watts said the album had no well-defined story line but a strong sense of biographical drama
• Rolling Stone's Richard Cromelin thought the album was good but doubted its style would hold lasting interest
• Circus magazine called the album a stunning work of genius
• Creem's Dave Marsh considered it Bowie's best record up to that point
• A Sounds reviewer said much of it sounds the work of a competent plagiarist

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said Bowie succeeds not in spite of his pretensions but because of them
• Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot described the album as a guitar-fueled song cycle
• Pitchfork's Douglas Wolk said it has an incoherent concept overall but remains a great collection of tracks
• Classic Rock's Ian Fortnam called it Bowie's crowning achievement
• In a 2013 readers' poll for Rolling Stone, it was voted Bowie's greatest album

Records

• Peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart in February 1973
• Sold 8,000 copies in Britain in its first week and entered the top 10 in its second week
• Sold 95,968 units in Britain by the end of 1972
• Reached number 59 in Canada and 75 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in April 1973
• After Bowie's death in 2016, peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard 200
• Estimated 7.5 million copies sold worldwide, Bowie's second-best-selling album after Let's Dance
• Ranked 35th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003
• Selected for preservation in the US National Recording Registry in 2017

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album cover was shot on Heddon Street, and the K. West sign on the furrier's door became a well-known detail of the image.
• In March 2012 the Crown Estate installed the first plaque it had ever put up at No. 23, in the same place as the K. West sign, and it is one of few plaques in the country devoted to fictional characters.
• While recording Ziggy Stardust, Bowie offered Suffragette City to Mott the Hoople, who declined, so he wrote All the Young Dudes for them instead.
• Bowie, the Spiders and Nicky Graham performed Starman on Top of the Pops on 5 July 1972, and many fans date their conversion to Bowie to that appearance.
• The original sign was reinstalled in 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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