Bowie started his career with the hit “Space Oddity” in 1969, for the astronaut Major Tom who is abandoned in Space and ended with releasing his last 25th studio album “Blackstar” on 8th of December (exactly on Bowie’s 69th birthday). His music covers a variety of genres starting from glam rock, new romantic, krautrock and dance music to alternative rock, hard rock and soul. All of that combined in а unique and recognizable way, the way that only David Bowie does! Personally my favorite album is the one that peaked at No.5 in the United Kingdom and No. 75 in the United States also considered as one of the greatest albums of all time (No. 35 in Rolling Stone magazine rankings), a concept album that won him widespread popularity released in 1972, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars or often shortened to Ziggy Stardust is David Bowie’s fifth studio album that represents Glam and Art Rock. The concept of the album is a story about Bowie’s Alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a fictional bisexual alien rock star. The album contains some of Bowie’s greatest rock songs as Moonage Daydream, Five years, Starman. Yes, it is true that this album have won a widespread popularity, but I think it hasn’t reached its full potential and the deserved glory at that point of time because of the certain uncomfortableness with the traditions of rock music itself. The album contains 11 tracks and lasts 38 minutes. On the first side of the album there are less psychical “Turbulence” (but of course huge musical happening) than on Side two where David Bowie reveals more of the Ziggy Stardust’s soul. The opening track “Five years” and the closing one of the album, “Rock n Roll Suicide “are really one of the finest Bowie’s songs (they are more avant-garde songs rather than actual rock songs). The 3th one is my favorite the “Moonage Daydream”. The song has really aggressive and powerful riffs with high singing (typical for Glam rock) and man, the performance of guitarist Mick Ronson here is awesome! For introduction for this song Bowie wrote 'For me, the Seventies were the start of the twenty-first century'. If I look unfavorably, the only thing that I would criticize would be the lack of dynamic in the mix of the album. Anyway there is really nice experimental panning and the sound is rich and lavish. Behind this album besides musical happening there is also a lot of drama going on. The lyrics in the album is really symbolic and with a slangy American feeling ( for example in “Five years” he uses ‘cop’ instead of ‘policeman’ or ‘copper’, ‘news guy’ instead of ‘newsreader’), but in general the lyrics are about sexual orientations, drugs and politics. Bowie was a human being with remarkable perceptions and understandings of the world. From my point of view he is ‘the alien Ziggy Stardust’. He was able to see some things further than a human can imagine, something beyond our limits. This album is definitely a legendary musical accomplishment.
