Leaderless Spiders from Mars

Rarely are there bands that share the creative burden collectively. Usually, and that’s good, there is a leader, an author or team of authors that shape the band’s sound. Of course, there is much in the personal sound and playing style of all the musicians involved, but the leader’s vision is what shapes the music essentially. When the person with the vision is gone, the sound might be there but the music won’t. That’s what happened to The Doors when they tried to continue without Jim Morrison, and the same thing happened to the Spiders from Mars without David Bowie. The sound is there, that sticky glam rock riffs, the melodies are similar to the Bowie period, but the music is just short of ideas. The form is the same, but there is no meaningful content - it’s simply forgettable.

The Spiders from Mars were David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s and consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums. They recorded and toured with Bowie for several years. In 1975 Bolder and Woodmansey reformed the band without Ronson and were joined in this lineup by Mike Garson, Dave Black, and Pete McDonald. Their self-titled album, released in 1976, was their only album before the group disbanded. Take a listen to their album and judge for yourselves if it’s worth a second play. Me - I don’t think I’ll get back to this record any time soon.