The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars review

The fifth studio album of the influential English rock star David Bowie is a true concept album. It tells the story of a rock star who is a messenger for extra-terrestrial beings. It's a weird piece of art rock full of social commentary and science fiction. This one is going to be very interesting.

Tracks:

1. Five Years: 9/10 slowly building up through each powerful verse to a dazzling crescendo, few things capture a pre apocalypse with this much emotional resonance.

2. Soul Love: 8/10 although it's a bit out of place in the album in terms of the concept, it has all the soul its title suggests and manages not to feel like every other love song you've ever heard.

3. Moonage Daydream: 9/10 it feels like it came from outer space, the lyrics are mad, it repeats the chorus 3 times in a row and it really doesn't make much sense at all. And it's brilliant.

4. Starman: 9/10 aside from David Bowie's slightly quiet vocals and some confusion, this is an original, soulful and strangely moving song. The images I get in my head when listening to this are rather wonderful.

5. It Ain't Easy: 7/10 an anticlimactic ending to the first side, yet far from awful.

6. Lady Stardust: 9/10 epic yet touching, this may be in a pretty alien album but it's remarkably human.

7. Star: 8/10 when thinking of this, 'Rockstar' by Nickelback, another song about wanting to be a rock star leaps to mind. This certainly gets the message through with more art and 10 times the subtlety of that song.

8. Hang on to Yourself: 7/10 you can't understand what David Bowie is singing but the fast paced guitar music and sheer attitude make it a highly enjoyable listen still.

9. Ziggy Stardust: 8/10 one of the album's most well known and admired tracks, this fully deserves its status and it makes the character of Ziggy Stardust more developed and even more compelling.

10. Suffragette City: 10/10 this heavy and hugely catchy rock song may get overshadowed by some of the more well known songs on the album but certainly shouldn't be forgotten. All in all it's the most purely enjoyable songs on the album.

11. Rock n Roll Suicide: 10/10 this awe inspiring and powerful song is what all finales should be: Thrilling, epic, emotional and hitting a peak of stratospheric heights, this one ignites the stars.

Best song: Rock n Roll Suicide
Worst song: It Ain't Easy

Summary: This is one unique album. It's pretty weird at times and at times the central storyline of Ziggy Stardust is a bit hard to follow. It feels like it came down to Earth in an escape pod from another planet. Despite this, it's deeply human. It's out of this world though, with its artful rock, general madness and truly epic feel. It's a pleasure to listen to and despite how different it is it remains accessible and vastly entertaining throughout every beautifully sung and beautifully played moment.

Final rating: 9/10