Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

[Rowls]

It's 50 years since this masterpiece was released and it's been at least a month since we had a Bowie thread

Post your favourite Bowie songs (from any album) or share memories of gigs, albums and his Ziggy Stardust alter ego.

Here's the title track from the album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXq5VvYAI1Q

[Barry_Chuckle]

Queen Bitch
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5P63qGTm_g

[Lancasterclaret]

Every song on this thread will be a 100% banger

[ClaretTony]

Five Years

https://youtu.be/aKzq_QQPL8k

[Bosscat]

There can be only ONE

https://youtu.be/wDO9usbtgWc

[Rowls]

I'm still feeling guilty about picking the Laughing Gnome on the "one artist, one song" thread and hope this makes amends.

[The Enclosure]

Starman

[gawthorpe_view]

Suffragette City.

https://youtu.be/rq1bcVOmyjw

[mkmel]

First album that my first wife (cough spit!) ever bought me.

[Tricky Trevor]

Life On Mars.
https://youtu.be/UipTt-qqZOE

[Tricky Trevor]

It's 50 years since this masterpiece was released.

So good I bought it twice. Album at home, on 8track in the car.

[Steve1956]

You can't pick one...but one of my personal favourites
https://youtu.be/WABWNOEwC9A

[helmclaret]

Hard to pick one.

This performance of Ashes to Ashes is incredible. Some very talented people in his band here.

https://youtu.be/lNqo0kIR-TU

[ClaretTony]

I’d misread the thread and thought it was to select a track from the one album. But I’ll stick with the one I went for.

[Rowls]

I’d misread the thread and thought it was to select a track from the one album. But I’ll stick with the one I went for.

I nearly unleashed my inner jdrobbo and asked people to pick no more than 2 from each of his first five albums (excluding any that appear on compilations) but I thought that was too easy.

[fatboy47]

The Port of Amsterdam is a personal favourite.

[ElectroClaret]

As said further up the thread, hard to pick one, but yes, Queen Bitch gets another vote, and Drive-in Saturday are particular favourites.

[A.Claret.Fan]

Queen Bitch a close second to Lady Grinning Soul.

[Erasmus]

Bewlay Brothers and Ziggy was Jimi I think.

[Coates4england]

June 1973 Central Hall, Chatham, Kent.
As well as all of the Ziggy album, I remember he played acoustic Space Oddity with spotlight on strobe mirror ball reflecting stars over our heads.
Best song for me 5 years with Queen Bitch a close 2nd.

[elwaclaret]

Can’t Help Thinking About Me - David Bowie and the Lower Third.

https://youtu.be/K1MXonBG5NI

[AfloatinClaret]

I still have my original copy somewhere; I don't remember it being scratched or anything. It must've been out about 6 months when I got a copy because i remember it was a Christmas present.

[bobinho]

A wonderful album. Bowie was a genius.

[RMutt]

Much is made of this alter ego of Bowie. Why was it seen as so exceptional? Musicians and performers have dressed up and adopted other personas before so why was it considered so ground breaking? Peter Gabriel must have been dressing up at around the same time.
Whenever there’s a documentary about Bowie people talk about how he changed and become Ziggy. Did he stay in character off stage too or something? I’ve never really got it, so it’s a genuine question. By the way, I understand that perhaps the music was breaking new ground, it’s this idea of the alter ego that I’ve never been sure about.

[Rowls]

Did he stay in character off stage too or something? I’ve never really got it, so it’s a genuine question. By the way, I understand that perhaps the music was breaking new ground, it’s this idea of the alter ego that I’ve never been sure about.

I just like the music but to answer the question of whether he stayed in character away from the stage, apparently he did - but only to some people. And he was also reported a massive twit about it too.

But it doesn't affect the quality f the music.

[Steve1956]

Pin ups is a much maligned covers album by Bowie...but his cover of The Pretty Things Rosalyn is a cracking cover,actually I think Pin Ups is a cracking covers album...but a lot don't.

[Steve1956]

Queen Bitch a close second to Lady Grinning Soul.

Lady Grinning Soul is an underrated masterpiece
https://youtu.be/6fHoMw8tCzo

[claretblue]

Pin ups is a much maligned covers album by Bowie...but his cover of The Pretty Things Rosalyn is a cracking cover,actually I think Pin Ups is a cracking covers album...but a lot don't.

Sorrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOC5tQy7324

[Chobulous]

Young Girl would have been an apt song title. File him in the nonce folder with Jimmy Page and John Bonham

[Steve1956]

Sorrow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOC5tQy7324

Like I said Pin Ups is a cracking album.

[Nonayforever]

Bowie was by far my favourite artist. There are some who you listen to and some that you buy.
Ziggy Stardust was a golden era but my favourite Bowie track of all time is rock & roll suicide.

[dougcollins]

Mick at his finest. The lad from Hull done good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFDj3sh ... BrokenGrin

[Taffy on the wing]

I'm still feeling guilty about picking the Laughing Gnome on the "one artist, one song" thread and hope this makes amends.

so you should.......

[Taffy on the wing]

The Port of Amsterdam is a personal favourite.

I like it too..... but once you've seen the Jacques Brel version, it pales a bit.

[Taffy on the wing]

Been a massive fan since i bought Hunky Dory at 11 yrs old......a shout out for the Scary Monsters album & also Blackstar which is also very, very good.

[Claretmisterg]

After recording Ziggy Stardust Bowie’s next project was producing Lou Reeds Transformer with Mick Ronson. These are two of my favourite albums of all time.

[Bobzuruncle]

Along with MW208, he is huge part of my formative years and his songs still form parts of my day as certain phrases will trigger lyrics. A favourite is difficult and changes with mood/weather but sweet thing and the candidate together really are sweet and then teenage wildlife just screams at you.

[Rowls]

After recording Ziggy Stardust Bowie’s next project was producing Lou Reeds Transformer with Mick Ronson. These are two of my favourite albums of all time.

He does the backing vocals on Satellite of Love (maybe a few others?)

What an amazing two albums to work on back to back. Transformer is worthy of its own thread but Andy's Chest is my personal favourite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Wxi15x7ss

[Middle-agedClaret]

I was a very enthusiastic fan of Bowie in the early 70’s, and Ziggy Stardust was a much loved, and much played , album.
I was lucky enough to see David Bowie twice in that era. The first gig was 27 August 1972, at The Locarno in Bristol. Support acts were Thin Lizzy and an eclectic group called Gnidrilog. I remember the entrance music was the Walter Carlos version of “Ode to Joy”, from The Clockwork Orange soundtrack.It was a great gig, full of energy and excitement. As well as most of the “Ziggy” album, the band did great versions of “White Light, White Heat” and “Waiting for My Man”.
The second gig was at the Gaumont Cinema in Worcester on 4 June 1973. My ticket cost £1.30. It was another wonderful night even though the evening featured one of my least favourite tracks - The Jean Jeanie. By this time, there was no support act. As well as the rockier number, we heard great renditions of Space oddity and Changes. Two of the most enjoyable gigs I’ve ever been to, in the days when major acts still played relatively intimate venues rather than vast stadia.
To be honest, I wasn’t so keen on the Young Americans/Diamond Dogs albums (with the exception of the brilliant, if unrepresentative Rebel Rebel). I think Bowie moved on,but some of us were slow to follow.
It’s difficult to argue with any of the choices of track chosen by other poster, but I’ll go for a personal favourite from the Aladdin Sane album - The Prettiest Star

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8SWb0 ... SWb0ShWDQg

[Swizzlestick]

Most of my preferred choices have already had a shout (Ashes to Ashes is possibly my all time fave), but I’ll go for Absolute Beginners. A much maligned film, and a much maligned period generally for Bowie, but I love the song so much.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iCJLOXqnT2I

[JohnMcGreal]

So many to choose from but I'll throw Time in...

https://youtu.be/GDP9jLwzh0g

[Devils_Advocate]

Not a massive fan of his music as always thought we was a bit too one dimensional but this is my favourite piece of his work and credit where credit is due this is just a sensational vocal performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_0bTRM ... ACrC7Ybz3T

[Billy Balfour]

Ziggy is more my mum and dad's music than mine, but it is a mighty fine album and not a bad track on it.

Thing is, I prefer The Man Who Sold the World album - it's almost goth, but a decade before the 'goth' music scene became a thing. The Nietzsche-esque 'Supermen' track is simply sublime.

[Steve1956]

Just giving Aladdin Sane a blast on the ear buds....we really where robbed of a unique talent losing Bowie at just 69 years of age.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I played guitar.....

[Rowls]

I played guitar.....

Left hand. But you made it too far...

[Billy Balfour]

But sadly, only as far as this messageboard.

[Guller Bull]

Bowie - certainly let the children boogie! (apparently)

[Steve1956]

Just came across this 1 minte 50 second version of Sound & Vision on Spotify
What a beautiful piece
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uqQLKO4 ... =copy-link