The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Startrucker and the Highway Patrol Spiders from Mars

Overall Album Score: 9.8 out of 10

This is my favorite album of all time. And, I am completely convinced that will never change. Even if there comes a point in which I never listen to this album anymore, it's still going to be my favorite album out of historical purposes.

(A little personal history... sorry...) I was really fortunate to have picked up this album when I did. Even though I was already an established Beatles fan at this point, none of their albums actually spoke to me in a significant way. At this point, I was also becoming quite a fan of Styx and Billy Joel.

And then I picked up this Bowie album that I heard was supposed to be pretty good. I listened to it, and I just couldn't put it down. After this, I was caught up in a seemingly neverending loop of buying up Bowie albums and loving them. Once I got most of the Bowie albums, I looked onto related artists such as Lou Reed and Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, T. Rex ... in other words, this album is what really turned me into a music nut.

And for goodness sake, there's a *lot* of great songs on here. I can't stress this enough. This is the album that contains so many unstoppable Bowie classics that it's hard to believe that it's physically possible! A major highlight is "Starman," which is a song I find so fantastic that I gave it a 10plus. Another song, "Ziggy Stardust," also contains one of Bowie's finest melodies, and I sometimes regard that as my favorite song in the album.

Other songs in here are almost equally as fantastic. The album opener "Five Years" is the perfect way to open this album. "Rock & Roll Suicide" is a fantastic way to close it. "Moonage Daydream" is a total triumph and "Hang Onto Yourself" and "Suffragette City" are not only both ROCKING songs, but they're catchy and danceable, too.

Geez, the way I talk about this, it's almost surprising that this doesn't quite come as the highest scoring album on my site. Well, this album isn't quite perfect. There are two rather glaring flaws. "It Ain't Easy" doesn't really fit in the album, and I am as non-enthusiatic about this song as I can possibly be. Also "Star," while kind of catchy and fun, is much too sloppy.

I'm probably overrating this album, but as I'm sitting in the middle of the '00s, and this has gotten somewhat of a critical backlash, I'm glad that I can be one person who's willing to give it his best shot to lift this masterpiece back up in its rightful place.

Overall Album Score: 9.8 out of 10 (This album is RULE. End of discussion.)

Average Song Score: 9.8 (There are so many excellent songs in here that it's scary. Apart from two 'soft spots,' this album is filled to the brim with solid songsmanship.)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (I'm thinking specifically of the two soft spots. They sort of interrupt the flow.)

Artist Tilt: 10 (This was such an ambitious undertaking for Bowie, and he succeeded with flying colors. This wasn't necessarily influential in the progress of rock as an art form, but this is one reason why the pioneers of art rock should be dang proud.)

Track Reviews

Five Years 10/10

The first song in our journey in the world of Ziggy Stardust is a nearly perfect theatric opener! It's an explosive, well-orchestrated pop song that'll surely surely have you screaming the lyrics along with David Bowie! (Seriously, I do this in my car all the time.) Talking about the type of build-up I praised David Bowie for doing in Hunky Dory that applies here tenfold. The melody is fantastic, and it's probably one of the greatest album openers of all rock history. ... We can debate this at a later date!

Soul Love 10/10

I really love this song, too ... It's very simple for this album (even lyrically as this really doesn't have anything to do with the saga of Ziggy Stardust ... it's just a silly ode to love). Ronson's finally given a chance to really rock out with his guitar, and he lends the chorus of this song the perfect edge with that rip-roaring electric guitar! This is an extremely catchy song, too. That's why I like it. Delightful. Good. Happy.

Moonage Daydream 10/10

Blaggg danggggg. This is yet another fantastic song for Bowie. The melody is not only fantastic, but this song contains one of the finest choruses of Bowie's career. The instrument is really creative and, again, Ronson is rightfully invited to lend the song some of his great electric guitar. This is yet another song in Ziggy Stardust that rules mercilessly. The end of this song has a really awesome electric guitar solo, which is even further proof to my theory that The Man Who Sold the World is a piece of junk.

Starman 10plus/10

Would you have thought that Bowie couldn't have gotten better with those two previous tracks? WELL THE DOES HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy cheese on crackers, this is a fantastic song. The melody surely ranks among Bowie's finest (which, as you may know, is really saying something). Oh man ... this song is so freaking fantastic that there's hardly enough words to describe it. The song starts with some rather acoustic guitar strumming and then some drums pop up and Bowie starts singing the verses. These are freakishly catchy as it stands. However, when the chorus pops up ... OH MAN ... this song is excellent. David Bowie: I'm not worthy.

It Ain't Easy 8/10

So, what's the score? Well, there were three 10-scoring songs in a row, and then an utterly marvellous 10plus, and this fifth song is ... um ... WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?????????? ... To be fair, this really isn't a bad song. (And believe me, I used to hate this song much more than I do now ... I actually used to just skip this track when it came up.) I think it's a horribly weak song and the album would have benefitted beautifully without this track. It's a cover of a gospel song, but it has a thundering chorus that sort of stops you in your tracks. I don't think this is a strong composition at all ... a track titled "Velvet Goldmine," which was penned for this album but didn't make the cut would've fit much better here instead. Seriously, dudes!

Lady Stardust 10/10

Bowie gives the best Elton John impression that he has in him here with this soaring piano-pop tune, which features an incredibly fantastic melody. (How is Bowie able to write so many dang catchy melodies in a single album? ... Dudes!) This song soars from the moment it begins, and it's given a gentle landing at the end. Parfait!

Star 8.5/10

This is the second (and final) point in the album in which Bowie loses me. While I certainly feel that "Star" fits much better in the album than "It Ain't Easy," and it's much more exciting ... this is really pale compared to the other songs here. However, this song does stand on its own. It's a fast paced glam-rock tune with a raucous beat and melody that still manages to be pretty catchy.

Hang Onto Yourself 10/10

THIS SONG ROCKS!!!!!!!!! If you don't think this song rocks, then you are probably an old bugger of a person. It manages to be completely danceable, and it doesn't even stiff you on melody. Crap, this stuff is catchy!

Ziggy Stardust 10/10

As if it couldn't possibly get any better than it has been already, Bowie delivers his signature tune. "Ziggy Stardust." This song is such a rock classic that it's absolutely untouchable. (Anybody who says this shouldn't be a rock classic is probably a very mean person.) The melody is just fantastic, and Bowie gives you the best that his voice can offer. Untouchable.

Suffragette City 10/10

THIS SONG ***REALLY*** ROCKS!!!!!!!! And this is a really fantastic concert song for Bowie, too. Not only does Ronson give some really fantastic glammy guitar crunches here and this song is danceable, but ... THE MELODY ... fantastic melody. I don't wish to totally step on the egos of the poor unfortunate souls who don't like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, but you are totally nuts. You and I must be living in parallel universes.

Rock & Roll Suicide 10/10

The last song already? ... Aw man!!!!! ... Bowie ends this album as well as he started it with this song that sounds made for a conclusion. Those who are *with it* and call this album one of the greatest concept albums ever made surely have the opening track and closing track in mind when they call it as such. Since this is basically theater-rock, this song plays like the closing act. It's a thundrous song in which the entire cast of the play (which is just Bowie, really) comes out and gives the audience one last bang before they head home. ... And Bowie accomplishes this marvelously.

Do you think I am the Ziggy Stardust of album reviewers? Or, am I a blind man trying to scale the top of Death Valley? Leave your comments here

lackingindepth@gmail.com (Anya) received Dec. 11, 2004

Hey! Brilliant review, couldn't agree with you more! I also kept flipping between which i like better, Ziggy Stardust or Starman. And Rock'n'Roll suicide? WOW! That is just pure genius, you can just taste the passion poured into that song. Good review, nice work.

voorhees@ntlworld.com (Rob Edwards) received Jan. 6, 2005

Totally agree with your comments re Ziggy, although I would put up Moonage Daydream as all time Fav track if only for the Ronson solo, when you get a song like It aint Easy suddenly appearing on a groundbreaking concept album you really do have to wonder what goes through the minds of all the people that must have been involved in putting that album out incl Bowie himself, in a simalier vein I could never understand how 'Never Let Me Down' got to be the coverted album title when 'Glass Spider' screams to be it.