"The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" Album Review

Alpha101 I've always heard great things about Bowie, but never looked into him. Recently, PetSounds recommended this album to me, so I picked it up and listened to it for a few days. It quickly caught my attention, and I decided to write a review.

"Five Years" is easily the best song on the album. It expertly captures the misery and fear of the people of the song, and the impending doom that they all face. The first few times I listened to it, I got chills, and my eyes even watered up a bit. It's probably in my top twenty songs of all time, and it still impresses me. This is possibly the best opening to an album ever.

"Soul Love" is another pretty good track. It has a cheery opening, and an energetic and catchy chorus as well. It's not my favorite on the album, but it's definitely up there.

"Moonage Daydream" is one of the best on the album, in my opinion. The chorus is memorable, the lyrics are whimsical and weird, and the ending solo is simply mind-blowing!

"Starman" is my second favorite on the album. It's extremely catchy, especially whenever it comes to the chorus. The lyrics very well-written, and Bowie does a fantastic job singing this one.

"It Ain't Easy" quickly grabbed my attention because I've heard it so many times in my life, but I did not know that it was a Bowie song. Musically, it's not a masterpiece, but it is fun to sing along to, and was a pretty good addition to the album.

"Lady Stardust" has a very nice opening, a beautiful chorus, and Bowie's amazing singing. It's one of the best songs on the album, and was not lacking in any way.

"Star" had a fun opening to it, but it just felt...empty, in a way. It's not exactly a bad song, but it just felt like it had something missing. It's still a pretty nice addition to the album, though.

"Hang On To Yourself" is another good song, but, like the song above, just feels bland in a way.

"Ziggy Stardust" has a memorable beginning to it, and was a surprisingly good track. It's not as strong as a few of the songs above, but it didn't really feel empty like the two previously mentioned.

"Suffragette City" is an upbeat and catchy track, but there's nothing more to say than that. It just feels lacking in a way, but is still a pretty enjoyable song.

"Rock 'N' Roll Suicide" did a fantastic job of closing the album. I did not like it at first, but it's quickly become one of my favorite songs on the album.

Overall, every single song on this album is good, though a few do seem a little shallow and empty. I'm sorry, I just can;t put it into words. It's just that a few are appealing, yet just don't sound...right, if that makes any sense at all. Overall, the album is one of the best I've ever listened to, and tells a fantastic story, yet does have a few problems.

8.6/10 - Great Album

Comments

You're right about a few sounding, well, off. It's not Bowie's greatest work (that's Hunky Dory, easily), but when it's good, almost no other album can match it. - PetSounds (1/3/2016)

Wow, it like you suddenly started making reviews of albums I've heard! I adore this album - Five Years and Starman, especially. - keycha1n (1/5/2016)

"There's a starman, waiting in the sky..." - Bboymakinwitthefrekfreak (3/30/2016)