The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars

08/20/2002 9:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Chris Morris

Wham bam thank you ma'am...uh, sir. Whatever. Bowie's gender-bending space opera was a rallying cry for rock 'n' roll misfits everywhere upon its release amid an epoch of hirsute hippie boredom in 1972. (Quoth Ziggy: "You are not alone.") This jazzy hardbound two-CD edition of the album pays suitably hagiographic tribute to this landmark release. Essentially a bulked-up version of Rykodisc's '90s reissue, the current set includes a slickly remastered version of "Ziggy," plus a second CD of contemporaneous singles and alternates. It's safe to ignore David Buckley's slobbering and often misguided notes, which include fawning tributes from a couple generations of post-glam acolytes. Just dig the album, which remains soulfully tough and heartfelt; "Lady Stardust," "Suffragette City," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" in particular retain their emotional pull and instrumental clout (a big hand for the late Mick Ronson, please).