Nightman Listens To! David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

My ears have not been listening for quite some time now, and as a result your eyes have not been seeing. Worry not, as my ears are here! This is definitely the Bowie album I’m most familiar with, and is the only one I know I’ve heard entirely before. Lets roll:

Five Years: I know these drums. I know that piano. I remember these words. Too many words. Weirdo delivery as always. Will I remember the chorus? YES! Screams!

Soul Love: Farting trumpets. Another vocal that reminds me of T-rex. Guitar solos which copy the exact verse melody are always hilarious, even more when singer starts la la laing along too.

Moonage Dream: Ah yes, one of my favourites, nicely heaving and chugs along well. At least the lyrics here are tangible while still being unique. Comedy quaint Wicker Man middle section. Builds up warmly with strings and reverberating vocals. Excellent guitar and alien screaming noises ending.

Starman: Lovely. Lovely intro, lovely everything, one of the best. Strings, melodies, words, everything is wonderful.

It Ain’t Easy: Strange noise. Silence. Harpsichord style guitars. High pitched vocals, zooming about character. Loud chorus. I take it Kurt was listening. Soft bit. HEAVY BIT!

Lady Stardust: Piano reminds of 80s cop shows. This is crushed when singing starts. He’s really going for the big choruses with this album. Lovely again.

Star: More pianos, crumbling drums this time, fairground fun. The sound of space is pianos. Interesting shifts in pace and stop/starts. Self mocking?

Hang Onto Yourself: Thin Lizzy pace and tone. Oh lord, not claps. NEVER CLAPS. They add nothing to any song ever. Spiders from Mars. Faster. Top Gear guitars. Come on. Dog breathing. Fading.

Ziggy Stardust: Crunch. Wicker Man. Crunch. Wicker Man. Oooh yeah. Ziggy. Spiders. Left hand. Indeed. Classic lyrics. Grungy chorus.

Suffragette City: Is it wrong that I prefer the Alice In Chains version? Tough. It has more bite, though this is still great. Wham bam.

Rock n Roll Suicide: Another lovely song for a lovely ending. Plinky plonk. Grim. One of his best so far. Radiohead were listening. Salvation. Wonderful. Louder. Explosion. End.

Very consistent, probably his most commercial album yet, with no epics, and many songs featuring extremely catchy hooks.