tijdloze.rocks

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, kortweg Ziggy Stardust, is het vijfde studioalbum van de Britse popartiest David Bowie, uitgebracht op vinyl in 1972. Alle 11 nummers op het album maakte hij evenals het daarop volgende album Aladdin Sane met zijn toenmalige vaste begeleidingsband The Spiders from Mars, maar beide albums werden desalniettemin uitgebracht als solo-albums. Door het tijdschrift Melody Maker werd het geprezen als het definitieve album van 1972. Het album stond vijfde in de albumlijsten in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en 75e in de Bilboard Music Charts in de Verenigde Staten. In 2002 werd een uitgebreide 30th anniversary edition uitgebracht als dubbel-cd met bonustracks en in 2012 een 40th anniversary edition als enkele cd met een digitaal geremasterde versie van het oorspronkelijke album.

Het album staat bekend als een van de beste werken van David Bowie. Het bekendste nummer is "Ziggy Stardust". Andere bekende nummers zijn onder andere "Moonage Daydream", "Hang On to Yourself", "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" en "Suffragette City". Bowie scoorde ook een grote hit met Starman.

Ziggy Stardust is tevens de naam van het alter ego dat Bowie aan het begin van de jaren zeventig opgespeld kreeg. Bij diverse gelegenheden verklaarde Bowie dat de Britse rocker Vince Taylor model stond voor Ziggy, maar er zijn ook hints richting Jimi Hendrix ("played it left hand ... jiving us that we were voodoo").

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (often shortened to Ziggy Stardust) is the fifth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 16 June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars — Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder (bass) and Mick Woodmansey (drums). It was recorded from November 1971 to February 1972 at Trident Studios in London.

Described as a loose concept album and rock opera, Ziggy Stardust focuses on Bowie's titular alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a fictional androgynous and bisexual rock star who is sent to Earth as a saviour before an impending apocalyptic disaster. In the story, Ziggy wins the hearts of fans but suffers a fall from grace after succumbing to his own ego. The character was inspired by numerous musicians, including Vince Taylor. Most of the album's concept was developed after the songs were recorded. The glam rock and proto-punk musical styles were influenced by Iggy Pop, The Velvet Underground and Marc Bolan. The lyrics discuss the artificiality of rock music, political issues, drug use, sexuality and stardom. The album cover, photographed in monochrome and recoloured, was taken in London outside the home of furriers "K. West".

Preceded by the single "Starman", Ziggy Stardust reached top five of the UK Albums Chart. Critics responded favourably; some praised the musicality and concept while others struggled to comprehend it. Shortly after its release, Bowie performed "Starman" on Britain's Top of the Pops in early July 1972, which propelled him to stardom. The Ziggy character was retained for the subsequent Ziggy Stardust Tour, performances from which have appeared on live albums and a concert film. Bowie described the follow-up album, Aladdin Sane, as "Ziggy goes to America".

In later decades, Ziggy Stardust has been considered Bowie's masterpiece, appearing on numerous professional lists of the greatest albums of all time. Bowie had ideas for a musical based on the album, although this project never came to fruition; ideas were later used for Diamond Dogs (1974). Ziggy Stardust has been reissued several times and was remastered in 2012 for its 40th anniversary. In 2017, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".