David Bowie - "The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust"

what dan said. don't forget alladin sane and station 2 station.

i think that, of all people, mark prindle made one of the most insightful comments about ziggy stardust when he wrote that it's mostly "piano-heavy theatrical Elton John-style stuff." which is true, of course (and makes one appreciate elton a little bit more) (shame about bernie's lyrics, still, but i digress). when i first listened to ziggy some 20 odd years ago, i remember expecting more balls-out rockers like "moonage daydream," "ziggy stardust," "suffragette city," and "hang on to yourself." granted, bowie as ziggy as a stage spectacle was pretty odd -- as a musical "oddity," though, it doesn't really compare to the eno-berlin stuff, or the bowie-channels-ozzy vibe on "the man who sold the world." the aforementioned rockers notwithstanding, the piano-theatrical stuff sounds more like a continuation of hunky dory than any sort of glam-metallic/proto-punk masterpiece.

i don't mean this as a criticism -- i am as fond of ziggy as many others (though it isn't my favorite bowie record, not by a longshot).

lodger is the totes jam.

i like a lot david bowie albums.