How would you rate "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust..." (1972) by David Bowie?

Track listing:
-Five Years
-Soul Love
-Moonage Daydream
-Starman
-It Ain't Easy

-Lady Stardust
-Star
-Hang On to Yourself
-Ziggy Stardust
-Suffragette City
-Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
------------------------------------
1. "Hunky Dory" [1971] Rating: 4.79/5
2. "Station to Station" [1976] Rating: 4.73/5
3. "Low" [1977] Rating: 4.65/5
4. "Aladdin Sane" [1973] Rating: 4.58/5
5. "Heroes" [1977] Rating: 4.28/5
6. "Diamond Dogs" [1974] Rating: 4.27/5
7. "Space Oddity" [1969] Rating: 4.03/5
8. "Lodger" [1979] Rating: 4.026/5
9. "Outside" [1995] Rating: 3.81/5
10. "The Next Day" [2013] Rating: 3.71/5
11. "Let's Dance" [1983] Rating: 3.58/5
12. "Reality" [2003] Rating: 3.47/5
13. "Earthling" [1997] Rating: 3.27/5
14. "Tin Machine" [1989] Rating: 3.21/5
15. "Tonight" [1984] Rating: 2.39/5

 

I’m predicting a landslide in this poll

 

Essential. And my first and favorite Bowie album.

 

I mean, it's not just a classic Bowie record, it's an iconic, classic record, period. And I probably haven't listened to it in ten years.

It's like having a poll on Saxophone Colossus, Moanin' In The Moonlight, or Burnin'.

 

I love to praise great work, but with an album like this being SO well known, it almost feels like a trick question.



Dan

 

As essential as it gets. I prefer other albums by him, but regardless it’s a masterpiece.

 

Essential ! Everyone should own it along with Aladin Sane.

 

Ziggy is Bowie's second best. The best is, of course, Alladin Sane.

 

Hunky Dory es numero Uno!

 

Strange thread - there will be little debate. I'd rather listen to "Hunky Dory"

 

It opens with one of my top 3 Bowie songs and ends with one of my top 10. I have very little interest in what lies between them and never did. It lacks power for what it tries to be, compare with Man Who Sold The World for example. It wasn't until Aladdin Sane that they got that power back and it really rocks. i know I am going to be in a minority here but hey, that's how I felt back then and still do. But Five Years is just perfect. It Ain't Easy is one of the worst songs he ever did and probably the weakest in his classic period.

 

Musically, 8.5/10.

Historically, 10/10.

 

Not my favourite Bowie record, #4 in fact, but an unquestionably brilliant one. Better on vinyl IMO.

 

Although not my favourite of the Ziggy years, it simply is a classic.

 

It's not my favourite bowie album, but it is an essential album without any doubt at all.
This, hunky dory, alladinsane, station to station and low are all pretty much essential listening imo

 

That seems about right. My fave is Hunky Dory and there are many albums in the canon that trump this, but historically it's unimpeachable. For a lot of people, me included, this was the first Bowie album they bought. When Bowie died, I lost track of the articles in LGBT magazines that cited Ziggy as hugely important.

 

It’s a great album. Sadly, I didn’t bother to pick it up until the early 2000’s. I spent the previous decade listening to things like Tonight and Never Let Me Down. Ziggy, Hunky and Aladdin Sane are all perfect to me. The ones after are often brilliant, but I just prefer the three I mentioned.

I love the SACD of Ziggy, by the way. It really comes to life.

 

It is absolutely essential. It might not even be Bowie's best album but historically it's one of the most iconic British albums of the 70's and it's influence on future musicians is undoubted.

 

RONNO elevates...

RONNO destroys, on this classic.


I simply want to acknowledge his greatness and masterful contributions. Without Mick Ronson, Bowie's co-pilot, we wouldn't be discussing Ziggy in 2018.

 

For me it's Bowie's masterpiece, which is hard to say since almost all of his 70's albums are masterpieces but this is the best. It was the first Bowie album I bought on vinyl.

 

Listenable, but it ain't easy.

 

lol surely suffragette city just about invented power pop?

 

My personal favorite, along with Low.

 

Essential...and yes, vinyl is the way to go. Any RCA pressing beats the hell out of any remastered copy of today. Lucky to have an early UK 'Gem' pressing.

If you are going down the digital path, I really recommend the 5.1 mix...stunning...

 

If this album is supposed to be power pop (whatever that is supposed to represent), then ok. Too many people call it a rock album.