Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Albums of Influence - David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars"

I'm such a huge fan of the concept album it's silly.
I'm such a huge fan of listening to albums that have a flow and a common feeling throughout that I can't actually remember the last time I used the 'shuffle' feature on my WalkmanPod.
I love hearing albums that when listened to front-to-back sound as if the artists spent a bit of time arranging the track listing; albums that, when listened to on random, don't quite seem to make as much sense as when listened to from front to back.

I hate it when modern artists say that "the album is dead", because while their singles are flying off the digital shelves, the other 7, non-hit tracks, aren't doing very well. (Here is where I spent way too much time looking for the Rolling Stone article claiming that the Black Eyed Peas are the hot new pop act to catch, because frontman Will.I.Am is the best businessman in today's 'music' industry.)

David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" not only has an amazing title, but also "tells the incredible story of 'Ziggy Stardust,' the human manifestation of an alien being who is attempting to present humanity with a message of hope in the last five years of its existence. Ziggy Stardust is the definitive rock star: sexually promiscuous, wild in drug intake and with a message, ultimately, of peace and love; but he is destroyed both by his own excesses of drugs and sex, and by the fans he inspired."
-wiki

And how.

Download this album for free here, then go buy some Bowie so the RIAA doesn't sue me so hard.




Other great David Bowie albums include: Space Oddity, Aladdin Sane, and tons of others.