interesting story .... remind me .... my Dad was married to an English lady , I met her mother .... she told of how Roger Daltry helped build a staircase in her house... before there was The WHO .... he was very young
Absolutely spot on bruv. Probably my favourite Bowie track. Brilliant song, amazing vocals and the unsung hero Mick maestro Ronson. Such a modest, unassuming guy whos talent should have been more appreciated during his lifetime!
I still get a huge thrill when that solo starts. Mick Ronson was a genius, and he really took what he learned from violin and cello growing up and brought it to both his string arrangements and his molten lyrical guitar sound. He left us much too early.
It crushed me when he passed in 2016 ! I love that man and his music. I love that he is still being watched and appreciated , long may it continue 🤘⚡️⭐️
Imagine this solo far out in the forest in the middle of the night with a telescope watching stars and talking UFO and other worlds. That how I first experience this solo and also the solo on Firth of Fifth/Genesis in my teenage. All that together kind of open my head/soul/being that there is more to life than they teach us in school and news.
For historical context, it was just three years before this that I had been allowed to stay up all night to watch men landing and walking on the moon - truly the arrival of a 'moon age'. Ziggy Stardust struck that same out-of-this-world note, and yet it's also really great rock and roll. Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder (on bass) are the perfect muscular and melodic foil to Bowie's stellar vocals. For me, this is his best album by far.
Ziggy stardust .... first and still the best album that I ever bought .... played moon-age daydream over and over full volume on our mono record player .... My Dad shouting up the stairs to "turn it down" ........ This whole album is infused with the memories of growing up in London in the 70s ....... the cover photo too just reeks of London in the 70s .... you can almost smell the atmosphere ........ despite our crap diets and the poverty, people just seem to have been prettier in those days .... and the music was in a different league to the shite we get fed with in 21st century.......... Also Mick Ronson ... best guitarist ever .... less fancy notes but more feeling and emotion in his solos
I love the live film of ziggy and the spiders last ever gig in Hammersmith , when this song is played there’s a beautiful woman reacting in the audience when he sings “press your space face close to mine love” it’s so natural and she’s SO into it it makes the hairs on my arms stand up , I often wonder if she’s still alive and how her life went ?…. Anyway , awesome track and only he could’ve came up with it and only Mick Ronson can make a guitar sound like that , what’s not to like? RIP DAVID,MICK AND TREVOR 🥲 👍🏴
You know, David Bowie was never a favourite of mine, but this track just exhibits the class he brought to any type of music. Full marks to Mick Ronson also.
Brilliant track, this was a great line up Mick, Trevor and Mick were ideal for Bowie at this time. The influence of Mick Ronson cannot be overestimated, it wouldn't have been the same without him. Great reaction.
Great track. Mick Ronson was a very important key collaborator for Bowie. When you get to listen to the previous album “Hunky Dory” his string arrangement skills are to the fore, especially on the classic ‘Life on Mars’. Album also features Rick Wakeman on keys.
Great review! So glad you have tuned in to Bowie’s wavelength. I agree with someone else’s comment previously… and it’s from another album, so unlikely to get covered any time soon, but Life on Mars turned out to be one if his all time greatest tunes. You should go there one day (the tune, not the planet, lol)
Enjoyed hearing his breakdown, especially his appreciation of Mick Ronson's ethereal space guitar work at the end or fade out. For me, his guitar on this is one of rock and roll's greatest guitar pieces.
Many have said it already, and I'm glad you appreciated Mick Ronson's epic talent, he was a massive part of Bowie's sound at this time as he was Bowie's main musical arranger and co producer around this time he also arranged and Co produced the Transformer Album for Lou Reed with David Bowie, RIP Mick, a sad loss to music taken way too soon. And I don't think he every truly got the credit he deserved except from Bowie himself who did heap praise on Mick
Great reaction, I’ve been waiting for this! Any album of Bowie’s from 1970s is going to be an incredible journey. But… don’t forget he had a few later career masterpieces as well. Try Outside, it’s his most underrated classic, so many amazing songs….Earthling, Heathen and Black Star, all fantastic.
and THAT is why ronson is my all time favorite guitarist. Like you said, it's not about how many notes. he tells a story. almost every time.amazing! as you dig into the other albums that ne did with bowie (The Man who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Pinups) you will see. but there's more. his work with Ian hunter was fantastic....the first lp (Ian Hunter) RIPS>..what a rocking album. also...a favorite solo...short and sweet but tells the story is from Ian's 'the outsider'. as for his string arrangements...gorgeous. interesting thing..he was classically trained as a kid, but never scored. while recording TMWSTW, he watched and asked Tony Visconti.. Eventually he went back home to Hull cuz the album went nowhere..took the time to teach himself how to score string arrangements. when bowie called him back they recorded Hunky Dory...his frist string attempts were Life on Mars and Quicksand. INCREDIBLe. ok..all that said...Bowie is one of the greatest artists of our time...and yeah....it was always a ride. I didn't always like the directions he took, but i fully loved that he would take those chances. great reaction man
One of my favorite Bowie tracks!! Mick Ronson is an amazing emotive guitarist, also a classically trained musician!! On the Ziggy Stardust album, as well as the Aladdin Sane album, Mick Ronson's guitar playing is a force of nature!!!
Justin, when you get done with this entire album, may I suggest that you watch the Pennebaker movie of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars" concert at the Hammersmith Odeon where he "retired" his Ziggy persona (and the Spiders). Ronson's solo on this is amazing on this song & Bowie is captivating to watch. It really was a truly theatrical show from beginning to the emotional ending. I think you would appreciate the impact it had at the time.
Magnificent song! It's been nearly 50 years and I still get the prickles listening to that guitar work! Note: 'Moonage' sounds more like 'Space-age' than 'luggage'. Might sound less odd now you know that! :)
Such a thrilling song. I've been listening to Bowie for 35 years, and it all started with this song. I'd heard the 80's hits and so on, but this was really the gateway song which opened up my mind to the sheer brilliantness of the man. Instantly catchy, superbly arranged and with an epic guitar solo that keeps on teasing you by never quite hitting the high notes you expect to hear, it's not only an early Bowie/Ronson classic, but one of the finest songs of the 1970's. And the remarkable thing is that the rest of the album doesn't put a foot wrong after it.
Just rewatching again. Yes Justin. This was his first album I bought in 1972. As a life long Bowie fan it was fascinating to follow his changing personas and musical styles. I may not have loved every album, but he produced enough great ones to keep me as a fan right up to "Blackstar". I still miss him and his new music. RIP David, thank you!
That Guitar was said to have been stolen backstage at a Bowie Concert by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Legend has it that Jones only learned to play guitar 3 months before the Sex Pistols first gig. Ronson played on a kickass version of Madman Across The Water in 1970. It didn't make it on Tumbleweed Connection till remastered releases years later. Ziggy meets Elton on one of Elton's best songs.
Another great analysis JP. I was 14 when I bought this album and I just played it non stop for weeks. Always blown away by Mick Ronson's guitar work. RIP Mick.
Space faces aside, your usual poker face could not resist this magnificent track! The song even hits a little harder immediately after Soul Love. And there's plenty of Bowie/Ronson magic still ahead.
That one took me a while to get up to speed with, I didn't know what to make of it at first but felt compelled to listen to it until I realized I liked it.
This album has been with me pretty much since it's release...and close on a half century later if anybody asks me the question 'Who are you/And you are?', my mind always replies, even now, to such rudeness as 'I'm an Alligator, I'm a mama poppa coming for you'...occasionally I have thought it out aloud to much bemusement from the recipient...fantastic review, one of your best, its been great watching you try to get to know Bowie, and now realising he is many a different complex character ...but its the next track 'Starman' that is, for personal reasons too, my absolute go to Bowie song...its more a throw back to Hunky DoryI think but sits so beautifully on this iconic album, and I hope you receive it as enthusiastically as you did for this brilliant song and that it blows your mind...let the children boogie!!!
Cracking song from a great album and Mick's work on it is outstanding - one track that was dropped from the album that you should have a listen to is "Velvet Goldmine".
@@Johonnac Hah -- I didn't realize that 'Velvet Goldmine' was never issued back in the day; though at the same time, whenever I listen to it I think "how could any major record label possibly have released this?" 1990 is already a very different world.
I remember buying this L.P. when it came out, and being totally blown away. Got to be one of my all-time fave albums, plus the album cover artwork is excellent. It really fits well with what's on the vinyl. Magic.
Love that you are loving this. Entire album is sensational, but this track is my fav. Well, as I think about it, there at least 3 others tunes that might be my fav. Such a great start to finish listen - make sure you go back and play through when your done.
The feeling I always got from this album is what I imagine Smiths fans feel when they hear their stuff. It's not a sexuality thing; it's a sense of belonging - of a communal feeling - evoked by the music, the arrangements, and the lyrics in roughly equal proportion. It transports, elevates, excites, and soothes all at the same time.
Bowie was the one that hit me hardest when he died. I grew up with his music and loved it all from the rock chameleon,the thin white duke,but have you reacted to anything from his Hunky Dory and The Man Who Sold The World albums? He's at his rockiest on those. RIP Starman from a devoted fan from your manor in south London,Brixton.
One of my favorite Bowie tunes! Awesome live from the Bowie movie, can't remember the name, but it's like a documentary of his final tour w/The Spiders from Mars.
Perhaps my favorite guitar solo. I blew out a pair of high end speakers because I had to crank the volume up for the solo. I'm a little more cautious after that experience, but I still have to crank up the volume whenever I get to Mick's solo. A transportational, chill inducing solo.
You should definitely take the time some time to check out the live version from the "Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture" concert, it's a fantastic showing of Ronson's playing and Bowie's theatricality; the whole concert's a gas, really, and certainly was formative for me. Also for more from Ronson in a different context, check out the original take of "Madman Across the Water" by Elton John, which was released as a bonus to the Tumbleweed Connection album. Ronson didn't play on the final album cut, which used a string section and a slightly spacier arrangement instead, but I really like the original.
Ronno's a HUGE part on why this album was a success. So many contributions in every song, so much soul and passion on everything. Wish they had played more together after Aladdin. But alas, we only have the collab on Black Tie White Noise.
There are some bits on the original DVD of BTWN that features Ronno on the track I know its going to happen someday which was ironically a Morrisey song (produced by Ronno ).It was tried with Micks guitar but was left off the final version
I really hope that as a palette cleanser you go on to Hunky Dory after this album. I know everyone recommends Low or maybe Heroes, but Hunky Dory is far more romantic and textured imo
Nice track. Second mention of a ray gun in recent weeks... Thomas Dolby also mentioned a ray gun... hmmm. It just occurred to me that Justin has not reviewed Neil Young's "Down by the river" and "Cowgirl in the sand". Neil was the father of grunge and these early works illustrate that. Neil bounced around from genre to genre over the years. Folk, rock and country were all on his musical palette. If you are covering the legends, he is one.
Mick Ronson The Other Worldly Solo you said it Perfectly. Ronson’s Solo sings to me. Also Ronson’s String Arraignment and Ronson’s Piano Playing with Bowie’s Vocals and Songwriting makes this My Favorite Song on the Album Similar To Ronson Playing on Lou Reed’s Signature Album Transformer. Mick Plays Guitar Piano & String Arraignments. Check out Lou Reed’s Vocals along with Guitarist Mick Ronson’s Piano & Strings on Perfect Day. There Perfect
Bowie’s persona on this adventure was an outta this world psychedelic punk rock alien lead guitarist with a healthy ego and the wise paranoia of a celestial monk.
I love this track, it starts with the declaration, "I'm an alligator!" And the chorus is pure scifi with those low background singers almost chanting their 'Oohs'. Ronson is totally into the solo. A year before this Bowie worked on a side project called Arnold Corns, check out the Wikipedia entry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Corns This song was released in May '71 (with 'Hang on to Yourself' as the b-side) but it flopped. The 2002 EMI reissue includes those as bonus tracks along with other tracks from the period. 'John, I'm Only Dancing' was released 3 months after this album, another great track that has the Spiders playing on it as well as Lou Reed(!) on rhythm guitar. Bowie and Ronson produced his "Transformer" album 2 months after the "Ziggy" release. Bowie also somehow found time to produce the Mott the Hoople album "All the Young Dudes" between May and July this same year. He also wrote the title track. Bowie made his own version in December during the "Aladdin Sane" sessions but it went unreleased until '95.
Justin, you echoed my thoughts now, and when this was first released, when you talked about the guitar solo. I the same feel and use of the guitar to sing and be fluid, as you said, not showing off how many notes he can play and how fast. I feel Dave Gilmour has that same approach too. This kind of song was like a breath of fresh air, in an era when I was bored rigid by so many groups with no vocalist, the rest of the band were there just as a back up for some egotistical guitar god to do endless tedious widdly widdly solos. Give me a structured song, interesting lyrics, melody and some atmosphere any time.
Now this's the classic Bowie sound we all Know and love. And apologise to lovers of Five years, and Soul Love, but it's also where this album really takes off, imho. This is great stuff on all fronts. From here on in, albums golden. Good compositions, and great musicians. And i'd also like to make a shout out. I see Mick getting loads of acclaim (rightly so), but I want to highlight Trevor Bolder's work with Bowie. As good and as solid a bass player as you could wish for. He did a string of albums with DB, and always coming up with great lines. And boy could that guy grow sidies! I tried to emulate him once, but ended up looking more like Amos Brailey. Sorry for that obscure reference, you'll need to be British, and of a certain age to get that one :) Trev Bolder though, top, top bass player.
I love Five Years and Soul Love, but I fully agree. The album takes off again with Lady Stardust straight through to the end. And Trevor Bolder was a brilliant bassist, which is probably why we don't notice him. He's just such an integral part of the sound, criminally underappreciated.
I'm also always impressed by YOUR production values. You could be a fantastic, enthralling professor teaching college music theory courses - or are you already??
Hi JP ! Thanks for your thoughtful reaction and analysis (sounds like I'm thanking you in every comment I make :D !). Please, don't listen to the comments stating this song is "the best one from this album" : first, because you still have 2/3rd of the album to go through (and believe me, you'll have many occasions to be surprised). And second, because, in my case, my favorite song changes each time I listen to this great album - and I suspect I'm not the only one ! ...And once again, I'll vouch for "1-Outside" for your next Bowie album to review (and I'll keep suggesting it until I finally see the long-awaited notification :-p !). Greeting from France, on the day of our National Day !
I'm glad to see that the genial and deeply missed Mick Ronson slowly gets the credit he deserves. Too humble that man.
Mick was a classically trained musician,but prior to joining Bowie he was a Gardener and used to cut the grass outside our House.
There’s an episode of NPR’s The Moth told by the woman who became Bowie & Ronson’s stylist after giving them their iconic 70s shag haircuts
That woman married Mick Ronson, BTW. Susie Ronson, Mick's widow.
interesting story .... remind me .... my Dad was married to an English lady , I met her mother .... she told of how Roger Daltry helped build a staircase in her house... before there was The WHO .... he was very young
Hope you gave him a cup of tea and a tip (excuse pun) - or at least the use of the toilet.
To hear this in 1972 was truly mind blowing!
Pure swagger. Bowie and his band at their imperious best. Genius stuff.
Absolutely spot on bruv. Probably my favourite Bowie track. Brilliant song, amazing vocals and the unsung hero Mick maestro Ronson. Such a modest, unassuming guy whos talent should have been more appreciated during his lifetime!
Layers upon layers upon layers. A lost art!
I still get a huge thrill when that solo starts. Mick Ronson was a genius, and he really took what he learned from violin and cello growing up and brought it to both his string arrangements and his molten lyrical guitar sound. He left us much too early.
That guitar solo finishes the song like the guitar solo on Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb.....off to the stars in an emotional flight.
Most talented guy that ever walked this world 😎
That guitar sound melts me every time..🤯
One of the singular guitar albums with Ronson.
I saw Ziggy, May 12th 1973 at Earls Court London. My life has never been the same since
i'v'e listened to that album since I was 14yrs old and now in 62yrs old and it still does it for me
It crushed me when he passed in 2016 ! I love that man and his music. I love that he is still being watched and appreciated , long may it continue 🤘⚡️⭐️
That’s an orgasmic, guitar fade out
Imagine this solo far out in the forest in the middle of the night with a telescope watching stars and talking UFO and other worlds.
That how I first experience this solo and also the solo on Firth of Fifth/Genesis in my teenage. All that together kind of open my head/soul/being that there is more to life than they teach us in school and news.
You hear what took me 100 times to hear. Great listening ability. Very intuitive.
For historical context, it was just three years before this that I had been allowed to stay up all night to watch men landing and walking on the moon - truly the arrival of a 'moon age'. Ziggy Stardust struck that same out-of-this-world note, and yet it's also really great rock and roll. Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder (on bass) are the perfect muscular and melodic foil to Bowie's stellar vocals. For me, this is his best album by far.
Ziggy stardust .... first and still the best album that I ever bought .... played moon-age daydream over and over full volume on our mono record player .... My Dad shouting up the stairs to "turn it down" ........ This whole album is infused with the memories of growing up in London in the 70s ....... the cover photo too just reeks of London in the 70s .... you can almost smell the atmosphere ........ despite our crap diets and the poverty, people just seem to have been prettier in those days .... and the music was in a different league to the shite we get fed with in 21st century.......... Also Mick Ronson ... best guitarist ever .... less fancy notes but more feeling and emotion in his solos
I love the live film of ziggy and the spiders last ever gig in Hammersmith , when this song is played there’s a beautiful woman reacting in the audience when he sings “press your space face close to mine love” it’s so natural and she’s SO into it it makes the hairs on my arms stand up , I often wonder if she’s still alive and how her life went ?…. Anyway , awesome track and only he could’ve came up with it and only Mick Ronson can make a guitar sound like that , what’s not to like? RIP DAVID,MICK AND TREVOR 🥲
👍🏴
You know, David Bowie was never a favourite of mine, but this track just exhibits the class he brought to any type of music. Full marks to Mick Ronson also.
Fool 🤷♀️
Mick Ronson was totally awesome. RIP
Brilliant track, this was a great line up Mick, Trevor and Mick were ideal for Bowie at this time. The influence of Mick Ronson cannot be overestimated, it wouldn't have been the same without him. Great reaction.
Great track. Mick Ronson was a very important key collaborator for Bowie. When you get to listen to the previous album “Hunky Dory” his string arrangement skills are to the fore, especially on the classic ‘Life on Mars’. Album also features Rick Wakeman on keys.
One of his best Ziggy era songs for sure.
For Ronno’s string arrangement masterpiece you’ll have to go back to Life on Mars from Hunky Dory 👍
Rick Wakeman of Yes plays piano on that track, among my favorite Bowie songs!
Another Bowie song, that is utterly impossible to dislike. Genius again and again. Mick is his excellent self as always.
Great review! So glad you have tuned in to Bowie’s wavelength. I agree with someone else’s comment previously… and it’s from another album, so unlikely to get covered any time soon, but Life on Mars turned out to be one if his all time greatest tunes. You should go there one day (the tune, not the planet, lol)
you should listen to the 'live' version from Ziggy stardust the final concert. Mick Ronson's guitar solo is out of this world.
Enjoyed hearing his breakdown, especially his appreciation of Mick Ronson's ethereal space guitar work at the end or fade out. For me, his guitar on this is one of rock and roll's greatest guitar pieces.
Mick Ronson was an awesome guitarist, never got his due but in my book he was great. 🎸🎵👍🔥
I saw Mick Ronson with Ian Hunter in '79. I loved his edgy style. Sad we lost him in '93.
To Be Played At Maximum Volume
Many have said it already, and I'm glad you appreciated Mick Ronson's epic talent, he was a massive part of Bowie's sound at this time as he was Bowie's main musical arranger and co producer around this time he also arranged and Co produced the Transformer Album for Lou Reed with David Bowie, RIP Mick, a sad loss to music taken way too soon. And I don't think he every truly got the credit he deserved except from Bowie himself who did heap praise on Mick
It just keeps getting better.... I'm loving this. And this isn't even the third-best song on this album, imho. You have so much to look forward to.
Most definitely one of my all-time fave Bowie tracks.
One of my favorite Bowie tunes
Great reaction, I’ve been waiting for this! Any album of Bowie’s from 1970s is going to be an incredible journey. But… don’t forget he had a few later career masterpieces as well. Try Outside, it’s his most underrated classic, so many amazing songs….Earthling, Heathen and Black Star, all fantastic.
Mick Ronson.... Legend.
Still gives me shivers of joy after all these decades.
And that guitar 😍
If Mick's solo at the end lasted 24 hours I'd never tire of it. The man blows my mind.
My favorite track off the album, takes you to so many places.
and THAT is why ronson is my all time favorite guitarist. Like you said, it's not about how many notes. he tells a story. almost every time.amazing! as you dig into the other albums that ne did with bowie (The Man who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Pinups) you will see. but there's more. his work with Ian hunter was fantastic....the first lp (Ian Hunter) RIPS>..what a rocking album. also...a favorite solo...short and sweet but tells the story is from Ian's 'the outsider'. as for his string arrangements...gorgeous. interesting thing..he was classically trained as a kid, but never scored. while recording TMWSTW, he watched and asked Tony Visconti.. Eventually he went back home to Hull cuz the album went nowhere..took the time to teach himself how to score string arrangements. when bowie called him back they recorded Hunky Dory...his frist string attempts were Life on Mars and Quicksand. INCREDIBLe. ok..all that said...Bowie is one of the greatest artists of our time...and yeah....it was always a ride. I didn't always like the directions he took, but i fully loved that he would take those chances. great reaction man
One of my favorite Bowie tracks!! Mick Ronson is an amazing emotive guitarist, also a classically trained musician!! On the Ziggy Stardust album, as well as the Aladdin Sane album, Mick Ronson's guitar playing is a force of nature!!!
Justin, when you get done with this entire album, may I suggest that you watch the Pennebaker movie of Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars" concert at the Hammersmith Odeon where he "retired" his Ziggy persona (and the Spiders). Ronson's solo on this is amazing on this song & Bowie is captivating to watch. It really was a truly theatrical show from beginning to the emotional ending. I think you would appreciate the impact it had at the time.
Absolutely -- one of the great concerts and concert movies. Astonishing to watch.
He should probably do Aladdin Sane first so the songs on it aren't spoiled.
Magnificent song! It's been nearly 50 years and I still get the prickles listening to that guitar work! Note: 'Moonage' sounds more like 'Space-age' than 'luggage'. Might sound less odd now you know that! :)
Such a thrilling song. I've been listening to Bowie for 35 years, and it all started with this song. I'd heard the 80's hits and so on, but this was really the gateway song
which opened up my mind to the sheer brilliantness of the man.
Instantly catchy, superbly arranged and with an epic guitar solo that keeps on teasing you by never quite hitting the high notes you expect to hear,
it's not only an early Bowie/Ronson classic, but one of the finest songs of the 1970's. And the remarkable thing is that the rest of the album doesn't put a foot wrong after it.
Just rewatching again. Yes Justin. This was his first album I bought in 1972. As a life long Bowie fan it was fascinating to follow his changing personas and musical styles. I may not have loved every album, but he produced enough great ones to keep me as a fan right up to "Blackstar". I still miss him and his new music. RIP David, thank you!
Probably my favorite song.
This song is so funky, rockin, bluesy bad ass!
That Guitar was said to have been stolen backstage at a Bowie Concert by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.
Legend has it that Jones only learned to play guitar 3 months before the Sex Pistols first gig.
Ronson played on a kickass version of Madman Across The Water in 1970. It didn't make it on Tumbleweed Connection till remastered releases years later. Ziggy meets Elton on one of Elton's best songs.
Another great analysis JP. I was 14 when I bought this album and I just played it non stop for weeks. Always blown away by Mick Ronson's guitar work. RIP Mick.
One of my favorites
I close my eyes and imagine myself there.. Such a Moonage Daydream for sure.. amazing!!🎸👨🏻🎤🎸
Space faces aside, your usual poker face could not resist this magnificent track! The song even hits a little harder immediately after Soul Love. And there's plenty of Bowie/Ronson magic still ahead.
For another radical Bowie reinvention check out the album Low after Ziggy.
That just might be my favorite...
That one took me a while to get up to speed with, I didn't know what to make of it at first but felt compelled to listen to it until I realized I liked it.
The Lodger
This album has been with me pretty much since it's release...and close on a half century later if anybody asks me the question 'Who are you/And you are?', my mind always replies, even now, to such rudeness as 'I'm an Alligator, I'm a mama poppa coming for you'...occasionally I have thought it out aloud to much bemusement from the recipient...fantastic review, one of your best, its been great watching you try to get to know Bowie, and now realising he is many a different complex character ...but its the next track 'Starman' that is, for personal reasons too, my absolute go to Bowie song...its more a throw back to Hunky DoryI think but sits so beautifully on this iconic album, and I hope you receive it as enthusiastically as you did for this brilliant song and that it blows your mind...let the children boogie!!!
Classic.
When it's 72 and you're 12 and you're lost and lonely, this brings the entire cosmos within your grasp, if only for a few minutes. Hope it still does.
Cracking song from a great album and Mick's work on it is outstanding - one track that was dropped from the album that you should have a listen to is "Velvet Goldmine".
Sweet Head is another great song that was cut (for pretty clear reasons). They're both on the 1990 and 2002 Ziggy re-issue CDs.
Highly enjoyed Todd Haynes movie of the same name; starring Ewan McGregor, Christian Bale & Jonathan Rhys-Myers
@@Johonnac Hah -- I didn't realize that 'Velvet Goldmine' was never issued back in the day; though at the same time, whenever I listen to it I think "how could any major record label possibly have released this?" 1990 is already a very different world.
Thank you. Decades since I've heard this...
A perfect masterpiece!
I remember buying this L.P. when it came out, and being totally blown away. Got to be one of my all-time fave albums, plus the album cover artwork is excellent. It really fits well with what's on the vinyl. Magic.
Love that you are loving this. Entire album is sensational, but this track is my fav. Well, as I think about it, there at least 3 others tunes that might be my fav. Such a great start to finish listen - make sure you go back and play through when your done.
The feeling I always got from this album is what I imagine Smiths fans feel when they hear their stuff. It's not a sexuality thing; it's a sense of belonging - of a communal feeling - evoked by the music, the arrangements, and the lyrics in roughly equal proportion. It transports, elevates, excites, and soothes all at the same time.
Well hence Your Arsenal , same reason
Or the vampire Kanye working with Tony Visconti
Bowie was the one that hit me hardest when he died.
I grew up with his music and loved it all from the rock chameleon,the thin white duke,but have you reacted to anything from his Hunky Dory and The Man Who Sold The World albums?
He's at his rockiest on those.
RIP Starman from a devoted fan from your manor in south London,Brixton.
one of my favorite Bowie tracks! Of Montreal did a great cover of it (live only I believe). Ronson was the ultimate melodic lead guitarist.
One of my favorite Bowie tunes! Awesome live from the Bowie movie, can't remember the name, but it's like a documentary of his final tour w/The Spiders from Mars.
Perhaps my favorite guitar solo. I blew out a pair of high end speakers because I had to crank the volume up for the solo. I'm a little more cautious after that experience, but I still have to crank up the volume whenever I get to Mick's solo. A transportational, chill inducing solo.
Moon'age' as in page😊. Love love love ... can't say more
Great track by Bowie and Ronson R.I.P. two greats forever missed…
Mick toured with Dylan a few years later.
Such a cool song.
You should definitely take the time some time to check out the live version from the "Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture" concert, it's a fantastic showing of Ronson's playing and Bowie's theatricality; the whole concert's a gas, really, and certainly was formative for me. Also for more from Ronson in a different context, check out the original take of "Madman Across the Water" by Elton John, which was released as a bonus to the Tumbleweed Connection album. Ronson didn't play on the final album cut, which used a string section and a slightly spacier arrangement instead, but I really like the original.
Perfect description.
Thanks Jason!
Great review. This is one of Bowie's best songs. You rightly point to the contribution of Mick Ronson.
Ty David :)
Ronno's a HUGE part on why this album was a success. So many contributions in every song, so much soul and passion on everything.
Wish they had played more together after Aladdin. But alas, we only have the collab on Black Tie White Noise.
There are some bits on the original DVD of BTWN that features Ronno on the track I know its going to happen someday which was ironically a Morrisey song (produced by Ronno ).It was tried with Micks guitar but was left off the final version
Best song on the album! RIP Mick Ronson...
I really hope that as a palette cleanser you go on to Hunky Dory after this album. I know everyone recommends Low or maybe Heroes, but Hunky Dory is far more romantic and textured imo
Nice track. Second mention of a ray gun in recent weeks... Thomas Dolby also mentioned a ray gun... hmmm.
It just occurred to me that Justin has not reviewed Neil Young's "Down by the river" and "Cowgirl in the sand". Neil was the father of grunge and these early works illustrate that. Neil bounced around from genre to genre over the years. Folk, rock and country were all on his musical palette. If you are covering the legends, he is one.
Mick Ronson
The Other Worldly Solo you said it Perfectly. Ronson’s Solo sings to me. Also Ronson’s String Arraignment and Ronson’s Piano Playing with Bowie’s Vocals and Songwriting makes this My Favorite Song on the Album
Similar To Ronson Playing on Lou Reed’s Signature Album Transformer. Mick Plays
Guitar Piano & String Arraignments. Check out Lou Reed’s Vocals along with Guitarist Mick Ronson’s Piano & Strings on Perfect Day. There Perfect
Love how your channel is evolving.
Back in the day, this was the song that turned many Bowie doubters into believers!
Congrats on 17K!
Great video Justin. Keep em coming. This album still gets better.
Kudos mate. Such an appreciative reaction…..excellent , this is perhaps my favourite Bowie track.
Bowie was so go and versatile. He tripped up a bit in the mid 80's, but he came back with more strong material after that, all the way to the end.
Bowie’s persona on this adventure was an outta this world psychedelic punk rock alien lead guitarist with a healthy ego and the wise paranoia of a celestial monk.
I love this track, it starts with the declaration, "I'm an alligator!" And the chorus is pure scifi with those low background singers almost chanting their 'Oohs'. Ronson is totally into the solo.
A year before this Bowie worked on a side project called Arnold Corns, check out the Wikipedia entry:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Corns
This song was released in May '71 (with 'Hang on to Yourself' as the b-side) but it flopped. The 2002 EMI reissue includes those as bonus tracks along with other tracks from the period. 'John, I'm Only Dancing' was released 3 months after this album, another great track that has the Spiders playing on it as well as Lou Reed(!) on rhythm guitar. Bowie and Ronson produced his "Transformer" album 2 months after the "Ziggy" release. Bowie also somehow found time to produce the Mott the Hoople album "All the Young Dudes" between May and July this same year. He also wrote the title track. Bowie made his own version in December during the "Aladdin Sane" sessions but it went unreleased until '95.
Woody does a great job on the drums :)
Congrats on 17k. Really enjoying your trip through ZSATSFM.
OH MANNNNN JUSTIN, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE AND WATCH YOU DO ( YOUNG AMERICANS ) :) IT'LL BE LIKE YOU GOING THROUGH SUPERTRAMP ( CRIME OF THE CENTURY ) :)
Justin, you echoed my thoughts now, and when this was first released, when you talked about the guitar solo. I the same feel and use of the guitar to sing and be fluid, as you said, not showing off how many notes he can play and how fast. I feel Dave Gilmour has that same approach too. This kind of song was like a breath of fresh air, in an era when I was bored rigid by so many groups with no vocalist, the rest of the band were there just as a back up for some egotistical guitar god to do endless tedious widdly widdly solos. Give me a structured song, interesting lyrics, melody and some atmosphere any time.
Glad you are enjoying this very special album Dude !!! I certainly am after many years of not hearing it !!
Looking forward to the next selection.
Now this's the classic Bowie sound we all Know and love. And apologise to lovers of Five years, and Soul Love, but it's also where this album really takes off, imho. This is great stuff on all fronts. From here on in, albums golden. Good compositions, and great musicians. And i'd also like to make a shout out. I see Mick getting loads of acclaim (rightly so), but I want to highlight Trevor Bolder's work with Bowie. As good and as solid a bass player as you could wish for. He did a string of albums with DB, and always coming up with great lines. And boy could that guy grow sidies! I tried to emulate him once, but ended up looking more like Amos Brailey. Sorry for that obscure reference, you'll need to be British, and of a certain age to get that one :) Trev Bolder though, top, top bass player.
PMSL at Emmerdale reference...great comment
@@Parmigiano502 Cheers
I love Five Years and Soul Love, but I fully agree. The album takes off again with Lady Stardust straight through to the end. And Trevor Bolder was a brilliant bassist, which is probably why we don't notice him. He's just such an integral part of the sound, criminally underappreciated.
I'm also always impressed by YOUR production values. You could be a fantastic, enthralling professor teaching college music theory courses - or are you already??
HEY MANNNNN!!! :) CONTINUINGGG WITH ZIGGY!
I only just now realized how the Moonage Daydream solo has an unidentical twin in Pink Floyd's Great Gig In The Sky.
Hi JP ! Thanks for your thoughtful reaction and analysis (sounds like I'm thanking you in every comment I make :D !).
Please, don't listen to the comments stating this song is "the best one from this album" : first, because you still have 2/3rd of the album to go through (and believe me, you'll have many occasions to be surprised). And second, because, in my case, my favorite song changes each time I listen to this great album - and I suspect I'm not the only one !
...And once again, I'll vouch for "1-Outside" for your next Bowie album to review (and I'll keep suggesting it until I finally see the long-awaited notification :-p !).
Greeting from France, on the day of our National Day !
top 5 bowie song. that ending reminds me of what wakeman did on space oddity