Ziggy Stardust 30th Anniversary

jonerik writes "Any short list of influential rock albums of the '70s is likely to include David Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,' the story of a futuristic alien rock star and his demise during the Earth's final years. Originally released in June 1972, Ziggy is celebrating his 30th anniversary this year in fine style. First of all, the album is being reissued today in a limited edition 2-CD set. Secondly, the 1983 documentary, 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,' directed by filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker ('Don't Look Back,' 'Monterey Pop') is being re-released this month and John Cameron Mitchell has an interesting interview with Pennebaker about the re-release in this week's Village Voice."

Comments

Woohoo!!

[Anonvmous Coward]

So when should I get on Kazaa to get this album? Later tonight? Heh.

Re:Woohoo!!

[sheepab]

How about you buy it?

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

how about you die?

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonvmous Coward]

"How about you buy it?"

Hmm, I think you missed the point of my post, let me explain:

3 entries found for sarcasm.


sarcasm Pronunciation Key (särkzm)
n.

1. A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
2. A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.
3. The use of sarcasm. See Synonyms at wit1.

[Late Latin sarcasmus, from Greek sarkasmos, from sarkazein, to bite the lips in rage, from sarx , sark-,
flesh.]

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

how about you go back to fscking your sister

Re:Woohoo!!

[seanyboy]

Plus - it's a reissue isn't it. Surely you can download it already. Or have I missed the point too.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

How the hell do you fsck a person? Oh, I get it, it is a lame attempt at geek humour. I bet you spemm Microsoft with a '$', don't you? ;)

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonvmous Coward]

"Or have I missed the point too."

I was just being silly, but you are making a good point.

It might be worth downloading one or two of these songs to a.) find out what all this is about (I never heard of Ziggy Stardust) and b.) see if the album is worthwhile to the younger generation.

*Shrug* Maybe my sarcasm wasn't so sarcastic. Heh.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, of course. I also refer to my many computers in my room^H^H^H^Hbasement as "boxen", too. This is because I am elite!

Re:Woohoo!!

[The Turd Report]

I also need to find a new place to live, but at least I am not a virgin anymore!

Re:Woohoo!!

[Rick the Red]

I highly recommend it. I'm sure you'll recognize some of the music when you hear it. What you'll miss by downloading it are the instructions on the album cover: "To be played at maximum volume." Those words sure got my attention in 1972, and to this day I always play "Ziggy" at maximum volume. (of course, nowadays I stand back a bit further :-)

Around here (Seattle) we have a radio station that once a year or so plays "Classic Rock A to Z" and as they say, "It isn't over until Ziggie plays guitar," because "Ziggy Stardust" is the only Classic Rock song that begins with Z.

Seriously, visit the album's page and learn a bit about how, with this album, David invented Glam Rock and turned the music world on its ear.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Patrick13]

Plus - it's a reissue isn't it. Surely you can download it already. Or have I missed the point too.

according to the listing, it is:

a) remastered
b) now a 2 disc set, with the 2nd being 12 demo tracks.

it also comes in a special box & schitt.

i will prolly buy it. but i have all his early albums on LP and CD so :P

Re:Woohoo!!

[John_Booty]

It might be worth downloading one or two of these songs to a.) find out what all this is about (I never heard of Ziggy Stardust) and b.) see if the album is worthwhile to the younger generation.

Disclamer: I love mp3's, and spend about 10 hours a day or more listening to them.

But let me be frank - your post underscores everything that's wrong about mp3's. A lot of the great albums (particularly those from the 70's) are albums, things best listened to as a musical whole. Especially with Bowie, who had a fantastic visual aspect, the album cover and artwork is an important part of what makes these albums special.

I'm not saying there aren't some great singles on those albums - the "Ziggy Stardust" song itself is a great single - but with a lot of classic albums, "downloading a couple of singles" to see if you'll like it is like watching a couple of scenes from a movie to see if it's good. You're missing a big part of the experience!

If it's a good album, the songs WILL stand on their own because the music is of course the most important part... just saying that you'd be missing some of the magic that separates a couple of catchy songs from an actual cohesive whole that's greater than the some of its parts.

And don't paint me as an old fart. I'm only 26, and I think some of the best music ever has been produced in the past ten years, though much of it is underground... thanks to the radio sucking so badly. :)

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonvmous Coward]

I appreciate it, thank you. :)

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonvmous Coward]

"I'm not saying there aren't some great singles on those albums - the "Ziggy Stardust" song itself is a great single - but with a lot of classic albums, "downloading a couple of singles" to see if you'll like it is like watching a couple of scenes from a movie to see if it's good. You're missing a big part of the experience!"

I see what you're saying, but I'm talking about figuring out whether or not the experience is worth the money. I'm not talking about replacing it with MP3s, but using MP3s as a teaser. The "watching a couple of scenes to see if it's good" comment touches on basically what I'm talking about.

I think you make a really good point, though, that MP3s do not devalue an album. The RIAA should know this by now. There is plenty of reason to buy a CD even if you have MP3s of all the music. When those guys figure that out, Mp3s will be given away freely to encourage CD purchase, just like songs are played freely on the radio.

Chumbawumba knows this. They have some of their songs available for free on their site, I think it's chumba.com. If you've never heard their music (or anything besides the 'I get knocked down' song that wasy played to death), go check it out. You may wanna buy an album at that point.

Re:Woohoo!!

[thales]

Well I am the old fart who remembers the music of the late 60s and early 70s when it was new.

The best albums of the era were Concept Albums, a unified product, each track set up the next song. Some of the Albums were a Musical story, with each song as a chapter of the story. You could buy singles that had a hit song from the album, but few people wanted the single, because the rest of the album enhanced that song making it part of the experance.

One area that CDs can't compete with those old LPs is the cover art. The covers were huge compared to the size of a jewel case and the graphic artists took advantage of size creating covers that were works of art capable of standing on their own, apart from the album.

This is something the idiots at the RIAA need to get through their thick skulls. It is possible to create Albums (or CDs) that are so good that people won't give a shit about a pale imitation like a single in 1972 or a couple of MP3 tracks in 2002.

Before about 1967 albums were just a collection of songs of assorted quality. Then the Bands introduced the concept album, and these albums damn near destroyed the market for Rock singles.

Now we have returned to the style that existed prior to 1967. Most CDs are just a collection of songs with no unifiying theme, and often the quality is so spotty that there is only a track or two worth listening to. Now that the concept albums of the late 60s early 70s are dead the market for the singles that they killed has revived, this time in the form of MP3s.

Ziggy is one of the better concept albums from that era. Try it and you'll see how the the RIAA could cut into their "Piracy" problem, by releasing an album that is so damn good that it's still worth buying 30 years after it was recorded.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Golias]

I see what you're saying, but I'm talking about figuring out whether or not the experience is worth the money.

That's a wise decision in most cases, although I am also of the opinion that if you don't listen to some of those classic albums in their entirety, or at the very least a side at a time, you are not really experincing them in the ideal manner. Sampling singles could slightly diminish your enjoyment.

Personally, I consider the times I bought and listened to an album, only to be badly disapointed (the Yes album "Big Generator" comes to mind, as does ELP's "Black Moon") to be money well spent, because without risking the occational dud, I would have not experienced the joy of encountering great albums like "Ziggy Stardust" or Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick" in their entirety on first encounter. I consider the discovery of a new treasuered album to be every bit as memorable as seeing a great movie on the big screen

However, unless you already are familiar with the artist in question, buying an album without sampling it first can be quite a gamble. I reccomend asking for informed opinions from people who you know and respect. Everybody knows at least one album junkie... go talk to that guy, and one or two others. Hell, maybe they will even loan (or burn) you a copy of "Ziggy Stardust" (and perhaps Lou Reed's "Transformer" & Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" while they're at it). While you can sometimes find some interesting bands by grabbing an MP3 or two from an indie band that has a lot of buzz at the moment, IMHO you will miss out on a great deal of awesome pre-1990 rock, blues, jazz, etc. if you solely rely on what the Kazaa Kiddies decide to put in their file-sharing menu.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Golias]

Now we have returned to the style that existed prior to 1967. Most CDs are just a collection of songs with no unifiying theme, and often the quality is so spotty that there is only a track or two worth listening to.

Actually, the lack of depth in albums has always been a problem in dance music, as well as some rock. Two pre-selected songs are carefully produced and groomed as singles, and anything else that good is shelved for the next album because two singles are enough to drive album sales. Then you quickly record a lot of filler.

However, it was not MP3 that killed the concept album, but MTV. The expense of putting out video's resulted in greater pressure on AOR bands to select a couple of "radio friendly" singles and put 90% of their effort into perfecting them (and executives didn't give a crap about the other 30 minutes on the album). David Bowie, champion of the LP that he is, attempted to buck this trend when his band, Tin Machine, released a video of a medley that contained all the songs on their first album. It hardly ever got played though.... First of all, it was over 10 minutes, which MTV hated. Secondly, a medley doesn't grind musical themes into the listener's heads the way the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus song does. Most importantly, the world was simply not ready to hear the dance-pop titan (who recorded "Let's Dance" a few years earlier) playing speed-punk with a bizarrely atonal melodic guitar player and a rhythm section made up of Soupy Sales's two sons.

Prince also tried to defy the single-pushing machine the MTV had created, by releasing the entire album "Lovesexy" on one 40-minute CD track. All that did was piss off his fans. Besides, he had not really done a concept album that stayed on-concept since "Controversy", which was before anybody outside of Minneapolis knew who the hell he was. These days TAFKATAFKAP (The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince) is an internet-only musician, still making piles of money even though he sells fewer albums, because these days he keeps it all.

Bowie, meanwhile, continues to crank out cool and interesting music, even though nobody is listening any more. Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that he has not gone platinum with an album since the mid 80's. (unless you count greatest hits collections).

As it turns out, The Buggles were quite prophetic. Video really did the radio star... and MP3 burried it. Rest In Peace, Ziggy.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

However, it was not MP3 that killed the concept album, but MTV.

And I thought MTV was all shit - now I know I have something to thank them for. No more pretencious shit thanks to MTV :-)

Re:Woohoo!!

[thales]

Marketing and CDs are what killed the Concepts. MTV is just one of the forms of the marketing.

The Concepts were far harder to produce, It was always harder to make a quality product that was 40 minutes long (LP play time) than a couple of 3 to 4 minute tracks. The Longer play time of a CD made it even harder.

Concepts gobbled studio time. Songs were recirded over and over seeking just the right sound to get the sound that was needed for that smooth transition from one song to the next. Concept CDs would have required even more time.

The RIAA opted for a cheaper product (their costs, not yours) and to spend the money on marketing like MTV videos and payola. Quality gave the bands too much control over the product, marketing gives the RIAA control.

So now we have heavly marketed CDs that are little more than a single with a lot of filler tracks, and formula bands where you have a dozen sound a likes recording a "Rap" formula CD or a "Heavy Metal" formula CD, or a whatever the hell else formula the RIAA's market research tells them might be hot.

Meanwhile the fans are saying "fuck this shit", and the RIAA is blaming MP3s instead of realizing that their marketing scam is falling apart.

Re:Woohoo!!

[IxnayOnTheIxnay]

However, it was not MP3 that killed the concept album, but MTV

Interesting thought. Especially if you consider Metallica's career. They used to do huge albums, not quite concept but still with a unifying theme (Ride the Lightning - death, Master of Puppets - insanity, ...And Justice For All - the political one). Few songs under 7 minutes. Then came the black album and, with it, the videos. That album was a bunch of chart-friendly three minute ditties that ended my Metallica fandom.

Re:Woohoo!!

[IxnayOnTheIxnay]

Speaking of Bowie and concept albums, he did a concept album called "Inside" a few years ago that was supposed to be the first of a trilogy (it was the source of the song "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town", which was covered by someone for the dance scene in "Starship Troopers"). He has since released several albums, none of them related. Does anyone know if he plans on returning to that project? I'm no Bowie fan, but that album intrigued me.

Re:Woohoo!!

[Anonymous Coward]

To clarify, by "I'm no Bowie fan", I just mean I don't follow his work closely or own any albums. I have enormous respect for the man.

Re:Woohoo!!

[colmore]

David didn't exactly invent glam rock...

The New York Dolls were using glitter by the pound before other people. Marc Bolan of T-Rex is probably the best person to claim actual invention of the glam rock style and sound, though you could say that it really begins with the sex-rock androgeny of Mick Jagger. But like anything else in music, glam evolved and wasn't really invented by any one person at any one time.

David of course was Glam's biggest icon and most public face. He also wrote some *damn* fine music.

(retreats to music-nerd hole)

Re:Woohoo!!

[colmore]

It should also be noted that just about any popular album from the 70s can be found in a $1 vinyl bin. Of course this requires you venturing beyond Sam Goody for music.

There is so much AOR floating around out there, it isn't even funny.

Re:Woohoo!!

[colmore]

For fans and skeptics of concept albums, I'd like to make a reccomendation:

1997's "In The Aeroplane over the Sea" by indie/folk art rockers Neutral Milk Hotel

it isn't exactly a concept album. concept albums were made by 70s bands and marilyn manson, and they're all thinnly veiled allegorical stories about rock star christ figgures (Tommy and Ziggy being the most blatantly obvious example) except for the Kinks, who made concept albums about urban renewal.

Aeroplane is more a theme album, dealing with recurring images of life and death, loss of innocence and an intense organic sexuality, using the Anne Frank story as it's central narrative focus (I'm not making this up, and it actually works and doesn't come off as pretentious nonsense. well it's more pretentious than Louie Louie, but far less than say... Tales from Topographic Oceans, or any later Pink Floyd album)

download "Two Headed Boy" to start yourself off.

like some cat from japan

[hornal]

I also like singles compilation. Like some cat from japan.

Who?

[Procrasturbator]

I think I speak for everyone when I say who the fuck is Ziggy Stardust?

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

This shit gets modded up to a +1?

Let me give it a try...

*ahem*

I think I speak for everyone when I say, 'who the fuck is Procrasturbator?'

Re:Who?

[Verteiron]

Speak for yourself.

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

wow. I always thought that people who read slashdot knew how to do quick searches when they didn't know what they were talking about.

Anyway, if you are a fan of music at all, you should know Ziggy Stardust was David Bowie. Also was covered by Bauhaus. This is definitely one of the most influential albums ever.

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

..You're just a little kid aren't you?

Re:Who?

[Anonvmous Coward]

Try this link:

http://www.google.com/search?q=who+the+fuck+is+zig gy+stardust&sourceid=opera&num=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Re:Who?

[night_flyer]

ummm, no you dont speak for everyone, please shut up.

Re:Who?

[glwtta]

if you consider /.'s 7-8 year old readers "everyone"

Re:Who?

[dchamp]

Who's on first?

No, The Who was Roger Daltry, Pete Townsend, the late John Entwhistle and the late Keith Moon.

Ziggy Stardust is a fictional character played by David Bowie in his stage show in the 70's.

-dc

Re:Who?

[angelkey]

Ziggy Stardust is a cross-dressing alien that wears makeup and looks as though they have AIDS and heavy makeup on other planets too.

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

He's the man who sold the world... silly!

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

How the fuck is this Flamebait?

Re:Who?

[night_flyer]

I was going to ask the same question, but I would just get modded down some more...

Re:Who?

[readc]

Unfortunatley, "who," "the," and "is" are very common words, included in many other phrases. Searching in quotations will fix this. However, I think enough has been posted to give a clue about who Ziggy is. No matter then.

Re:Who?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice...

However, I know who ziggy stardust is, as well as who 'the who' are. :P

bowie

[Prizm]

I support any artist that makes a guest appearance in The Simpsons and/or an Adam Sandler movie!

Re:bowie

[MrResistor]

He also sells stock in his future albums to finance their production. How cool is that?

Re:bowie

[Anne_Nonymous]

Uh, no.

In 1997 he sold $55mm of asset-backed bonds secured by 300 of his previously released songs.

Re:bowie

[Golias]

His future albums are commodities, not stocks. Sorry if I'm nitpicking.

Bowie, the artist with clue...

[CoolVibe]

I only wish that more artists understood us geeks and our needs like he does...

Seriously, the guy is awesome.

Congrats David!

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a typo. You ment to write "Seriously, the GAY is awesome"

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[Anonymous Coward]

And he shares honors with Mick Jagger for gayest video, "Dancin' in the Streets." It looks like they're abaout to make out in that vidoe.

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[Anonymous Coward]

I like how he resold the royalties
as bonds. See http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/bowiebonds.html

He is at the tail end of cashing into his diminishing revenue stream from fading name recognition.

I will be eternally grateful for Nirvana for finally driving tired boomer 'classic rock' from the non-classic rock radio in the early 1990s.

Sheezh, how many times can you hear some lame Zeppelin song.

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[ShavenYak]

Probably because they were. It was around the same time that they were supposedly caught in bed together.

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[jonerik]

I will be eternally grateful for Nirvana for finally driving tired boomer 'classic rock' from the non-classic rock radio in the early 1990s.

Ten years ago I'd have agreed with you, but in retrospect a lot of that stuff at least had character, even if I'd heard "Whole Lotta Love" and "Behind Blue Eyes" about a thousand times apiece. I know it sounds like something a boring old fart would say, but one lame mook rock/nü metal band sounds pretty much like the next to me. Twenty-five minutes into a set of chunka-chunka down-tuned guitars backing up ennui coming from a 23-year-old and suddenly "More Than a Feeling" starts sounding pretty good.

Re:Bowie, the artist with clue...

[Anonymous Coward]

Amen to that...we went from hearing the Eagles/Led Zep all day to hearing Nirvana/Peal Jam all day. And yes, nu-metal is oh so tired.

Ahhh...

[Monkey Angst]

My trusty old turntable died last year, and I made the hard decision not to replace it. So far I've been reluctant to re-buy my LP's on CD... now, at least, I see why I hadn't bought "Ziggy" again -- I was waiting for this re-issue!

Nice packaging, too...

Re:Ahhh...

[jcsehak]

If you ever feel the urge to replace your old turntable, look into getting a Technics SL-1200. I'm constantly amazed on what a beautiful piece of machinery those are. Listening to records is almost like a ritual to me now. Way different than popping in a CD and having the music "magically" appear.

I know Bowie sounds cool

[Anonymous Coward]

but I went to the music store a couple weeks ago, thinking about getting a Bowie CD (like "Low") and noticed there was no official Phillips CD logo. Anyone know if any of his albums have copy-protection?

Re:I know Bowie sounds cool

[Patrick13]

but I went to the music store a couple weeks ago, thinking about getting a Bowie CD (like "Low") and noticed there was no official Phillips CD logo. Anyone know if any of his albums have copy-protection?

i have Low on CD and it plays fine in my PC, but I bought mine about 8-9 years ago.

Rykodisc RCD10142. FYI the CD itself has the Compact Disc label, but neither the booklet nor the reverse of the CD case have it.

Re:I know Bowie sounds cool

[JebusIsLord]

All of Bowie's classic (60, 70s and 80s) albums were re-released in 1999 by EMI and NONE of them have copy protection (trust me, I own most of them and they are all ripped to my hard-drive).

Cheers!

p.s. I'll be buying this special release for sure!

Re:I know Bowie sounds cool

[jwlidtnet]

This is an older issue. The newer Virgin CDs don't have copy protection, but they ARE "Enhanced CDs," which can cause some configurations to puke, I suppose. (FWIW, one doesn't play in my car stereo about half the time).

-D

Double CD versions of classics considered harmful

[bartash]

Why are influential albums reissued as double CDs? Could it be anything to do with money? We just had 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' released as a double CD so that you can listen to the mono version of the album, or the stereo. Also annoying was the 'Live at Leeds' debacle: First there was a version for CD, then a version with extra tracks (the remaster), then a deluxe double CD version.

Having said that ZSatSFM is a great album. And actually the single version CD seems to be still available.

My other favorite Bowie album: Low.

-Andrew

Re:How is this "stuff that matters?"

[black88]

What, Pimp Briskit more to your liking, kid?

Re:Slashdot is about music nowadays?

[Monkey Angst]

Well, Slashdot often has sci-fi-related articles, and "Ziggy Stardust" is a rather important album bridging the worlds of rock'n'roll and science fiction, so why not? Bowie has always been a geek-friendly artist, and I'm sure there are a lot of geeks who are totally into Ziggy. Or should be.

Ziggy played guitar...

[Newer Guy]

enough said...

excellent

[Sir Elton John]

I, for one, am glad to see the rerelease of one of the greatest rock albums ever published. David paved the way for much of the gender- and genre-bending music of the 80's, 90's, and the 21st century.

It is incredible to see how modern technology is making these things possible. Rather than destroying LP culture, the CD is enriching it. It is truly a wonder to live in these times.

Congrats, David. My prayers are with you.

Re:excellent

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought your prayers were with Diana, Princess of All Our Hearts? Or is it George Michael now?

Re:excellent

[Anonymous Coward]

dude, how does it feel to be gayer than anyone else on the planet?

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[Monkey Angst]

We just had 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' released as a double CD so that you can listen to the mono version of the album, or the stereo.

Ack! That has got to be the WORST excuse for a double album I've ever heard. But I must admit, if the second disc had anything to recommend it (B-sides, demos, etc) I'd pick it up, as I probably would for any band I really dig. For instance, Rhino's reissues of Elvis Costello's entire catalog as double CD's -- that's cool.

But a mono version? I think I can make my stereo do that, right? :)

Childhood songs

[wormbin]

I was four years old when my older siblings played Ziggy Stardust, Alladin Sane, and Space Oddity all day every day. They must have worn out a ton of albums not to mention turntable needles. They also wore out my Dad's patience as I can still hear him yelling at them to "Turn that shit down!"

Now whenever I hear these songs I get that strange deja-vu feeling you get when you hear some childhood lullaby. They're burned into my brain like bits on a ROM.

A good source of Bowie info

[putrescence]

Lots of lyrics and song info here:

www.teenagewildlife.com

Re:A good source of Bowie info

[the way, what're you]

Amazingly, that was not a porn link.

Re:A good source of Bowie info

[halgary]

Well it looked like a porn link to me!

He must be doing the site switching trick, redirecting people to bowie one minute and dogsex the next.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[SpatchMonkey]

• released as a double CD so that you can listen to the mono version of the album, or the stereo

That is the craziest thing I've read all day. Why the hell would you need separate mono and stereo versions? Just connect your CD player outputs together like this:

Left Out ---\_/------ Left In
Rght Out ---/ \------ Right In [Mixer]
[CD]

Separately for both signal and ground of course. You will then get the sum of the left and right CD player channels in both channels on your mixer.

If your mixer has a "mono sum" output which does the equivalent, then of course just send that to your amp instead of modding your cables or whatever.

Uh Oh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Aren't you going to get sued by the Scientologists for telling everyone the secret of Ziggy?

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[Anonymous Coward]

Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English!

Strange, I've never heard the Queen use that language.

Ziggy has a last name?

[L. VeGas]

I've been reading that comic strip for years, and I never knew that he was supposed to be a musician.

Re:Ziggy has a last name?

[Creepy]

Actually, Ziggy is slang for a marijuana cigarette (Stardust is some kind of hallucinogen [PCP?]).

Think about that the next time you read the comics.

Re:Ziggy has a last name?

[ShavenYak]

I think PCP is typically referred to as angel dust. I always figured the name Stardust was just to indicate extraterrestrial origin. Kinda like Luke Skywalker. The Ziggy part I did catch - that's what happens when you grow up with hippy parents.

hmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Who The Hell Cares?

I saw david bowie on some VH1 concert the other
day. Bits were falling off of him.

I had no idea CmdrDorko was in his 50s.

wow this reminds me

[wastedbrains]

OF the old Ziggy comics. I guess there not that old but i hadn't thought of them in years. Anyone else still read these? Hehe sorry a small nastalgia attack due to reading slashdot.

in my opinion...

[Anonymous Coward]

...the best david bowie rendition wasn't even performed by him: it was nirvana's version of the man who sold the world during their unplugged appearance

Re:in my opinion...

[Anonymous Coward]

Your opinion sucks. How much Bowie have you actually heard?

Move Ziggy

[Anonymous Coward]

For great justice!

Re:Move Ziggy

[Anonymous Coward]

IT'S YOU!!

Pretty Interesting Stuff, considering.....

[Anonymous Coward]

blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
West siiide for life dawgs.

It is NOT a porn link.

[putrescence]

What in God's name are you people talking about? I've been going there for over a year now and I can tell you that it is NOT a porn link.

If someone DOES, through some strange twist of reality, end up at a porn site through this link then please post the IP because that would mean that something is very wrong.

Re:It is NOT a porn link.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice try, troll.

Moderators, please listen - this guy is trying to get people looking at humans and zebras mating. Please please mod him down.

Re:It is NOT a porn link.

[putrescence]

Then post the IP, idiot.

Re:It is NOT a porn link.

[Anonymous Coward]

The IP of that webserver is 209.197.115.99, but that really isn't the point.

It isn't doing it now, but when I went the first time it popped up a shitload of dodgy banner ads and immediately redirected me to this vulgar site.

This is obviously a nasty trick being played, though not as nasty as that fillthy scat one someone did the other week.

Re:It is NOT a porn link.

[Adrian Japscat]

what is it with you dirty trolls forcing people to look at porno?! for fuck's sake!

Re:It is NOT a porn link.

[Anonymous Coward]

YHBT, YHL, HAND

All I can say is...

[schwatoo]

Must... try... to... give... a... shit...

Re:All I can say is...

[bstadil]

Maybe Cool Stuff likeCool this will help. At least this is Stuff that Matters if you live in Texas.

Re:All I can say is...

[Anonymous Coward]

That's easy, just squeeze your cheeks harder...asshole.

Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless you are 40 or 50, this shouldnt mean much to you.

Imagine that in the 60's and 70's the 20 year olds were getting exited about the music from the 1930's or the 1940's. What kind of music do you think that we would be listening to now if that were the case? The Beach Boys, Velvets, 13th Floor Elevators, Mamas & Papas and Beatles would never have happened.

The truth is, the 20 year olds of today should not be listening to Ziggy Stardust. Its as relevant to them as Fats Waller was to listeners of the Velvet Underground in the 1960's.

This generation is pathetic and lost. They are without a distinct identity, the the garbage that is made by them (Linkin Park for example) is base beyond measure.

It is a sad indication of how pathetic these 20 somethings are, that they have to look back to music made ten years before they were born.

I despise and heap scorn on you all.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

as harsh and as inflamatory as this sounds..it strangely makes some sort of sense...

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hard words for hard times.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Now, let's see:
You say the youth shouldn't be listening to music made before their time, but in the next paragraph you say that the music that is of their generation shouldn't be listened to.

So, pray tell, what should they be listening to?

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Im saying that the music of today, Limp Biscuit, for example, is totally bogus bullshit, unworthy of the electricity used to make it.

The music of this generation, meaning the mass consumption pop music, is so utterly inferior to the mass consumtion muic of the 60's and 70's its as if the breed of human on earth has been changed to a lower order type of homo sapiens.

What other explanation can there be? The regurgitated vomit made by oasis, the creatively bankrupt crime anthems of hiphop, (which was once a superb example of creativitiy in action), the unspeakable trach made by the vagina headed Travis.

Britney Spears.

And lest we forget, the seemlngly endless parade of androd staffed "boy bands" whose absolutely soulless drivel has completely engulfed the weak minds of the young of today.

I expect each generation to make its own mark, to say its own words. Even in the universally despised 1980's there were groups that piss all over todays bands. Who would have thought that Duran Duran could outclass any group? And yet, this is precisely what has happenend; the worst music of the last 20 years is infinitely preferable to the pop music of today.

You cannot deny this.

What should they be listening to? Thats not for me to say, because THANKFULLY I am not one of them.

I can howeve, listen (with pain) to what they like, and pity them their poor lives.

Re:Its great but...

[mikerackhabit]

>This generation is pathetic and lost. They are without a distinct identity, the the garbage that is made by them (Linkin Park for example) is base beyond measure.

Okay, I'll bite...

Are you living under a rock? Or perhaps (and the rest of your comment might indicate this) are you stuck in the past? There is at least as much - if not more - interesting and exciting music coming out today than at any time in the past. Just because it doesn't sound like the stuff you grew up with doesn't make it "base beyond measure" and the fact that the best band you can come up with to bash is Linkin Park suggests you might be the one who's "pathetic and lost".

Why don't you go listen to something on Blue Note? (Madeski Martin and Wood or DJ Logic to mention a few of the great new people on this label). There is all sorts of amazing experimental stuff coming out, check out Alien8 Recordings for some pointers. Punk rock has redefined itself and has a modern message and killer sound. Warped Tour (if you've ever heard of it) is one of the best (and cheapest) big shows around. I've had a great time at every show I've gone to.

The current music scene has fragmented and is moving in a thousand directions. I've mentioned only a few of those fragments and I'm sure that anyone who is at all "with it" could add many more references without even thinking about it. Get the hell out of your rut and start listing to stuff that doesn't play on MTV before you go bashing today's music.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

Get the hell out of your rut and start listing to stuff that doesn't play on MTV before you go bashing today's music."

You unmittigated asshole.

We are talking about POPULAR MUSIC, not UNDERGROUND MUSIC from the likes of Warp records (I actually bought many of the first warp records when they came out).

Blue note? Jazz is even more dead that rock and roll. But you would not know this, because you are one of the young and ignorant.

The next time you choose to "bite" bite your tongue.

Re:Its great but...

[Rick the Red]

Imagine that in the 60's and 70's the 20 year olds were getting exited about the music from the 1930's or the 1940's.

Not hard to imagine at all. In the '70s I was a 20-something getting excited about music from the 1930s and 1940s. And music from the 1830s and 1740s and all that! As well as the 1950s and 1960s and even the 1970s (although Disco sucked then and it still sucks). The best thing about music is that every year there's more of it to enjoy. I'm in my 40s now and my car radio is set to KEXP, KISM, KFNK, and KNDD (among others). "The hits just keep on coming!"

Re:Its great but...

[mikerackhabit]

Hmm, apparently you either ignored or didn't understand my last paragraph. What you are calling POPULAR MUSIC is really CORPORATE MUSIC. Yeah the shite the comes out on MTV is for the most part just that. And perhaps if you're going by straight record sales you're right, popular music today is shite. But if get involved with your local music community AT ALL I think you'll find what you're calling popular music not all that popular.

In fact, it's the very idea of "pop" not Jazz that is dead. I assure you that jazz is alive and well. A search at East Bay Express (paper for the Easy Bay where we have a vibrant and exciting music scene) for Jazz turns up 8 shows tonight, Rock gets 11. Tommorow Jazz gets 5 while rock only 3, HipHop gets NONE. And you claim Jazz is dead? Why don't you check on this sort of thing before making riduculous claims like that. Like I said, MUSIC IS FRAGMENTED. If you're to lazy to get off your ass and talk the more than 2 of the "young and ignorant" about what they're listening to then you can stay in your rocking chair on your front porch and keep yelling at us kids about how much things were better in your day. Pathetic...

Re:Its great but...

[JebusIsLord]

I started listening to music from the 90s, and I still do - stuff like Tool, Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden. That led me to study their influences (Depeche Mode, The Smiths, The Cure, The Pixies, in no particular order) which led me to study THEIR influences (Like the Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors etc.) I find the whole evolution of Rock music fascinating, but my fascination doesn't go back past the late 60s because before that it wasn't really "rock" in the current sense at all. I find this "last-generation" music is still very relevant and actually increases my appreciation for current artists. I agree that we should promote our own generational culture, but we should also accept that it has a foundation in the one previous, and there is lots to be learned from it.

Re:Its great but...

[Golias]

Imagine that in the 60's and 70's the 20 year olds were getting exited about the music from the 1930's or the 1940's.

John Lennon & Paul McCartney both dug 40's showtunes like Rogers & Hammerstein. They also were heavy into depression-era blues like Robert Johnson and Elmore James.

70's glam-rock like David Bowie and Lou Reed was positively dripping with jazz influences. This makes your comment "The truth is, the 20 year olds of today should not be listening to Ziggy Stardust. Its as relevant to them as Fats Waller was to listeners of the Velvet Underground in the 1960's" particularilly funny. Listen to some Fats Waller, then listent to "Goodnight Ladies", the last track on Lou Reed's "Transformer". Then come back and tell us how poorly informed you really were.

It was almost impossible to find a bio of the 80's band XTC that did not contain the words "Beatle-based pop".

Nearly every musician who has ever played a solo worth a shit will count Louis Armstrong as one of his main influences.

To put it bluntly, you are unlikely to ever do anything that matters as an artist unless you have knowledge and command of what has been before.

It is a sad indication of how pathetic these 20 somethings are, that they have to look back to music made ten years before they were born.

This has always been the case. A band called "10 Years After", who played decade-old covers, performed at Woodstock fer crisakes!

Re:Its great but...

[Golias]

I find the whole evolution of Rock music fascinating, but my fascination doesn't go back past the late 60s because before that it wasn't really "rock" in the current sense at all.

Allow me to advise you towards a satisfying path to continue your musical odyssey. Look towards the mid-50's recordings by Muddy Waters. I think that there you will find the true river of inspiration behind what Jimmys Page and Hendrix were doing. While you are at it, check out the team of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy (one of many great spin-offs from Muddy's band), and the early-50's recordings of Ray Charles (basically anything before "Modern Sounds In Country Music, which was his "cross-over" album to get cracker DJ's to play his stuff). These men, and not the Ricky Nelsons and Bill Haleys of the world, were the pre-"British Invasion" bearers of the sound you are looking for.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

This 46-year old heaps scorn and despises YOU!!

Yes, I have most of Bowie (& The Velvets/Lou Reed, etc.) on vinyl. Excellent stuff.

There's still excellent stuff made today. Sonic Youth, The Hives, Spiritualized, Sleater Kinney, etc. I have these on CD.

They owe as much to the greats of the 60s-70s as those generations owed to Robert Johnson (late 30's acoustical blue master).

Where would we be if the Beatles, Stones, and the Who were not listening to Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and the earlier classics of The Blues?

Probably pathetic and lost....

Re:Its great but...

[zonker]

grrr... i hate responding to rotten bridgedwelling creatures such as you... but...

all great musicians are influenced at least in part (whether they will fess up to it or not) by musicians of the past. the same is true of all art.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

>> A band called "10 Years After",
>> who played decade-old covers,
>> performed at Woodstock fer crisakes!

You're thinking of Sha-Na-Na, who covered songs not even ten years old at the time. The band 10 Years After did that marathon length "I'm Going Home."

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a moron. Try the White Stripes, The Hives, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mooney Suzuki, and The Strokes. Then come back and tell me there's no good music out there today. Idiot. Also, Ziggy's the shit and that will never change. God you're dumb.

Re:Its great but...

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a moron.

Thankfully.

Try the White Stripes,

1979 revisionists, utter rubbish

The Hives,

useless. unfortunately no cream will make them go away.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs,

no no no!

The Mooney Suzuki,

give me a break.

and The Strokes.

the worst of your list.

Then come back and tell me there's no good music out there today.

there is no good rock music today. period. I defy you to name a band thats better than captain beefheart. name it, and i will love it. i die every day waiting for such a band.

Idiot.

if being an idiot means being able to discern, then i embrace being an idiot.

Also, Ziggy's the shit an

WAS the shit you young whippersnapper.

Re:Its great but...

[Lord Custos]

The truth is, the 20 year olds of today should not be listening to Ziggy Stardust. Its as relevant to them as Fats Waller was to listeners of the Velvet Underground in the 1960's.
Every kind of music is relevant to SOMEONE.

This generation is pathetic and lost. They are without a distinct identity...
Eeernt! Wrong. They don't NEED a steenking "distinct indentity." The modern kids have a broad spectrum of different modes for expressing and portraying themselves.
This need you have for them all to display a "distinct identity" smacks of megalomania and an inabilty to adapt to reality.
...the the garbage that is made by them (Linkin Park for example) is base beyond measure.
And let me guess, the stuff you grew up on (the Monkees, the Banana Splits and the Fantastiks) are sooooo much better.
No. You, sir, are behaving like a troll, and a whiny one at that. Time to shut off the "AOL Machine" and go take yer Metamucil, you joyless crank.

Makes sense to me

[Pope]

The mono version of albums are mixed differently. I know people who will swear up and down that "Sgt. Pepper's" is way better in mono, but I refuse to believe that.

All you're doing is combining 2 stereo tracks into one. It's not the same thing.

Re:Makes sense to me

[FatRatBastard]

I know people who will swear up and down that "Sgt. Pepper's" is way better in mono, but I refuse to believe that.

Same goes for Pet Sounds. There was a stereo release of Pet Sounds a few years ago. I still think the mono sounds much, much better (but that's probably because I heard it first and love it to death).

The same goes for any of Spector's Philles label work.

Re:Makes sense to me

[Golias]

I know people who will swear up and down that "Sgt. Pepper's" is way better in mono, but I refuse to believe that.

The Beatles were notorious for the use of "Popcorn Stereo" (a term used for when an entire instrument is layed directly onto the left or right signal only... the result of which is that, rather than a realistic stereo illusion of sound coming from one side of a performace stage, you hear it coming directly from the center of your loudspeaker). In the case of "Sgt. Pepper's", I would argue that The Beatles were not trying to create correct stereo imaging, and were intentionally using popcorn stereo for dramatic, cartoony effect. (They also recorded violins using headphones as microphones, and did a lot of other weird crap, like multiple layers of the same orchestra recording to make the string section sound bigger than it was, messing with tape speeds, etc. John Lennon wanted to do a lot of stuff different just to be different when they were making that album.)

The best rock album that I know of for good use of stereo sound was not intended to be stereo, but quadrophonic. Those cash sounds at the beginning of "Money" on Pink Floyd's "Dar Side of the Moon" were supposed to surround you. While the band was still working on recording "Dark Side" as a quad record, the quadrophonic fad fizzled out. Alan Parsons and the other engineers took the original material (which was intened to go to four tracks), and did their best to create a similar feel on two tracks. The result was probably the most meticulous stereo imaging you will ever hear on a rock album, and it's the reason why I include track 1: "Breathe" with my list of material I insist on using to test out speakers that I am thinking of buying.

Re:Makes sense to me

[Pathetic Coward]

The mono mix of Pet Sounds is Brian Wilson's original mix. He was unable to create a stereo mix because he has significant hearing loss in one ear.

My 2 1/2 faves

[Pope]

"Hunky Dory," "Diamond Dogs," and the 2nd side of "Tonight."

Also, if you feel like tracking them down, Lulu did a great version of "Watch That Man" that I like more than the Bowie version, with the Spiders playing backup! She also did "The Man Who Sold The World," that old Nirvana tune.

Re:My 2 1/2 faves

[Anonymous Coward]

The Man Who Sold the World is NOT a Nirvana song. It's a Bowie song, on the Bowie album of the same name. Kurt covered it in his Unplugged session because he dug Bowie a lot. He even announced after the song that it was a Bowie cover.

Re:My 2 1/2 faves

[Pope]

The Man Who Sold the World is NOT a Nirvana song

It was a joke, son.

Re:How is this "stuff that matters?"

[Anonymous Coward]

I second that notion. What is with the /. hordes who enjoy lame art rock garbage? You people have no fucking taste whatsoever in music. Go listen to Yes or the Moody Blues while you are at it. Leave garbage corporate rock where it belongs...you guessed it, in the fucking garbage.

For those who think that David Bowie...

[putrescence]

...has nothing to do with News for Nerds here are the lyrics to Savior Machine.

President Joe once had a dream
The world held his hand, gave their pledge
So he told them his scheme for a Saviour Machine

They called it the Prayer, its answer was law
Its logic stopped war, gave them food
How they adored till it cried in its boredom

'Please don't believe in me, please disagree with me
Life is too easy, a plague seems quite feasible now
or maybe a war, or I may kill you all

Don't let me stay, don't let me stay
My logic says burn so send me away
Your minds are too green, I despise all I've seen
You can't stake your lives on a Saviour Machine

I need you flying, and I'll show that dying
Is living beyond reason, sacred dimension of time
I perceive every sign, I can steal every mind

Don't let me stay, don't let me stay
My logic says burn so send me away
Your minds are too green, I despise all I've seen
You can't stake your lives on a Saviour Machine

Offtopic: Turd

[SpatchMonkey]

Why do you not post your poo diary any more? Are you constipated?

I used to enjoy reading of your frequent toilet bowl experiences.

No SACD?

[lord13]

Don't know about you, but I find it strange that a re-release like this is not available on SACD or DVD-Audio. Especially when Bowie's latest is available on SACD.

Sigh.

Re:No SACD?

[zonker]

bowie's latest comes from columbia/iso records not emi... from what i've heard, he didn't have a lot of control w/ his emi deal... thus the shitty rereleases...

Re:No SACD?

[ShavenYak]

Screw SACD. Don't you know what it really stands for? Sony's Anti-Consumer Device. It's not about greater sound quality, it's about obsoleting the standards-based CD and moving consumers to a controlled format. Note also that you can't digitally copy a SACD, the only way to make copies is cumbersome analog recording. I don't foresee this changing any time soon: Sony has learned from the mistakes of the CD, and they're not going to let the genie out of the bottle this time. Since they control the SACD format, they can make sure no one else does, either.

What I really want is that Nationwide report

[00_NOP]

Yes, folks, I am old enough to remember the shock-horror tone of this seminal piece of British TV about a man who - aargh! - wore make up to play his songs.

Anybody else remember it? Clips are played occassionally on those Channel 4 "top 30/10 list" things.

Re:!! ANIMAL SEX SITE MOD DOWN !!

[halgary]

Yes I saw it too.
But it seems to be changing every few minutes to a good site again!

Images too

[avoisin]

The music was certainly quite memorable.

But I think the thing that really gets burned in ones mind, especially when compared to today, is the outfits and hairstyles of Ziggy Stardust!

Mick Ronson

[FrankDrebin]

Of course, the guitarist of the title track was not the fictional Ziggy, nor Bowie himself, but Mick Ronson, one of the greats of the era who sadly died in 1993.

Re:Mick Ronson

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes. And on lots of Beatle albums, the guitar playing, etc. isn't any of the Beatles, either.

I prefer the Bowie Albums that featured Robert Fripp the most. In particular 'Scary Monsters' which sorta brings to mind big hairy pedophile 'hackers' hanging out at a LUG. Checkin' out the boys, etc.

Re:Mick Ronson

[ChrisGuest]

Personally I'd recommend the live album, "Ziggy Stardust - The Original Soundtrack" over the studio album. It features Ronson doing some very raw guitar work, innovative medleys of Bowie songs, as well as covers of Jacque Brel, Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones. The Faustian "Width of a Circle" is exceptional on this release.

Re:Mick Ronson

[Golias]

And on lots of Beatle albums, the guitar playing, etc. isn't any of the Beatles, either.

Um. No.

A studio drummer was used on one of The Beatles' first singles, Eric Clapton played the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and Billy Preston sat in on keys for their famous rooftop concert while recording "Let It Be", but all the guitars, with the exception of that Clapton solo and the occation lick played by Paul, was done by John Lennon & George Harrison.

I prefer the Bowie Albums that featured Robert Fripp the most.

Robert Fripp is good (and still doing interesting stuff with King Crimson), but I'll take both Stevie Ray Vaughn ("Let's Dance") and Reeves Gabriels (pretty much everything from "Tin Machine" up to "EART HL I NG"), as well as Mick Ronson over Fripp... That's really just a matter of personal tastes, though.

Re:Mick Ronson

[kevcol]

and the occation lick played by Paul,

Actually he played more than occasionally. If you ever see Mark Lewisohn's "The Complete
Beatles Recording Sessions" you'd be amazed at how much more he was playing on guitar than you think. :-) But all those guys who played with Bowie were great- Ronson, Gabrels, Vaughn.. it goes on- he worked with some great musicians.

Re:Mick Ronson

[mekkab]

Heck, get both!
But yes, the beauty of the Mick/Bowie thing is the interplay between Bowie's slick writing and Mick RAW POWER. (not to be confused with the stooges!)

I saw an interview with Bowie onsome documetnary that was on public television where he describes how he tried to get the whole band into his new androgeny look, including make-up, etc. And how, MIck was from Holt, and they just don't do that kind of thing there. SO Bowie had to resort to a lot of lies an deceit; "Hey Mick, you looked very green on stage tonight, yeah, something about the stage lighting. Maybe you should try a little rouge?"

Of course, after the boys started getting laid like crazy it was much easier to put some make-up on them!

Whatever

[topher71]

Music for mass consumption has always sucked. Once in a great while this is untrue (U2, Beatles, Elvis, Duke Ellington, Nirvana, etc), but for 95% of the time, most everything on the charts is shite because it's generalized for mass consumption. For example, in the 70s you had Leif Garrett, The Osmonds, David Cassidy, and the like. Artists like David Bowie (and Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and The Pixies and New Order and The Cure ...) were ignored by the mainstream media. This happened in the 60s as well, just take a look at the productized crap that was filling the charts along with the Beatles.

People seeking substance ususally have to dig a little to find music with real feeling.

Your problem is that you're judging the current music crop soley based on the mainstream outlets. That's like judging the late 60s by Lawerence Welk or Dick Clark's show.

Go to a non-chain local music store and talk to some of the people who work there. They will help you find better music...and in a few years when one of these mostly unknown but great bands is considered an influencial legend someone will complain that 'nobody makes music like that anymore.'

There is so much great music out there right now it's scarey. The productized music crap should be largely ignored. Find the real artists...and BTW, hiphop is alive and well, just check out The Roots.

PS: There's nothing wrong with listening to old music. When I was in high school in the mid-80s, I was listening from everything from Depeche Mode to Jaco Pastorius to Bach to AC/DC to Linton Kwesi Johnson.

My only regret is not finding the Pixies until after they'd broken up:(

Re:Whatever

[Anonymous Coward]

Artists like David Bowie (and Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and The Pixies and New Order and The Cure ...) were ignored by the mainstream media.

It is, for sure, the new types of recreational drugs that have addled and destroyed the youth of today.

Only a crack crazed youngster could spout such drivel.

You my young puppy, are all mixed up. When you were in school listening to Jaco, Bach and AC/DC you SHOULD have been listening to the REAL / original hip hop coming out of New York: McShan, Ultra Magnetic MCs, Bizmarkie and all the rest.

When you spent your time looking back, you missed what was happpening right in front of you.

Re:Whatever

[dicka_j]

Totally, it is really sad that it is so difficult to find some quality music. Personally, I have never encountered anyone with as much raw talent as Bowie. Some of the chord progressions that he managed to invent convey emotions that are unfelt anywhere else. Bowie managed to get things like changing from a major chord to the minor to sound terrific, his use of diminished and augmented progressions through rising 5ths would not be dreamed of by pop artists these days. It is unfortunate that people with such talent never get playtime. If you cannot become addicted to a song after one hearing, it is not worth playing according to the record companies. So we are forced to listen to 3 chord hooks that are forced into our minds (usually by playing them 20 times before the song is finished). It annoys me.

Re:Whatever

[Anonymous Coward]

Zeppelin was never ignored by the mass media. They were labelled as a "super group" and their albums possessed the quality and groundbreaking innovation that defied their being ignored by the mass media.

Their "Stairway to Heaven" (a note worthy tune itself) sadly to say, spurred the "rock ballad" concept that continues to plague the airways today via pedestrian vehicles such as Journey, Bon Jovi, etc.

fa!

[Anonymous Coward]

Congrats to Mr. Bowie. Just hope that Ziggy doesn't expire in 2050.

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy

[rbean]

The inspiration for Ziggy Stardust came at least in part from a fellow Mercury recording artist, the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, according to this article

Sorry, but...

[NFNNMIDATA]

this is not geek news. This is only news at all on a Bowie fansite. And just because you like something does not mean I "should be" into it; taste in music is something on which reasonable people may disagree. The posts on this topic prove it is pointless for it to be on this site. People who like Ziggy all post "it rules" while others all post "who?" or "who cares?" messages and then get beaten down by the fans. There is not a discussion because this is not "news for nerds", it's "news for the 1% who are avid fans of a 30-yr old album". And don't say it's relevant because Bowie is aligned with the open source ethic or whatever - I know there was no story when Heathen came out saying you should rush out and buy it to support Our Hero David Bowie. I'm calling you on your bullshit, slashdot.

Re:Sorry, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

then dont read the fucking comments, you must be a lifeless piece of shit if you even clicked on an article that you are not interest in.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[garyrich]

"We just had 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' released as a double CD so that you can listen to the mono version of the album, or the stereo."

??????
I've got the original CD of that. It's very very short. You could fit mono and stereo on one CD I would think. Greed at work I suppose. PS: Nico was no great artist but she did capure that spaced out Astrud Gilberto quality.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[JebusIsLord]

I don't know about VU&N but Pink Floyd's really early stuff sounds WAY better in Mono because the early stereo process was horrible and gimmicky. Its hard to find though - If they re-released their old stuff in original mono I would be all over it!

Re:David Bowie

[JebusIsLord]

Jelous?

OT: Turntables

[Nighttime]

Oh please. When I worked in the hi-fi shop, we only ever sold SL-1200s in pairs to wannabe DJs.

Decent turntable for not much outlay, go for a Rega. If you want to get serious, go Linn.

Re:OT: Turntables

[Golias]

I'm right there with you on the Regas & Linns... But those who turn their noses at Technics as "DJ Tables" are not really giving them enough credit. Very steady, very quiet, good motors, decent arms, easy to maintain. There's a reason why so many radio broadcasters buy them. The Rega is a better deal, but Technics does make decent equipment.

What about the new album?

[Joel Ironstone]

David Bowie has just release a new album=Heathen and its amazing. It has the same thematic range as stardust, but comes from a more mature, more patient musician.

I would suggest buying these two together to see how a genious progresses from one decade to the next.

for a david bowie discography try:

http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/default.asp? oi d=331

Re:How is this "stuff that matters?"

[johndan]

I was sort of confused about how this ended up on /., but I'm really confused that people found its relevance worth complaining about.

- Johndan

Rather superfluous, though

[jwlidtnet]

I realize I'm coming in late in the game (and I don't know whether this has been mentioned yet), but this is some rather hideous marketing on EMI's part. To elaborate:

a) This album has been released countless times on CD. The RCA issue, the original Rykodisc, the Rykodisc "Collector's Edition," the gold Rykodisc edition, the "regular" Virgin version, and now this.

b) Apparently, the bonus tracks are mostly stuff that has been out before. On the above mentioned Rykodisc versions, most of David's albums came with bonus tracks that were cut for the recent Virgin reissues. Apparently, these "new" Ziggy bonuses are mostly comprised of those tracks, with a few things from the Sound and Vision boxed-set thrown in. There might be a few new items, but I doubt that they're many.

c) Another remastering? The regular Virgin issue isn't all that hot (no-noised, and subjected to the Prism noise-shaping system, which I've always felt adds an odd "texture" to the sound), so I can't imagine what they've done with this one. Possibly brutalized it and re-recorded the bass and drums (yeah, I'm talking to you, Ozzy).

-D

Re:Rather superfluous, though

[zonker]

this release was probably due in part because of bowie's new contract w/ columbia and his own new label iso...

Re:Rather superfluous, though

[bjohn]

Actually, you can listen to samples off the new Ziggy release at www.davidbowie.com...

The ONLY "unreleased" track is the last track on the second disc, "Moonage Daydream (New Mix)". All the others were available previously as the above poster noted.

What you don't know...

[mtec]

...is that the original name of the album was

Ziggy Stardust and the penguins from Mars.

Re:What you don't know...

[mtec]

I'm sure Taco knew that and that's why he thought it worthy of your attention...

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[jwlidtnet]

The Live at Leeds releases were a "debacle," but for another reason entirely. The original CD wasn't all that hot; the 1995 remix/remaster with extra tracks was, IMO, a *huge* improvement. What makes hte current "Deluxe Edition" so awful, though, is that it actually sounds quite a bit worse than both the '95 issue (on the tracks it duplicates), completely re-organizes the concert, and sounds crappier than most bootlegs sourced from the material. Oh, and did I mention that Roger overdubbed several MORE parts for the reissue? It's just nuts...things aren't supposed to get worse-sounding as time goes by, but unfortunately, technology can be both used and abused...

-D

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[jwlidtnet]

That's all well and good, but the idea is that the mono version of the album is usually a completely different mix from the stereo. The Beatles, for example, were releasing unique mono-mixes of albums all the way up to (and including!) the White Album, which in its mono incarnation features a host of differences. The more complex a record is, the more different it's likely to be in its mono incarnation.

-D

links to ripped mp3s

[pmineiro]

since we are all twisted pedophile pirates, here's some links to mp3s.

-- p

p.z. made you look!

Why is Slashdot fascinated with David Bowie?

[zardie]

What's so good about David Bowie? He's a music artist. So is everbody else in my CD/MD/MP3 collection but I can't really see a reason that Bowie should stand out from all the others.

Is there something I've missed? Perhaps it's because I'm 20 and his stuff was before my time? That doesn't quite work as I do enjoy listening to all types of music, 60s, 70s, a lot of 80s and modernish stuff.

I'm not saying I don't like Bowie. Yeah, his stuff is good, but not exceptional to warrant a cult/religious following.

So to the community - what is it about David Bowie that fascinates you?

Re:Why is Slashdot fascinated with David Bowie?

[Anonymous Coward]

David Bowie embraced the internet before bill gates did.
Earthlink/Grateful Dead/David Bowie

Re:Why is Slashdot fascinated with David Bowie?

[Golias]

So to the community - what is it about David Bowie that fascinates you?

Fascinates me? Well, let's see...

His eyes are two different colors, like you see on some wolves. That's just freaky.

In spite of being the first major rock superstar to declare his homosexuality, he's married to a supermodel. What's up with that?

Brian Eno solo works are all self-indulgent shit. David Bowie used him as a producer and not only created great albums, but launced Eno's career as a studio knob-turner, allowing him to produce some of the best works by Talking Heads and U2, among others.

Like Leonard Cohen, his singing voice gets both lower and cooler as he ages.

That pretty much covers what "fascinates" me about Bowie. As for what makes him "stand out from all the others,"? I would start with his ability to both stay on the cutting edge and make great music for about 35 years (so far). How many 60's psychedelic acts (which is how he started) made good 70's rock albums? I can think of 3: Bowie, The Doors, and Pink Floyd. How many 70's rockers made 80's pop albums that got played in the clubs. A few, including Bowie. How many acts made the transition from pop to punk, or from there to goth, or from there to adult contemporary? You might be able to come up with examples. But now the big question: How many artists have made great, enduring, landmark albums in each and every one of these rock sub-genre's, and can hold his head high among the best bands from each? Only one. Only David Bowie.

He pretty much invented Glam (both as a musician and a producer for Lou Reed and Mott The Hoople), without which there would have been no funk as we know it.

His breakaway hit "Let's Dance" rescued 80's dance music from the soulless synth-pop that was beginning to dominate it.

I am clearly in the minority in my high opinion of his more recent work. I thought "Tin Machine II" was a masterpiece, and their live album was even better... but you can now find both of them in the $3 bin of most used CD stores, along with the very groovy "Buddha Of Suburbia" and the freakish nightmare soundrack "Outside".

the actual SONG

[Stardate]

Whenever anyone talks about this album, they almost NEVER mention the words of the song itself, instead preferring to concentrate on the very loosely patched-together 'concept' or the glam make-up or the alien backstory or whatever.

But the title song is the best thing on it, the lyrics are simple but very direct, and countless rock stars before and after have made the same ego-driven band-breaking-up mistakes as portrayed in "Ziggy Stardust".

Perhaps it's time people DID concentrate on those lyrics, and so remember who they are and where they came from.

Cybernauts

[dohnut]

The surviving spiders, 2 members from Def Leppard, and a keyboardist tour occasionally as the Cybernauts.

The band is a tribute to Bowie and to Mick Ronson. They basically do covers from all the albums that the spiders were involved in, which obviously includes Ziggy.

They have a privately released CD that will quit being sold sometime this year. It's a 2 disc set. One live disk and one studio disk. The live stuff is about 5 years old now, but the studio stuff is fairly recent. They quality is excellent and so are the performances. There are audio samples on the website.

Rectifying previous moderation

[flaw1]

Score:-1, Faggot

Splashback.org

[Anonymous Coward]

Poos for Turds. Stuff that splatters.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[koekepeer]

Also annoying was the 'Live at Leeds' debacle: First there was a version for CD, then a version with extra tracks (the remaster), then a deluxe double CD version.


same here. ziggy stardust was 1st released, the re-mastered and released, and now this.


My other favorite Bowie album: Low.


low is very, very good :-) indeed :-)

Problem isnt MP3's....

[Anonymous Coward]

>But let me be frank - your post underscores >everything that's wrong about mp3's

Problem isnt MP3's, its the crap that
passes for music...
all we have is the multiple variations of Celine/Mariah/Christina, repetitive dance, boy/girl bands and rap.

Check out some of the fine stuff produced by Karl Denson, Soulive, MedeskiMartinWood and others...most of them allow taping at their shows so as to better spread their music.

Problem aint mp3's...its a whole generation who has grown up on MTV pop.

Re:Problem isnt MP3's....

[mjrKong]

Check out some of the fine stuff produced by Karl Denson, Soulive, MedeskiMartinWood and others...

and throw in galactic and leftover salmon and harper and it would be the greatest concert in the world...

yes, their is a lot of good music out there.
it just is not "popular".. the stuff that is happens to be canned shit

Can't rip "Heathen"

[Anonymous Coward]

"Heathen" has the usual nonsense of mixing a multi-media data track with the music. Pop it into you computer and you will have a very hard time getting it to rip. Neat little notice about this "bonus" feature is hidden INSIDE the jewel box.

Best Buy ripoff

[Skragger]

So what do I do now? I go to Best Buy to purchase the new Bowie disc (Ziggy Stardust) only to find, when I get home, that the discs are missing. Back to BB to have them a)tell me , in so many words, tuff luck and b) please leave the store, you're too upset and abusive. And i was just trying to get these people to realize that they operate a den of thieves..heheheheh. SO, question is...what are your suggestions as to how to pursue this. spare me the 'are you sure you're not pulling a scam' cuz I didn't. Of course, BB told me to complain to the manufacturer. What? they are goning to be responsible for some backroom employee stealing at BB and resealing a bogus pack. I think not...so I await your legitimate suggestions.

Re:Best Buy ripoff

[oldstrat]

Write the Record company (Is it capitol or RCA?).
I got a David Bowie Live 2 album set back in the day, the album had a bad skip.
They sent me a new copy with a request that I send the old one back for quality control inspection.
The new set had the same skip... I wrote them back and let them know.
They recalled the entire run.

bit of industry rumour for you all...

[vena]

i have it on good faith that bowie will be re-creating the final show of the ziggy stardust tour in san francisco near the end of next month. no confirmation on that date, but he's apparently very interested on doing this.

that's all :)

Re:bit of industry rumour for you all...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're referring to Bowie's appearance in the Area Two festival in the bay area in mid-August. Tickets are on sale now. Don't know if he's going to recreate the final show of ziggy stardust though.

Glam wonk

[PizzaFace]

D A Pennebaker, who filmed Ziggy Stardust's last performance, also documented the last waltz of the Internet Bubble as producer of Startup.com.

The Man Who Fell to Earth

[SgtChaireBourne]

It's been years since I've seen his film "The Man Who Fell to Earth" even in the second run theaters. It's a good scifi film and relevent to parts of the tech sector.

MJF

[Anonymous Coward]

And, don't forget, David Bowie will be playing tomorrow at the Montreux Jazz Festival to celebrate the Anniversary. :-)

Vinyl !

[Pepijn]

A lot of the great albums (particularly those from the 70's) are albums, things best listened to as a musical whole.

I agree.
Furthermore I much more enjoy playing a (vinyl)record than a CD. And I'm not even talking quality here, just nostalgia.

Why don't they sell it on 180g vinyl ???
Is this meant to be for collectors?

Two CDs?

[BoBaBrain]

The album is being reissued today in a limited edition 2-CD set.

[humour]
I guess the first one is the music and the second has a writer's commentary voiceover.
[/humour]

The Ubiquitous Depeche Mode link...

[chiark]

Don't forget that D A Pennebaker was also responsible for 101 - the Depeche Mode video of, amongst other things, their live gig in the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Should make for very interesting viewing...

Re:The Ubiquitous Depeche Mode link...

[Quila]

I was waiting for that one. I loved that movie, but I haven't seen anything else of Pennebaker's. Now I've GOT to see the treatment he gives Ziggy.

Re:The Ubiquitous Depeche Mode link...

[jdedman4]

D.A. Pennebaker is best known for his first musician documentary, the wonderfully interesting "Don't Look Back," which profiled the then young Bob Dylan on tour. If memory serves, it was this documentary which heavily influenced the "mockumentary" style of "This is Spinal Tap" and particularly "Bob Roberts." As someone observed, Pennebaker produced "Startup.com" but he also received a great deal of acclaim for "The War Room," the documentary about the 1992 Clinton campaign which helped make James Carville and George Stephanopoulus a bit more famous. All in all, one of the better documentarians in film . . .

a little nitpicking...

[zonker]

actually his earliest work was folk, and a lot of early rock covers (ala rockabilly & doo-wop, blues and R&B) during his times w/ various bands like The King Bees...

while i think marc bolan aka t. rex 'invented' glam, it was bowie who brought it out for the world to love it or hate it, and was quickly xeroxed by every other musician straight into the 80's (though a little morphed) via big hair and makeup, and on into the 90's via goth and right into now.

although i've never been able to get into tin machine much, i do so love outside. truly a masterpiece. buddha of suburbia is a great album too, and an oddball in its own right.

Reissue actually came out on 8th July (UK)

[rklrkl]

Ziggy's reissue actually fell to earth on 8th July, in the UK anyway - see: here for info - Slashdot is over a week late with the story :-( There was a good interview Bowie did with Jonathan Ross a few weeks ago on BBC 1, BTW, but it wasn't all promoting the Ziggy reissue.

Mono version

[wiredog]

The mono version was often a remix, with different instrumental/vocal tracks. That is, it wasn't just the stereo version remixed to mono, but different cuts of the tracks.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[Anonymous Coward]

>Nico was no great artist

No, but she sounded European, and the underground US market really needed that at the time.

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[Ma�djeurtam]

Actually, the mono versions of these discs are quite interesting, because they are in no way 'Left + Right speakers sticked together' versions.

Remember the LP's albums from the late 60's were the first to use the stereo technology. As many new technologies, this technology was at firtst misused and misunderstood: nobody knew how to use it well and often did an awful work with it (think: the drums left, all the other tracks right).

Take for instance Jefferson Airplane's masterpiece 'Surrealistic Pillow' (1967): the new, remastered edition comes with both mixes (on only one CD, though). You can hear that the mono mix is by far superior to the stereo mix, because, as stated in the sleeve notes, the sound engineer completely misunderstood what stereo was about. He added tons of flanger and 'cool' effects to the music, which just sounded awful in stereo. Errors he didn't make on the mono mix.

Another exemple is The Beatles's 'Sgt. Pepper's' (1967, too): the mono mix was made by the Beatles themselves and the stereo mix was left to some obscure sound engineer: so, the mono mix is really the way the artists intended it to be heard !

Re:Double CD versions of classics considered harmf

[inquisitor]

It's 48:56 (a single-CD remastered stereo edition bought for £3.99 from HMV), so no. The double-CD set also includes the Reed/Cale songs from Nico's "Chelsea Girl" (CD1, stereo) and demos (CD2, mono).

What about the movie?

[nurb432]

When is that going to be relased on DVD? And perhaps the soundtrack on cd..

Re:What about the movie?

[graikor]

"Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - The Motion Picture" is available on DVD - I've had it for at least 2 years, and I just rewatched it this last weekend. The picture quality sucks, but the music is great.

The DVD for sale on Amazon

1930's fans: Clapton, Led Zep, Stones...

[Anonymous Coward]

>Imagine that in the 60's and 70's the 20 year olds were getting exited about the music from the 1930's or the 1940's. What kind of music do you think that we would be listening to now if that were the case?

I guess that's why Eric Clapton and Keith Richards (who are two rockers of the 60's, for all us lost 20somethings) practically worshiped 1930's Delta Blues singer Robert Johnson. I guess that's why their bands did Johnson cover songs like Crossroads and Love in Vain.

And have you ever listened to Led Zepplin I, II, or IV? Half the songs are by Willie Dixon or Sonny Boy Williamson or Muddy Waters. Every British rock band of the 1960's cites American Blues of the 30's, 40's, and 50's as their primary influence.

And for non-blues songs, how about "When I'm 64?" by the Beatles, sounds awfully like 1930's jazz. And I guess none of the 1960's folk singers ever listened to Leadbelly, he's only the most influential folk singer of the 1940's.

You should learn about music history, before making such stupid statements.

Re:1930's fans: Clapton, Led Zep, Stones...

[Anonymous Coward]

I guess that's why Eric Clapton and Keith Richards (who are two rockers of the 60's, for all us lost 20somethings) practically worshiped 1930's Delta Blues singer Robert Johnson. I guess that's why their bands did Johnson cover songs like Crossroads and Love in Vain.

Name me one group that is as great as Clapton (the cream) The Rolling Stones or Led Zepplin, that is playing today.

THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU PATHETIC CREATURE. THERE ARE NONE. AND I MEAN NOT A SINGLE ONE.

And have you ever listened to Led Zepplin I, II, or IV? Half the songs are by Willie Dixon or Sonny Boy Williamson or Muddy Waters. Every British rock band of the 1960's cites American Blues of the 30's, 40's, and 50's as their primary influence.

I am NOT talking about influence expressed by genius, as was seen in Keith Richards case and Jimmy Pages example. This is OBVIOUS from my post you ignorant looser.

You should learn about music history, before making such stupid statements.

I dont have any advice for you, save to continue listening to limp biscuit and the android music tailor made for brain dead illiterates like yourself.

Mono versions were mixed separately!

[Anomalous Cowbird]

You would not necessarily get the same sound as the mono version by combining the stereo channels into one. Back in the days when albums were released in both mono and stereo versions, these were often created as separate mixes. I don't know about the first VU album specifically, but in many cases the mono versions are quite different mixes from the stereo. (And sometimes better, as early stereo mixes were often full of gimmicky "stereo effects" which distracted from, rather than enhancing, the music itself.)

Re:Mono versions were mixed separately!

[ShavenYak]

And sometimes better, as early stereo mixes were often full of gimmicky "stereo effects" which distracted from, rather than enhancing, the music itself.

Just like modern DTS and DVD-Audio music, which end up using the surround channels for gimmicks and sticking instruments back there instead of using them to enhance the feeling of being at a live performance. Maybe this, too, will pass, and future surround music will be decent.

OT: Sig

[Anonymous Coward]

I am the Karma Monster, cousin to Cookie Monster, feed me.

K is for Karma, it's good enough for me.

OT: Sig

[Anonymous Coward]

All good quotes spawn from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Absolutely incorrect. I can't count the number of times I've used the Klingon proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold" which is from ST II: TWOK.

Quad

[Anonymous Coward]

A couple years ago the Flaming Lips released a 4CD Set. They were meant to be played simultaneously. Never got a chance to try it out....