THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS

Good prog album or just good classic rock album? Well, having a general concept helps--at least in my mind--cement the prog aspect. Regardless of classification, it would be tough to argue that this is anything but very solid music, largely throughout the album. There's not a song on here that I find subpar, and that's coming from an admitted "song-skipper".

About that concept...well, I don't know that much, and I probably just don't really need to. Others may, but I can't speak to whether the story makes sense or not. I'm listening for the good tunes, and there's plenty here to appreciate!

Highlights include Five Years, Moonage Daydream and Rock-n-Roll Suicide. How Bowie greatest hits albums could have been released without these first two is beyond me, because they're both easily in my all-time top ten Bowie tracks. Five Years sets the mood for the spacey main character wonderfully, and the string arrangements really compliment the emotion of the song nicely--particularly for 1972! Moonage Daydream is simply a classic, with great melody and a memorable guitar outtro. R&R Suicide is not a great song in itself, but it features a really nice buildup that works great in bringing the album to a close.

The rest? Well, it's all solid stuff, from the radio favorites (Ziggy and Suffragette) to standard rockers to playful songs (Starman and Lady Stardust), which sometimes remind me ever so slightly of Canterbury style.

Overall, one of the top classic rock albums with prog influences, though not a prog masterpiece. Ziggy Stardust is by far Bowie's best album in my opinion.