This song is part of the wild ride that is side 2, the songs crash into each other. And that fabulous, legendary Trident Studios C. Bechstein piano again - the same instrument that featured on Hey Jude by the Beatles, Your Song and Tiny Dancer by Elton John, Seven Seas of Rye by Queen, Get It On by T Rex and literally hundreds of other classic rock songs. Bright, crisp sound, so distinctive.

You really should have done side 2 in one go. You’ll miss the thrill of Hang onto Yourself crashing in as Star ends 🤔 all the songs are connected as Ziggy’s story climaxes. Woody was a brilliant drummer, going right back to the Man Who Sold the World lp...which you REALLY need to listen to (and also Hunky Dory!)

@timpindar

2 жыл бұрын

Hunky Dory absolutely should be essential!

@a.k.1740

2 жыл бұрын

@@timpindar For me Hunky Dory is Bowie's very best early albums with Diamond Dogs. Aside from those two, I was never very drawn to his other albums from that period, just a few tracks here and there. Then I also really like Station to Station, Low, "Heroes" and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). These are still my favorite six Bowie's from this period (with David Live too).

A song that is better in context than stand alone. Not saying it is a bad or even mediocre song. I just like it better in context of the rest of the album. To me that is indicative of a skill and understanding of the material, using it to build something greater than sum of the parts. Impressive. Good song and good review.

I saw Bowie totally rock out this song during the '83 Serious Moonlight tour in Chicago. Amazing!

The combo of Bowie and Ronson is one of the finest in rock history.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Cannot deny

One of the big problems of listening to a tightly-knit concept album like this, track by track: It's like being shown an E-type Jaguar, one panel at a time.

@An_Cat_Dubh

2 жыл бұрын

LOL

Like both of them and Love David Bowie R.I.P. Justin both David and Peter were contemporaries of each other. They also were very theatrical in their presentation of the music that they created and had both had a funky R&B streak…

Such a great ol' rocker, doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

Great song

Justin, even though Bowie had performed in bands since his teens, he was inherently a shy person who really didn't think he could sing very well. He wrote songs for a music publisher for some years as well, hoping that possibly that could earn him a proper living. At one point he even experimented with hiring someone to be a front man for his recorded songs which he called "Arnold Corns," an early Milli VannIlli-esque type of thing. So creating the Ziggy narrative was his way of acting a character on stage to hide behind. So this song fits into the storyline on several levels as you are quick to comprehend. And when you finish the album, you may understand even more how art imitated life in this case - or was that just the plan of our boy genius all along?... Again, excellent job Justin! You bring a bit of joy to my day every time you do a Bowie reaction. Thank you! 👍✌😁

@chrisf.7980

2 жыл бұрын

Or life imitating art?

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting Chris, ty for that background! Never knew of his beginnings

@chrisf.7980

2 жыл бұрын

@JustJP There's much more fun backstory stuff to share - wait till you get to "Life on Mars." He never failed to keep me fascinated. 👍

I love this song, it grooves, draws you in, it's like Bowie IS the Starman, the star Ziggy and yes he was playing the part, transforming, mutating right before our eyes for a decade. He constantly evolved, he wasn't following trends until "Let's Dance" which sold a lot of product but even then they were still good songs. He had hooks to spare on this song. All of side 2 is just killer tracks one after the other, you can't go wrong.

Space, love, fame, rock 'n' roll androgyny, I think there's a theme with old David Jones.

I always look forward to your reactions. I cannot wait until you choose the next Bowie LP! But, you only said, "The backing vocals were good." NO!! These are the best backing vocals of any song ever! Listen again and hear how varied and integral they are! Thanks, JP! (Another) JP out.

Funny you should mention playing this at the end of the night. David opened his 1983 Serious Moonlight show in Toronto with this tune. A perfect intro to his biggest tour. He was huge that year. Even parents liked him. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but his fame was enormous. No pun intended on 'fame'. He was blonde and clean and healthy (that yellow suit)! Played 2 nights, with over 80,000 lucky souls at each show here alone. So stunned to hear when Bowie introduced Mick Ronson as a special guest and he played Jean Genie that night. I think the last time they shared a stage. Was a shocking thrill. People were crying. And the Gabriel thing, i dunno, this Bowie tune was decades ahead of dear Peter. And Bowie admits he often impersonated a British singer called Anthony Newley. And he did. FYI: our mutual friend David Sylvian owes a huge debt to Bowie's vocals as do so many others. Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Richard Butler (The Psych. Furs), Brett Anderson (Suede), Peter Murphy (Bauhaus). We all have so much to be thankful for. PS: Trek way over Wars. I'd dare to say that Battlestar Galactica was better than both of them. Peace.

@tommycanadasmobazimmer

2 жыл бұрын

I remember Mick coming on. I thought he sounded great. My friend who was with me and plays guitar said “he’s drunk”. What do I know.

@timlynch5710

2 жыл бұрын

@@tommycanadasmobazimmer You can find footage on line, he looked great. Mick was a Mormon, and didn't drink, or do drugs. Not even coffee.

This song was written by Bowie for the band Chameleon. The band recorded it but it was never released. At the end of the ZIggy recording sessions someone reminded Bowie about the song and he thought it would fit pretty good on the Ziggy album, so he changed the lyrics a bit and recorded it. You can find the original version here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iZ15zs9pdM3Ip5s.html When it comes to the lyrics my guess its about Bowie himself and his transformation from a Folksinger to a Rockstar. Fun fact is that the whole Ziggy album was recorded with Bowie still having shoulder long hair and looking like a Folksinger.

Getting really close to 18K…….Bowie is so creative and unique. No such thing as a filler on his albums and this song illustrates the point well. Not a famous well known track but interesting and draws you back into it on each repeat.

@daveking9393

2 жыл бұрын

New to me. Agree with your comments. Kept me hanging on for more, no filler. Enjoyed.

Star Trek, mostly for the kitschy nostalgia of the original TV show which was a backdrop of my childhood in the early 70's. An example being "The trouble with Tribbles."

This song has loads of humour in it ;)

If you’re going to compare David to a Peter, the Peter you want is Peter Hamilll. David is a fan and has cited Peter as an influence on his singing. And my preferred “Star“ is Trek but I also love my Mando. Also, those sound like double tracked guitars by Mick Ronson with a ton of reverb. Kind of Brian May-esque.

“Just watch me now”

The genius of David Bowie. Adore this song, he was always a bit different. Heard this album in 72 age 10, it blow me right out of the window. Great work from you Justin.

Love to put on classic Trek while I draw, it's like a warm bath. Star Wars is fun but doesn't have the same utility. As for the song, it's mildly filler-ish but not in a bad way. It's fun, energetic, does its job.

This album is an essential part of my teenage years. Every song gets me think of the next one. One of the cornerstones of rock music.

Bowie's singing here reminds me of Peter Gabriel too, also is not far from reality that Gabriel played "wild mutations" in his early era with Genesis, the Old man, the Flower, the Batwings, Magog, Silver man, Britannia, Rael, etc.. Both great musicians and Super Stars

Star Trek!

Well Justin....you are getting into the heart of the album! It all is great from here.

Justin, that strange sound is definitely a slide guitar. Bowie was a Beatles fan, so those stylistic similarities are probably there. The song is played out of context, but it is a good pastiche of a rock 'n' roll song. When you've finished Ziggy, go back and review Hunky Dory, or better yet,, go back to 'The Man who sold the World" then try to envisage the metamorphosis which changed a long haired bohemian in a "man dress", into "Ziggy Stardust", in not much more than a year. TMWSTW is Bowie exploring different avenues, there's even a couple of contenders for 'prog' tunes, one of which (Saviour Machine) is definitely 'prog'. Follow that with Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, Heroes and Low, you'll have a lot a very happy JP/Bowie fans.

Love this album, keep coming back to this one and 'Hang On to Yourself' Btw, have you seen 'Galaxy Quest'? Priceless. 😂 And, if you can find it...(lmmfao!! In 2021?!!?)'Killer Klowns from Space'. 👍😉 Oh, and maybe just travel back in time and "off" Kris(née Houghton).

that little lead break....it's ronno...slide guitar, i never thought about the gabriel similarity but i can hear it. good call.

I always enjoy the time I spend here, Justin. As for whether or not Peter Gabriel has anything of a similar nature to Star, there are two or three tunes on Scratch that might fit the bill. As for Star Wars or Star Trek, I suppose I have an equal devotion to both. It's hard to maintain absolute devotion to a franchise that has so many different creators adding content to their particular Universe; it makes it difficult to maintain the quality. Firefly is, unfortunately , a smaller franchise that I'm sure I'd have chosen over the other two if it had been allowed to survive. There are two science fiction franchises that exist only in print (discounting one notable ignoble failure -- they did not understand Ender in the least), Orson Scott Card's Enderverse, and C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series. (Yes, I'm kind of a science fiction nerd.) Speaking of science fiction; The Day the Earth Caught Fire by City Boy.

Hadn't listened to this for a very long time. Now realising it's a real pastiche of Beatles songs. It also sounds like it could have fit on Transformer.

Love Star Wars and Star Trek, but Fantasy Fiction is by far my favorite and what I really want to see is someone turn The Chronicles of Amber into a series of movies. They were going to, but it never happened, sadly.

@jeffschielka7845

2 жыл бұрын

🥱

@Lightmane

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffschielka7845 🙂

@jeffschielka7845

2 жыл бұрын

@@Lightmane 🤢

@Lightmane

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeffschielka7845 lol

@jeffschielka7845

2 жыл бұрын

@@Lightmane Lol!

"Star" is a song that never attracted me, as much for the music as for the lyrics. The guitar part you mentioned Justin, was probably done with a bottleneck ! Personally I don't hear Peter Gabriel in Bowie's voice on this track but the reference is no more out of place than me who hears the influence of Alice Cooper on "Hang On to Yourself" so who knows ... !

Afternoon, Justin. Dave from Somewhere In Between. I am more a Star Trek person. If you enjoyed The Expanse (I am on season 2 now), I think you would love the TV show Star Trek The Next Generation. Some great characters, really strong stories and thought provoking issues. When you get round to The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album (as I reckon you might!) you might compare the song Lucy in the Sky with the bonkers cover by William Shatner (aka James T Kirk). The Bowie track is good, but to me it sounds similar to quite a few of his early songs. Looking at the cover of the album reminds me that just yesterday I was in the Foyles book shop in London's Soho, just a few blocks from Heddon Street where the photo was taken. There's a commemorative plaque there, but I don't recall seeing the K West sign any more .

This album is the start of the rebirth of mott the hoopla

Simply is a GREAT Iconic tune on a HUGELY RESPECTED concept ALBUM in the most ICONIC YEAR in Music History 1972. BTW Everything was Beatle-ish on some level by Everyone in the early 70s which influenced everything afterwards throughout in Rock.

This is also David talking about himself. He wasn't looked on as a rock 'n' roll star prior to Ziggy, more of a singer songwriter. But he was proving he could do it, along with so much more. 'Just watch me now'

Gabriel no, Beatles/Lennon a bit yes. That sound you were asking about is definitely Ronson on guitar doing a bit of distorted slide.

Almost sounds like a slide guitar, heard the Beatles sound in spots, but I was surprised with that ending. I expected it to come back at the previous tempo. Good song!

Hi JP ! For me, the whole B-side of "Ziggy" can be seen as a story on its own : the story of a young boy from a London suburban area, who first discovers an artist ("Lady Stardust") who not only stuns him, but creates a brand new feeling for him : ambition ("Star"). He then begins to tour, make insane concerts and gigs ("Hang on to yourself"), reaches his goal of wordwide recognition by the masses, but then begins to lose contact with reality ("Ziggy Stardust"), begins spiraling in an irresistible descent into hell through drugs and sex ("Suffragette City"), until the logical conclusion ("Rock'n Roll Suicide"). I may be wrong, but I think Bowie created these songs at first with no direct relation to his Ziggy persona : the connection came afterwards, creating a whole new and coherent story as he created the songs for A-side of the album. I have no proof whatsoever of this theory of course, but you know ;)...

Firstly, I like both Star Trek and Star Wars. Secondly, now that you mentioned the Peter Gabriel comparison, I do hear it. Never thought about it before. It does sound kind of Beatlesque though, especially the backing vocals. Of course, I dig the song on it's own and as part of the whole album.

The whole album is great, but now you're getting to the good part. Best is yet to come. These are short songs meant to be played together. So once you get through this, just sit down and listen to the album in one sitting - the way it's meant to be heard.

@cobbycaputo3332

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed. So many of them slide into the next track, it's hard for me.to listen to individual songs from this album.

I'm a Star Bar person.

The whole thing seems dated to me but I did like it especially the guitar sliding, very unique tones. Emmm, nah, don’t see it, as for Pete but, maybe it’s the production… Beatles, emmm, nah again. I prefer later Bowie but it’s good learning his historical beginnings. Early Todd Rundgren would be great too, especially Ballad of. If I had to pick, Star Trek… just have earlier history with that universe. Peace and fascinating Music

I think Genesis Nursery Cryme came out in 1971, so maybe, but I doubt Gabriel was an influence, Genesis was just getting known.

It’s Ronson playing slide.

That’s Ronson playing slide.

Agree with other comments, Lady Stardust through to Rock n Roll Suicide hangs together coherently as a continuous piece. If you do continue as a track by track listen, then play them as one to yourself when you’ve got the chance: it’s a fine experience Star Wars for films but I loved the original Star Trek Tv as well as The Next Generation 👍

Like most others, I prefer it inline with the rest of the side, some albums are best that way, performed as a whole movement consisting of separate parts.

Star wars here eheh

To me the original Star Wars is a fun ride and I love them. The rest I can't enjoy because it feels way to commercial to me. Star Trek has so much more to give, the universe and content there is just huge so it's no contest! Apropos ride - have fun with side two. :)

I’m both a Star Wars and Star Trek person but I slightly prefer Star Wars. I also liked the movie Stargate.

Maybe some parts of Lamb make you think of Gabriel in relation to Bowie? I don't think I ever similarized them, thinking them both quite individualistic and unique, that being the similarity, yet David definitely has some Beatles influence for sure.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Hmm, I think you may be right

Hmmm...Love the first Star Trek TV show. Love the first 3 Star Wars (except the ewok crap at the end of the 3rd one). The only thing this may remind me of by Gabriel is Genesis' Harold the Barrel. It's short and has a banging piano, but the storyline is way different. And the vocals are different too. Anyway, I love them both! Thanks...

Certainly not my favourite song on the album, but the ending really pushes it up for me.

As for the comparison, lots of people compare Bowie and Peter Hammill (of Van Der Graaf Generator). Never thought about a PG comparison though. Hmm.

Trek, Wars...why not both? Add in a bit of Gate and you're there.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Ooo, Stargate seems cool. I've seen the movie and always liked it

@Richard_Jones

2 жыл бұрын

@@JustJP I prefer the TV series personally. Good characters, great sense of humour and (not all the time) some very creative episodes.

Star Trek, the original series, but Star Wars not at all. This is a song that's improved in my estimation over the years, a breathless race through a great many changes in a short space of time. In 1972 going to fight in Belfast was an unpleasant prospect facing many young working class men who had joined the British army at that time. Marillion addresses this in the song, Forgotten Sons, and the Belfast experience was extensively chronicled by the band Stiff Little Fingers. Aneurin Bevan was a Labour politician fundamental in the creation of the National Health Service in the UK so he really did change the nation. Bowie was not above throwing political allusions into his songs, as he did in Life on Mars. Peter Gabriel? I don't hear that at all.

There are PG elements in Bowie's vocals since you pointed it out, but it's pretty thin.

You mean Peter Gabrielle sounds like Bowie.

One is sci-fi with a few hundred more or less original stories. The other is mostly fantasy, centering on one major story, and lots of derivative, repetitive subplots with very little new content. Both are mostly fun. Both have made horrible mistakes in recent years, presumably because the baton was passed to less creative, less committed minds. But if I had to pick only one, it would be the one that happens in our own galaxy. ;-]

Cap'n Crunch isn't cat food. Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV show) > all, though it''s a bit dated now.

Star Wars! I root for Darth Vader. I root for Bill Belecek also 😀

I think he was being ironic

Sorry JP, I don't get the PG comparison personally. That said, this comes from someone that thinks Ronson often sounds like Hendrix, which I know most people don't get. What do you think?

@-davidolivares

2 жыл бұрын

I can see a similarity to All Along The Watchtower, with the slide tones. Very cool.

@a.k.1740

2 жыл бұрын

I don't hear Peter Gabriel in Bowie's voice on this track too. As for Mick Ronson I've always heard that he was influenced as much by Jeff Beck as by Jimi Hendrix but also by Eric Clapton so there must be a mixture of all that and more.

@mickcapewell6369

2 жыл бұрын

Ronno’s idol was Jeff Beck. Jeff turned up to the last Ziggy concert and jammed on the encore, though allegedly he wouldn’t allow it to be included in the movie because he was embarrassed with his trousers 🤷‍♂️

Don't see the Peter Gabriel connection at all, to me this is visceral Bowie and his desire to sing basic rock and roll, something he would get back to many years later with Tin Machine; a desire expressed directly in the song You Belong in Rock n' Roll. Your other question, I'm a fan of original Star Trek, TNG, and DS9 and maybe one or two of the movies but not the re-boot movies or recent TV series. Star Wars, very hit and miss but definitely anything other than The Rise of Skywalker; if you've not watched it yet don't bother, there's a rumour Disney may remove it from canon.

I want to see your cat.

Bet your cat would like a backwards 'Star Wars. After all most felines prefer raw rats to cooked! Leave it to you to find the Genesis of David Bowie in the Beatles! Peace.

I'm not a Star Trek or a Star Wars.. You can say I'm a "Stardust" all the way! Great song.. I wish David had made this album into a rock opera. And yes! I've said it before.. Peter was influenced by David. He said it in an interview in France. "Watchers of the Skies" by Space Oddity. Peter took mime cuz David did. His influences were David and he said Alice Cooper. He said he studied both of them. So Justin...your not crazy or grasping. You have a good ear. I also just found out when I saw David on the "Station to Station" tour Tony Kaye from very early YES was on keyboards. I was young I wasn't music literate then. The concert I went to is on KZread. I heard it when he introduced the band. So not just Rick Wakeman.

@redlioness6627

2 жыл бұрын

Justine lmao.

@dana_brooke_27

2 жыл бұрын

@@redlioness6627 Ooops lol I'll fix that! Thanks.. darn spell check

@redlioness6627

2 жыл бұрын

@@dana_brooke_27 It happens lol.

cat food cat food cat food… again (from King Crimson). I care for neither Starwar or Startrek. I prefer more complex SciFi. Contact, 2001, Gattaca, Twelve Monkeys. I'm a big fan of Dune, the books. But Starwars was a simplification of that kind of universe. The good against the bad, too simple. But it's OK to pass 2 hours because visually these are great movies.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Contact is a classic! Looking forward to the new Dune?

@Rowenband

2 жыл бұрын

@@JustJP Yes, looking forward for that. Did it come out over there ? Didi you see it ?. I didn't like Lynch's version. But I rather liked the TV mini serie (from 2002 ?). There also is a new comics serie that started last year I think. Very close to the book. Interesting.

I much prefer Star Trek to Star Wars

Why do people even have cats? Star Trek all the way… The Gabriel comparison isn’t far off at all Love those drums, guitar and piano

Not one of Bowie's best...but a great tune nontheless!...oh...and star trek all the way!

Miss me with this song, tbh. It's the only one I'd dump off of the album, and it's not like It Ain't Easy was amazing, but this song feels like it could've fit on any random '70s rock n' roll album. It doesn't have that feeling that I get from the rest of the album. In the storyline, it could be considered Ziggy overindulging in himself and starting to gain his fame and ego. Lyrically, there are no references to the storyline. This is where I would've put Velvet Goldmine, with Sweet Head right after. I get some Peter Gabriel from this song, I suppose, but Elton John seems a lot more obvious. I believe Elton took things a step further the following year in releasing Crocodile Rock. It's that Ray Charles. That John Lennon. It's very muscular piano music. I can't say it's above average, though. Bowie's just lucky none of his songs are below average.

I was never much of a Star Trek fan, either the show or movies. As for Star Wars, I liked them until "Phantom Menace", that Jar Jar Binks was the most obnoxious character of any movie, ever. I only watched the whole movie in the hopes Jar Jar would get killed. No such luck, I stopped watching after that disaster. Even the first three movies released were a bit cutesy with the Ewoks and such. As for this song, I like this song and album, but prefer Scary Monsters. Anyway, good review as always.

@JustJP

2 жыл бұрын

Jar Jar was easily the worst thing about that trilogy lol

I'd easily choose Star Wars over Star Trek. I believe the Star Trek films, especially the originals, are absolutely brilliant classics that could sit on any sci-fi appreciator's shelf, but not very many of the shows are enjoyable for me. Give me The Original Series and The Next Generation and I'm good. Star Wars, on the other hand, has 8 great films by my estimation, 5 great shows, and pretty much an endless wealth of remarkable books and video games. Star Trek books can be good, but it's less common. Star Wars is brilliant and unique, while Star Trek got completely lost in the shuffle of competing with new franchises. Even with Disney tanking the Star Wars sequel trilogy, everything out since is a great redemption.

Love this, a great rockin' track. And i get the 'in context of the album it's better' stuff, but i think it works fine as is. Re the Gabriel question, definitely not, pure Bowie. I think your tawdry love affair with all things genesis has started to addle your brain :) Re Trek vs Wars... Trek all the way. I've only seen the first Wars movie. Blown away by the graphics, but thought the story so lame, and cliched, that was it for me...

@silgen

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe Justin has better taste than you.

@jfergs.3302

2 жыл бұрын

@@silgen Improbable, but then taste is very subjective :)

First of all Start Trek is a science fiction franchise set hundreds of years in the future, an idealistic one by Gene Roddenberry who tried for many years to get it launched. There were attempts as TV movies that would be more successful years later as "Andromeda". The original "Star Trek" was cancelled after just 3 seasons. Star Wars is a fantasy-based franchise made more for children I think supposedly set a long time ago in a galaxy far away, nothing to do with Earth and humans. It's magic based because of the Force, Jedis, and Sith lords. I think the series stopped being relevant a while back, the last trilogy isn't very good, loads of repetition, useless plot lines and giant holes.

Trek is 100000% better than Wars. My opinion.

No apologies...the kitty getting his/her food is more important. Star Trek. Everything before the current Star Trek (which is a joke). PS wasn't a fan of the song...Ashes to Ashes is just so much better.

Star Wars and Star Trek: used to love both, now I hate both. The current Star Trek show is awful in particular.