The remastered 40th Anniversary Edition of David Bowie’s groundbreaking and hugely influential 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars, was released today by EMI Music.
In celebration of the landmark album’s 40th anniversary, VH1 Classic and Palladia, MTV Networks’ high-definition music channel, will present D.A. Pennebaker’s ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars: The Motion Picture.’ The 1973 film documents the final show David Bowie performed in his Ziggy Stardust persona at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on July 3, 1973. Palladia will air the film on Saturday, June 9 at 12PM ET/PT, and VH1 Classic will air it on Tuesday, June 5 at 1AM ET/PT and Wednesday, June 6 at 3PM ET/PT. For additional airdates and times check palladia.tv and VH1Classic.com. Tonight, the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles will host a public screening of the classic film, followed by a Q&A with the album’s co-producer, Ken Scott.
Other special promotions around the release include the launch of an interactive web application at www . IAmZiggyStardust . com, allowing fans to include their faces in the iconic album cover, while Genero TV has partnered with EMI to offer fans the opportunity to create the music video for one of the album’s songs, “Ziggy Stardust.” Create your full-length music video showcasing your visual interpretation of this iconic song and upload it to Genero.tv before June 8, 2012, 23:59 GMT.
Remastered by original Trident Studios engineer Ray Staff at London’s Air Studios, the album’s commemorative edition is available on CD and digitally, and in a special, limited edition vinyl LP/DVD package, featuring the new 2012 remaster with a 5.1 mix and high resolution audio. The limited edition’s DVD also features previously unreleased 5.1 and stereo bonus 2003 Ken Scott mixes of “Moonage Daydream” (instrumental), “The Supermen,” “Velvet Goldmine,” and “Sweet Head.”
Originally released through RCA Victor on June 6, 1972, Ziggy Stardust was David Bowie’s fifth album, co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott. Incredibly, the album was conceived and written while Bowie was recording 1971’s Hunky Dory album, with recording beginning months before that album’s release. Recording took place at Trident Studios, London between November 8, 1971 and February 4, 1972, with the line-up of Mick Ronson (guitar, piano, backing vocals), Trevor Bolder (bass), Mick Woodmansey (drums) and Rick Wakeman, harpsichord on “It Ain’t Easy” with backing vocals by Dana Gillespie on same. In addition to performing vocals, Bowie played guitar and saxophone on the album, with arrangements by Bowie and Ronson.
The album eventually peaked at #5 on the UK Album Chart on July 22, 1972, having entered the chart at #15 on July 1. Key to the album’s rise in the UK were the two TV performances of “Starman” on Granada TV’s “Lift Off With Ayshea” and nationally on the BBC’s “Top Of The Pops.” The album’s influence is immeasurable – it converted legions of fans, becoming the zeitgeist and a major influence on the next generation, particular those who were involved in the punk movement – musicians, artists, designers – and the subsequent re-birth of rock and pop.
Bowie famously killed Ziggy at his peak at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, on July 3, 1973, though Ziggy Stardust’s influence was to redefine popular culture forever: pop music was never the same again.
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