WATCH THAT MAN

David Bowie’s performance personas were many and varied. They were a source of endless fascination to his fans and a reflection of his restless creativity. From glam icon Aladdin Sane to the soul man of Young Americans, from the Thin White Duke to Scary Monsters’ Perroit, the artist born David Robert Jones was as adventurous in his ever evolving aesthetic as he was in his music.

Yet there is no doubt that the most influential of Bowie’s major characters was the first: the beloved alien Ziggy Stardust. The androgynous rock and roll prophet so captivated audiences during the extensive tours of 1972 and 1973 that the singer’s unexpected announcement of Ziggy’s retirement at the end of the July 3rd 1973 London concert sent shockwaves thumping not only through the theatre but the entire rock world. Near the end of the show Bowie takes the microphone…

Of all the shows on this tour, this particular show will remain with us the longest, because not only is it the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do. Thank you.

Like his sexual identity and his lyrics, this ambiguous Bowie utterance had exactly the desired effect: an iconic moment in rock history was created. It is a further example of Bowie’s genius for self-promotion that the entire show was captured on film.

Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, directed by D.A. Pennebaker (who had previously directed a famous film about the Monterey International Pop Festival), was first screened in 1979, but didn’t get a theatrical release until a full decade after the concert was filmed. Its’ worldwide appearance in cinemas coincided, naturally enough, with the release of the soundtrack album Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars—The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Those who shelled out for the original double album (1983) or first CD release (1992) got a recording that was criticised for its mediocre sound quality as well as some significant edits. The 2003 thirtieth anniversary re-issue improved the former and corrected most of the latter; song order is amended and the introductions by Bowie are in place. But the final segment where the band is joined by Jeff Beck remained elusive. Apparently the guitar legend was not happy with his appearance in the film, and did not give permission for his contribution to be released. Fans who want the "Jean Genie/Love Me Do" medley (entertaining and rather timely, given the re-issue of The Beatles first single as the B-side of "Now and Then") or the cover of Chuck Berry’s "Round and Round" (a throwaway) will be seeking out the fiftieth anniversary version released in August 2023.

The show opens at full tilt with a storming version of "Hang On To Yourself," followed—as it is on the studio album—by "Ziggy Stardust", containing the fateful line, "When the kids had killed the man I had to break up the band."

It’s important to remember that this tour was also promoting Aladdin Sane, Bowie’s latest LP. In addition to "The Jean Genie" we have "Watch That Man", "Cracked Actor", and "Time". Earlier songs are not ignored, with the plaintive "Wild Eyed Boy From Freeload" (segueing neatly into "All The Young Dudes" followed by "Oh! You Pretty Things") and iconic "Space Oddity" going down well with the audience.

In the end, Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars—The Motion Picture Soundtrack is as much about a moment in time as it is a musical document. The time was one of change and challenge, of ripping up the drab old program and writing a new, glamorous script. The music may be a little rough at times, but it is indisputably alive. You may not have been there but you can paint a red Aladdin Sane lightning bolt on your face and pretend, acting out the glam persona you’ve always dreamed of. Ziggy would approve.

© Bruce Jenkins—December 2023