Just Watch Me Now

I won't bore anyone with my tales of the times that I worked with David Bowie ( very marginally as a concert DJ ) But nostalgia inspired me to reconnect with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Of course, Bowie has had a long chameleon like career but for me this and the preceding Hunky Dory remain the peaks of his output. They are certainly the most consistent with no weak tracks ( well, maybe the one he didn't write, It Ain't Easy, is close to being a filler ) One thing that struck me on listening to this for the first time in years was the way that it is very much a band album despite Bowie's dominance. Mick Ronson's importance as guitarist and arranger is widely acknowledged but on this digitally remastered version the contributions of the rhythm section of Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey are highlighted strongly. Bowie's vocals are strong and characterful throughout and there are some fine tunes for singalongs. The lyrics are witty and knowing, notably the use of what was already outdated slang such as out of sight, far out, blow our minds etc. The song Star spells out the entire blueprint of the Ziggy project ( just watch me now ) and Bowie followed it masterfully aided by Svengali manager Tony Defries. People may point to links back to the Velvet Undeground ( though not as overtly as on Hunky Dory ) but it was noticeable to me how proto-punk many of the tracks were such as Hang On To Yourself and Suffragette City. While Soul Love was a nod to Bowie's own mod roots. Not just nostalgia then but a landmark in pop rock music and a document on the inner workings of the biz for those who want to examine it.