The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – Starman who charted from Trident

Trident, June 1972, a starman charts

On 16 June 1972 in the UK, David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars on RCA. The sessions ran at Trident Studios in London from November 1971 to early February 1972, co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott. Mick Ronson handled guitar, piano, and string charts; Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey locked the rhythm section. Bowie sang, played acoustic guitar and sax, and framed the album as the rise and collapse of a rock messiah who fell to Earth.

The story is clear without a script. Five Years opens with a countdown to the end of the world. Moonage Daydream and Hang On to Yourself push Ronson’s hard guitar and Bowie’s rapid lines. Starman was added late when RCA wanted a single; the July 1972 Top of the Pops performance, arm around Ronson, became the entry point for a generation of UK listeners. Suffragette City moves at a Velvet Underground pace; Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide closes with “you’re not alone.” Brian Ward’s Heddon Street photograph, later colorized, put Ziggy under the K. West sign.

This was Bowie’s fifth studio album and his first UK album-chart entry, peaking at No.5. The Spiders played the persona hard on stage until Bowie killed Ziggy at Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973. The record stays a working rock album first: short songs, hard guitars, and a character you can follow from the first drum hit to the last line.