The All-TIME 100 Albums: The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

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The All-TIME 100 Albums

59 of 101

By Alan Light Published: November 13, 2006

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ALBUM: The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

YEAR RELEASED: 1972 LABEL: RCA ARTIST: David Bowie

TIME 100 ALBUMS PODCASTS

PODCAST: Welcome to the All-TIME 100 Albums - the musical compilations of the last half-century that need no introduction. That said, listen in below as music critics Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light introduce the list and talk about the top albums of the 1950s and '60s.

PODCAST: We know. Twenty-nine of the 100 greatest albums of all time come in the 1970s, and Pink Floyd isn't there. Play this podcast to learn why we picked the titles we did, and if you have something to say, tell us about it using the talkback link below.

PODCAST: Maybe it's a Sign O' The Times that you're listening to critics' audio recordings about great music, but this podcast about how we chose the best albums of the 1980s really is a Thriller. Give it a listen below.

PODCAST: Here's music even the younger set will know by heart. Listen to selected clips from the 1990s through present day as music critic Josh Tyrangiel discusses his picks.

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I became Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie once said. "David Bowie went totally out the window...I got hopelessly lost in the fantasy." Possibly the first true rock concept album, complete with narrative, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars tells the story of a Martian rock star whose mission is to offer sex and salvation to earthlings. In the climactic "Rock & Roll Suicide," Ziggy is torn apart by the fans he inspired. With such killer songs as "Suffragette City" and "Moonage Daydream," Bowie matched his arty, theatrical ambitions with crunching, arena-ready rock, setting in motion the glam rock movement that echoed from Alice Cooper to Marilyn Manson. For the album's 30th anniversary, a few of Ziggy's songs were broadcast into space from Roswell, New Mexico, using a high-tech laser beam. We continue to await response from the interstellar rock star community.