Album Review: Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later by Various Artists (Pale Wizard Records)

In honour of the legendary David Bowie’s 5th album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars reaching it’s 50th anniversary, Pale Wizard Records have brought together some of the very best of the underground music scene to pay tribute.

David Bowie’s 5th album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars was released on June 16th 1972 and is seen as one of the most important landmark releases of the seventies. This album catapulted Bowie from a fringe cult hero to a worldwide mega star. A cohesive, conceptual and sweeping masterwork, the record is seen as one of the most important landmark releases of the seventies. With its huge musical scope, Ziggy influenced entire generations of rockers, goths, popstars, new romantics and everything else in between.

Now, on June 16th 2022, 50 years later, to the day, Pale Wizard Records pays tribute to the monumental classic, handpicking 11 of the most renowned bands the modern hard rock, stoner and psych underground scene has to offer who each take on a track from Ziggy Stardust in their own contemporary styles. The album will be available on CD, two variants of 12″ vinyl and on digital platforms.
Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later is a loving homage to the original classic, following last year’s debut in the series which was a very well-received tribute to the great ‘Killer’ LP by Alice Cooper, championed by the likes of Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and BBC Radio 2’s Johnnie Walker.

Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later comes with 14 tracks on it so it is David Bowie’s original masterpiece’s 11 tracks in full but you also get 3 bonus tracks. I’m a big fan of Bowie, a big fan of this album and also a big fan of many of the band’s featured on this tribute so this is very exciting for me, and likely many others. As you know, if you read any reviews I write, I have a tendency to write a lot of descriptive text. It’s my jam. Often trying to find a written way to describe a song, sound and structure but I will have to restrain myself here. There is little to no point in me judging or trying to inform you of the songs themselves. You already know them.

Instead let me simply state how fucking awesome this is. From the mighty Sail opening with Five Years, the admiration for the original work is clear and obvious. The Ziggy Stardust era is breathed new life with many songs managing to sound both respectful of an era yet modernised. Sail smash it, really setting the scene with an immense vocal performance in particular standing out.

Son of Boar also own it with a wonderful rendition of Soul Love. I adore the deeper, gruff yet gorgeous vocals and the clear ringing guitar solo played wonderfully. Tony Reed really brings the blues with his rendition of Moonage Daydream. With a slightly retro, fuzzy production that easily places the song in a bygone era. Mother Vulture take on the classic, Starman and really make it their own with a thick doomy sound playing off of higher vocals that sound nothing short of brilliant. It’s a fantastic cover.

Deltanaut hammer out a solid take on It Aint Easy adding a chunkier, harder hitting chorus to one of the lesser known Bowie hits. The Lunar Effect take Lady Stardust and make it work for them brilliantly. Another phenomenal vocal performance leads the track, as Bowie did back in his day. It’s a smooth and chilled listen. Suns of Thunder really rock up the track Star. I love the deeper tone. It hits pretty hard with a stompy instrumental working with the crunchier instruments and rougher vocals.

Possessor give us Hang On To Yourself and really ramp up the heaviness. Echoed vocals, raw and punchy instrumentation really reimagine the track. The threads of the original are still there, and in that homage is paid well. It’s really cool to see such a switch up though with the band making this a hardcore track that would be just as popular today, I think. Redshift get the opportunity to cover one of my favourite ever Bowie tracks, Ziggy Stardust.

They really do a wonderful rendition. I love the tone on the guitars and the vocals are stunning in the verse. The chorus is a little flat but just because it is in a different key to what I expected. Little blasts of gutturals and blasting drums add a Redshift signature to preceding’s. Well done. The one and only Raging Speedhorn had the honour of being the lead single on this tribute with Suffragette City. It’s another cracking cover with big energy and a thick, metal sound that works so well with Bowie’s songs.

Kong Social take on the darker, melancholic album closer, Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide. You wont be surprised to know it is another fantastic rendition, dripping in depressive melody and introspective feeling. It is such a wonderful song, originally, and these guys absolutely smash the cover with a jaw dropping vocal performance.

And even though Ziggy Stardust closes here, we get the pleasure of three additional bonus tracks starting with Bitter Kisses covering Ashes to Ashes in a wonderful style that really captures the magic of the original yet transforming it massively into their own style. It’s really good. Sergeant Thunderhoof get in on the fun with a rocking cover of The Jean Jeanie. Another banging cover, rocked up with wicked guitars and strong vocals. And the real end comes with Tony Reed having a second cover, this time with Sweet Thing. A beautifully sung, melancholic rendition to close out an album of excellence.

Ziggy Stardust: 50 Years Later is a really fun and nostalgic look back at one of the greatest artists of all time. It is handled with care and respect by Pale Wizard Records and manages to showcase both an icon of the past alongside the cream of the hard rock and metal underground. If you didn’t like Bowie, firstly, what’s wrong with you? Secondly, these renditions rock things up enough that you may find a new love for some old songs. If you loved or love Bowie, hearing these tracks and the Ziggy Stardust album reimagined so well will fill your heart with happiness. A truly wonderful tribute indeed.