Album of the Day

In a career filled with peaks, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS is likely David Bowie's Mt. Everest. The performer's fifth studio album featured irresistible glam rock anthems in a conceptual framework combining sexual ambiguity, science fiction and rock star autobiography. As a songwriter, Bowie was firing on all cylinders here – “Starman,” “Hang On to Yourself,” “Suffragette City” and the title track were instant classics – and Mick Ronson's punchy riffs made it clear he was a guitar hero to be reckoned with. Released 50 years ago today, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS hit the U.K. Top 10 and remains a staple of critics' “greatest albums of all-time” lists.