The Rise and Fall of, to be specific.
Okay, I dig on concept albums, for the most part, and I’ve been listening to this album for years now, (well, I dig it out and give it a spin every couple of months, or so) and it finally dawned on me…
I’ve got the massed wisdom of the Teeming Millions to explain it to me!
I get the general gist of it:
Five Years ~ For some reason, earth has five years left, and then it’s the big ka-blooey. Most folks is bummed.
Soul Love ~ Umm… actually, right here I get lost. Was this supposed to be part of the narrative, or just a single Dave had lying around and tossed in?
Moonage Daydream ~ Ziggy’s first transmission to earth, he’s on the way (to save the day with rock ‘n’ roll, maybe? Or just telling us to enjoy the five years we’ve got left?)
Starman ~ So, instead of NASA, the Russian Space Agency, or even Sears and Roebuck, Ziggy’s first message to earth gets picked up by a couple kids with transistor radios, who check to see if the signal’s bleeding over to channel 2’s wavelength.
It Ain’t Easy ~ Again, I can’t quite follow the story, here.
Lady Stardust ~ The effeminate, bisexual Ziggy hits the stage, and drives the guys and the girls wild. Though it sounds like he’s the prototype goth rocker.
Star ~ Possibly, one of the kids mentioned earlier, or just some other random guy is inspired by the Starman to make it as a rock ‘n’ roll star (although since he’s got five years max, his career is on shaky ground before he plays note one.)
Hang Onto Yourself ~ Ziggy gets jiggy wit’ da groupies.
Ziggy Stardust ~ One of the Spiders (whether they came from outerspace too, or are just a backup band he found after he landed, I dunno) gives us the inside track on Ziggy, and how living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, and keeping his fans happy, eventually does him in.
Suffragette City ~ Okay… Whoever this guy is, he wants his buddy up off the couch, and out the door, 'cause this chick who sexually wiped him out the night before (At Ziggy’s show, maybe?) is coming over for another go 'round. (Dude! I’m so gonna score, man! Go sleep on your sister’s couch!) Narrative completely abandonded here, I think.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide ~ And, I think I need more help. It fits the feel of the album, but takes a left turn from the narrative.
There’re three tracks on the tape I’ve got that were never included on the original cut of the album (or so I gather) out of sequence, at the end of the second side. We’ll leave them be for a minute (though Sweet Head is catchy as all hell, and I’m baffled why it didn’t make the cut, first time 'round.)
So, can someone who’s down with the Thin White Duke more than I am educate me on what I’m missing, or completely misinterpretting?
[sub]Some cat was layin’ down some rock ‘n’ roll, lotta soul, he said.[/sub]