After a world tour of more than 18 months, David Bowie decided on July 3, 1973 - for his own mental well-being - to wring the neck of his alter ego
Ziggy Stardust. He began to identify more and more with the character and, at the same time, he could no longer muster the same enthusiasm he did when Ziggy was born in 1972. In front of 3,500 fans, Ziggy and The Spiders From Mars gave one last concert
… at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. After a year and a half of performing, the band sounds very played-in and energetic. The concert in question was also filmed for a motion picture and the much more famous soundtrack first appeared in 1983. What was missing from earlier versions was the encore in which guitarist Jeff Beck joins the band. Just hearing Beck and Spiders From Mars guitarist Mick Ronson (in top form) solo alongside each other makes it more than worth listening to this new release, which was released to mark the 50th anniversary of this farewell. (JV)more
