“TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME”
It’s possible that some of you reading that headline may be thinking we’re ten days late with this particular celebration. Well, the shocking news is that we’re actually spot on.
Last year we didn’t even mention the release of David Bowie’s 1972 classic, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Instead we opted to mark a date we were certain of, the day the album entered the UK album chart at #15. (July 1st)
Albums were pretty much always released on a Friday at this point and armed with this knowledge and reliable chart records, June 6th always seemed highly unlikely.
Our resident expert has been squawking “it has to be the 16th” for a long time now, and finally firm evidence of that release date has surfaced in the shape of a communication from RCA’s product manager written when the album charted upon release.
The letter was on the subject of the album’s availability in stores and clearly mentions the release date of the 16th and the record’s top 20 chart placing.
July 1st, 1972, was the first time a Bowie album had entered the official UK album charts, and it was at the same time as Starman was enjoying a second week in the Top 50 at #41. (Eventually peaking at #10)
With the success of the Bowie/Ken Scott produced Ziggy Stardust album (it eventually reached #5), Ziggymania had begun in earnest in the UK and after the Top Of The Pops broadcast of Starman the following week, David Bowie’s fate was sealed.
In the unlikely event that you’ve not heard this timeless recording, go listen here on Spotify, but please bear in mind that this LP is “TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME”!