The original Ziggy Stardust concept

Intro

Pages 13-15 offer valuable insights into Bowie's original vision for the album. Page 13 indicates his intent to have an introductory piece for the song cycle. Page 18 further emphasises that this introduction would be "Ziggy Stardust", as the list linking themes and song titles connects "Intro" with "Ziggy".

The song "Ziggy Stardust" essentially captures Ziggy's rise and fall, which makes me wonder if it could have been intended to serve as a preface to the narrative that unfolds in the subsequent songs. The notebook includes the lyrics of "Ziggy Stardust" on page 9 (a few lines) and pages 10-11 (the full song, with minimal changes from the final version). Interestingly, the lyric on page 9 describes Ziggy as a "superstarman" (with the word "star" crossed out), rather than the "special man" portrayed in the final version.

Bum

Page 13 then lists "Bum", which is embellished on page 18 to become a "Bum band" which on this page is linked with "Hang On To Yourself". On page 15 the song listed as #1 is explained as: "How he was a bum and the boys with him and knowing he was against the system". Pages 6-7 in the notebook feature song lyrics which could be from an early version of "Hang On To Yourself" (albeit from later than the February 1971 demo take and the 25 February 1971 Arnold Corns recording). Lyrics include, "We're not executive material, we just ball and play. And our money won't talk, it'll bark. We're counting on you people just to dig it, just to make us. You're the blessed, we're The Spiders From Mars". The lyrics also state that "it's an avalanche plan from The Spiders From Mars", which is described as "backtown band", which was changed to a "bop town band". Although they differ from the final lyrics of "Hang On To Yourself", the lyrics do feature snippets that ended up in the final album version and the lyrics are written from a band (i.e. "we") point of view, which is in line with the "bum band" comment.

It has been speculated that "Hang On To Yourself" existed already in late 1970 as "Get It On", which is a lyrical phrase in the February 1971 demo of "Hang On To Yourself" in the Ziggy box (the phrase is not in the Arnold Corns version from later in February 1971). However, "Get It On" was no more than a musical idea in the form of a riff, but with no similarities to "Hang On To Yourself".

Talent

Page 13 of the notebook lists "Talent", which on page 18 is linked with the title "On The Game", a previously unknown title. It remains uncertain whether this track was ever recorded in a studio or what stage of completion it may have reached. It is also possible that "On The Game" was not a song title, but rather a placeholder symbolising the theme of excelling, as the "on the game" phrase is often used metaphorically to convey proficiency. Additionally, page 15 elaborates on song #2, explaining it as depicting how Ziggy shined and garnered adulation, money and respect. The absence of this song title elsewhere in the notebook supports the notion that it was a placeholder for a song about talent, ambition and success.

Hit Record and Balled/Ballad

Page 13 introduces "Hit Record Balled", with "Parents Ziggy Thing" written below it. It is likely that "Balled" is Bowie's spelling variation of "Ballad", as seen in both the Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust notebooks. The term "hit record" could suggest a song that might have been a success in Ziggy's career. One interpretation could point to "Lady Stardust" as a possible candidate for this designation, considering its perspective from a sort of parental, reflective viewpoint of Ziggy. However, on page 18, the connection of "Hit Record" shifts to "Soul Love" (crossed out) and "Moonage Daydream", instead of "Lady Stardust", creating ambiguity in the song's identity.

Also on page 18, "Balled" (key theme/word) and "Balled" (song title) are linked. The latter (song) could have been "Lady Stardust" since it is the most "ballad-y" of the Ziggy songs (and when "Balled" appears in song lists in the notebook "Lady Stardust" is not mentioned, with only one exception as both "Balled" and "Lady Stardust" are listed as titles on page 24). Song #4 on page 14 says: "How he knew he had to out-hip those queens and get into the role oh so well". This seems to allude to "Lady Stardust" especially given an earlier version of the lyrics mentioning "his songs of rebels, kings, and queens", as seen on page 3. Despite these connections, the exact songs intended for this segment of the Ziggy saga remain somewhat unclear, leaving room for interpretation and further analysis.

It is worth noting that the original lyrics of "Lady Stardust" described the character as having blond hair (crossed over, replaced with black hair), indicating that the song was not written with Marc Bolan in mind, as some have claimed. Additionally, I am sceptical of the claims that song was ever referred to as "He's Alright" or "Song For Marc".

Zipps

On page 13, Bowie has written "Out-hipping Them At Zipps" and "Zipps View", with "Goldmine" in brackets after the latter. These phrases clearly allude to "Velvet Goldmine". The song's lyrics, as depicted on pages 4-5, feature the line "I'll be your Master Zipp", suggesting that Zipps may have been intended as a venue where Ziggy performed. This theory gains support from page 15, where song #5 references "Down at Zipp's", while on page 18, "Hip at Zips" (with one "p") is linked to "Goldmine".

Originally known as either "He's A Goldmine" or "She's A Goldmine", the song underwent lyrical adjustments in the Ziggy Stardust notebook. Bowie initially revised the pronoun from "she" to "you" on page 4 but reverted to "he" on pages 9, 17 and 24, showcasing uncertainty regarding the gender. On page 18, Bowie simply labels the song as "Goldmine", indicating his indecision or perhaps a deliberate ambiguity surrounding the song's protagonist.

Fans

On a second column of page 13, has Bowie jotted down "Fans View" with "Young" in brackets. The connection between "Fans" and "Young" on page 18 further suggests that this song was likely meant to portray Ziggy from the perspective of his admirers. The title of the song is not previously documented, assuming it is a title and not a placeholder for a song from the fans' viewpoint. Page 16 mentions the title "Young Man" and page 17 "Young Love", which may be one and the same as "Young". Supporting this concept further, on page 15, song #6 is described as being from the "Fans' point of view", emphasising that this song explored Ziggy's character through the eyes of his dedicated audience.

Stage

Page 13 next lists "Stage" and in brackets "Daydream". Moving to page 18, "Stageshow" is initially associated with "Moonage Daydream", but carries a correction to "Soul Love" instead. Still, it seems highly plausible that "Moonage Daydream" was envisioned as a performance piece by Ziggy, aligning with Bowie's occasional introduction of the song in live performances as "a song written by Ziggy".

Change of attitude

Page 13 further states that song #9 concerned a "change of attitude". This seems connected with #7 on page 14, which elaborates on Ziggy's evolving stance towards the audience, "How his attitude to Joe Public changes and how fucked-up he comes on to the audience". The absence of a specific mention of a change in attitude on page 18 creates ambiguity regarding which song was meant to illustrate this transformation, even though it is a prevalent theme within the "Ziggy Stardust" song.

Sensation

Continuing the narrative, the following title on page 13 is "Stars", interconnected with the concept of "sensation". Moving forward, page 14 details song #8 as revolving around the arrival of a "new sensation". On page 18, "Stars" is paired with "New band", implying that this track is the earlier iteration of "Star", featuring slightly different lyrics as shown on page 8 of the notebook. Therefore, it appears that "Star/s" was intended to serve as the conclusion or climax of the Ziggy saga, possibly symbolising a fresh beginning for a character distinct from Ziggy or The Spiders From Mars.

Odds and ends

This look at the initial 19 pages of the Ziggy notebook suggests a potential Ziggy album lineup comprising the following tracks: "Ziggy Stardust"; "Hang On To Yourself"; "On The Game"; "Lady Stardust"; "Velvet Goldmine"; "Young"; "Moonage Daydream"; "Stars". Additional songs mentioned that, at one point, may have been intended for the Ziggy project include: "It's Gonna Rain Again" (lyrics on page 1); "Looking For A Friend" (lyrics on page 2); "Holy Holy" (first mentioned on page 12); a cover of Chuck Berry's "Round And Round" (first mentioned on page 12; originally titled "Around And Around" by Berry); "Soul Love" (first mentioned on page 12).

Listed on page 12, Bowie's cover of Biff Rose's "Angel Tension" (from his The Thorn In Mrs. Rose's Side, 1968, which also includes "Fill Your Heart" and "Buzz The Fuzz"), the Jacques Brel cover "My Death", "Tired Of My Life" and "The Supermen" were most likely not intended for the Ziggy project. It is difficult to know what "Who" (mentioned on page 16) was. Perhaps it was a cover of a Who song, such as the later covered "I Can't Explain"? Another mystery is "La-La Gipsy Tongue" (listed on page 17; Bowie's spelling).

Page 12 further lists "Manson" and "Invader", but both titles are crossed over. They may be song ideas but are probably not finished songs as they do not appear again in the notebook. Interestingly, the Divine Symmetry notebook mentions a song called "Charles Manson" (the criminal cult leader), who later turned up in "Sweet Thing", "But there's a shop on the corner that's selling papier maché, making bullet-proof faces; Charlie Manson, Cassius Clay..."

Page 19 features a sketch by Bowie of a Ziggy Stardust album cover, displaying the title Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. It is noteworthy that there is no explicit reference to this being a "rise-and-fall" story.

Page 24 serves as a comprehensive overview of songs that had been completed, were in progress or were in the planning stages for the Ziggy project. The songs on this page have all been mentioned in the preceding pages except for the title "Do You Wanna Breakdown". This is most likely the same as "Breakdown" which is mentioned later in the notebook, on pages 31 and 32. The song is mentioned in the book that is part of the Ziggy Stardust box set as being an unfinished instrumental.

Page 25 seems completely unrelated to the rest of the notebook, featuring what is likely a set list for a circa May 1972 concert (could also be earlier than May since few complete set lists are known from that period), with James Brown and Marva Whitney's "Get A Job" (actually called "You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work You Can't Eat)") and Cream's "I Feel Free" as two noteworthy covers along with Velvet Underground's "Waiting For The Man" and "White Light/White Heat". Pages 26-27 are notes on recording sessions for a few Ziggy songs.

Pages 31 and 32 highlight Chuck Berry's influence on Bowie, with both "Carol" and "Round And Round" being listed. Bowie also covered Chuck Berry's "Almost Grown" in 1971 (listed in the Divine Symmetry notebook but not mentioned in the Ziggy notebook). "Carol" is also listed as "Oh Carol" in the notebook, prompting speculation that the song is in fact "Oh! Carol" by Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka. I doubt that. After all, Berry's song starts "Oh Carol, don't let him steal your heart away".

An interesting aside on page 34 are some lyrics that were developed into "Lady Grinning Soul", "She come, she go. She lay belief on me. She take the fear from me".

The Ziggy concept evolves

"Sweet Head" (first mentioned on page 17) seems to have come into existence somewhat later than the previously mentioned songs linked to the various themes of the Ziggy project ("Bum", "Talent", "Fans", etc.). It would have seamlessly integrated into the Ziggy concept, as it specifically references Ziggy (a rarity among the songs). Its omission has been commonly linked to its risqué lyrics, though there may have been additional considerations that Bowie has never discussed. Allegedly, Bowie hesitated to include the song on the 1990 Ryko box set, when it was ultimately unearthed for official release.

"Five Years" (lyrics on page 20-21) also came about later than the aforementioned songs. There are no references to "Five Years" in the "theme" concept, but Bowie was able to weave its relevance into the Ziggy story. In the 1972 interview, he explained, "So anyway what you have there on that album when it does finally come out is a story which doesn't really take place. It's just a few little scenes from the life of a band called Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars who could feasibly be the last band on Earth. It could be within the last five years of Earth; I'm not at all sure because I wrote it in such a way that I just dropped the numbers into the album in any order that they cropped up. It depends on which state you listen to it in".

On page 31, Bowie can be seen finalising his selection for the tracks to be included on the Ziggy album, with one list in Bowie's handwriting and another in someone else's handwriting, most likely Mick Ronson's (compare it to his writing on page 133 in Ian Chapman's David Bowie FAQ). These track listings deviate from the earlier theme-based lists found in the notebook. Bowie had now designated 10 songs for the album: "Five Years"; "Round And Round"; "Moonage Daydream"; "Stars"; "Ziggy Stardust"; "Lady Stardust"; "Hang On To Yourself"; "Velvet Goldmine"; "Soul Love"; "Holy Holy".

The list by Mick Ronson includes the same 10 songs albeit in a slightly different sequence and adds "Amsterdam". This list features the same 11 tracks that were assembled on 15 December 1971 for RCA although the sequence of songs differs slightly. This Ziggy Stardust album configuration was released as Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth) in 2024.

Bowie's list on page 31 continued to mention "Stars" (plural) instead of "Star" (singular), hinting at a possible reference to the earlier version of the song with many different lyrics, such as the expression of a wish to make a "big time noise" (incidentally, Iggy Stooge/Pop penned a song called "Big Time Bum", which The Stooges performed in late 1970 and during their 1971 gigs but never recorded in the studio). However, the version of "Star" from 15 December 1971 is the same as on the final Ziggy album, although it was labelled "Rock And Roll Star" on the tape box from that date.

In another variation of the album, "Amsterdam" was swapped out for "It Ain't Easy", while "Round And Round" remained unchanged. The Ziggy box set book features a photograph of a test pressing showcasing this particular configuration, though only displaying the first side of the record without a specified date.

On page 31, there is a list of nine songs that Bowie appeared to contemplate omitting from the album, all of which were likely recorded in 1971: "Sweet Head"; "Young"; "Breakdown"; "It's Gonna Rain Again"; "Looking For A Friend"; "Shadow Man"; "Amsterdam"; "Bombers"; "It Ain't Easy". This list was created after the final tracks for Hunky Dory were selected and/or recorded, as "Amsterdam", "Bombers" and "It Ain't Easy" were initially considered for inclusion on that album but were ultimately left off. This list of leftover tracks implies the possibility of the existence of recordings of previously unknown Ziggy-era songs "Young" and "Breakdown", although they may not be fully developed or completed songs.

Following the creation of the album compilation on 15 December 1971, the Ziggy project briefly paused before resuming sessions in February 1972 at the request of RCA's Dennis Katz, who sought a track suitable for a single release. In response, Bowie delivered "Starman" and also recorded "Suffragette City" and "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide". These three new songs, along with the inclusion of the Hunky Dory leftover "It Ain't Easy", replaced four tracks from the original 15 December 1971 album compilation, "Amsterdam", "Round And Round", "Velvet Goldmine" and "Holy Holy". A new master tape was created on 9 February 1972, marking the completion of the Ziggy album.

Given Bowie's extraordinary songwriting creativity during this period, it is noteworthy that the 15 December 1971 version of the Ziggy album contained two covers and a remake of the previously released track "Holy Holy". While Bowie envisioned "Round And Round" as a fitting number for Ziggy to perform on stage, "Amsterdam" may seem less aligned with the Ziggy concept. It is possible that "Amsterdam" could have been designated as a solo performance piece for Ziggy. In contrast, "Velvet Goldmine" seemed to fit into the original Ziggy concept. Bowie said in the early 1972 interview that it was ultimately excluded from the final album due to its provocative lyrics. Connecting "Holy Holy" to the Ziggy saga may have posed similar challenges, although I suppose it might be possible to interpret certain lyrics as relating to an insistent groupie ("hold on to anyone, hold on to anyone, but let go of me"), creating a tenuous association with the theme of "Suffragette City".

Missing songs

There is no mention of "Only One Paper Left" (neither title nor lyrics) in the notebook. It is believed that the song was started but not finished during the November 1971 Ziggy album sessions. The Ziggy Stardust book in the 2024 box set states that the song was left unfinished as an instrumental piece. The song was copyrighted in 2023, attributed to "BRBW Arachnid Band", which likely is an acronym for Bowie Ronson Bolder Woodmansey, with Arachnid being The Spiders. The song was attempted (without vocals) by Hype in August 1970, with Tony Visconti producing, after Bowie had left the group.

Despite being a tantalising title connected to the Ziggy project, "Blackhole Kids" is curiously absent from the Ziggy Stardust box set notebook and book. Bowie revealed the title in 1999 as a potential song for the project he was immersed in at the time, sparking intrigue surrounding its whereabouts, "I'm going to include an old song called 'Blackhole Kids', which is fabulous. I have no idea why it wasn't on the original album. Maybe I forgot". In 2000, he further elaborated, "I've pulled out a good deal of scraps that were never used at the time. Some of them are only 30 seconds long, but I'm extending those. I thought, 'OK, is this crap and is that the reason why it never appeared on the first one or is it OK and should I try and do things with it?' So I've taken those six tracks and thrashed them out and made them into songs that will support the original. One's called the 'Blackhole Kids' which is fascinating".

I think it is unlikely that "Blackhole Kids" originated during the 1971-72 Ziggy project era (I know it is mentioned in my Bowie Bible, Kevin Cann's brilliant Any Day Now, as being an unfinished track from the Ziggy Stardust sessions). Instead, it seems more likely that the song was created in autumn 1973, coinciding with Bowie's additional work for a theatrical adaptation of the Ziggy story (for which both "Rebel Rebel" and "Rock 'N' Roll With Me" supposedly were intended). He provided a comprehensive and detailed "blackhole" narrative in the 17 November 1973 conversation with William Burroughs, published in Rolling Stone in February 1974.

In the discussion with Burroughs, Bowie explained that the end of Ziggy would be with the arrival of "The Infinites". He elaborated, "They really are a black hole, but I've made them people because it would be very hard to explain a black hole onstage. Ziggy is advised in a dream by the Infinites to write the coming of a starman, so he writes 'Starman', which is the first news of hope that the people have heard. So they latch onto it immediately. The starmen that he is talking about are called The Infinites, and they are black hole jumpers. They don't have a care in the world and are of no possible use to us. They just happened to stumble into our universe by black hole jumping. Their whole life is travelling from universe to universe. Now Ziggy starts to believe in all this himself and thinks himself a prophet of the future starman. He takes himself up to incredible spiritual heights and is kept alive by his disciples. When the infinites arrive, they take bits of Ziggy to make themselves real because in their original state they are anti-matter and cannot exist on our world. And they tear him to pieces onstage during the song 'Rock and Roll Suicide'."

The interpretation of the Ziggy story involving a science fiction-inspired narrative appears to me to have been concocted retroactively, as there are no mentions of such themes in the Ziggy notebook. Additionally, Bowie did not allude to any of these concepts during the 1972 interview where he discussed the album, "What you have there on that album when it does finally come out is a story which doesn't really take place. It's just a few little scenes from the life of a band called Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars who could feasibly be the last band on Earth; it could be within the last five years of Earth, I'm not at all sure. Because I wrote it in such a way that I just dropped the numbers into the album in any order that they cropped up. It depends on which state you listen to it in."

In my interpretation, Bowie's enthusiasm for the "black hole" narrative in the Rolling Stone interview implies that it was a project he was immersed in at the time. He enhanced the Ziggy story by adding depth and detail to the initially quite vague story. Like many creative artists, Bowie was particularly passionate about his current work as it represented his latest expression of evolving interests and ideas. Therefore, it is likely that "Blackhole Kids" was part of his late 1973 work, rather than stemming from the original Ziggy sessions. It could have been one of the six remaining "scraps" he mentioned in 2000.

The chronology of the Ziggy Stardust album

By examining the timeline of events, it is possible to pinpoint when the songs selected for the Ziggy album were initially conceived and/or recorded in different variations. Bowie said in Mick Rock's book Moonage Daydream: The Life And Times Of Ziggy Stardust that during his visit to the US from 23 January to 18 February 1971, he already had the basics of "Moonage Daydream", "Ziggy Stardust" and "Hang On To Yourself", all of which would become key tracks on the album. Bowie discussed the Ziggy concept during this trip, explaining that Ziggy would not be a conventional rock star and that he would portray him. "I think they all thought I was talking in terms of a musical. It's possible that I was; it's now hard to remember what direction I had expected him to go."

The song that would become "Moonage Daydream" was known as "So Long 60s" at the time of the US trip, featuring markedly different lyrics and arrangement as heard in the Ziggy box. While it retained the same chord sequence and one lyric line ("keep your mouth shut") that would be incorporated into the final version on the Ziggy album, it also boasted a completely different chorus that was eventually dropped. The tape containing "So Long 60s", recorded on 11 or 12 February 1971 in a San Francisco hotel room, also included "Quicksand" and "Waiting For The Man", which were released on Divine Symmetry. In addition, the tape featured "Oh! You Pretty Things" and "Hole In The Ground", left off both Divine Symmetry and the Ziggy box, and an instrumental take on what would become "Moonage Daydream".

Upon his return from the US trip, Bowie quickly got to work revamping the lyrics of "So Long 60s" and transforming it into "Moonage Daydream" for The Arnold Corns project. On 25 February 1971, he recorded the song at the Radio Luxembourg Studios, included in the Ziggy box set. However, this version was notably different from the final rendition featured on the Ziggy album.

In March 1971, Bowie created a home demo of "Ziggy Stardust", which can be found in the Ziggy box set. The lyrics of the song, as noted in the Ziggy notebook, appeared to have been mostly solidified early on, with only a few minor modifications made later on.

The Ziggy box includes a recording of "Hang On To Yourself" made on 13 February 1971 with record producer Tom Ayers, whom Bowie was staying with in Los Angeles. Arnold Corns' version of the song was recorded on 25 February at Radio Luxembourg Studios and shared similarities with the Los Angeles take. The initial lyrics of the Los Angeles version included references to a father and mother being involved in "something good", while the Arnold Corns version featured similar lyrics and theme. However, before the song was finalised for the Ziggy Stardust album, it underwent significant changes. A scrapped version of the song was recorded on the first day of the Ziggy sessions, 8 November 1971, featuring a female protagonist described as "a tongue-twist sweet" who is encouraged to "hang around". The lyrics also contained more explicit references to a groupie theme, such as "she's a virgin, we're The Spiders From Mars" and "you're safe, we're The Spiders From Mars". Ultimately, the lyrics were reworked and the song was re-recorded on 11 November 1971 for the final version included on the album.

Following the trio of "Moonage Daydream", "Ziggy Stardust" and "Hang On To Yourself", the next song for the Ziggy album was likely "Lady Stardust" which Bowie demoed at the Radio Luxembourg Studios on 9 March 1971. Additionally, "Star" in its earlier incarnation as "Stars", was captured on tape at the same studio around May 1971, as detailed in the Ziggy box set.

In a similar fashion to his reworking of "Get It On"/"Hang On To Yourself", Bowie made significant changes to the song "Stars"/"Star" throughout 1971. The original demo included lyrics that opened with, "If someone had the sense to hear me, if someone had the time to see, I could tell them who they are, like rock 'n' roll stars" (indicating the title as "Stars" in plural form). Bowie shared this demo with Chameleon in connection with his performance at the Aylesbury Friars on 25 September 1971. However, by early November, Bowie had rewritten the lyrics, with a home rehearsal included in the Ziggy box showcasing partially new lyrics such as "Someone lit a cigarillo, someone's got to drive the cars". On the first day of recording for the Ziggy Stardust album on 8 November 1971, yet another iteration of "Star" was captured. Beginning with the new lines, "Someone has to blow down Wall Street, someone has to kill the man", this take was ultimately discarded in favour of a partially different set of lyrics for the final album version, which was recorded just a few days later (11 November).

Throughout the spring and summer of 1971, Bowie primarily concentrated on Hunky Dory, with recording sessions spanning from early July to early August. "Five Years" and "Soul Love" were post-Hunky Dory songs, with the Ziggy box featuring a home recording of the latter from early November 1971, just prior to the commencement of the Ziggy album sessions.

At the initiation of recording sessions for the Ziggy album on 8 November 1971, Bowie had written all but three of the 11 tracks that would later feature on the album. The remaining three songs, "Starman", "Suffragette City" and "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide", were developed following the compilation of the album on 15 December 1971, in response to the request for a single. These final tracks were recorded in early February 1972, and the album was finalised with the inclusion of the leftover Hunky Dory track, "It Ain't Easy".

The songwriting process for Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory is intriguing as it involved significant overlap between the two albums. This can be observed in the Divine Symmetry notebook, where snippets of Ziggy-related lyrics, such as "Keep your mouth shut, listen to the world inside" from "So Long 60s" and "So exciting, I could..." from "Stars", are present, indicating that songs for both albums were being developed concurrently. Numerous songs were considered for both albums, including "Amsterdam", "It's Gonna Rain Again", "She's A Goldmine", "Stars", "Looking For A Friend", "Round And Round", and "Lady Stardust". However, each album also had its own unique set of contemporaneous songs.

Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust were conceived and recorded during a period of relative calmness in Bowie's life, before the demands of fame, adulation, touring and the music industry started to weigh on him. This creative surge was ignited by a new music publishing deal with Chrysalis Music in late 1970, allowing Bowie the freedom to focus solely on crafting and recording new music. The result of this period of intense dedication was not only two of Bowie's most original, imaginative and beloved albums, but also a trove of unreleased material that could have spawned several additional records, along with a wealth of musical and lyrical ideas that would be incorporated into his future work. Bowie's abundant creativity and prolific output were the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work and dedication to songwriting. The next phase of his career marked a shift towards embracing the performative side of his artistry.

Ziggy and Aladdin Sane

Interestingly, the front and back covers of the notebook hint at Bowie's early concept of using a lightning bolt to represent Ziggy. This idea would come to fruition two years later on the cover of Aladdin Sane, with the lightning bolt symbolising the Aladdin Sane character. Bowie described it as "an electric kind of thing", choosing to depict Aladdin Sane being struck by lightning instead of the more traditional flame imagery. According to Bowie, Aladdin Sane embodied the theme of "Ziggy goes to America" and was intentionally less defined and "clear cut" compared to Ziggy, possessing a more transient quality.

The notebooks provide a captivating glimpse into Bowie's creative process, offering valuable insights into his artistic vision. Looking ahead to future releases, I anticipate further revelations from Aladdin Sane and beyond, shedding light on additional ideas and concepts that showcase Bowie's creativity and vision. These releases have the potential to deepen our understanding of Bowie's multifaceted artistry.