10. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- David Bowie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz0XIiIlATE Ah, Bowie. While in latter years his character threatened to overshadow his musicthanks to films like Labyrinth and send-ups like the brilliant Bowie episode of Flight of the Condorshis music remains incredible and fresh no matter how many times you hear it. Ziggy Stardust is one such album, which both encapsulated Bowies approach to music and was one of the most influential rock albums of all time. The album tells the story of Ziggy Stardust, an alien rock star who comes to Earth to save it in its final years. Well actually hes a human who is the manifestation of galactic beings who come to Earth; but they Ziggy must sacrifice himself in order for these beings to appear. Of course, you dont need to know any of this to listen to the album (and Im actually not sure we could pick this up from the songs without commentary on the album), as the songs are classics in their own right. Can you think of any other album that tells a story resembling one of the later novels of Philip K. Dick? Correction, can you think of any such album that is actually enjoyable to listen to? Would anyone even try anymore? Ziggy Stardust is one of those pieces of art that changes everything but can never be replicated; in a way Bowie did to glam rock what Chretien de Troyes did to Arthurian romance.