David Bowie

5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

This new 5CD/1Blu-ray collection from the late David Bowie follows 2019's Conversation Piece (which shed light on the 1968-1969 David Bowie/Space Oddity era) and 2022's Divine Symmetry (which chronicled the twelve months leading up to December 1971's release of Hunky Dory).  Rock 'n' Roll Star! takes an in-depth look at Bowie's path to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, beginning in February 1971 and going through the album's June 1972 release up to Ziggy and The Spiders' October 1, 1972 concert at the Boston Music Hall.  The set's five CDs boast more than two dozen previously unreleased tracks, encompassing demos, tracks recorded with the Arnold Corns band, home rehearsals, two full discs of radio and television performances, and single versions, plus session outtakes and alternate takes newly mixed by the original album's producer, Ken Scott. The Blu-ray Disc offers the 2012 remaster of the original Ziggy Stardust album in 96/24 PCM Stereo and the 5.1 surround version from 2003 in 96/24 DTS-MA (Master Audio).  Single versions and the complete contents of CD 5 (the outtakes and alternative versions) are also included in 96/24 PCM Stereo.  Lastly, the Record Store Day release Waiting in the Sky (Before the Starman Came to Earth), an early version of the albums, is included in 96/24 PCM Stereo.  This assembly features four songs that ultimately weren't included on Ziggy plus a unique sequence.  Two books round out the lavish package.