#315Albums is a list of 315 albums that appear on both the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, as well as the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book, edited by Robert Dimery. At its best, it is a representation of some of the greatest music ever released; at its worst, it is a journey through the history of music that the majority see as important, influential, and/or relevant. If nothing else, these albums are worth experiencing at least once to get a better understanding of music, which is why we are working to complete all #315Albums.
No. 004
“This album documents one of the most elaborate self-mythologizing schemes in rock, as David Bowie created the glittery, messianic alter ego Ziggy Stardust (‘well-hung and snow-white tan’).”
Artist: David Bowie
Album: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Released: 1972
Label: RCA
Rolling Stones Ranking: 35
The first of five albums we’ll be listening to during this journey, Ziggy Stardust is memorable, from the title of the album, to the power ballad that is “Ziggy Stardust”. I first heard this song thanks to one of the Guitar Hero games, so I was excited when I pulled this album’s number. It was just as good as I remembered, and there are some other notably great songs on here like “Lady Stardust”, and “Suffragette City” (I believe that was another Guitar Hero hit). The whole album feels cosmic, and is just fun to listen to. It’s easy to see why this alter ego was so damn successful.
Cinefessions’ #315Albums Rating: 77%
Image and quote courtesy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
