Bowie’s ‘Spiders from Mars’ Earns 40th Birthday Reissue

Today’s the day for seminal reissues, apparently: Pitchfork tells us that EMI has announced that it will reissue David Bowie’s iconic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars this summer to mark its big 4-0. Just think, that’s as old as eight Hissing Faunas! The reissue will be available June 4 in the U.K. and June 5 in the U.S.

The 1972 record will return in two packages: a limited-edition vinyl version has a DVD-A (audio-only DVD; basically a really, really high-fidelity CD) that includes four previously unheard mixes of Bowie tracks like “Velvet Goldmine” and “Sweet Head.” Looks like the DVD-A includes the regular mixes as well as the high-quality tracks, which means Bowie nerds everywhere can spend hours flipping back and forth comparing the engineers’ work. Fun fact: Ziggy already got a remix-and-master treatment back in 1999, and it has also gotten its own stamp in the U.K. In the original record’s first week, it sold 8,000 copies (that’s in the U.K. only) — and that was considered a lot back then.

While we can keep our fingers crossed new music may emerge from My Bloody Valentine land, as Bowie’s wife has assured the world, we’re going to have to make due with just reissues on the Bowie front.

Ziggy Stardust, CD:

1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain’t Easy
6. Lady Stardust
7. Star
8. Hang on to Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

Ziggy Stardust, 180-gram Vinyl:

Side A:

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1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain’t Easy

Side B:

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1. Lady Stardust
2. Star
3. Hang on to Yourself
4. Ziggy Stardust
5. Suffragette City
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

Audio-Only DVD (comes with above vinyl):

1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Moonage Daydream
4. Starman
5. It Ain’t Easy
6. Lady Stardust
7. Star
8. Hang on to Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide
12. Five Years**
13. Soul Love**
14. Moonage Daydream**
15. Starman**
16. It Ain’t Easy**
17. Lady Stardust**
18. Star**
19. Hang on to Yourself**
20. Ziggy Stardust**
21. Suffragette City**
22. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide**

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23. Moonage Daydream (Instrumental)**&

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24. The Supermen**&

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25. Velvet Goldmine**&

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26. Sweet Head**&

** 5.1 mixes: DTS 48/24 and Dolby Digital / Stereo mixes: 48/24 LPCM stereo
& Previously unreleased mixes