A remix of David Bowie’s “Starman” was released Thursday to mark the 50th anniversary of his fifth studio album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.
The new version of the late singer’s song was recorded for his breakthrough appearance on the July 6, 1972 episode of British TV series Top of the Pops. It uses the backing track and backing vocals recorded for the show with lead vocals from the album version of the song.
“That was the moment Bowie went above ground and nationwide,” opined music writer David Hepworth in The Guardian in 2016. “The hype may have led us to expect something edgy and challenging. The record was as simple and hummable a radio hit as you could possibly desire.”
The 50th anniversary of he Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars is being marked with the release of a limited edition half speed mastered LP and a picture disc.
“It has remained a touchstone record, growing in stature with each passing year,” reads a press release. “It is now ingrained in popular culture, its undeniable influence spanning musicians from Arcade Fire to Lady Gaga, to Harry Styles’s androgynous fashion sense.”
Bowie died in 2016 of liver cancer. He was 69.