The Spiders from Mars

David Bowie's band in the early 1970s

Spiders from Mars

Genres|

* Glam rock
* proto-punk[1]

Years active| 1970–1973, 1975–1976
Labels| Castle Music Ltd.
Past members| Mick Ronson
Trevor Bolder
Mick Woodmansey
Mike Garson
Dave Black
Pete McDonald
Aynsley Dunbar

The Spiders from Mars were rock singer David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, and initially consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums.[2]

The group had its origins in Bowie's earlier backing outfit the Hype, which featured Ronson and Woodmansey, but Tony Visconti on bass. They were briefly signed as a band on its own, known as Ronno. With Bolder taking over bass, they were subsequently named via the landmark 1972 Bowie concept album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and were billed as such on the accompanying large-scale Ziggy Stardust Tour. Bowie had originally wanted keyboardist Rick Wakeman, then a member of the Strawbs, to join the band, having played on Bowie's second album and on Hunky Dory; Wakeman declined and instead joined the progressive rock band Yes.[3] Wakeman would feature uncredited on the album, and would collaborate with Bowie again on "Absolute Beginners".

The band would move through a series of keyboard players culminating in Mike Garson. The Spiders from Mars were present again on Bowie's 1973 album, Aladdin Sane. Another leg of the tour followed that year, with the final show captured in the film, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.[4] With Aynsley Dunbar replacing Woodmansey, the band made the 1980 Floor Show in late 1973. This line-up also recorded the album Pin Ups. After Ronson and Bolder also moved on, Bowie, Garson and Dunbar recorded Diamond Dogs. These latter two albums both still depicted Bowie as the Ziggy Stardust character on the sleeve.

The group joined Bowie's stage persona, Ziggy Stardust, in the theatrical style of the material's presentation. Ronson's guitar and arranging during the Spiders from Mars era not only fitted into this style, but also provided much of the underpinning for later punk rock musicians.[5]

In 1975, Bolder and Woodmansey reformed the band without Ronson, and were joined in this lineup by Mike Garson, Dave Black, and Pete McDonald. Their self-titled album, released in 1976, was their only album before the group disbanded.

The band's name came from the UFO sighting on 27 October 1954, where a stadium crowd thought they had witnessed Martian spacecraft which cast off a thin filament material, later hypothesised to be webs from migrating spiders. The band's name did not come, as sometimes believed by Bowie fans, from the Martian aerographic features often labelled as 'spiders' and 'baby spiders'.[6]

## Band members

[edit]

Main article: List of David Bowie band members

Primary lineup

* David Bowie – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (1970–1973; died 2016)
* Mick Ronson – lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, string arrangements (1970–1973; died 1993)
* Trevor Bolder – bass guitar (1970–1973, 1975-1976; died 2013)
* Mick "Woody" Woodmansey – drums (1970–1973, 1975-1976)

Later Members

* Pete McDonald – lead vocals (1975-1976)
* Dave Black – lead guitar (1975-1976)

Touring musicians

* Nicky Graham – keyboards (1972; died 2024)
* Robin Lumley – keyboards (1972)
* Matthew Fisher – keyboards (1972)
* Mike Garson – keyboards (1972–1973, 1975-1976)
* John Hutchinson – rhythm guitar (1973; died 2021)
* Ken Fordham – saxophone (1973)
* Brian Wilshaw – saxophone, flute (1973)
* Aynsley Dunbar – additional drums (1973)
* Warren Peace – percussion, backing vocals (1973)

### Timeline

[edit]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums with David Bowie

[edit]

* Hunky Dory (1971)
* The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
* Aladdin Sane (1973)

### Studio albums

[edit]

* Spiders From Mars (1976)

### Live albums

[edit]

* Live Santa Monica '72 (rec. 1972, rel. 2008)
* Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (rec. 1973, rel. 1983)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Buckley, David (2015). David Bowie: The Music and The Changes. Omnibus. ISBN 9781783236176.
2. ^ Buckley, David (2005). Strange Fascination: David Bowie, the Definitive Story. London: Virgin. ISBN 9780753510025.
3. ^ "BBC Four - Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements". BBC. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
4. ^ Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Sharr (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record. New York: Avon. ISBN 9780380779666.
5. ^ Steve Taylor (29 August 2006). A to X of Alternative Music - Google Books. A&C Black. p. 45\. ISBN 9780826482174. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
6. ^ Sandford, Christopher (1997). Bowie: Loving the Alien. New York: Time Warner. ISBN 9780306808548.

* v
* t
* e

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Songs|

| Side one|

* "Five Years"
* "Soul Love"
* "Moonage Daydream"
* "Starman"
* "It Ain't Easy"

|

Side two|

* "Lady Stardust"
* "Star"
* "Hang On to Yourself"
* "Ziggy Stardust"
* "Suffragette City"
* "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide"

Non-album single|

* "John, I'm Only Dancing"

Outtakes|

* "Velvet Goldmine"
* "Sweet Head"
* "Shadow Man"
* "Looking For a Friend"
* "It's Gonna Rain Again"
* "Round and Round"

Live|

* Ziggy Stardust Tour
* Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (film)
* Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture
* Santa Monica '72
* Live Santa Monica '72

Related articles|

* "All the Young Dudes"
* Arnold Corns
* Ziggy Stardust (character)
* The Spiders from Mars
* David Bowie discography
* Moonage Daydream

* v
* t
* e

David Bowie

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Filmography
* Videography
* Band members
* Death
* Art collection

Studio albums|

* David Bowie (1967)
* David Bowie (1969)
* The Man Who Sold the World
* Hunky Dory
* The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
* Aladdin Sane
* Pin Ups
* Diamond Dogs
* Young Americans
* Station to Station
* Low
* "Heroes"
* Lodger
* Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
* Let's Dance
* Tonight
* Never Let Me Down
* Black Tie White Noise
* The Buddha of Suburbia
* Outside
* Earthling
* Hours
* Heathen
* Reality
* The Next Day
* Blackstar
* Toy

| With Tin Machine|

* Tin Machine
* Tin Machine II

|

Live albums|

* David Live
* Stage
* Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture
* Santa Monica '72
* LiveAndWell.com
* Glass Spider
* Live Santa Monica '72
* VH1 Storytellers
* Bowie at the Beeb
* A Reality Tour
* Live Nassau Coliseum '76
* Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74)
* Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)
* Serious Moonlight (Live '83)
* Glastonbury 2000
* ChangesNowBowie
* Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)
* Something in the Air (Live Paris 99)
* I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)
* No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95)
* Look at the Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)
* David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99)

| With Tin Machine|

* Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby
* Live at La Cigale, Paris, 25th June, 1989

|

Soundtracks|

* Christiane F.
* Love You till Tuesday
* Labyrinth
* Lazarus
* Moonage Daydream

EPs|

* Baal
* BBC Sessions 1969–1972
* Earthling in the City
* Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks)
* Space Oddity
* The Next Day Extra
* No Plan
* Is It Any Wonder?

Compilations|

* The World of David Bowie
* Images 1966–1967
* Changesonebowie
* The Best of Bowie
* Changestwobowie
* Rare
* Golden Years
* Fame and Fashion
* Changesbowie
* Early On (1964–1966)
* The Singles Collection
* Rarestonebowie
* The Deram Anthology 1966–1968
* The Best of David Bowie 1969/1974
* The Best of David Bowie 1974/1979
* Bowie at the Beeb
* All Saints
* Best of Bowie
* Club Bowie
* The Collection
* The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
* iSelect
* Nothing Has Changed
* Legacy

Box sets|

* Sound + Vision
* The Platinum Collection
* David Bowie
* Five Years (1969–1973)
* Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976)
* A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)
* Loving the Alien (1983–1988)
* Spying Through a Keyhole
* Clareville Grove Demos
* The 'Mercury' Demos
* Conversation Piece
* Brilliant Live Adventures
* Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001)

Concert videos|

* The 1980 Floor Show
* Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
* Serious Moonlight
* Glass Spider
* Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby
* VH1 Storytellers
* Reality: Tour Ed.
* A Reality Tour
* Glastonbury 2000

Video albums|

* Love You till Tuesday
* Video EP
* Jazzin' for Blue Jean
* Day-In Day-Out
* Tin Machine
* Bowie – The Video Collection
* Black Tie White Noise
* Jump: Interactive CD-ROM
* Best of Bowie
* Reality
* The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987
* The Next Day Extra

Documentaries|

* Cracked Actor
* Ricochet
* Black Tie White Noise
* Sound and Vision
* David Bowie: Five Years
* David Bowie: The Last Five Years
* David Bowie: Finding Fame
* Moonage Daydream

Tours|

* Ziggy Stardust Tour
* Diamond Dogs Tour
* Isolar
* Isolar II
* Serious Moonlight Tour
* Glass Spider Tour
* Sound+Vision Tour
* Outside Tour
* Earthling Tour
* Hours Tour
* Mini Tour
* Heathen Tour
* A Reality Tour

| With Tin Machine|

* Tin Machine Tour
* It's My Life Tour

|

Characters|

* Major Tom
* The Thin White Duke
* Ziggy Stardust
* The Spiders from Mars

In popular
culture|

* "Bowie"
* David Bowie Is
* Jareth
* Phillip Jeffries
* Statue of David Bowie
* Lazarus
* Stardust
* Symphony No. 1 "Low"
* Symphony No. 4 "Heroes"
* Symphony No. 12 "Lodger"
* The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
* We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie

Related|

* Angie Bowie (first wife)
* Iman (second wife)
* Duncan Jones (son)
* The Hype
* Junior's Eyes
* BBC Sessions
* Berlin Trilogy
* Arnold Corns
* Ava Cherry
* The Nomad Soul
* David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf
* Heteropoda davidbowie
* 342843 Davidbowie
* Tao Jones Index
* BowieNet
* Bowie Bonds
* When the Wind Blows (1986)

* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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