David Bowie Co-Producer Ken Scott Talks New ‘Ziggy Stardust’-Era Box Set

When British recording engineer Ken Scott began working with David Bowie on what would become the self-titled 1969 album (also known as Odd Spacey), initially regarded the still relatively unknown musician as a gifted artist but not a superstar. In comparison, Scott had collaborated with more famous artists such as the Beatles, Jeff Beck and Procol Harum.

“I couldn't see it,” Scott recalls today of Bowie, the newcomer. “My standards were very high at the time. And so [I thought] he had talent, but he was never going to do much.”

Some four years later, he and the rest of the world witnessed the craze that Bowie unleashed under the guise of his glam-rock alter ego Ziggy Stardust following the 1972 release. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars. Co-produced by Bowie and Scott, the album eventually catapulted the singer to stardom with songs including the title track, “Moonage Daydream,” “Suffragette City” and “Starman.”

More than 50 years later, this pivotal period in Bowie's career is now celebrated in a new 5 CD/1 Blu-ray box set, Rock 'n' roll star!, which traces the musical origins of Ziggy Stardust and its consequences. Featuring 29 previously unreleased tracks, the collection is a treasure trove of demos, radio sessions, live performances and non-album tracks from that period.

For Rock'n'roll star!Scott recently remixed several ZiggyTracks from the era, including alternate versions of songs like “Lady Stardust” and “Hang On to Yourself,” and session hits like “It's Gonna Rain Again” and “Sweet Head.” It is the last archival Bowie project that Scott has worked on since 2022 A divine symmetry box that focused on the 1971s Hunky Dorythe predecessor of Ziggy Stardust.

“I went in and did a couple of mixes of the original songs, just modernized them a little bit,” he recalls A divine symmetry. “Then it was time to Ziggy and it went through all the multiple tracks because we knew there was a lot more to it than there had been. Hunky Dory. So we went through and found all these bits and pieces, and I worked on them.

“They're not exactly how they were left off the record,” he continues. “There were some [songs] where I thought there should be double track guitars. So I would take an acoustic guitar from another take of the song and match it to the tempo and everything to the original; Some of them are not as basic as they were originally. But I think they work.”

Rarities and unheard tracks include Bowie's version of Chuck Berry's “Round and Round”; live performances of “Waiting for the Man” and “White Light/White Heat” by the Velvet Underground; his historical interpretation of “Starman”. Cim dels Pops; and a version of The Who's “I Can't Explain” that is different from the one on their 1973 album pinups. “It was all fresh to me,” Scott says of rediscovering the deep archival footage Rock'n'roll star! “It was good. And I think that's something that helped me try to bring them together because it's not something that I've been hearing for 50 years.”

In the co-production of the original Ziggy Stardust album, Scott witnessed the unique chemistry between Bowie and the band Spiders from Mars: guitarist Mick Ronson, drummer Woody Woodmansey and bassist Trevor Bolder. “I don't believe that [Mick] he never got the credit he deserved,” says Scott. “He was very important in taking some of David's ideas and bringing them to fruition, especially like with the string and brass arrangements he did, they were great “.

Sonically, Ziggy Stardust gone from Hunky Dory for its aggressive approach to glam rock. But Scott says there is also a similarity between the two records from work Ziggy Stardust started right after the recording of Hunky Dory.

“You put out a song like 'Queen Bitch.' Hunky Dorywould fit perfectly with Ziggy. It feels the same. And there's a track “It Ain't Easy” that we recorded for Hunky Dory, but then we chose not to use it. That's over Ziggy. So the albums ended up being different, but in terms of the songs and the recordings, there's a real kind of gray area where everything fits together. It could have easily been a double album.”

Indicative of this hard rock sound is “Suffragette City” which one would naturally think had saxophones present on the track. But that wasn't the case, according to Scott. “The baritone saxophones were not saxophones at all. David did an interview with Redbeard, the American DJ, and they played “Suffragette City” [on the latter’s radio program]. And at the end, Redbeard says, “And that was David playing those baritone saxophones.” And David wholeheartedly agreed. He never argued, “Yeah, I played the sax on that.”

“It wasn't,” Scott continues. “It was a great ARP synth. Ronno played it. And that's what it is. It's a synth. It's not baritone sax. But you always had to be careful with what David said, whether he was being 100% honest or no. He agreed with people and had fun doing it.”

“Starman” was a last-minute addition to the album's track listing, causing the previously recorded “Round and Round” to be shelved. “It was done in a couple of days,” Scott recalls. “The record company returned the album to us saying there was none. And so we went in, recorded it, released it. We just pushed “Round”. And we kept exactly the same operating order that we had at the time. He played it Cim dels Popsand it all took off.”

Like many of Bowie's beloved works, the album's title track has become an icon. “We made a record that we liked,” says Scott. “And that's what it was about. We weren't trying to please anybody but ourselves. We weren't making it for a particular market or anything like that. If we're happy listening to it after a few months, we would have done what we wanted to do. And other people seem to like it. I can't get into their minds, but I'm very grateful that they like it.”

At the premiere of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars on June 6, 1972, Bowie and the Spiders became sensations especially with British youth; his popularity increased further with his memorable appearance Cim dels Pops the following month. It would continue until Bowie retired the character during a London show on July 3, 1973.

“I can't believe this guy came from 'The Laughing Gnome,'” Scott says of witnessing Bowie's newfound fame as he references one of the pre-Ziggy songs “I always compared David's growth to seeing him as a grandfather. You see your children or grandchildren once in a while, so you really notice the change in them. Whereas parents see children every day, so you don't they notice the changes. I was more like the father there. I would see him change over a period of time. But people who would catch him every now and then were like, 'Wow, he's changed a lot.' is he doing?' kind of thing. So it didn't really affect me that he did it with a lot of other people.”

After Ziggy StardustScott worked with Bowie on the albums Aladdin Sane i pinupsboth released in 1973. When asked which of the four Bowie albums he co-produced is his favorite, he says, “I've liked them all. pinups it was a bit strange. That was the hardest. David was at that point where he wanted to move on. He fired the band and then had to invite Trevor because the guy who was going to play bass pulled out at the last minute. So it created weird vibes in the studio. That was a little tougher, but the other three [albums] They were all a total joy to work with.”

Since its original release in 1972, the Ziggy Stardust The album has been reissued several times, while the title track and “Suffragette City” have become staples of Bowie compilations. Today, Scott couldn't give a definitive answer as to why this album still resonates decades later. “If I'd known right, I'd be a multi-millionaire by now because I'd have done a bunch more along the same lines. I have no idea. It works. And that's all you can ask of any album, any live performance, whatever. 'Did it work? Did the public like it?' And if they liked it, that's great.”

Rock'n'roll star! it is not only the latest celebration that marks more than 50 years Ziggy Stardust. This September, the original Ziggy Stardust The album will be re-released in Dolby Atmos, recently mixed by Scott and Emre Ramazanoglu, and also accompanied by a new stereo mix from 2024.

“I was bored Ziggy after 50 years and hearing it,” Scott says. “I was very much of the opinion, 'I couldn't give a damn if I never heard 'Suffragette City' again.' But then the opportunity came up to doing the immersive version because I know it's going to be different: Atmos was how we mixed it. There's also a new stereo coming out at the same time as the Atmos version. I'm really excited about that.”

He continues: “I [asked my wife], “Do you want to hear the stereo mix? The new one.' She said, 'I love the old one. One day we're in the car. I'm like, 'Oh, I'm going to take it.' say, “No, it's started now. let me hear I think we went through two songs and she said, “That's great. Wow, it's different, but I can't tell how. It's a little more modern and it works. And in Atmos, I really love it. I'm really excited about it again “.