Mick Rock's unseen images of David Bowie in his transformative Ziggy Stardust days

Date
13 August 2015

Around 43 years ago, a man with whole load of make-up, a whopping fount of charisma and a song about some eight-legged creatures in space changed music and pop stardom forever. That man of course was David Bowie, and that year (1972, math-heads) was when Bowie introduced his Ziggy Stardust persona to the world. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust dragged us into a surreal, beautiful, glitter-bedecked alternative reality where girls could be boys, boys could be girls and everything was peculiar and beautiful. The man who was there to see all this glorious culture-shifting was photographer Mick Rock.

Mick became firm friends with Bowie, and in 1972-3 became the singer’s official photographer. A new book from Taschen presents Mick’s stage shots and backstage snaps from those two spectacular years, and are showcased in suitably spectacular style. The book, limited to 1,972 copies, features more than 50 previously unseen images housed in a lenticular hologram cover. A deliciously glam, bam thank you wham tribute to an inimitable man.

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Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

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Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Above

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Above

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Above

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Above
Left

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973
Lenticular cover

Right

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Art Edition No. 101-200
Scotland, May 1973
Pigment Print on Platine Archival Fibre Rag Paper
signed by photographer Mick Rock

Above

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

Art Edition No. 101-200
Scotland, May 1973
Pigment Print on Platine Archival Fibre Rag Paper
signed by photographer Mick Rock

Above

Mick Rock, Barney Hoskyns, Michael Bracewell: The Rise of David Bowie. 1972-1973

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Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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