David Bowie's loose concept of a "wild mutation" of a rock'n'roll star – androgynous, otherworldly, excessive in all areas and ultimately doomed – remains one of rock's high-water marks. Where much rock and pop in 1972 craved authenticity, Bowie's fantasy Ziggy Stardust character far transcended the relative mundanity of some of its inspirations – space-obsessed 1960s singer the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, disturbed rocker Vince Taylor and a tailor's named Ziggy's – with fantastic songs. It's a prime candidate for remastering, although this one edges the (at least three) previous overhauls by restoring the original vinyl album's track listing, packaging and orange label. Another trump card is getting original Trident Studios engineer Ray Staff to do the remastering, and he brings a new crispness and clarity to Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City and the rest. Bowie's vocals and Mick Woodmansey's snare drum are mixed higher; the orchestrations on Five Years and Moonage Daydream sound beautiful and apocalyptic. Forty years on, Bowie's most famous creation sounds as fresh and extraordinary as the day it fell to earth.