Back in 1971, the ever-restless David Bowie was casting about for a fresh direction but, rather than fully committing to the next phase of his career, decided to take his glammy new sound out for a coy test run under the Pink Floyd-inspired name the Arnold Corns. 

The seeds of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars were subsequently sown on a couple of 45s all but completely ignored by the general public at the time but quite historically significant in hindsight, the first of which featured early versions of "Moonage Daydream" and "Hang On To Yourself." Bowie himself took a backseat on the project, essentially letting his designer pal Freddie "Rudy Valentino" Burretti pose as the frontman, but there's no mistaking who's really behind the music here (on vocal). 

Future Spiders from Mars Mick Ronson, Mick Woodmansey and Trevor Bolder even play on the recordings, providing a formative glimpse of the greatness to come the following year with the release of the full Ziggy Stardust album. 

Not a bad little addition to any Bowie aficionado's record collection.