First Song From Space: "Jewel In The Night"

Since Flight of the Conchords put the image in my head of David Bowie in space, I've often pictured him recording his classic album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars somewhere in the dark expanse far beyond our planet.

Now, space recording has become a reality a little closer to home.

Col. Chris Hadfield has added to his list of many firsts by becoming the first person to record a song on the International Space Station (ISS).

Col. Hadfield was the first Canadian to walk in space and will become the first Canadian commander of the ISS in March of 2013 during his current mission.

All very impressive, but this song is quite the feather in his cap as well.

It certainly adds a whole new meaning to the "space rock" genre.

Song Of The Day- David Bowie

This is my favorite cut by Bowie, and it's absolutely on my personal list of top ten songs of all-time.

This song was written as a tribute to Lou Reed, and in true Bowie style, it's largely about homosexual's and a strange feeling of being jilted.

I first heard this song like many in the closing credits of A Life Aquatic. That filthy distorted riff that kicks in over acoustic guitar is just absolutely phenomenal. Granted, it's lifted from a 1960 song by Eddie Cochran called "Three Steps To Heaven". Still, this supercharged version rocks much harder.

Included is the original Bowie cut from his 1971 album Hunky Dory. Also below is a special 1997 performance for Bowie's 50th birthday at Madison Square Garden featuring Lou Reed himself.

Song Of The Day- Mott The Hoople

So the movie Juno has practically been on loop on HBO this month, so despite having seen it several times I've watched all or part of it many times again. I've been paying more attention to the music selections and the smaller details recently.

This particular song, "All The Young Dudes" by Mott The Hoople plays during what starts off as a fairly innocent scene towards the end and turns into an emotional turning point in the film.

I remember thinking when I first heard it that it sounded like a David Bowie song. Well, it turns out that's because Bowie wrote the tune for the band in an effort to keep them together. He was a big fan apparently and originally offered them his song "Sufragette City" from his then unreleased Ziggy Stardust album.

On this performance, Bowie accompanies the band live at the 1992 concert honoring Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Song Of The Day- David Bowie

I've been on a huge David Bowie kick lately. "Starman" is a terrific song off one of his defining works, the album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Performing as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, this live take sounds pretty excellent. I can't figure out the purpose of the numerous people dancing behind the band however.

Even if you think Bowie was a crazy freak (which he was) you should check this song out because nuts as he often was, there was a great deal of brilliance in his career. He made so many albums it's tough to find the best but I'll continue to highlight some of Bowie's greatest work as I wander through his catalog during the summer months.