His rhythms tough and swinging, his leads elegant and hot, the late Mick Ronson defined glitter guitar on David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Then, playing and producing for Bowie, Morrissey and Ian Hunter, Ronson epitomized glam, manipulating that most stylish of forms with consummate panache. A dream collaborator, his solo work never caught consistent fire. Heaven and Hull does – as a wondrous gathering of the glam-rock tribe. Hunter, Bowie and Queen turn in a flash live "All the Young Dudes"; Bowie and Ronson render Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" as power pop; and with John Mellencamp and Def Leppard's Joe Elliot assisting, Ronson's originals briskly kick. A rocker this jubilant will be sorely missed. (RS 682)

PAUL EVANS