Aladdin Sane
	Produced by David Bowie & Ken Scott
	Released on April 1973
	UK CHART POSITION #1 (RE-CHART #49, 1982; #43, 1990) . . . US CHART POSITION #17 . . . GOLD RECORD (8/3/83)
	Find it at GEMM
RCD 10135 cover [high resolution scan]

W ho’ll love Aladdin Sane? You will. Here Bowie pushes the boundaries, an excitable moth aflutter at the lamp of inspiration. Unlike Ziggy Stardust, which ostensibly told the story of a mythic performer in a desperate future world, Aladdin Sane is less controlled. This is science fiction that careens into your life, explosive music interspersed with islands of surreal calm. That Ziggy gets the higher marks is a reflection of our critical minds, which maintains that there must be a consensual summit where the devoted can agree upon to pray. It’s a rational need into which the irrational Aladdin Sane fails to fit. But where do “Time” and “Lady Stardust” really differ? Are “Moonage Daydream” and “Drive-In Saturday” so far apart? Bowie was clearly expanding on the discoveries made with Ziggy, and it’s fair to say that Aladdin Sane aspires to more than its predecessor. But critics had already named their champion and labeled Aladdin Sane its reckless offspring. Perhaps “Aladdin Sane” and “Lady Grinning Soul” smacked of pretension, embarking for new and foreign shores before Bowie’s rock fans had a chance to pack. And his cover of “Let’s Spend The Night Together” is unrepentantly noisy. But what a wonderful floor show it all makes. Bowie’s beau monde is darker than anything this side of Lou Reed, though he still seems to find a human side to the ego-driven characters of “Watch That Man” and “Cracked Actor.” As for “The Jean Genie” and “Panic In Detroit,” they’re riveting. I also think “The Prettiest Star” is one of his prettiest songs. In fact, Aladdin Sane might be Bowie’s most emotionally draining album to listen to, at least this side of Scary Monsters. Reconciling the different musical sides of David Bowie is problematic, as his ability to embrace new musical ideas has been his salvation and his bane, but Bowie is the penultimate protean performer and Aladdin Sane proves it.

AYL1-3890 front cover	AYL1-3890 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. WATCH THAT MAN    4:25
2. ALADDIN SANE (1913-1938-197?)    5:06
3. DRIVE-IN SATURDAY    4:29
4. PANIC IN DETROIT    4:25
5. CRACKED ACTOR    2:56
6. TIME    5:09
7. THE PRETTIEST STAR    3:26
8. LET'S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER    (Mick Jagger/Keith Richard)    3:03
9. THE JEAN GENIE    4:02
10. LADY GRINNING SOUL    3:46
    
    All selections written by David Bowie unless noted. Arranged by David Bowie & Mick Ronson.

CREDITS

DAVID BOWIE -- vocals, guitar
T.J. BOLDER -- bass
MAC CORMACK -- vocal back-up
KEN FORDHAM -- bux-saxophones & flutes
JUANITA "HONEY" FRANKLIN -- vocal back-up
MIKE GARSON -- piano
LINDA LEWIS -- vocal back-up
MICK RONSON -- guitar, mixing
WOODY WOODMANSEY -- drums
Ken Scott -- engineer, mixing
Mike Moran -- engineer
Duffy & Celia Philo (for the Kitchen Tool Shop) -- album cover design
Pierre Laroche -- make-up

The Last Word

"It's my interpretation of what America means to me. It's like a summation of my first American tour." -- David Bowie, describing the album Aladdin Sane. (Source: Circus, 7/73.)

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