Aladdin Sane [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The second most important moment in Bowie's glam period, Aladdin Sane is full of smart, cutting-edge songs that hold up decades later as classic moments in rock. Standout tracks include "Panic in Detroit," with Mick Ronson's screaming guitars and Mick Woodmansey's urgent drumming; "Watch that Man," a piano-driven, rollicking number perfect for the Bowie strut; the lascivious and sweaty "Cracked Actor"; the punky "Jean Genie"; and a perfectly raucous cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Time" hearkens back to the theatrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, while "Drive in Saturday," "The Prettiest Star," and "Lady Grinning Soul" serve as precursors to Bowie's "plastic soul" sounds that came later in the '70s. Aladdin Sane is even more impressive when considering that the same year this album was made, Bowie was also working with artists like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, producing some of their most heralded works (the Stooges' Raw Power and Reed's Transformer). --Lorry Fleming --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Aladdin Sane
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great album
  • Looning in the USA
  • Brilliant
  • The Jean Genius
  • David Bowie - 'Aladdin Sane' (Virgin) 4 1/2 stars
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
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Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GlamGlam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Hunky Dory
  2. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust
  3. The Man Who Sold the World
  4. Diamond Dogs [ECD]
  5. Station to Station

ASIN: B00001OH7Q
Release Date: 1999-09-28

Tracks:

  1. Watch That Man
  2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
  3. Drive-In Saturday
  4. Panic In Detroit
  5. Cracked Actor
  6. Time
  7. The Prettiest Star
  8. Let's Spend The Night Together
  9. The Jean Genie
  10. Lady Grinning Soul

Amazon.com essential recording

The second most important moment in Bowie's glam period, Aladdin Sane is full of smart, cutting-edge songs that hold up decades later as classic moments in rock. Standout tracks include "Panic in Detroit," with Mick Ronson's screaming guitars and Mick Woodmansey's urgent drumming; "Watch that Man," a piano-driven, rollicking number perfect for the Bowie strut; the lascivious and sweaty "Cracked Actor"; the punky "Jean Genie"; and a perfectly raucous cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Time" hearkens back to the theatrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, while "Drive in Saturday," "The Prettiest Star," and "Lady Grinning Soul" serve as precursors to Bowie's "plastic soul" sounds that came later in the '70s. Aladdin Sane is even more impressive when considering that the same year this album was made, Bowie was also working with artists like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, producing some of their most heralded works (the Stooges' Raw Power and Reed's Transformer). --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great album.......2007-03-26

This was the first David Bowie album I brought and although I love Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory and most of Bowies other work I would say this is the essential and perhaps greatest record Bowie ever created.

David Bowie is easily one of the greatest songwriters ever just read the lyrics. Aladdin Sane also has my all time favourite Bowie track Jean Genie which is the greatest glam rock songs ever.

Anybody into REAL music should just buy this record along with everything else this man has done( Well maybe not everything his latter records aren't quite so good) but Aladdin Sane is an essential listen none the less so do your record collection a favour and buy it.

5 out of 5 stars Looning in the USA.......2007-03-18

For me, David Bowie never topped this one. Compared to ALADDIN SANE, ZIGGY was just a warm-up exercise, but here he's full-out. "Watch That Man," with it's Stonesy-Mottsy push, opens the album on a kick-a** note, then "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" and "Drive-In Saturday" continue with skewed slices of the craziness that was surrounding Bowie at the time. "Panic In Detroit" and "Cracked Actor" are two of his most frenetic rockers, as is "The Jean Genie," and all three of these songs have the Spiders From Mars backing him to the hilt. True, Bowie's cover of "Let's Spend The Night Together" seems to want to devolve into camp along the way, but somehow it never quite does, thank goodness. Finally, "Lady Grinning Soul" has that death's-head beauty that later surfaced on Lou Reed's BERLIN album.

The legend has it that Bowie penned most of these songs while traveling around doing ZIGGY STARDUST throughout the US, and with all of the hype, hangers-on and general lunacy that seemed to be the stuff of his story in 1973, something like ALADDIN SANE was bound to emerge. But who'd have guessed it would have had as lasting a musical impact as it does? A great one!

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......2007-02-15

I was lucky enough to see Bowie on tour in England (Hey Torquay) when this was released.

A masterpiece.

Favourite? Drive In Saturday

5 out of 5 stars The Jean Genius.......2007-01-20

Ricky Gervais once said that when he first heard "Aladdin Sane" he wondered if it was okay to like it because he was unsure if it was pretentious, but he soon realised he didn't care because it just sounded amazing. "Aladdin Sane" is pretentious (although technically a new Bowie "character", Aladdin Sane was essentially an extension of Ziggy Stardust, with the Ziggy persona still adopted mostly for live shows), but rock never sounded so unpretentious for a fictitious concept. The sleeve notes quote Bowie as saying that in retrospect he saw the "Aladdin Sane" album as `Ziggy goes to America', and I think that's a very good description. Most of the album was written and recorded during Bowie's first American tour in the autumn of 1972 and it sounds a little more raw and raucous than its predecessor, whilst still carrying the same "sexed-up glam rock god" feel of "Ziggy Stardust".

The album gets off to a fine start with the rock track, "Watch That Man". The vocals were deliberately buried in the mix, possibly to allow the listener to "feel" the song and its rock rhythm track more than anything. Two singles from the album preceded its release - "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-In Saturday". There was some controversy in the UK at the time of Jean Genie's release as the song had a similar riff to one used by fellow RCA act The Sweet on their "Blockbuster" single. "Blockbuster" was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn and recorded at a slightly later date than "The Jean Genie". It reached Number 1 in the UK charts while Bowie peaked right behind at Number 2. All parties maintained that the similarity was, in Nicky Chinn's words, "absolute coincidence". Today, however, it would be difficult to imagine such a coincidence without some sort of plagiarism lawsuit arising. "Drive-In Saturday" was another Top 3 hit for Bowie with a 1950's doo-wop sound that carried references to Mick Jagger, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung, and English model, Twiggy who would appear with Bowie on the cover of his next album, "Pin-Ups". The song was written during a long train journey from Seattle to Phoenix. Along the way, Bowie saw some futuristic-looking domed buildings lit by moonlight, hence the line, "Perhaps the strange ones in the dome can lend us a book we can read up alone." The one thing everyone seems to note about "Aladdin Sane" (aside from its striking, iconic cover) is the piano solo on the title track. Mike Garson made two initial attempts at the solo, the first being in a blues style, the next with a Latin feel but Bowie felt neither really suited the track. Remembering Garson had performed some avant-garde work on piano, Bowie asked him to play something in that vein and what came about was the solo you hear on the record - a slightly out of tune, erratic piece captured in one take that somehow compliments the song's theme of insanity (Aladdin Sane - A Lad Insane). The song's full title "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" suggests an immanent Third World War, 1913 and 1938 being, of course, the years directly preceding the First and Second World Wars respectively. "Cracked Actor" and "Time" are probably my favourite songs on the album, the former being a down and dirty rock track that chugs and swaggers with Bowie providing blasts of harmonica through an amp. The concert hall piano introduction on "Time" is reminiscent of the Berlin decadence scene of the 1920's. The only let down on the album for me is the frantic reworking of the Stones' classic, "Let's Spend The Night Together". While packing a certain punch, it just seems to lack the same style and credibility of the Jagger-Richards original. The album closes with the dreamlike ballad, "Lady Grinning Soul", said to be an ode to American soul singer, Claudia Lennear who was also the subject of the Rolling Stones' hit, "Brown Sugar".

"Aladdin Sane" was David Bowie's first UK number one album and spent five weeks at the top of the charts in May 1973. It was also his first album to break the American Top 20. On 3rd July 1973, Bowie effectively killed off his Ziggy alter-ego by legendarily announcing his retirement from the stage at London's Hammersmith Odeon during the concert that was recorded for the live movie, "Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars". The Ziggy look would remain for the covers of Bowie's next two albums, but the character itself was laid to rest forever. Dropping the popular concept that had been the basis for his rise to superstardom could have, in effect, cost Bowie his career, but he had the balls to undertake the risk of reinventing himself, and using his immense talent he was able to continue to produce some of his best work.

4 out of 5 stars David Bowie - 'Aladdin Sane' (Virgin) 4 1/2 stars.......2006-09-25

Review number 68.Originally released in 1973, as this was Bowie's stunning follow-up to the 'Ziggy Stardust' album. Many have stated that 'Aladdin Sane' is a stronger,harder and stranger work than 'Ziggy...'. Not sure if I totally agree with that,but I do like both lp's. Basically,just all around great '70's British hard rocking/glam rock,the WAY it should be. Best cuts here,without a doubt are "Drive-In Saturday",the title track "Aladdin Sane","The Prettiest Star",his nicely done cover of the Stone's "Let's Spend The Night Together" and the late night FM staple "Jean Genie" (never get burned out on this gem). After listening to this on CD for the first time,I can only say this piece might've very well been one of guitarist Mick Ronson's (R.I.P.) best work ever. Recommended.
Aladdin Sane
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Legendary album, great sound, nice book packaging, ATROCIOUS CD containment
  • Classic, Must-Have Glam Era Bowie -- 30th Anniversary Package Is Great
  • On-tour compositions.
  • An All Time Classic
  • Great Discs Horrible Packaging
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Manufacturer: RCA RECORDS JAPAN UPC 7863548522
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Hard RockHard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GlamGlam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Diamond Dogs 30th Anniversary Edition
  2. Ziggy Stardust: 30th Anniv (Bonus CD)
  3. Pin Ups [ECD]
  4. Hunky Dory
  5. Lodger

ASIN: B00008NGLA
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Tracks:

  1. Watch That Man
  2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
  3. Drive In Saturday
  4. Panic In Detroit
  5. Cracked Actor
  6. Time
  7. The Prettiest Star
  8. Let's Spend The Night Together
  9. The Jean Genie
  10. Lady Grinning Soul

Tracks:

  1. John, I'm Only Dancing (Sax Version)
  2. The Jean Genie (Original Single Version)
  3. Time (Single Edit)
  4. All The Young Dudes
  5. Changes (Live)
  6. The Supermen (Live)
  7. Life On Mars? (Previously Unreleased)
  8. John, I'm Only Dancing
  9. The Jean Genie
  10. Drive In Saturday (Previously Unreleased)

Amazon.com

The second most important moment in Bowie's glam period, Aladdin Sane is full of smart, cutting-edge songs that hold up decades later as classic moments in rock. Standout tracks include "Panic in Detroit," with Mick Ronson's screaming guitars and Mick Woodmansey's urgent drumming; "Watch that Man," a piano-driven, rollicking number perfect for the Bowie strut; the lascivious and sweaty "Cracked Actor"; the punky "Jean Genie"; and a perfectly raucous cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Time" hearkens back to the theatrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, while "Drive in Saturday," "The Prettiest Star," and "Lady Grinning Soul" serve as precursors to Bowie's "plastic soul" sounds that came later in the '70s. Aladdin Sane is even more impressive when considering that the same year this album was made, Bowie was also producing touchstone recordings for the Stooges (Raw Power) and Lou Reed (Transformer). The 30th anniversary edition of Aladdin Sane includes a second disc of alternate takes, single mixes, rarities, and previously unreleased material. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Legendary album, great sound, nice book packaging, ATROCIOUS CD containment.......2007-02-23

"Aladdin Sane" is one of my three favorite Bowie albums, the others being "Ziggy" and "Scary Monsters." Along with "Ziggy," it marked the absolute zenith of Bowie's glam period. There isn't even a REMOTELY mediocre tune on it. The track list reads like a greatest-hits package, containing all-time classics like "Panic in Detroit," "Watch That Man," "The Jean Genie," and "Drive-In Saturday," to name but four.

With "Aladdin," Bowie's songwrting was at an incredibly high level, and Mick Ronson and Co. contributed some of the best support they ever gave (and that's saying a lot!).

The 30th Anniversary edition was a nice idea and generally well executed. The sound quality is excellent. It's the best I've ever heard the album sound, be it on CD or LP. Like most of the Virgin reissues, it's a little forward sounding, but that little "bump" really gives the music a nice sense of presence and drive.

I own the copy-controlled version, but I had no problems with skipping or burning the discs.

I love the booklet and informative liner notes, but the cardboard "sleeves" that contain the CDs are absolutely horrendous. When I pulled the discs out (no mean feat, given they were stuck in there pretty good), they were horribly scratched. Why oh WHY do record companies do this? I can't recall the number of times discs have been scratched because of the same annoying packaging. American companies could learn a good leasson from the Japanese, who make extensive use of rice-paper sleeves, which do an incredibly good job of protecting the CDs. Because the discs were so marred, I felt compelled to burn them onto some clean CD-Rs. My burning hardware is pretty good, and now they sound even better!

Anyway, the verdict is this: One of the best albums in a career chock full of great ones, first-class sonics, nice booklet and liner notes, and absolutely reprehensible CD containment. For the latter, I feel compelled to deduct a star, but everything else about the package is top-notch and deserves 5 stars.

5 out of 5 stars Classic, Must-Have Glam Era Bowie -- 30th Anniversary Package Is Great.......2006-04-18

I'm sorry to read that some people dislike the packaging of this special release and have had "copy control" problems. I have no idea why one reviewer went off about the "horrible remastering" - sounds great to me, but maybe problems are more evident on the home theater system he uses. Personally, I think this 2 CD special edition is really cool. It's exactly like a miniature book with each CD on the inside of each side of the binding. I do get really annoyed with CD packaging that does a poor job of containing the CDs, but the sleeves on this one don't bother me much - you just have to be really careful when taking them out. The rare pictures (including pictures of promo posters and rare single covers), and the informative essay and time line of events are all great.

The album itself (disk 1) is one of Bowie's best - fantastic rock 'n roll with elements of do-wop, cabaret, soul, classical and avant-garde in the mix. This is glam rock at its best - loud, raunchy, and loaded with killer riffs - but the mellower tracks are great as well. I'll refrain from carrying on endlessly about this music, but I gotta say it's worth getting alone for the addition to the band of super-talented pianist Mike Garson. In particular, his bizarre solo on the title track is a mind blower. It's hard to pick a favorite cut, but "Aladdin Sane" may be mine, thanks especially to Mr. Garson. Least favorite - "Let's Spend the Night Together," although I still like it a lot. This Rolling Stones cover is more amped up than the original and it's loaded with wild synth effects. I gotta admit that the "Our love comes from above/Let's make love" interlude towards the end is a bit cheesy, but I still think it's fun (unlike a friend of mine who thinks that part practically ruins the song - he feels the same way about the "Wham bam thank you ma'am" part from "Suffragette City" . . . Oh well, to each his own opinion - that's his hang up). Keep in mind that that kind of thing was much more shocking and explicit back in the day.

The bonus disk is nice to have, but there's really nothing essential here. The "sax version" of "John, I'm Only Dancing" isn't really that rare and I personally have no use for truncated versions of "The Jean Genie" or "Time." It's nice to have a copy of "All the Young Dudes," although Bowie made a really good move by giving it to Mott the Hoople (whose re-recording of it became a hit). Bowie's version just doesn't have enough spark. It's a bit lethargic at the chorus; the saxophones don't create as much energy as the song needs. But it's still a great song and his generous gift to Mott helped relaunch their career (I personally don't care that much for Mott's music anyway, but I'll digress). The remaining songs are live versions - very good, but again, not essential. Still, it's a pleasure having them in my collection. I recommend this set for the Bowie fan, others really only need the original album.

4 out of 5 stars On-tour compositions........2006-03-09

After the triumph of 'Ziggy Stardust', David Bowie wrote a number of songs while on tour that would end up becoming the "Aladdin Sane" album. Featuring the "Spiders from Mars" band (guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick Woodmansey) with pianist Mike Garson added to the mix, Bowie's compositions found him exploring not only the glam sounds he had made his own, but also taking older pop forms and bringing them into his idiom.

Nowhere is the latter illustrated in his head first cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together". The song is taken fiercely uptempo, with Bowie's voice ranting above frantic piano and Ronson's churning rhythm guitar. But an embracing of doo-wop and Phil Spector style pop is clearly illustrated on cuts like the superb "Drive-In Saturday" (with one of Bowie's most powerful vocal deliveries on record) and "The Prettiest Star". Bowie also tackles blues rock, with the churning "The Jean Genie", with its snarling lead vocal and chugging guitar line. Also in the mix was a decent take on '60s rock ("Watch that Man"), something totally bizarre (the indescribable title track, which after a decade since I first discovered this album in college I STILL can't make my mind up about), and a jagged, frantic and fierce moody glam workout ("Panic in Detroit") that probably proves to be the real highlight of the album.

The bonus disc in this set proves to be a nice compliment with a handful of live tracks, the rare "sax version" of "John, I'm Only Dancing" (the original version was on the 'Ziggy Stardust' limited release) and the until recently unheard studio take of "All the Young Dudes" by Bowie.

"Aladdin Sane" does end up with a bit of a rushed feel-- the songs sound like they were written on a tour-- but this lends a nice, nervous energy to it that is sort of hard to describe. Bowie was cooling off a bit with this one-- it's not quite as essential as his previous couple albums, but it's still a fantastic record. Recommended.

5 out of 5 stars An All Time Classic.......2005-11-05

I suppose that only one album can qualify as my own personal all-time favorite Bowie album, so if forced to choose, I'd pick Aladdin Sane. Coming immediately after the heady rush of fame and controversy sparked by `Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,' Bowie was basking in the limelight, and he was not about to blow it. Aladdin Sane catches Bowie sucking up all of the glory that was being bestowed on him, and, judging by appearances, he was having a great deal of fun with it. This is a much more relaxed album than `Ziggy Stardust', and it is also features better musicianship and far better production than that album, too. Even his look was refined, as is made evident by the cover shot, which was somewhat shocking back in the day.
The album kickstarts with "Watch That Man," a sublimely dense rocker whose volume nearly drowns out Bowie's surreal recounting of a party. The title song is one of two pun titles (the other being "Jean Genie," a coy reference to Jean Genet) featured on the recording, both of which are standout tracks. On "Aladdin Sane" pianist Mike Garson fuels things along with some incredibly creative keyboard work, employing a crisp, deft touch while harmonically challenging the strictures of the composition. "Jean Genie," meanwhile, is much more conventional in its form, utilizing a standard boogie beat that drives on relentlessly and features some of Mick Ronson's best work. Speaking of rockers, few things from the glam era rock harder and convey an appropriately jaded perspective than "Cracked Actor", an account of a warped sensibility at work on a malignant seduction.
For all of its accounts of loopy characters and lost souls, Aladdin Sane never seems to take itself too seriously, leaving enough space for the listener to smile and revel in Bowie's bemused tales of degeneracy. "Drive In Saturday," recounts an inverted future of domestic bliss, while "Lady Grinning Soul" successfully seduces the listener into worshipping the song's namesake. Add in a playfully nutso version of the Rolling Stones' "Let's Spend the Night Together", the paranoid song-noir spiel of "Panic in Detroit" and the dramatic camp of "Time", and you've got a masterpiece, perhaps the best album to emerge from the `Glam' era. A+ Tom Ryan

4 out of 5 stars Great Discs Horrible Packaging.......2005-09-26

This anniversary edition of one of Bowie's greatest albums contains an amazing bonus disc and a great booklet. However, I have a HUGE gripe and that is the packaging. The discs are jammed in to sleeves in the front and back of the package. They are stuffed in so tight that I had to use scissors to get them out. When I did, they were scuffed already from when the manufacturers shoved them in. Why put such effort into producing such a beautiful package and insert the CDs in such a careless way. I've found this sort of packaging before and it's really annoying. I personally like my CDs unscratched. Other than that the sound is awesome and the bonus tracks are fantastic.
Aladdin Sane
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great album
  • Looning in the USA
  • Brilliant
  • The Jean Genius
  • David Bowie - 'Aladdin Sane' (Virgin) 4 1/2 stars
Aladdin Sane
David Bowie
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
GlamGlam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Hunky Dory
  2. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust
  3. The Man Who Sold the World
  4. Diamond Dogs [ECD]
  5. Station to Station

ASIN: B0000009NJ

Amazon.com essential recording

The second most important moment in Bowie's glam period, Aladdin Sane is full of smart, cutting-edge songs that hold up decades later as classic moments in rock. Standout tracks include "Panic in Detroit," with Mick Ronson's screaming guitars and Mick Woodmansey's urgent drumming; "Watch that Man," a piano-driven, rollicking number perfect for the Bowie strut; the lascivious and sweaty "Cracked Actor"; the punky "Jean Genie"; and a perfectly raucous cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together." "Time" hearkens back to the theatrics of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, while "Drive in Saturday," "The Prettiest Star," and "Lady Grinning Soul" serve as precursors to Bowie's "plastic soul" sounds that came later in the '70s. Aladdin Sane is even more impressive when considering that the same year this album was made, Bowie was also working with artists like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, producing some of their most heralded works (the Stooges' Raw Power and Reed's Transformer). --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great album.......2007-03-26

This was the first David Bowie album I brought and although I love Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory and most of Bowies other work I would say this is the essential and perhaps greatest record Bowie ever created.

David Bowie is easily one of the greatest songwriters ever just read the lyrics. Aladdin Sane also has my all time favourite Bowie track Jean Genie which is the greatest glam rock songs ever.

Anybody into REAL music should just buy this record along with everything else this man has done( Well maybe not everything his latter records aren't quite so good) but Aladdin Sane is an essential listen none the less so do your record collection a favour and buy it.

5 out of 5 stars Looning in the USA.......2007-03-18

For me, David Bowie never topped this one. Compared to ALADDIN SANE, ZIGGY was just a warm-up exercise, but here he's full-out. "Watch That Man," with it's Stonesy-Mottsy push, opens the album on a kick-a** note, then "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" and "Drive-In Saturday" continue with skewed slices of the craziness that was surrounding Bowie at the time. "Panic In Detroit" and "Cracked Actor" are two of his most frenetic rockers, as is "The Jean Genie," and all three of these songs have the Spiders From Mars backing him to the hilt. True, Bowie's cover of "Let's Spend The Night Together" seems to want to devolve into camp along the way, but somehow it never quite does, thank goodness. Finally, "Lady Grinning Soul" has that death's-head beauty that later surfaced on Lou Reed's BERLIN album.

The legend has it that Bowie penned most of these songs while traveling around doing ZIGGY STARDUST throughout the US, and with all of the hype, hangers-on and general lunacy that seemed to be the stuff of his story in 1973, something like ALADDIN SANE was bound to emerge. But who'd have guessed it would have had as lasting a musical impact as it does? A great one!

5 out of 5 stars Brilliant.......2007-02-15

I was lucky enough to see Bowie on tour in England (Hey Torquay) when this was released.

A masterpiece.

Favourite? Drive In Saturday

5 out of 5 stars The Jean Genius.......2007-01-20

Ricky Gervais once said that when he first heard "Aladdin Sane" he wondered if it was okay to like it because he was unsure if it was pretentious, but he soon realised he didn't care because it just sounded amazing. "Aladdin Sane" is pretentious (although technically a new Bowie "character", Aladdin Sane was essentially an extension of Ziggy Stardust, with the Ziggy persona still adopted mostly for live shows), but rock never sounded so unpretentious for a fictitious concept. The sleeve notes quote Bowie as saying that in retrospect he saw the "Aladdin Sane" album as `Ziggy goes to America', and I think that's a very good description. Most of the album was written and recorded during Bowie's first American tour in the autumn of 1972 and it sounds a little more raw and raucous than its predecessor, whilst still carrying the same "sexed-up glam rock god" feel of "Ziggy Stardust".

The album gets off to a fine start with the rock track, "Watch That Man". The vocals were deliberately buried in the mix, possibly to allow the listener to "feel" the song and its rock rhythm track more than anything. Two singles from the album preceded its release - "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-In Saturday". There was some controversy in the UK at the time of Jean Genie's release as the song had a similar riff to one used by fellow RCA act The Sweet on their "Blockbuster" single. "Blockbuster" was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn and recorded at a slightly later date than "The Jean Genie". It reached Number 1 in the UK charts while Bowie peaked right behind at Number 2. All parties maintained that the similarity was, in Nicky Chinn's words, "absolute coincidence". Today, however, it would be difficult to imagine such a coincidence without some sort of plagiarism lawsuit arising. "Drive-In Saturday" was another Top 3 hit for Bowie with a 1950's doo-wop sound that carried references to Mick Jagger, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung, and English model, Twiggy who would appear with Bowie on the cover of his next album, "Pin-Ups". The song was written during a long train journey from Seattle to Phoenix. Along the way, Bowie saw some futuristic-looking domed buildings lit by moonlight, hence the line, "Perhaps the strange ones in the dome can lend us a book we can read up alone." The one thing everyone seems to note about "Aladdin Sane" (aside from its striking, iconic cover) is the piano solo on the title track. Mike Garson made two initial attempts at the solo, the first being in a blues style, the next with a Latin feel but Bowie felt neither really suited the track. Remembering Garson had performed some avant-garde work on piano, Bowie asked him to play something in that vein and what came about was the solo you hear on the record - a slightly out of tune, erratic piece captured in one take that somehow compliments the song's theme of insanity (Aladdin Sane - A Lad Insane). The song's full title "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" suggests an immanent Third World War, 1913 and 1938 being, of course, the years directly preceding the First and Second World Wars respectively. "Cracked Actor" and "Time" are probably my favourite songs on the album, the former being a down and dirty rock track that chugs and swaggers with Bowie providing blasts of harmonica through an amp. The concert hall piano introduction on "Time" is reminiscent of the Berlin decadence scene of the 1920's. The only let down on the album for me is the frantic reworking of the Stones' classic, "Let's Spend The Night Together". While packing a certain punch, it just seems to lack the same style and credibility of the Jagger-Richards original. The album closes with the dreamlike ballad, "Lady Grinning Soul", said to be an ode to American soul singer, Claudia Lennear who was also the subject of the Rolling Stones' hit, "Brown Sugar".

"Aladdin Sane" was David Bowie's first UK number one album and spent five weeks at the top of the charts in May 1973. It was also his first album to break the American Top 20. On 3rd July 1973, Bowie effectively killed off his Ziggy alter-ego by legendarily announcing his retirement from the stage at London's Hammersmith Odeon during the concert that was recorded for the live movie, "Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars". The Ziggy look would remain for the covers of Bowie's next two albums, but the character itself was laid to rest forever. Dropping the popular concept that had been the basis for his rise to superstardom could have, in effect, cost Bowie his career, but he had the balls to undertake the risk of reinventing himself, and using his immense talent he was able to continue to produce some of his best work.

4 out of 5 stars David Bowie - 'Aladdin Sane' (Virgin) 4 1/2 stars.......2006-09-25

Review number 68.Originally released in 1973, as this was Bowie's stunning follow-up to the 'Ziggy Stardust' album. Many have stated that 'Aladdin Sane' is a stronger,harder and stranger work than 'Ziggy...'. Not sure if I totally agree with that,but I do like both lp's. Basically,just all around great '70's British hard rocking/glam rock,the WAY it should be. Best cuts here,without a doubt are "Drive-In Saturday",the title track "Aladdin Sane","The Prettiest Star",his nicely done cover of the Stone's "Let's Spend The Night Together" and the late night FM staple "Jean Genie" (never get burned out on this gem). After listening to this on CD for the first time,I can only say this piece might've very well been one of guitarist Mick Ronson's (R.I.P.) best work ever. Recommended.
Aladdin Sane
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Aladdin Sane
    David Bowie
    Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
    Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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    Similar Items:
    1. Pin Ups
    2. Ziggy Stardust
    3. Station to Station
    4. Hunky Dory
    5. Space Oddity

    ASIN: B000KCHWD6
    Release Date: 2007-01-16

    Tracks:

    1. Watch That Man
    2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
    3. Drive-In Saturday
    4. Panic In Detroit
    5. Cracked Actor
    6. Time
    7. The Prettiest Star
    8. Let's Spend The Night Together
    9. The Jean Genie
    10. Lady Grinning Soul

    Album Description

    Manufactured in Japan. CD sits within an exact replica of the original vinyl packaging including the inside sleeve. Packaging includes the Japanese spine sleeve.
    Aladdin Sane - 30th Anniversary Edition
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Aladdin Sane - 30th Anniversary Edition
      David Bowie
      Manufacturer: EMI
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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      GlamGlam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
      Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B0000942MU
      Aladdin Sane
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Aladdin Sane
        David Bowie
        Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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        Similar Items:
        1. Ziggy Stardust
        2. The Man Who Sold the World
        3. Low
        4. Diamond Dogs
        5. Foreigner

        ASIN: B000KJTLE2
        Release Date: 2007-01-22

        Tracks:

        1. Watch That Man
        2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
        3. Drive-In Saturday
        4. Panic in Detroit
        5. Cracked Actor
        6. Time
        7. Prettiest Star
        8. Let's Spend the Night Together
        9. Jean Genie
        10. Lady Grinning Soul

        Album Description

        Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this 1973 album comes housed in a mini LP sleeve featuring the original album artwork. This was Bowie's follow-up to the enormously successful Ziggy Stardust album and musically continues where Ziggy left off.. 10 tracks including 'Panic In Detroit', 'The Jean Genie', 'Cracked Actor' and more. EMI. 2007.

        Album Details

        Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.
        Aladdin Sane - Withdrawn
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Aladdin Sane - Withdrawn
          David Bowie
          Manufacturer: R.C.A.
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B000LX7XHE
          Aladdin Sane/Diamond Dogs
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • Two from his golden decade
          Aladdin Sane/Diamond Dogs
          David Bowie
          Manufacturer: EMI
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
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          ASIN: B0000B0A32
          Release Date: 2004-05-13

          Tracks:

          1. Aladdin Sane: Watch That Man
          2. Aladdin Sane: Aladdin Sane
          3. Aladdin Sane: Drive In Saturday
          4. Aladdin Sane: Panic In Detroit
          5. Aladdin Sane: Cracked Actor
          6. Aladdin Sane: Time
          7. Aladdin Sane: The Prettiest Star
          8. Aladdin Sane: Let's Spend The Night Together
          9. Aladdin Sane: The Jean Genie
          10. Aladdin Sane: Lady Grinning Soul

          Tracks:

          1. Diamond Dogs: Future Legend
          2. Diamond Dogs: Diamond Dogs
          3. Diamond Dogs: Sweet Thing
          4. Diamond Dogs: Candidate
          5. Diamond Dogs: Sweet Thing (Reprise)
          6. Diamond Dogs: Rebel Rebel
          7. Diamond Dogs: Rock N' Roll With Me
          8. Diamond Dogs: We Are The Dead
          9. Diamond Dogs: 1984
          10. Diamond Dogs: Big Brother
          11. Diamond Dogs: Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Two from his golden decade.......2006-02-17


          This double pack demonstrates just how versatile David Bowie used to be in his early days. Aladdin Sane is a weird mix of sharp rock and futuristic cabaret whilst Diamond Dogs is a powerful glamrock outing.

          Aladdin Sane was a weird follow-up to Ziggy Stardust. It isn't really a rock album, with the exception of Watch That Man, The Prettiest Star, Cracked Actor and The Jean Genie, four classic rock numbers of which the latter was a prelude to punk with its short, sharp riffs and inherent aggression. Songs like Time, Aladdin Sane and Lady Grinning Soul are like futuristic torch songs, mostly bleak observations with slow arrangements over loungey piano music. His cover of Let's Spend The Night Together is fast, dispassionate and throwaway, not an exceptional addition to his oeuvre but a tribute to 1960s pop like his Pin-Ups album.

          Although there are some great songs here, overall this album is not one that invites repeated listening for the rock music fan, apart from the aforementioned songs like The Jean Genie and The Prettiest Star. It's an album of interesting experimentation in both the lyrics and the music and quite valuable on that level, but perhaps too stylistically weird. That's why so few tracks from Aladdin Sane ever make it onto Bowie compilation albums.

          Diamond Dogs sounds better to me now than all those years ago. From the dramatic howling introduction, through the gripping title track, Sweet Thing, Candidate, Sweet Thing Reprise and into the catchy Rebel Rebel, Diamond Dogs is a marvellous tour de force, comparable to the best work on his very best albums. I love the innovative piano rolls on Sweet Thing, and the bridge between the Reprise and Rebel Rebel is absolutely brilliant.

          Rock `n Roll with me is another powerful song while Big Brother/Chant impresses with its complex arrangement. Perhaps this album need to be assessed on its own terms, not in context of what went before or after. As such, it remains a tour de force of Glamrock with melodious songs and interesting ideas.
          Aladdin Sane
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Aladdin Sane
            David Bowie
            Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
            Proto PunkProto Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
            Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
            Progressive RockProgressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
            Hard RockHard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
            Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
            GlamGlam | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
            Alternative RockAlternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
            Classic RockClassic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
            ASIN: B00009PN1P
            Release Date: 2003-07-28

            Tracks:

            1. Watch That Man
            2. Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)
            3. Drive-In Saturday
            4. Panic in Detroit
            5. Cracked Actor
            6. Time
            7. Prettiest Star
            8. Let's Spend the Night Together
            9. Jean Genie
            10. Lady Grinning Soul

            Tracks:

            1. John, I'm Only Dancing [Sax Version]
            2. Jean Genie [Original Single Mix]
            3. Time [Single Edit]
            4. All the Young Dudes
            5. Changes [Live]
            6. Supermen [Live]
            7. Life on Mars? [Live][#]
            8. John, I'm Only Dancing [Live]
            9. Jean Genie [Live]
            10. Drive-In Saturday [Live][#]

            Album Details

            Limited edition Japanese version featuring special book style packaging.
            Aladdin Sane
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Aladdin Sane

              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD

              GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
              Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
              Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
              Alternative RockAlternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
              Classic RockClassic Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
              ASIN: B00005GL6P
              Release Date: 2007-01-16

              Album Description

              Limited Edition reissue of this 1973 album comes housed in a mini LP sleeve featuring the original album artwork. This was Bowie's follow-up to the enormously successful Ziggy Stardust album and musically continues where Ziggy left off.. 10 tracks including 'Panic In Detroit', 'The Jean Genie', 'Cracked Actor' and more.Japanese pressing distriibuted for a limited time in Europe with new UPC number. EMI. 2007.

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              4. American Standard
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