Aladdin Sane (2013 Remaster) [VINYL]

The schizophrenic cousin to '...Ziggy Stardust...' and sometimes referred to as 'Ziggy goes to America', this follow up to that seminal album is almost as good - some might say better - than its illustrious predecessor. There's no denying that it has a harder, rockier sound and the lyrics are far more cynical than on '...Ziggy...' In many respects, 'Aladdin Sane' depicts the harsh realities of stardom, where the previous album was very much the wide-eyed dream. It boasts much the same line-up as that masterpiece of popular music, with Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey all returning but the addition of Mike Garson on piano gives 'Aladdin Sane' a jazzier, avant-garde and perhaps more authentic feel. Most of the tracks are wonderfully sleazy and decadent, with a jaundiced Bowie commenting on what he saw beneath the glittering façade of fame and the American entertainment industry. The album's final trump card is its cover; surely one of the most iconic record covers ever! 1. Watch That Man - I wasn't keen on this song when I first heard it but it has grown on me over the years. I think the main reason it took me so long to appreciate it was because I could barely make out the lyrics as Bowie's voice was so low in the mix. Apparently, it was done to give the song a rawer, Stones-like feel. The lyrics themselves seem to refer to some decadent, drug-fuelled party. 2. Aladdin Sane - One of my favourite tracks, largely due to Mike Garson's brilliant, utterly deranged, avant-garde piano solo mid-way through the song. What it's about, I'm not entirely sure but it seems to hint at society's decadence before the outbreak of war with (1917-1938-197?) suggesting that Bowie was anticipating a further outbreak in the not too distant future. 3. Drive In Saturday - Fusing 50's doo-wop with a futuristic soundscape, the song reached number #3 in the charts, yet it seems to be the forgotten Bowie single as it rarely features on a greatest hits compilation. Shame, as it's a wonderful song! 4. Panic In Detroit - Tales of revolutionaries in Motor City, propelled by Ronson's bluesy guitar and soulful backing singers, it has a wonderful opening line... "He looked a lot like Che Guevara, drove a diesel van..." 5. Cracked Actor - Bowie's harmonica and Ronson’s guitar sound downright sleazy, which is appropriate for a song about an aged actor, well past his sell by date, paying for sex in some Tinseltown back-room. 6. Time - Arch, theatrical and brilliantly bonkers! It's yet another wonderful song in which Garson's piano playing distinguishes itself. From the lyrics, I have a vision of Bowie and the Spiders, bored out of their minds, waiting in the wings for some terrible act to get off stage and allow them on. Also includes drug references & a certain rude word - oh, my! 7. Prettiest Star - Some more 50's doo-wop, nostalgic lyrics and a great guitar solo from Ronson, in what is one of the more pleasant sounding tracks from the album. 8. Let's Spend The Night Together - A camp, dazzling, deranged and speeded up cover of The Rolling Stones classic, which manages to do what all good covers should do and that's to be different from the original. It is also completely in tune with the album's pervading air of decadence. 9. Jean Genie - One of Bowie's biggest hits, reaching number #2 in the charts, it is a perfect slice of glam rock. Rumoured to be inspired by his great friend Iggy Pop, it has an irresistibly catchy guitar riff that bears a striking resemblance to The Sweet's number #1 'Blockbuster,' which was released at around the same time. Apparently, it was just a coincidence that they sounded remarkably similar. 10. Lady Grinning Soul - Beautiful song with a gorgeous arrangement; rippling piano and flamenco guitar. I don't think it would have been out of place as a Bond theme, as Bowie paints a vivid picture of a sensuous seductress who is always one step ahead of you. It's a great song on which to end the album. In many respects, 'Aladdin Sane,' marks the end of the Spiders, with Mick Woodmansey being effectively sacked over a pay dispute and Trevor Bolder and the brilliant Mick Ronson dropped after the next album, 'Pin-Ups.' Bowie, easily bored and restless for change, wished to take his music in a new direction and so he did.

This is another example of 70s Bowie that I have grown to love this year. It's an amazing, harder hitting album in relation to the lyrics and style of music as we move from Ziggy to Aladdin Sane. It takes a while to get used to some of the lyrics which paint some troubling "facts" of life at times like sexual harassment, as well as some risqué imagery, even for now. Aside from that, I think most people would find something they can enjoy on this album. Aladdin Sane is a fun and extraordinary track showcasing jazz piano which sounds reminiscent, to me, of Latin Jazz at times, and the sampling/referring to the hit Broadway is an early example of sampling. It demonstrates the idea of what Bowie said of this album that it was/is the American version/exploration of Ziggy. The piano in Lady Grinning Soul has a beautiful glissando technique to a greater extent than does Aladdin Sane, which is something not previously seen on other Bowie's albums. After reading The Man Who Sold the World by Peter Doggett, I learned that there are two versions of The Prettiest Star, as at first it was released as a single a couple years before being re-released with this album. It's one of my favourite tracks. The version on this album is different to the version that is present in the Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 piano/vocal/guitar music book. Panic in Detroit quickly became another of my favourites of which I was unfamiliar prior to this year. On another note, I still think Let's Spend the Night Together should have been on the Pin Ups album instead but I've grown used to this version and can understand why David chose for it to be on this album. He does sound like he had a lot of fun recording it and Aladdin Sane is a fun figure, in part. On the downside, I am unable to enjoy the writing included in the CD booklet. The font must be a size 2; it is so minute that no one can read it. I would recommend that this be fixed as it's disappointing in it's present state and hard to believe that it was allowed to be sold like this! It has been shrunk from the LP version to CD but I am sure a much better job can be done so that people can read it. I'm sure the cassette versions were legible. Other than that, I would say this is quite a timeless album. It weathers well.

David Bowie is one of those well-known artists that most people already have formed an opinion about, and if you are here reading reviews of his albums on Amazon I am thinking you are probably at the very least a casual admirer of his music. I am not the biggest Bowie fan by a long shot. I don’t even like some of his hits from the late seventies on (my opinion and taste, which in no way invalidates your own); I do however like his Ziggy Stardust period and the music that bookends it. Therefore, this review of one of my favorite albums of Mr. Bowie’s will be sticking to the quality of the 2015 180-gram vinyl re-issue. Specifically, this is for those that are considering buying this 1973 album for their collections. The music itself earns the five stars above but I’ll leave the detailed descriptions to others. Many recordings have a “happy spot” where the level needs to be in the right range before the mix comes alive; generally, this occurs when the volume on your stereo begins to approach the level at which the track was mixed (or sometimes mastered) at. Ziggy Goes to America (Aladdin Sane) is particularly such a recording and the volume level that breathes life into it is fairly high. Too quiet and the mix is flat and lifeless, too loud and it sounds brash and harsh. There is a lot going on in many of these tracks and this pressing does an excellent job of sorting it all out. On the guitar driven tracks Mick Ronson’s guitar tone is nicely fat and chunky, and well separated when multitracked. Bowie is in fine voice throughout and portrayed with aplomb. The frequency extremes are somewhat truncated (this is an old trick when mixing – by narrowing the frequency ranges of individual instruments it is easier to clearly place instruments with overlapping frequencies in the soundscape) this is particularly noticeable on these mixes with the kick drum and cymbals; but the bass guitar has a pleasant round tone. This is not the place to look for subterranean bass nor extended highs. This pressing/remaster excels at clarity and tone (at least the tones that Mick Ronson and Ken Scott wanted to focus on while mixing) more so than imaging. This is perhaps because it is digitally mastered vs. the original analog master (or maybe that’s just the way this album is supposed to sound). Very nice quality in terms of the pressing/manufacturing, quiet vinyl, well centered spindle hole, and very flat. I don’t think it differs enough from the original early pressings to warrant a repurchase unless your copy is worn out or if you have one of the recycled vinyl re-issues from the late 70s/early 80s that suck. If you don’t already have a copy of this album this is a decent version to get especially given the quality/price (when I bought it at least) ratio. I would search out an older good pressing (preferably an English, German, Japanese, or first American pressing edition) if I were willing to pay a premium price. Packaging: Well done job of recreating the original gatefold presentation with all of the original artwork and lyrics, it even includes the folding black and white fan club insert (no longer valid). High quality printing and card stock and a plastic lined paper inner sleeve that appears to be static resistant. I felt no need to follow my usual practice of using an aftermarket inner sleeve, I did put it in a ClearBags outer sleeve to make the iconic cover pop visually and protect the whole thing.

Bien envuelto, buen gramaje y sonido

CD in Ordnung

David Bowie dopo Elvis è il mio cantautore preferito questo album ha segnato generazioni è tra gli album più conosciuti di questo artista lo consiglio a chi non lo conosce d’iniziare da questo album e poi procedere con gli alti album tanto per farvi un idea di come sono i suoi brani e lui.

David Bowie dispensa comentarios. Fantástico ! Entrega feita no prazo e o fornecedor foi muito gentil enviando uma capa de CD extra para o caso de haver problemas na caixa original - o que não ocorreu.