When did Aladdin Sane by David Bowie come out?
"Aladdin Sane" was debuted live in February 1973, prior to the album’s release, and often played in concert during the later Ziggy Stardust tours and again on the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974. A performance from the first leg of the 1974 tour was released on David Live (1974), the same track also appearing on Rock Concert.
When did Aladdin Sane by RCA release?
Aladdin Sane was released by RCA on 13 April 1973. With a purported 100,000 copies ordered in advance, the LP debuted at the top of the UK charts, where it remained for five weeks.
When did Aladdin Sane by Ziggy Stardust come out?
"Aladdin Sane" was debuted live in February 1973, prior to the album’s release, and often played in concert during the later Ziggy Stardust tours and again on the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974.
What was the original name of Aladdin Sane?
The original vinyl issue of Aladdin Sane listed it as "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)", followed by " RHMS Ellinis ", the name of the ship on which it was written, in keeping with Bowie's practice on the album of indicating the origin of each track.
What is the name of the ship on which Aladdin Sane was written?
The original vinyl issue of Aladdin Sane listed it as "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)", followed by " RHMS Ellinis ", the name of the ship on which it was written, in keeping with Bowie's practice on the album of indicating the origin of each track. The coda includes a quote from the song " On Broadway ", and on the compilation album Changestwobowie (1981) it appeared in liner notes as "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)/On Broadway", co-credit going to Mann, Weil, Leiber and Stoller. On the 1990 Rykodisc CD reissue the track was referred to as simply "Aladdin Sane", but subsequent CD reissues of the album in 1999, 2003 and 2013 restored the "Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?)" title.
When did David Live come out?
A performance from the first leg of the 1974 tour was released on David Live (1974), the same track also appearing on Rock Concert. A live version from the second leg of the same tour (previously available on the unofficial album A Portrait in Flesh) was released in 2017 on Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74).
When was Sweet Thing recorded?
Incorporating parts of "Aladdin Sane" and what would become " Sweet Thing (Reprise)" on Diamond Dogs, this instrumental piece was generally thought to have been recorded during the Aladdin Sane sessions at Trident Studios early in 1973.
When was Aladdin Sane released?
Released on 13 April 1973 , Aladdin Sane debuted at No.1 on the UK chart and made it to No.17 in the US, while Bowie went on to whip The Spiders’ UK audiences into a frenzy one last time during their UK tour of May and June. Then, on the tour’s final night, at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, on 3 July, he famously made good on the lyrics to the song Ziggy Stardust, breaking up the band in public at the very height of his first flush of fame.
Who played the piano on Aladdin Sane?
Elsewhere, Aladdin Sane allowed Bowie to significantly expand his sonic palette, with saxophones, percussion and backing vocals adding additional textures, and his newly-recruited pianist, Mike Garson, playing a key role in bringing several tracks to fruition.
Where was the Jean Genie filmed?
The Jean Genie was promoted with a striking, Mick Rock-directed film clip shot in San Francisco and featuring Cyrinda Fox, and it shot to No. 2 in the UK chart early in 1973 – just as Bowie and The Spiders hooked up with Ziggy Stardust producer Ken Scott to record the bulk of Aladdin Sane before returning to the US for further dates that February.
What is David Bowie's sixth album?
An urgent and compelling take on ‘rock’n’roll America’, David Bowie’s sixth album, ‘Aladdin Sane’, pointed to life post-‘Ziggy Stardust’.
What was David Bowie's first album?
Aladdin Sane was Bowie’s first album written after his ascent to superstardom. The lyrics often reflected his rootless existence during the lengthy Ziggy Stardust Tour, with the cities and countryside of America a key influence.
When did David Bowie talk to Rolling Stone?
In 1976, while making the Station To Station album, Bowie spoke to Rolling Stone about his efforts to construct a rock star image.
Where was Aladdin Sane recorded?
Co-produced by Ken Scott, most of Aladdin Sane was recorded at Trident Studios in London in early 1973, the album is the fourth to feature a solid rock backing band, led by guitarist Mick Ronson, along with several guest musicians to provide a rich diversity of musical sub-genres.
What is the difference between Aladdin Sane and The Man Who Sold the World?
Another similarity is in lyrical content, with The Man Who Sold the World referencing schizophrenia, paranoia and delusion while In contrast, Aladdin Sane is a pun on “A Lad Insane”, believed to have been inspired by the recent diagnosis of David’s brother Terry Jones with schizophrenia.
What is the name of David Bowie's sixth album?
The sixth studio album by David Bowie, 1973’s Aladdin Sane furthers the narrative, begun on the previous year’s hit album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, of the fictional Ziggy Stardust character in what Bowie deemed “Ziggy goes to America”. In fact, the majority of the album was written and recorded during the previous album’s tour and it’s music reflects the pros of performing in new found superstardom and the cons of the wear and tear of constant touring.
Where was Lady Grinning Soul recorded?
A refreshing rebound of two fine tracks close album , starting with the sloshy, riff-driven, bluesy rock jam of “The Jean Genie”. Recorded in New York, this is one track with a nice amount of sonic space to let the listener enjoy this simple but entertaining song, which became Bowie’s biggest pop hit to date when it peaked at #2 in the UK. “Lady Grinning Soul” starts with a final long piano intro by Garson before the song proper kicks in with gently strummed acoustic, rapid, staccato piano and high-pitched but soft lead vocals, Compared in style to a James Bond theme, there is a slight flamenco guitar lead before another verse and a climatic coda to complete the album.
What is the headline of the 1973 Aladdin Sane album?
The headline from 1973’s album-reveal article has never been as fitting: “Goodbye Ziggy and a big hello to Aladdin Sane ” . A big hello indeed.
Where was Aladdin Sane written?
Aladdin Sane was the first album that Bowie had written from a position of stardom and, in tandem, the majority of the tracks were written on the road, most of which came during the US leg of ‘The Ziggy Stardust Tour’ in late ’72. This transitional theme is reflected in how each song is ascribed a place name on the album label, indicating where they were written: New York – ‘Watch That Man’, ‘The Jean Genie’, Seattle–Phoenix – ‘Drive-In Saturday’, Detroit, ‘Panic in Detroit’, Los Angeles – ‘Cracked Actor’ and New Orleans – ‘Time’. The writing was not only confined within the United States border though, the title track was written mid-Atlantic aboard the RHMS Ellinis, as Bowie sailed home in December ’72. And ‘Lady Grinning Soul’ and ‘The Prettiest Star’ were both written once the increasingly jaded Bowie had returned to London.
What did David Bowie say about Aladdin Sane?
Expanding, Bowie maintained that Aladdin Sane encompassed “situations as well as just being as personality”, showing the difference between his prior, relative innocence and newfound experience had on the writing process. This less defined character freed Bowie of Ziggy Stardust’s trappings, lending itself perfectly to the experimentation on the album, and vice versa.
What song inspired the song Jean Genie?
Whilst ‘The Jean Genie’ is undoubtedly a product of its time — glam to the bone and inspired by The Yardbirds’ version of the Muddy Waters track ‘I’m a Man’ — its classic status remains intact. Showing its immediate impact on the contemporary world, the riff was closely imitated by glam rockers Sweet on 1973’s ‘Blockbuster!’. Bowie described it as “a smorgasbord of imagined Americana”, referencing neon lights and Marilyn Monroe, reflecting the sponge-like nature of the new persona.
Who was the pianist in Aladdin Sane?
Bowie also added experimental pianist Mike Garson to his band, and it was his addition to the ensemble that really marked Aladdin Sane out as Bowie’s first flirtation with the avant-garde. This relationship would go on to be pioneering and a distillation of the Starman, something that culminated in his final album, 2016’s Blackstar. For the ’73 album, Garson’s technical prowess also helped to augment the Americana and futurism inherent to the record with ‘Time’ being a great example of this.
Who said "that grey space in the middle is what the twenty-first century is going to be about"?
“That grey space in the middle is what the twenty-first century is going to be about,” said David Bowie to Jeremy Paxman in a 1999 Newsnight interview discussing the birth of the internet. This veracious take has gone down as classic Bowie, showing his other-worldly wisdom. The almost messianic truth carried in this line can be beheld all around us today. One only has to note the content of Adam Curtis’s HyperNormalisation, or the zeitgeist of ‘alternative facts’ to heed the gravity of Bowie’s assertion.
Is Aladdin Sane the icon of David Bowie?
Whilst, there is so much more to say about Aladdin Sane, one thing cannot be said enough; it undoubtedly marked the beginnings of ‘David Bowie: the icon’. It is all-encompassing, just as its titular character was. The myriad of contrasting, and often sinister elements, coupled with its edgier, avant-garde musicianship, add to its definitive position in David Bowie’s genealogy.
What are the twin impulses of Aladdin Sane?
The twin impulses are to be a star (e.g., Jagger) and to be a star (e.g., Betelgeuse). The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars depicted an impending doomsday, an extraterrestrial visitation and its consequences for rock and society. Although never so billed, Ziggy was a rock opera, with plot, characters and musical and dramatic momentum. Aladdin Sane, in far less systematic fashion, works over the same themes — issuances from the Bowie schema which date back to The Man Who Sold the World. Bowie is cognizant that religion’s geography — the heavens — has been usurped, either by science or by actual beings.
Where was Drive-In Saturday conceived?
However, though Bowie’s point is well taken, his methods are not. “Drive-In Saturday” was conceived during Bowie’s passage through the Arizona desert. It is a fantasy in which the populace, after some terrible holocaust, has forgotten how to make love.
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Overview
Live versions
"Aladdin Sane" was debuted live in February 1973, prior to the album’s release, and often played in concert during the later Ziggy Stardust tours and again on the Diamond Dogs tour in 1974. A performance from the first leg of the 1974 tour was released on David Live (1974), the same track also appearing on Rock Concert. A live version from the second leg of the same tour (previously available on the unofficial album A Portrait in Flesh) was released in 2017 on Cracked Actor (Liv…
Title
The name is a pun on "A Lad Insane" and it was inspired by Bowie's half-brother Terry, who had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. An early variation was "Love Aladdin Vein", which Bowie dropped partly because of its drug connotations. The dates in parentheses refer to the years preceding World War I and World War II, with the third unknown date reflecting Bowie’s belief in an impending World War III.
Music and lyrics
Bowie wrote "Aladdin Sane" in December 1972 as he sailed back to the UK following the first leg of his US Ziggy Stardust tour. The subject matter was inspired by a book he was reading, Evelyn Waugh’s 1930 book Vile Bodies (filmed in 2003 as Bright Young Things, a phrase that also appears in the song's lyrics). Bowie saw in Waugh's story of "frivolous, decadent and silly" behaviour on the eve of "imminent catastrophe" a reflection of contemporary society, particularly in America. At Bridge …
"Zion"
A track now referred to as "Zion" has also appeared on bootlegs under the titles "Aladdin Vein", "Love Aladdin Vein", "A Lad in Vein", and "A Lad in Vain". Incorporating parts of "Aladdin Sane" and what would become "Sweet Thing (Reprise)" on Diamond Dogs, this instrumental piece was generally thought to have been recorded during the Aladdin Sane sessions at Trident Studios early in 1973. However a recent estimate places it alongside recordings for Pin Ups later that year, as …
Personnel
• David Bowie – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, tenor saxophone
• Mick Ronson – electric guitar
• Trevor Bolder – fretless bass
• Mick Woodmansey – drums
Other releases
The original song has appeared on several compilations:
• The Best of David Bowie (Japan 1974)
• Chameleon (Australia/New Zealand 1979)
• Changestwobowie (1981)
Cover versions
• Toni Basil – Live at the Roxy
• Emergency Broadcast Network – Sampled for "Homicidal Schizophrenic (A Lad Insane)" on Telecommunication Breakdown (1996)