David Bowie - 'Aladdin Sane' What am I missing?

I think to properly appreciate it, you have to be......... A Ladd Insane.

( I'm sorry...... )

 

Either you get it or don't as there are a dozen or more reasons this is a great recording only you have the ability to find them.

 

Lipstick mascara was once popular, perhaps that's tbe backlash.
Wipes mouth.

 

I think it's my favorite.

 

Wasn't he on an upward trajectory from 1974?

 

That'd be my opinion - 2nd half of the 70s Bowie tops 1st half, IMO.

But I'm not the one who claimed he jumped the shark with "Diamond Dogs"!

 

There's a lot of early 70's Bowie that just doesn't click for me. About half each of Young Americans and Station To Station are anywhere from good to great -- but a lot less than half of anything (Bowie) before about 1975 really does much for me (and the pre-75 tracks I do like, are mostly the ones that are overplayed).

I think the very earliest Bowie track that I really deeply connect with is "Stay" from Station To Station, though I probably have a soft spot for "Life On Mars" (from Hunky Dory).

For me, everything Bowie gets progressively better after 1976 -- goes downhill a bit in the 80's, starts to right itself with Tin Machine -- and then (for me) his best work is all after Tin Machine (nearly everything). Seriously.

 

I used to be kind of lukewarm on it aside from the obvious highlights. These days, I think I actually prefer it over Ziggy. It's raunchier and more fun.

Fun story: I got the Ryko CD as a Christmas present when I was around 10 years old or so and carried it over to my great aunt's house so I could listen to it on the Discman. At some point, my uncle got a hold of the CD booklet and flipped through it. After we got home, my mom expressed how embarrassed she was because he approached her about some of the "naughty" lyrics.

 

Let's get you and Alexpop in a steel cage to fight it out. He thinks Bowie tanked after 1974, you think he came to life - duke it out, boys!

 

Love this album. Always have, always will.

 

Oats, I'm pleased that you like Dogs.

 

In all actuality, Diamond dogs was a tough pill to swallow at first with the departure of the Spiders from Mars. However, it's a keeper and one of Bowies top 4 albums.

 

I can understand why you might not really like Watch That Man and some others. I like all of the songs but a few are too derivative sounding compared to the other songs. Watch That Man is a perfect example.
I still like it though but not as much as the title track.

 

No. Ohhhhh no.

 

Musically, I would say "Yes", but physically and mentally I would say he was going downhill.

 

Uh, I think that distinction goes to "Young Americans". That's the album that got him on the top of the singles and album charts, and introduced him to a brand new audience. Hell, "Fame" even got him on Soul Train"!

Yes. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! For the U.S., 1975 was the uptick. But, after "Station To Station"'s "Golden Years", he faded back out to pre-'75 status until "Let's Dance".

 

Not to be flippant, but this is one of those "if I have to explain it to you, you'll never get it" albums.

 

It's a goodun, though I always skip the Stones cover and Prettiest Star

 

Interesting discussion and I agree with those who say there is nothing wrong with not liking a particular album even if you like the artist. Music is so subjective and it moves each of us differently.

For this album, I really like the title track but am very lukewarm about the album itself, and the whole glam period frankly. Bowie for me really starts at Station To Station.

 

There are songs I skip on everything from The Man Who Sold the World through Scary Monsters. Well, I skip around a lot on the two live albums. But man, that is a run of 12 pretty swell studio LPs in a row.

 

I think Aladdin Sane is a great album. I'm not sure if it's a better album than Ziggy Stardust, but it certainly rocks harder and is arguably a more musically adventurous album than Ziggy Stardust. The only misstep is the cover of "Let's Spend the Night Together", but everything else is gold.

 

The cover shot is iconic, but the album to me sounds a bit as if he really didn't know where to go next with his Ziggy character. There is a variety of styles from experimental sounds over blues, pop and music theatre. Many good songs. But it doesn't fit together as good as the songs on the two albums before. But....nothing to be ashamed of.

 

I've got the 30th anniversary two disc set and like the sound on it, very much.

 

I love Aladdin Sane. I like the brashness of it and I like that fact that this is Bowie surfing the crest of the Ziggy wave. Here he is, the now established, mega pop star and he's havin' a ball.
I remember finding Diamond Dogs a bit of a let-down after it (especially as Rono had gone). I grew to love it though.