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

Picture the Spiders as a supergroup. When Bowie dissolved the band and went it alone, sort of speak, kinda like Clapton after Cream; everything gets re-evaluated and sometimes it ain't pretty. That was the feeling I had with the albums after Aladdin Sane. Granted my first forray into his stuff started with Sane, which makes me biased, and I hadn't picked up my next Bowie album till Young Americans (skipping DD's). As a young teen I could still tell the difference in quality/sound of the new vs old band. I thought nothing compared or could compare with the excellence to what Bowie had with Ronson, Woodmansey and Bolder. However, over time and once accustomed to DD's, there was a lot to appreciate with that new adventure.

 

Better than the '99, but far too compressed:

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/39189

Try and get the ultra-rare Quadumvirate SACD if you want a great sounding version:

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/63268

 

I think that DD has so many layers that need unraveling and therefore requires repeat plays to fully appreciate. It's very subtle sonically, so perhaps the polar opposite of AS.

 

Sweet Thing Live From L.A. 05-Sep-1974

 

I love Aladdin Sane. I don't think is better than Ziggy, though. Ziggy is a more polished album. Aladdin Sane is more adventurous. For those here who find Ziggy too smooth, I'm not sure you've ever heard it on a good system. Mick's guitar makes your hair stand on end.

Aladdin Sane has been described as "Ziggy goes to America." I think that's a fair description.

You don't have to like Aladdin Sane, but it is one of Bowie's great records and therefore one of the greatest records ever.

 

Great clip (but that pale blue suit...)

 

It was the '70s baby ! How'd you like Earl Slick's guitar work as opposed to the studio version?

 

Loved it, but it is Earl Slick afterall! You can see why he chose him for STS and other projects. If I'm honest, I prefer the studio version, as the guitar is more blended into the song. There is so much else going on, what with the sax, piano, effects etc.

 

As a slight aside we've got Tony Visconti, Woody Woodmansey (with Glenn Gregory & Steve Norman) performing David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold The World' here in a few weeks. Buzzing for it to be honest. Well, if Bowie's not gonna play it.....

 

I've also heard (on this forum, in fact) that the EMI 100 - Centenary edition from 1997 is good for Aladdin Sane.

 

The problem with Aladdin Sane, as with most many Bowie albums, is there is no warmth, no soul. It's the sound of a man who's chosen music as an avenue to stardom.

 

Mick Garson's piano. Plus some remarkable vocals. "She'll come, she'll go."

Tim

 

I think you'd got a copy of Let's Dance in your Aladdin Sane sleeve.

But let's face it, Bowie has never been the warm and fuzzy type.

 

I understand what you're saying, but I actually think that Aladdin Sane is the album where that view is conclusively disproven.

 

And I don't get that from it at all. I get the vibe that he had songs oozing from his pores. I think ideas flowed from him so easily in that era - and he had such a great working relationship with the band - that 'Sane' sounds effortless and vibrant AT THE SAME TIME.

 

AS is one of my top 3 Bowie albums, along with Diamond Dogs and Station To Station. At any given time any of these could be my favorite. I am probably in the minority here, but Watch That Man is my favorite Bowie song despite it's quirky mix. I remember being obsessed with it as a teenager trying to figure out the words through the buried vocals. Now that adds to the song's appeal to me, but I can also understand why others may not care for it as much.

 

You haven't heard 'Young Americans'? Bit plastic, but full of soul.

 

I never knew there was film of this show! Very cool to see this again - I was at that show!

It not clear in this video what's happening, but the set was a city street, and Bowie appeared on a catwalk at the top of the set. Over the course of the song, the catwalk slowly descended then ascended as Bowie prowled back and forth. By the end of the song it was back up at the top. Simple staging, but it was very effective and seemed really wild for a rock show at the time.

 

This is the album that made me a fan in the first place and still my favorite 40 years later. But it's a matter of taste, really. For instance, "Heroes" is my least favorite, yet it's considered a classic by many a Bowie fan, so go figure.

 

I don't know why but I prefer AS to Ziggy.

 

Aladdin Sane' is my favorite by Bowie. And a stone cold classic.

 

old school, I'm starting to like the school you went to more and more.

 

There's quite a bit of film from that show actually. The BBC shot the show at the Universal Amphitheater on 05-Sep-1974 as they were making the documentary "Cracked Actor" and wanted some performance footage. If you search YouTube for Diamond Dogs/Philly Dogs tour footage, most of it (especially if it's pro-shot) is from this show. For what it's worth, the audio circulates from this show (mono - supposedly recorded by the BBC and is excellent).

Lastly, there a documentary floating around (I wish I could remember the name - one of those multi-part deals) on Rock and Roll that has a segment on the rise of the big stadium tours. I remember there were segments on one of Kiss' elaborate stagings as well as the Diamond Dog tour set. They had the set designer and a little miniature of the set, with all the moving parts like the catwalk you described and the cherry picker that was used for Space Oddity. I'm sure it's on YouTube as well.

This is a combination of a lot of the footage from Cracked Actor:



This link (since I can only post one video) has the Space Oddity footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n18B4MZ0Azo

 

In case you couldn't tell, I love Aladdin Sane. The 30th Anniversary Edition had some nice bonus tracks, including the acoustic "Drive In Saturday" from Cleveland. It's nice to hear one of the AS songs in it's early stages.

I always though this was a cool (supposedly) Aladdin Sane outtake. What I like about it too is that David obviously recycled the piano bit for Sweet Thing later on (never waste any good ideas, right)? I was always surprised they never released this one since it has some nice Ronson riffs too.

 

If nothing else, this thread has given me reason to listen to the album again and see if it works. Jean Genie has always been a favorite of mine.