50 years ago today, David Bowie released Aladdin Sane. 1973 was a monumental year for rock n roll with the release of Pink Floy's The Dark Side of The Moon, Led Zeppelin's Houses Of The Holy, and Iggy Pop and The Stooges Raw Power. Aladdin Sane should be included more in discussions. Prior to the release, Bowie just completed his worldwide tour for his masterpiece The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars and it has been said that Bowie created the character of Aladdin Sane to showcase what Ziggy would be like when he went to visit in America. What we got was Aladdin Sane and it's definitely an album to take a deeper dive into. Arguably the most famous track off the album is "The Jean Jeanie." The iconic guitar part came from Mick Ronson who began playing a Bo-Diddely inspired riff on his new Les Paul. Lyrically, Bowie is at his most bizarre lyrically and is channeling Iggy Pop swagger. Looking past this classic hit, this album has under appreciated gems that need to be bought to light. The opening track "Watch That Man" sounds like the brewing of an old Spiders From Mars rehearsal demo. That's exactly the feel and it makes the song what it is. Musically, it's raw rock n roll in your face with a rollocking rhythm fusing Rolling Stones/New York Dolls guitar technique. Bowie was an admirer of both bands and loved the members of each band dearly. The hidden gems begin with "Drive-In Saturday" which is heavily influenced by 1950s doo wop bands like The Coasters and The Five Satins. The listener is instantly traveled back to that innocent and technologically defining decade. You're at the drive in with your date and you can still smell the Brylcreem on your hands from slicking your hair back. "Panic In Detroit" is based on Stooges frontman Iggy Pop and the revolutionaries he knew while growing up in Michigan and witness the 1967 Detroit Riots. It's a bluesy fueled salsa infused Bo-Diddley with an apocalyptic backdrop. "Cracked Actor" takes on the point of view of just that. A cracked actor down on his luck and his questionable escapades while looking for work with a hard rocking guitar infused approach. The closing track "Lady Grinning Soul" is a very subtle musical hint of what was going to become of Bowie in his late 70s run of Berlin trilogy albums. It has been described as a James Bond style with romantic lyrics to boot. American soul singer Claudia Lennear for the inspiration. Lennear was on the backup singers in the Ike and Tina Turner Revenue. Bono has cited "Lady Grinning Soul" as one his favorite Bowie songs. Aladdin Sane has always been the forgotten gem that forever live in the shadows of 1972 which was quite arguably David Bowie's year only rivaling The Rolling Stones with Exile On Main St. I was able to pick up a copy from the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame gift shop and I'm glad I did an impulse purchase. It's well worth the listen.
