Released in April of 1973 & sometimes overlooked in the wake of the revolutionary Ziggy Stardust album (and the creation of that iconic character), Aladdin Sane proved to be David Bowie’s most commercially successful album to date, and its reputation has grown through the years. The Spiders from Mars band of guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist Trevor Bolder (he of the amazing sideburns), and drummer Woody Woodmansey were firing on all cylinders, toughened by constant touring, especially in the US, where many of the songs were composed.
The tracklist features some serious fan favorites, including the space-age doo-wop single, “Drive-In Saturday,” the Iggy Pop-inspired “The Jean Genie” (Bowie’s biggest charting single to date, and the only track from the album to survive his live sets throughout his career), and the album’s closing ballad, “Lady Grinning Soul,” which features the highest note Bowie ever sung on record. It also includes a vamped-up cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” continuing a tradition of featuring a cover song on each album, something Bowie had done since Hunky Dory and on most of his albums since. And of course, there’s that famous “lightning bolt” cover…
By the end of the year, Ziggy had “retired” and things were uncertain as to where Bowie was going to go next. But wasn’t that always the case with him…