Aladdin Sane

Aladdin Sane-David Bowie

Release Date: April 13, 1973

RCA Records

I'm reading a biography of Sam Cooke, and have been impressed with the writer's ability to talk about the singing styles of the gospel quartets that are discussed.  How a song is interpreted and what made one group's lead more skilled than another.  Specifically, he articulates the nuances of Cooke's own voice and style as it is developing.  (He's still a young man singing around the country with the Soul Stirrers, at this point in my reading...).  Anyway, I wish I had that knack. 

I have listened to this album many, many times over the last few days.  My first try at the "listen-through" was back on May 8, but I was interrupted and then I was just too sleepy to bother.  Then I had a paper to finish, a final to complete and a trip to NYC to take.  Aladdin Sane was put on hold.  I started again on May 22, but I got so hungry while I was listening that I put down my notebook and pen and picked up a knife and cutting board instead.  Still listening to the album, mind you.  This morning, jet lag seemingly having taken over my sleeping pattern--except that I manage to stay awake until midnight-ish--I decided to give this one another go after unsuccessfully trying to go back to sleep.  (Quelle introduction, n'est pas?)

OK.  I wanted to be really clever and insightful with my thoughts on this album; Bowie is a long time favorite of mine and I still live in hope that I'll manage to see him in concert before he stops touring, forever.  He is one of the few musicians that I would be willing to spend much more than is sanely necessary to see perform live.  

Wikipedia, an always handy--if somewhat questionable--source says that Bowie described this album as "Ziggy goes to America", and there is a very American feel to the songs.  Blues, doo-wop, boogie-woogie... it's all there.  I'd even say there are some Spanish hints (emphasis on hints, mind you) in "Lady Grinning Soul", it only lacks a trumpet declaring itself at the start.  He uses the piano, instead, to trippingly light effect.  This is, no question in my mind, a great album.  I've read that it's considered one of his best, though I'll have to admit it's not one of my favorites.  But when you like them all, that's not a bad thing.  I find it interesting that the vocals seem to be secondary to the music.  Or maybe it's just the recording I have.  Or maybe I'm crazy and that's the point.  I'd like to be able to comment on the lyrics, but I have to be honest and say that for all the times I've listened to this record (even before my little project) I hear the music first and foremost.  The words are an afterthought.  O.  Yeah.  What's that he said?  I think I'm missing out on some great fun, as the lyrics have been called "audacious".  Really?  How intriguing...

As my first exposure to Bowie were his Let's Dance, mod years, I feel like I'm always working backwards with him; trying to understand how he's evolved and not get stuck only listening to what I heard on the radio.  I loved the skinny tie, skinny man sexiness of him during the early 80's and, unfortunately, compare all to that.  Though, many of his earlier songs are favored above that particular incarnation.  Plenty of time to get to those...though, not for a while.  The alphabetical thing, and all.

There is one song on this album that I remember hearing when I was a young thing, and I'm pretty sure that I thought I was soooooooooooooo cool because I knew of this early David Bowie song.  Remember the television program Friday Night Videos?  We didn't have cable, therefore no MTV.  We wee Blumenthals stayed up late (or tried to, anyway) to watch music videos on this program.  I have a memory of seeing the video for "Let's Dance" or "China Girl", one night, and then the host--was there a host?--showing a little retrospective of Bowie's work.  Whether this was real, or not, I cannot say.  But I have a distinct memory of watching a video for "Jean Genie", which to this day makes me think of blue jeans, though none are to be found in the song or the "video" I believe I saw.  A genie, in big genie pants and a painted face...a runway stage?  I don't know.  Maybe it was footage from a concert.