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David Bowie FAQ:Music:Albums:
Aladdin Sane (1973)
The title of "Aladdin Sane" is a punned version of "A Lad Insane".
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The first single from the album, Jean Genie, reached #2 on the UK charts and #71
on the US charts.
The album itself spent 22 weeks on the US charts (peaking at #17), and 47 weeks
on the UK charts, where it was Bowie's first ever #1 album.
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Bowie: 'It was a sort of a half-hearted effort to leave Ziggy alone. It wasn't
very committed. It was a case of not wanting to let go of something that was
successful, yet another part of me really wanted to go home. Also, I had a ...
not a falling out, really, but a loss of enthusiasm with the Spiders. They
didn't really want to go where I wanted to go. I was already developing a great
interest in soul music, and experimental forms. They were pretty much into
playing this straightforward rock. Which was understandable - they played it
very well'.
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He originally wrote the song Drive In Saturday, which was included on "Aladdin
Sane", for Mott the Hoople as a follow-up to the song "All the Young Dudes", the
hit single he had written and produced for them (and the title track of the
album he produced for them). According to Ian Hunter, he fell out with Bowie
over what arrangement they should use. Hunter now admits this was silly, telling
Uncut magazine in 1998 that he later heard Bowie's arrangement on "Aladdin Sane"
and realised that it was "definitive".
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"Aladdin Sane" was originally supposed to include a re-recording of "John, I'm
Only Dancing" (available on "Sound+Vision", as well as other compilations), but
Bowie eventually decided not to use it because the album already contained
another re-recording (of "Prettiest Star").
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The piano part towards the end of the "Aladdin Sane" title track is based on "On
Broadway", a classic by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stroller. The bit of music from
2:40-2:44 is based on George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".
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Like many other Bowie albums, "Aladdin Sane" has enjoyed consistent popularity
over the years. According to the MRIB in 1998, it is Bowie's third biggest
seller of all time (behind Ziggy Stardust and Hunky Dory). It also tends to
appear in "Best Albums Ever" lists voted by critics and the general public,
usually as the fourth highest Bowie album (after Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory and
Low).
RCA re-released the album on cut-price vinyl in 1982 and it spent a further 24
weeks on the UK charts (peaking at #49). EMI and Ryko re-issued it on CD in
1990, when it spent a further week on the UK charts at #43. In 1997, EMI
re-issued it as a mid-price CD, and it spent a further 3 weeks on the UK charts
(peaking at #125).
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