Aladdin Sane One of Bowie's all-time best. Startled me when I first heard it, didn't know what to think. Wow, every track, no fat, except for the sound of that fat guitar smashing atoms in the basement. The title track is a delicately woven piece, Mike Garson's exotic piano taking the hypnotic throb of the rhythm section and splattering it into a wild keyboard tour-de-force. Panic In Detroit is an instant Bowie classic as well. This song is where the band The National Peoples' Gang got their name we can assume. Garson's piano shines again on Time, yet another Bowie standard. Although this song appears on some of his live albums, the studio version here is far and away the definitive version. Cracked Actor and Watch That Man appear here in their full, bone-crunching glory. The versions on David Live are Philly Soul remakes, with only margarine resemblance to the originals. David really goes over the top on Let's Spend The Night Together, yes, the old Stones nugget. It's bizarre, it's camp, it rocks, and it's a real hoot to boot. It makes the original sound quaint. The album closes with Lady Grinning Soul, yet another great track. The ladies always like this song, and just like that soap commercial says, you'll like it too. You might recognize the hit, The Jean Genie tucked away in there toward the end of the album, amazingly outdone by most of the tracks on this little ten-track atom bomb. Whoa Sailor! Best of all, Aladdin Sane marks when Bowie finally quit singing from his throat and started singing from his diaphragm. What a difference! The moment he belts out the opening line of the opening track, you know it man, Watch That Man! A great, great Bowie album. Aladdin Sane Watch That Man Aladdin Sane Drive In Saturday Panic In Detroit Cracked Actor Time The Prettiest Star Let's Spend The Night Together The Jean Genie Lady Grinning Soul Bonus tracks: No bonus tracks were included with Aladdin Sane. Woulda been nice, but a stunner like this really doesn't need any extra help.                     Links             Bowie Music Question?                             Home     Designed for viewing with Netscape Navigator 3.0 Copyright © 1996-2004, Philip Drenth. All rights reserved.