ALADDIN SANE

This is an album that was suppose to prove to all the new David Bowie fans that Ziggy Stardust wasn't just a one time occurrence and, according to all the praise that Aladdin Sane has received over the years, it did exactly that. Unfortunately I just don't see it! To me this sounds like such an obvious stab at the same formula but, without the great arsenal of material to back it up, this album falls pretty much flat on its back from early on.

The album opener Watch That Man is just a brainless rocker when compared to Five Years and even though Lady Grinning Soul is pretty much the only worth a while number from the whole release, it still can't compare to the impact of Rock 'n' Roll Suicide! The rest of the tracks in between these two range from great to decent to not so much. I mean, there was a definite stab at the Rolling Stones sound on Ziggy Stardust but with Aladdin Sane Bowie and the Spiders from Mars have pretty much become their cover band. I'm not merely referring to the actual cover of Let's Spend The Night Together but also the upbeat rock numbers like Watch That Man, Cracked Actor and The Jean Genie. Together, they take up nearly half the album and the rest is then filled out mostly by ballads that don't exactly make Aladdin Sane sound like a step forward from its predecessor.

I'm clearly not a big fan of this album but I wouldn't exactly call it a disaster either. It's just that I don't get what the critics and fans see in this material that I so obviously happen to not gasp. My occasional revisits haven't exactly helped me get a better understanding for Aladdin Sane so I guess there isn't really much use in trying any more. There are so many great David Bowie albums that one should experience before taking a stab at this clone of the Ziggy Stardust concept that you might just as well skip it all together!

***** star songs: Lady Grinning Soul (3:52)

**** star songs: Watch That Man (4:30) Aladdin Sane (5:08) Drive-In Saturday (4:36) Panic In Detroit (4:28) Time (5:15) The Prettiest Star (3:31) The Jean Genie (4:07)

*** star songs: Cracked Actor (3:02) Let's Spend The Night Together (3:10)