David Bowie had already
been written off as a one-hit-wonder after
he failed to follow up his hit single
‘Space Oddity’ (1969) with
any commercial success. His first full
length album was just a hotch-potch of
songs he had collected over the years,
and certainly gave no clue as to what
was to come. By 1970 David Bowie had hitched
up with guitarist/arranger Mick Ronson,
who was to become the perfect foil during
Bowie's rise to fame.
The next album, 'The Man Who Sold The
World' (1971), although a good album,
suffered from too many long guitar solos,
repetitive themes, and lack of direction
from the man himself. 'Hunky Dory' (1972)
was a concerted effort of Bowie to catch
up with his friends like Marc Bolan, who
was riding high in the charts. Even though
it was brilliant, it just failed to spark
the public’s imagination, or perhaps
too much imagination as on the cover Bowie
wore his hair long - and worse - a long
dress, too.
A quick re-think, a sharpening of the
sound, a haircut and dye, the stage act
re-shaped, the band ‘The Spiders
From Mars’ solidified into the perfect
little hard rockin' outfit of the blonde
haired bombshell Mick Ronson on guitar;
the impossibly side burned bassist Trevor
Bolder; Mick Woodmansey on drums looking
like a reject from the Bay City Rollers;
and avant-garde keyboard player Mike Garson.
Then came the startling appearance on
Top of the Pops with the new single ‘Starman’,
and David Bowie was the most famous pop
star in the world. Easy when you know
how.
The Album ‘The Rise and Fall of
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’
was a massive hit around the world. But
could they follow it up? Could David Bowie
turn himself into a proper musician and
not just some pop star here today, gone
tomorrow?
It would of been easy for an album of
Ziggy Stardust Part Two, but instead the
record company demanded more products
and Bowie's manager, Tony DeFies, lined-up
tour after tour. They rode the crest of
popularity while it was up. It was not
all plain sailing though as America did
not immediately roll over. In St. Louis
for example only 180 tickets were sold
out of a possible 11,000. Aladdin Sane
was written and recorded on the road.
That makes it even more of an achievement
as it outstrips its predecessor in brilliance.
It's a record that defines the high-glam
period of the spring and summer of 1973,
a period that indisputably belonged to
David Bowie, The Spiders From Mars, and
their millions of fans.
By the day of its release, April 13th,
1973, Aladdin Sane had already chalked
up advance sales of 100,000, making it
the fastest selling British pop album
since the heyday of the Beatles. It became
Bowie's first UK number one, a position
it held for five weeks. It contained two
top 3 singles in 'The Jean Genie' and
'Drive In Saturday', and was also the
first Bowie album to reach the US Top
20. Indeed, Aladdin Sane heralded a period
of chart dominance for Bowie. During the
summer of 1973, Bowie had five albums
in the UK charts at the same time for
a total of 19 weeks.
The songs on Aladdin Sane were the work
of a man on the cusp of genius. The playing
of the Spiders was inspirational (try
the piano solo from Mike Garson on the
title track, or Mick Ronson's guitar riff
on Panic in Detroit to get some kind of
idea). The choice of the Rolling Stones
cover 'Let's Spend The Night Together’
is perfect. It is over thirty years since
Aladdin Sane was unleashed on us, and
he sounds as fresh and fruity today as
he did then.
EMI have released a 30th Anniversary
edition which comes in booklet form with
over 40 pages of stories and reminiscences
from the players and the production team,
plus a whole host of never seen before
photos. But best of all, a whole second
CD full of live tracks, b-sides, and storming
studio versions of 'All The Young Dudes'
and 'John, I'm Only Dancing'. Although
David Bowie went on to be one of the longest
lasting rock stars, I do not think he
ever quite reached these heights again.
Made up by Mott the Dog
Cut by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
