Ranking the songs of David Bowie album Aladdin Sane in order of greatness – Far Out Magazine

David Bowie took a little time to get into the swing of being a successful rockstar. After numerous attempts at making a name for himself throughout the mid-to-late-1960s, he felt somewhat rejected. Much like an alien fallen to earth from Mars, Bowie needed time to fall into the groove of popular music. He needed to adapt his individual style into something accessible for the rock n roll zeitgeist of the time.

Early on, he was limited by the nature of his material which seemed somewhat detached from the normal boundaries of rock and roll with its tongue in cheek sound that often seemed to belong in some bizarre nursery rhyme stage production. Following the disappointment of his eponymous debut album, Bowie remained relatively quiet on the music front for a couple of years. When he returned in 1969 with Space Oddity, he still hadnt quite hit the mark with the album as a whole, but he had his first glimmer of success with the eponymous single.

Moving into the 1970s, Bowie moved from strength to strength and released his first extensively impressive album in 1971s Hunky Dory. Bowie was no time waster; when Hunky Dory hit the shelves, he was already working on his first career-defining album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, which introduced his first on-stage persona. The release of the album in 1972 launched Bowie to worldwide recognition, and he became a big hit in the USA.

After breaking into the consciousness of the USA mainstream, Bowie became increasingly influenced by the States in return. The now-famous rockstar had toured America extensively with The Spiders from Mars, and he had begun to see all of the beauties and societal pitfalls the country had to offer.

When looking to record his sixth studio album in late 1972-73, Bowie wrote mostly from fresh experiences in his newfound lifestyle as a star. What resulted was Aladdin Sane, an album that brings together the blues-rock style of The Rolling Stones with the contemporary glam-rock style. The themes depicted often run against the energy of the music, depicting a bleak image of modern American life.

Aladdin Sane was released on this day (April 13th) in 1973. In celebration of its birthday, we have ranked all of the tracks on the album in order of greatness.

While theres nothing wrong with Bowies cover of The Rolling Stones Lets Spend the Night Together, theres nothing particularly intriguing about it either. It is a heartwarming nod to Bowies friends from whom he learned so much. It is the only cover on the album and seems to humbly admit the Stones huge influence on the music found throughout the rest of the album, especially on the more energetic rock hits.

Bowies take on the Stones classic is a little faster than the original and carries an updated glam vibrancy with it. At the time of the albums release, critics saw the song as a camp take on what was originally a heterosexual song, tying in with Bowies bisexual status at the time.

The Prettiest Star was originally recorded in 1970 as the follow-up to Bowies 1969 breakthrough single, Space Oddity. The lyrics were written for his first wife, Angela Barnett, whom he married shortly after the release of the original. The original was one of Bowies earliest collaborations with producer Tony Visconti, and it featured T. Rexs Marc Bolan on guitar.

The version recorded for Aladdin Sane was updated with a heavier glam feel to it as Ronson recaptures Bolans original skeletal guitar solo. While the re-recorded effort comes with a vibrancy that improved it somewhat, the song still comes as one of the weaker tracks on the album.

Bowie wrote Cracked Actor following a stay on Los Angeles famous Sunset Boulevard. As with much of the album, the track paints a bleak image of western culture as Bowie tells the story of an ageing film star who is falling into a spiral of illicit drug abuse and salacious activity with prostitutes.

The song appears to paint a more realistic picture of the America Bowie saw upon his arrival in the early 1970s. The picture was something quite different from what has long been depicted in Hollywood films. While Bowie was in LA, this reality hit him and had a profound impact on the creative direction of Aladdin Sane.

The album opens with the energetic rock out, Watch That Man. Bowie was inspired to write this song after seeing the New York Dolls perform live. New York Dolls had been an important group in the US in the early 1970s as a response to the emerging glam-rock movement in the UK championed by groups like Slade, T. Rex and Roxy Music.

Watch That Man seems like a direct marriage between the sounds of The Rolling Stones and New York Dolls with its rhythm and blues roots and its piano drive. The song isnt a terrible idea, but the finished product seemed a little rushed with poor production quality.

Panic In Detroit was inspired by Iggy Pops stories of the Detroit riots in 1967 and the rise of the anti-racist White Panther Party, focusing on their leader John Sinclair. In the lyrics, Bowie likens Sinclairs ideals to those of communist martyr Che Guevara.

The song is a bleak image of Americas urban decadence and issues with increased gun-related violence, drug abuse and suicide. The pace and intrigue of the track are carried by Mick Ronsons simple blues-inspired three-chord progression.

Time began life as a 1971 demo entitled We Should Be On By Now recorded during the sessions for Hunky Dory. The lyrics were adapted for the Aladdin Sane sessions after Bowie was inspired by the death of the New York Dolls drummer Billy Murcia who had died while on tour in England in 1972. Murcia was invited to a party where he lost consciousness following an accidental overdose. In an attempt at revival, he was put in a bathtub and force-fed coffee, which resulted in death by asphyxiation.

The bouncing theatrical verses bring a unique and quintessentially Bowie sound to the song, which morphs into the more classically glam sounding chorus that includes the original refrain of We Should Be On By Now.

Of the four singles on Aladdin Sane, the lead single Jean Genie has stood the test of time as a staple of greatest hits compilations. The bouncy hit was what Bowie described as a smorgasbord of imagined Americana. Bowie also revealed that the lyrics were an ode of sorts to his friend from The Stooges, Iggy Pop. The songs character is a white-trash, kind of trailer-park kid thing the closet intellectual who wouldnt want the world to know that he reads.

The Jean Genie is one of Bowies greatest danceable glam hits that has its fun without detaching from dignity. The song garners most of its appeal from the stomping guitar riff which is a glam infused blues lick inspired by Bo Diddley.

Following Aladdin Sane is the third track on the album, Drive-In Saturday. This is one of the songs on the album that truly presents the American influence on Bowies creative process while writing the material. The song continues the 50s doo-wop inspired glam that launched Bowie to global stardom on his previous album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

Bowie wrote the lyrics following an overnight train journey between Seattle and Phoenix in early November 1972. He saw a scattering of silver domes in the distance and assumed they were secret government facilities to be used in the event of nuclear fallout. In the track, the radiation has affected peoples minds and bodies to the point that they need to watch films in order to learn to have sex again.

The title track comes as the second on the album and brandishes most of its brilliance from Mike Garsons stunning piano performance. The name of the song is a play on words meaning a lad insane. The song was inspired by Evelyn Waughs 1930 novel Vile Bodies, which Bowie had read during his trip back to the UK aboard the RHMS Ellinis.

The concept has also been linked to Bowies interest in psychological disorders. Bowies older half-brother Terry Burns was diagnosed with schizophrenia which had a deep impact on Bowie as a creative. Burns condition has been cited as the inspiration behind the persona of Ziggy Stardust and the shifting egos thereafter.

The final track on the album comes as a solemn and theatrical goodbye. The ballad is one of Bowies true unsung gems. The tumbling keys and classical acoustic guitar sections flow like a gentle stream as Bowie gives a blinding vocal display that hears him reach his highest vocal note across any of his studio albums.

The song is allegedly an account of Bowies first meeting with the American soul singer Claudia Lennear in 1972. After Bowies death in January 2016, Lennear revealed that the late Starman had called her in 2014 and told her that it had been written about her. The pianist appearing on the track, Mike Garson, described his performance as about as romantic as it gets French with a little Franz Liszt thrown in there.

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Ranking the songs of David Bowie album Aladdin Sane in order of greatness - Far Out Magazine