Aladdin Sane is the sixth studio album by David Bowie, released in April 1973 on RCA Records and produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott. The album was Bowie's first to debut at number one in the UK and cemented his commercial breakthrough following the success of Ziggy Stardust. Aladdin Sane (the title is a pun on 'a lad insane') explored Ziggy Stardust's journey to America, with Mike Garson's jazz-influenced, atonal piano work providing a dissonant and thrillingly unexpected counterpoint to the glam rock arrangements. Tracks like 'The Jean Genie,' 'Drive-In Saturday,' and 'Cracked Actor' combined hard rock energy with avant-garde musical ideas in ways that were genuinely unprecedented. The album's iconic cover photograph, Bowie in white makeup with a lightning bolt across his face, became one of the most recognizable images in rock history.
Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watch That Man | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 2 | Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?) | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 3 | Drive-In Saturday | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 4 | Panic in Detroit | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 5 | Cracked Actor | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 6 | Time | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 7 | The Prettiest Star | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 8 | Let's Spend the Night Together | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | Mick Jagger, Keith Richards | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 9 | The Jean Genie | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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| 10 | Lady Grinning Soul | David Bowie | David Bowie | David Bowie, Ken Scott |
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Data note: David Bowie is sole writer on all tracks except 'Let's Spend the Night Together,' a Rolling Stones cover written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Credits compiled from Wikipedia and liner notes.