David Bowie album ‘Aladdin Sane’ to be given 50th-anniversary reissue
David Bowie’s 1973 album Aladdin Sane is getting a special 50th-anniversary reissue. The record, which features tracks like ‘Lady Grinning Soul’, ‘Drive-In Saturday’ and ‘The Jean Genie’, will be re-released on April 14th, 2023, on a half-speed mastered LP.
Aladdin Sane arrived less than a year after The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, Bowie’s fifth album, released in 1972 to huge critical acclaim. As his first album post-US breakthrough, many of its songs reflect the musician’s burgeoning sense of isolation.
The stress and rootlessness of life on the road eventually forced Bowie to kill off Ziggy Stardust, the persona having had too much of an impact on his own personality. Aladdin Sane marked the dawn of a new alter-ego.
Speaking to NME back in 1973, Bowie said:” I don’t think Aladdin is as clearly cut and defined a character as Ziggy was. Ziggy was meant to be clearly cut and well defined with areas for interplay, whereas Aladdin is pretty ephemeral. He’s also a situation as opposed to just being an individual. I think he encompasses situations as well as just being a personality.”
The 50th-anniversary reissue of Aladdin Sane is currently available for pre-order. There’s also a selection of Sane merchandise on offer, including posters, clothing, water bottles, stickers and more. We’ve even been offered a preview of the reissued LP with a 4k remaster of ‘The Jean Genie’,’ which you can check out below.
This is just the latest posthumous Bowie release. Last November, fans were treated to a box set archive from his Hunky Dory era. To learn more about Bowie, his work and his legacy, check out our list of his biggest inspirations
Aladdin Sane 50th anniversary tracklist:
Side One:
- ‘Watch That Man’
- ‘Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?)’
- ‘Drive-In Saturday’
- ‘Panic in Detroit’
- ‘Cracked Actor’
Side Two:
- ‘Time’
- ‘The Prettiest Star’
- ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’
- ‘The Jean Genie’
- ‘Lady Grinning Soul’
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