Aladdin Sane (50th Anniversary) - David Bowie Half-Speed Master LP
April 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, which was released only ten months after his breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The title track and songs such as Panic In Detroit, Lady Grinning Soul and Time marked a significant musical progression from their predecessors, adding brass, woodwind, soulful backing vocals and Mike Garson’s distinctive piano playing.
This limited edition 50th anniversary LP is half-speed mastered - it was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the album’s original master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. It was cut at AIR Studios by John Webber.
The album was preceded by two singles: The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday, which peaked respectively in the UK singles chart at numbers 2 and 3. This was the first time Bowie topped the UK album charts. The album was also Bowie’s virgin chart in the US, where an edited version of Time had been released as a single.
The cover of Aladdin Sane has become one of the most striking and memorable images in rock n roll history and was rumoured to be the most expensive produced up to that point. The cover photograph was taken by Brian Duffy, who would also shoot the sleeves for 1979’s Lodger and 1980’s Scary Monsters, and features Bowie with the iconic red and blue lightning bolt make-up, an image which has staked out an indelible spot in the planet’s cultural lexicon.
Bowie described Aladdin Sane as “Ziggy Goes To Washington: Ziggy under the influence of America”. The album was Ziggy Stardust's last stand; the persona was laid to rest three months after the album's release in July 1973 at the infamous final show with the Spiders From Mars at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.
April 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, which was released only ten months after his breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The title track and songs such as Panic In Detroit, Lady Grinning Soul and Time marked a significant musical progression from their predecessors, adding brass, woodwind, soulful backing vocals and Mike Garson’s distinctive piano playing.
This limited edition 50th anniversary LP is half-speed mastered - it was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the album’s original master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. It was cut at AIR Studios by John Webber.
The album was preceded by two singles: The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday, which peaked respectively in the UK singles chart at numbers 2 and 3. This was the first time Bowie topped the UK album charts. The album was also Bowie’s virgin chart in the US, where an edited version of Time had been released as a single.
The cover of Aladdin Sane has become one of the most striking and memorable images in rock n roll history and was rumoured to be the most expensive produced up to that point. The cover photograph was taken by Brian Duffy, who would also shoot the sleeves for 1979’s Lodger and 1980’s Scary Monsters, and features Bowie with the iconic red and blue lightning bolt make-up, an image which has staked out an indelible spot in the planet’s cultural lexicon.
Bowie described Aladdin Sane as “Ziggy Goes To Washington: Ziggy under the influence of America”. The album was Ziggy Stardust's last stand; the persona was laid to rest three months after the album's release in July 1973 at the infamous final show with the Spiders From Mars at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.
April 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, which was released only ten months after his breakthrough album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. The title track and songs such as Panic In Detroit, Lady Grinning Soul and Time marked a significant musical progression from their predecessors, adding brass, woodwind, soulful backing vocals and Mike Garson’s distinctive piano playing.
This limited edition 50th anniversary LP is half-speed mastered - it was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the album’s original master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. It was cut at AIR Studios by John Webber.
The album was preceded by two singles: The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday, which peaked respectively in the UK singles chart at numbers 2 and 3. This was the first time Bowie topped the UK album charts. The album was also Bowie’s virgin chart in the US, where an edited version of Time had been released as a single.
The cover of Aladdin Sane has become one of the most striking and memorable images in rock n roll history and was rumoured to be the most expensive produced up to that point. The cover photograph was taken by Brian Duffy, who would also shoot the sleeves for 1979’s Lodger and 1980’s Scary Monsters, and features Bowie with the iconic red and blue lightning bolt make-up, an image which has staked out an indelible spot in the planet’s cultural lexicon.
Bowie described Aladdin Sane as “Ziggy Goes To Washington: Ziggy under the influence of America”. The album was Ziggy Stardust's last stand; the persona was laid to rest three months after the album's release in July 1973 at the infamous final show with the Spiders From Mars at London’s Hammersmith Odeon.
