Aladdin Sane (2013 Remaster) [VINYL]

Brilliant not a single song would I skip. I can remember a dj reviewing this on radio one and not playing one of the songs for its content which in today’s terms would seem lame.

This is another example of 70s Bowie that I have grown to love this year. It's an amazing, harder hitting album in relation to the lyrics and style of music as we move from Ziggy to Aladdin Sane. It takes a while to get used to some of the lyrics which paint some troubling "facts" of life at times like sexual harassment, as well as some risqué imagery, even for now. Aside from that, I think most people would find something they can enjoy on this album. Aladdin Sane is a fun and extraordinary track showcasing jazz piano which sounds reminiscent, to me, of Latin Jazz at times, and the sampling/referring to the hit Broadway is an early example of sampling. It demonstrates the idea of what Bowie said of this album that it was/is the American version/exploration of Ziggy. The piano in Lady Grinning Soul has a beautiful glissando technique to a greater extent than does Aladdin Sane, which is something not previously seen on other Bowie's albums. After reading The Man Who Sold the World by Peter Doggett, I learned that there are two versions of The Prettiest Star, as at first it was released as a single a couple years before being re-released with this album. It's one of my favourite tracks. The version on this album is different to the version that is present in the Best of David Bowie 1969/1974 piano/vocal/guitar music book. Panic in Detroit quickly became another of my favourites of which I was unfamiliar prior to this year. On another note, I still think Let's Spend the Night Together should have been on the Pin Ups album instead but I've grown used to this version and can understand why David chose for it to be on this album. He does sound like he had a lot of fun recording it and Aladdin Sane is a fun figure, in part. On the downside, I am unable to enjoy the writing included in the CD booklet. The font must be a size 2; it is so minute that no one can read it. I would recommend that this be fixed as it's disappointing in it's present state and hard to believe that it was allowed to be sold like this! It has been shrunk from the LP version to CD but I am sure a much better job can be done so that people can read it. I'm sure the cassette versions were legible. Other than that, I would say this is quite a timeless album. It weathers well.

I must point out that this review refers to the 40th Anniversary (2013) release, as many will know that Amazon regularly lump together reviews of different releases of the same title. I concur with the previous reviewer. I have a number of "Special Edition" remastered titles which vary in quality from decent to excellent, and this is one of the best efforts I've come across in a while. The sound levels sound spot on to my ears - not too high as to sound distorted while also without the dreaded lows where you have to crank the volume up high just to hear anything - in other words, every musical instrument on this album sounds good. The excellent piano on the titular track sounds like water droplets splashing the eardrums, while the velvety acoustic guitar sound on "Drive in Saturday" more than holds it's own in the mix. I'm no technical expert in such matters, but everything sounds nicely balanced - all the layers of music are crystal clear without ever pushing each other into the background. It's been quite awhile since I've heard this album in it's entirety, and that was the original vinyl release I used to pop round to listen to regularly at a friend's house. But all the fond memories I hold came flooding back after I transferred the CD to my MP3 player. Not sure if this is my fave Bowie album but it's definitely one of the best. I've always regarded it as another one of Bowie's transitional albums - a hint at things to come while acknowledging the past. My fave tracks of a pretty stellar collection are "Drive in Saturday" which evokes many memories of the summer of '73 for me.... The glamrock delights of "The Prettiest Star" along with Mick Ronson's sweeping guitar work on "Panic in Detroit" and the lyrically intriguing "Lady Grinning Soul". So while I cannot make any comparisons to previous CD releases, I still find it difficult not to recommend this release to you. Aladdin Sane 40th Anniversary edition

If it has "David Bowie" on the cover, I tend to buy. Hence I've now got the 40th Anniversary version of this disc to go along with that last anniversary disc, the EMI release, the Japanese Mini LP, The Rykodisc release and original RCA. Oh, and the vinyl from yesteryear. Why? Obsessive compulsion I guess. All these "remasterings" can get a bit much, can things really get better? I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of people following on from this review who will be hailing this as the definitive version, or saying it's "close to the vinyl" - you'd think 40 years after the first release of this recording we'd be demanding it to sound better, not the same. But I digress. First the sound - is it better than ever before? I don't think so. I think it's on a par. It sounds nice, there is a ton of detail, everything is as it should be. But if someone is perfectly happy with the last version, I really don't see this one changing much. I found the previous reissue of Ziggy Stardust in a 2013 remaster a little brittle (which pits me against those who proclaimed it as some kind of sonic revolution). This doesn't suffer from that, so that's a plus. For example the cymbal hits in Panic in Detroit can be a problem on this record, yet they're nicely contained here. Frankly this album has been reissued so many times surely the only way it could sound significantly better is if some new technology is created, or high-resolution versions become available. Improvements are always going to be marginal at this point. Yet people like myself keep hoping and dreaming, and buying! In short then, yes this sounds excellent, it is perhaps equal to the very best this album has ever sounded - at least in my collection. However, anyone expecting a night and day step up from previous releases are going to be disappointed, imo. Except we live in a world where new is always hailed as better. Where this CD does win is in the packaging, which almost wins a ten out of ten. Almost. They have brought back the original gatefold, with the original artwork, which is nice. But they also went a step further and included the lyrics on the inner bag. Not enough? Well, they included the invitation to join Bowie's fan club that shipped in original copies of the vinyl. These are much appreciated, and really show they're going that extra mile. I already had them as part of the Japanese mini lp, but it's good to have them here too. Still, I can't go too overboard on the packaging - who ever thought it was a good idea to put a big blue bar down the front of the cover art proclaiming "40th Anniversary 2013 remaster" needs their heads testing. Iconic cover made..... Having gone the extra mile on reproducing the cover and inserts, this is a poor choice, imo. Have they never heard of stickers? Oh well. The music is clearly 5 out of 5. The sound on this remaster is excellent. And the packaging is almost perfect. The lack of bonus tracks is going to be problematic to some, especially as previous releases had them - but on the plus side at least we have the original album here as it should be heard, as one complete experience. Should you upgrade from a previous version? Hm. The 1999 remasters are good, as was the last anniversary release. If you have those then I wouldn't rush. Previous to that, yes, pick this up.

Excellent album, great physical condition.

Replaced album which i lost years ago brought back alot of memories great tracks great sound one of my favourite Bowie Albums was great to listen too after such a long time

The vinyl version is reissued in a close repro. of the 1973 gate-fold cover edition with the lyrics on the inner record sleeve, plus it has a reproduction of the David Bowie fan club leaflet. It also has the original '73 issue label with the places the songs were written printed under the titles, this was missing from some later vinyl reissues. It's more than l nostalgia trip for some of us, more like time travel. The vinyl is pressed from the 2013 remaster and sounds great to my ears, but I haven't compared it to the 1973 issue and my deck and amp are goodish but not audiophile quality. Wish they were! . Of course the music is as enchanting and powerful as it was 43 years ago! Amazing man. Great to have this again on vinyl,

I have recently got really back into vinyl and to be able to 0play brand new vinyl is lovely - not least being able to enjoy the artwork at the size intended. Aladdin sane has to be one of Bowies best albums and belongs in every fan's collection.

David Bowie is one of those well-known artists that most people already have formed an opinion about, and if you are here reading reviews of his albums on Amazon I am thinking you are probably at the very least a casual admirer of his music. I am not the biggest Bowie fan by a long shot. I don’t even like some of his hits from the late seventies on (my opinion and taste, which in no way invalidates your own); I do however like his Ziggy Stardust period and the music that bookends it. Therefore, this review of one of my favorite albums of Mr. Bowie’s will be sticking to the quality of the 2015 180-gram vinyl re-issue. Specifically, this is for those that are considering buying this 1973 album for their collections. The music itself earns the five stars above but I’ll leave the detailed descriptions to others. Many recordings have a “happy spot” where the level needs to be in the right range before the mix comes alive; generally, this occurs when the volume on your stereo begins to approach the level at which the track was mixed (or sometimes mastered) at. Ziggy Goes to America (Aladdin Sane) is particularly such a recording and the volume level that breathes life into it is fairly high. Too quiet and the mix is flat and lifeless, too loud and it sounds brash and harsh. There is a lot going on in many of these tracks and this pressing does an excellent job of sorting it all out. On the guitar driven tracks Mick Ronson’s guitar tone is nicely fat and chunky, and well separated when multitracked. Bowie is in fine voice throughout and portrayed with aplomb. The frequency extremes are somewhat truncated (this is an old trick when mixing – by narrowing the frequency ranges of individual instruments it is easier to clearly place instruments with overlapping frequencies in the soundscape) this is particularly noticeable on these mixes with the kick drum and cymbals; but the bass guitar has a pleasant round tone. This is not the place to look for subterranean bass nor extended highs. This pressing/remaster excels at clarity and tone (at least the tones that Mick Ronson and Ken Scott wanted to focus on while mixing) more so than imaging. This is perhaps because it is digitally mastered vs. the original analog master (or maybe that’s just the way this album is supposed to sound). Very nice quality in terms of the pressing/manufacturing, quiet vinyl, well centered spindle hole, and very flat. I don’t think it differs enough from the original early pressings to warrant a repurchase unless your copy is worn out or if you have one of the recycled vinyl re-issues from the late 70s/early 80s that suck. If you don’t already have a copy of this album this is a decent version to get especially given the quality/price (when I bought it at least) ratio. I would search out an older good pressing (preferably an English, German, Japanese, or first American pressing edition) if I were willing to pay a premium price. Packaging: Well done job of recreating the original gatefold presentation with all of the original artwork and lyrics, it even includes the folding black and white fan club insert (no longer valid). High quality printing and card stock and a plastic lined paper inner sleeve that appears to be static resistant. I felt no need to follow my usual practice of using an aftermarket inner sleeve, I did put it in a ClearBags outer sleeve to make the iconic cover pop visually and protect the whole thing.

CD in Ordnung

David Bowie dopo Elvis è il mio cantautore preferito questo album ha segnato generazioni è tra gli album più conosciuti di questo artista lo consiglio a chi non lo conosce d’iniziare da questo album e poi procedere con gli alti album tanto per farvi un idea di come sono i suoi brani e lui.

Una obra maestra, grandes canciones, buena remasterización, absolutamente recomendable

A must have classic