David Bowie – The Creative Genius
After reaching the top creative and earn the eternal respect, how to continue to The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and not disappoint?
That nickname The Chameleon had not been given anything more because it is, and most expected a radical new twist on Bowie’s career, one that would result in a record as good or better than its predecessor, using a formula and different sound But since one sees the image of the album cover, one can guess that Ziggy Stardust is back at it again. While it is assumed that the character in turn is not Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, but it is inevitable to feel that the true protagonist is once again the quintessential alien glam. David himself described the album as “Ziggy goes to America ‘and lyrically is composed of anecdotes and experiences on U.S. soil during his 1972 tour with the Spiders From Mars. Each song has a subtitle for a different American cities, so you could say that each is dedicated to their respective city. It is a continuation of the story of his predecessor, because Aladdin Sane is not a concept album, but is just one more episode in the seventies stage of Bowie. A collection of songs which have always been blamed their lack of cohesion and unity, which is quite strange, since most of the issues remain the same essence and spirit of glam, but for some reason, they work best separately and independent.
Aladdin Sane’s sound is generally like Suffragette City last disc: rollingstoniano that spirit of revelry and festivity rockin steady. Beyond the cover of Let’s Spend The Night Together, the influence of the Stones is obvious: Just heard the jubilant reception is bright Watch That Man, that reminds me particularly of Brown Sugar Jagger and Richards. But one can also find here some jazzy flavors (Time, Lady Grinning Soul and the track that gives name to the disk) and bluesy cuts over there (Cracked Actor, The Jean Genie). As in every Bowie album, the sound is unique. If anything can boast Aladdin Sane, it has a tremendous variety and heterogeneity: on the one hand we have pure rock & roll cuts like Panic In Detroit and Watch That Man, with their dirty guitar riffs and the great Keith Richards accompanied by female vocals (especially those of outstanding Panic in Detroit where it seems that the voice is going to explode), or we can find a delightful doo-wop cincuentero in Drive-In Saturday that supposedly portrays the perspective of an inhabitant of the future by looking back time and experiencing moments of melancholy. In the same mood is The Prettiest Star, with David’s idol and legend of glam, Marc Bolan on guitar. It is especially nice for his unspeakable warmth.
We also have a handful of cuts cabaretescos air, as the fascinating title track, which is a complete delusion fumad