Re: (TV) OT: Aladdin Sane

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

--- Cameron Pulley <cameronpulley@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> Aladdin Sane.  This is great album.  Much better than The Rise and Fall of
> Ziggy.  I'm surprised it's not better known.  Everyone seems to mention
> Hunky Dory, and Ziggy and Station to Station when talking about the classic
> Bowie LPs.  However, I just got this and think it's fantastic.  There's not
> a weak track on here.

ALADDIN SANE definitely rocks more than ZIGGY - even Bowie has remarked
recently on how restrained the production sounds on ZIGGY. I think the BBC
versions of ZIGGY material uniformly outclass the LP versions. In that respect,
I think ALADDIN SANE has some "highs" that blow away ZIGGY - the title track,
"Panic in Detroit", "Watch That Man", "Drive In Saturday" - but overall, I
wouldn't call it a stronger LP. There definitely is some weaker stuff on there,
esp. side 2, like "Time" (lyrics that border on self-parody) and "The Prettiest
Star" (heard better in the 1970 original, but still not Bowie's finest). Bowie
was clearly short on new material for this LP; in addition to the Stones cover,
he re-recorded both "Prettiest Star" and "Holy Holy" (for a b-side) during the
same sessions.

ALADDIN also sounds rushed. I like the rawer production, but it's interesting
to note that it's the only LP Ken Scott produced for Bowie that doesn't have
tight editing between the tracks. (The gap between "Prettiest" and "The Jean
Genie" is particular long). HUNKY DORY, ZIGGY, and PIN UPS all have tighter
production.

Bowie was definitely into the Stones at this point, and it shows - not just the
Stones cover, but also the production. And I'm still convinced that "Panic" is
an unofficial rewrite of "Sympathy for the Devil" (note the background vocals,
the narrator's point-of-view, the percussion, etc.)...

> Has anyone out there heard Slow Dazzle by John Cale?  I'm debating buying
> it.  Mr. Wilson is the only track I've heard from it [I really like it].
> Is it worth it?

This LP is one of my three Cale favorites (PARIS 1919 and FEAR are the other
two). The only song I can't stand is "The Jeweller" - it's a remake of "The
Gift" without the humor. Everything else is solid, with several highpoints.
Cale is really at the top of his game here, and the album is (initially, at
least) more engaging than FEAR. If you like FEAR, I would recommend going
straight for the 2CD ISLAND YEARS, which collects all of FEAR, SLOW DAZZLE, and
HELEN OF TROY, along with some b-sides and outtakes. HELEN OF TROY is a lot
weaker than its predecessors, but it has a few fine moments too.

--Philip


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