David Bowie’s 'Aladdin Sane' will get special 50th anniversary vinyl reissue in April

April 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the release 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.

On April 14, one week before its Golden Jubilee, ALADDIN SANE will be issued as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and a picture disc LP pressed from the same master.

The album was preceded by two singles, “The Jean Genie” and “Drive-In Saturday,” peaking in the U.K. singles chart at #2 and #3, respectively and was the first time he topped the U.K. album charts. It also marked Bowie’s debut on the U.S. charts reaching the top 20 album chart, where an edited version of “Time” was 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 rumored to be the most expensive to produce 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 Super Creeps) and features Bowie with the iconic red and blue lightning bolt make-up. 

This new pressing of ALADDIN SANE was cut on a customized late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. The half-speed was cut by John Webber at AIR Studios.

Bowie described ALADDIN SANE as “Ziggy Goes to Washington: Ziggy under the influence of America.” The album was to be Ziggy Stardust's last stand, and 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.

TRACK LISTING:

SIDE ONE
Watch That Man – 4:30
Aladdin Sane (1913-1938-197?) – 5:06
Drive-In Saturday – 4:33
Panic In Detroit – 4:25
Cracked Actor – 3:01

SIDE TWO
Time – 5.15
The Prettiest Star – 3:31
Let’s Spend The Night Together – 3:10
The Jean Genie – 4:07
Lady Grinning Soul – 3:45