David Bowie’s landmark album Aladdin Sane is to be reissued on its 50th anniversary.

On 14 April 2023, one week before its Golden Jubilee, the album will be released as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and a picture disc LP pressed from the same master.

Originally released on 20 April 1974, the album was preceded by two singles The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday, peaking in the UK singles chart at Nos 2 and 3 respectively, and was the first time Bowie topped the British album charts.

It also marked Bowie’s debut on the US hit parade reaching the Top 20 there, 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 and 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 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 customised 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.

DAVID BOWIE – ALADDIN SANE TRACKLISTING

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