Aladdin Sane: David Bowie's Dark Reflection of Ziggy Stardust
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Thanks to Fiveerr for partnering with me for this video. Check out the 12 artwork reworkings on Fiverr's site here: blog.fiverr.com/madeonfiverr-...
Who was David Bowie? All through his six decade career, he evaded being held down by one style or look. He was always on the lookout for the next thing that might satisfy his creative juices. Whether it be the rock n' roll energy of Merseybeat, the glittering stomp of glam rock (on "Ziggy Stardust"), the cold futurism of Krautrock (on ""Heroes"") or the recycled Bowie-isms of the New Romantics (on "Ashes to Ashes"). Beyond anything else, David Bowie was a storyteller, one well versed in character and feeling. Whether emphasising with a girl taking solace in cinema (on "Life on Mars?"), a lonely astronaut (on "Space Oddity") or a rock star come to save the world (on "Starman"), these characters feel real because of the way Bowie sang them into existence. So today I'll be taking a leaf out of Bowie's book, and telling one of his tales. The story of "The Jean Genie", "Time" and Aladdin Sane.
#DavidBowie #Documentary #GlamRock
Soundtrack:
Luar - Anchor ( / luarbeats )
Philanthrope - Backyard Vibe (philanthrope.bandcamp.com/)
Philanthrope - Leidenschaft (philanthrope.bandcamp.com/)
Philanthrope - Kulturmikroskopie (philanthrope.bandcamp.com/)
Patricia Taxxon - Pieces of Me (patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/)
Patricia Taxxon - Bellstep (patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/)
Philanthrope - Heimat (philanthrope.bandcamp.com/)
B-Side - Pen Anubis ( / b-side-production )
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:34 Origins
04:17 Ziggy Goes to America
07:55 Aladdin Sane
11:55 Drive-In Saturday
14:40 The Artwork
16:24 Legacy
19:01 Sponsorship
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Can’t beat Ziggy imo.
Berlin. Artistic pinnacle.
All of them are bloody brilliant, but you can't beat the thin white duke through the Berlin period, forced to pick one I'd say Berlin
Absolutely Station to Station. He was so dark.. it was quite powerful.
Nice one sir, nice one
Aladdin Sane... A lad insane
It took an embarrassingly long time for me to get that.
Took me 6 months after learning of the album, give or take a couple months. You?
Sultur Wood I knew about the album for about four months, and then it just suddenly dawned on me
@@joenouveau7109 Its surprising what people can pick up on given enough time, sometimes things that are completely obvious like this, others like how Pete Townshend's "Lifehouse" isnt that crazy of an idea.
Was called Aladdin vane originally I believe
I never realised until I read this comment!
As much as Bowie himself hated it, I love the Thin White Duke era.
I can't blame him for looking back on that period and hating it, it was a pretty dark period in his life
@@nicholasjames2269 he praised hitler once like damn you really cant blame him
@@nicholasjames2269 he described that period as Cocaine doing all the talking.
@@heydoeradio7298 OK boomer
@@user-ei9ns9hq6b That actually happened. Also, no dead memes in music comment sections, especially whenever they are undeserved.
I can't believe Hunky Dory wasn't a hit.
His best album imo
Changes was
@@robertgraham5486 At the risk pf sounding stupid and young, was Changes a hit before Shrek?
CheesecakeLasagna changes was on the album hunky dory which came out in 1971 and was released in 1972 although it is far from one of my favorite songs it is one that a lot of people remember bowie by and played heavily on radio
CheesecakeLasagna it was the single from that album
Bowie’s my favourite artist in any medium, period.
Agreed
Same here iconic
Bowie's such a visionary as well, he was the first big artist to have a single and album be downloadable from the internet back in the 90s!
So true because in his Ziggy Stardust time I was too young.Just a little kid... but since FASHION FROM 1980 I was in love💓
@Corby Dinsburger I think you misunderstood his comment
Bowie's chant of "we should be on by now" is one of the most chilling lines I've ever heard in regards to the march of time, wasted potential and oppotunity, faded youth, regrets of age...
Oh look out you rock n rollers, pretty soon now you're gonna get older
Alas we do
One song I didn't hear you mention is Cracked Actor, my favorite song on the album. The opening riff is the heaviest thing on Aladdin Sane and the whole song is carried by a blues swagger that rivaled the Stones. Also the lyrics do add to the narrative of Bowie's new character, showing the bleak reality of post-stardom, something you'd find years later in the burnt out life of the rock star Bowie was playing.
You're right.
My favourite too! Loved that song since a kid thanks to my pops.
It's definitely worth a mention as his heaviest song. Easily one of, if not, my favorite off the album
'Berlin' Bowie is best Bowie. A vid about that era would be interesting 👀
YES!
This! 1977-1979 is an amazing period.
I'm betting that TT knows their viewership fairly well at this point and, as such, since their previous Bowie vids have garnered a pretty strong reaction with a lot of positive feedback, they'll eventually cover his career encyclopedically from tip to tail. They certainly won't lose any subscribers doing so, anyway.
What I'd love to see is for them to do all of that, and then cap it off by editing a full long-form documentary out of it while adding in plenty of new material as well. Try it out, TT!
It was definitely his most MUSICALLY PROGRESSIVE period.
My favorite period for sure
For me, The Thin White Duke is Bowie at his most iconic, but I'm weird like that
I agree. Duke is the best ‘cause it’s not only a character but it really fits Bowie’s dark drugged out years.
And station to stations soul and groove is so underlooked, favourite bowie album is station to station. I have an original TVC 15
its my favorite too, theres something very hellish, demented and intruiging about that album
Hi
Here am I
lady grinning soul is utterly gorgeous honestly. I also love the vibe of Panic in Detroit :)
The chords are magical put you in a dreamy place...
One of my top 3 of the great album s Bowie & Ronson's early collaborations, the older footage was great to see year's later, didn't realize that Ronson's playing so much of the background instruments, after seeing some of their rockdock
Mick's sound was never light. He always had a really fat warm tone. From Black country rock to Ziggy Stardust to Moonage daydream, Jean Genie...
Mick had a one of a kind sound.
Ronno's guitar was out of this world Bowie also plays the flute in that song
Moonage daydream
DGM Mick himself was one of a kind..a regular guy with no airs and graces for stardom who just happened to play straight from the soul
TMWSTW has some of the dankest guitar tones ever printed onto grooves. Iommi didn't start detuning his guitar until around 'Vol. 4', when the pain of his injuries became too much to maneuver.
Bowie was never the same without him. Just my opinion.
Aladdin Sane (the song) is my top-tier Bowie song, I just love how amazingly chaotic the bridge is.
Bowie liked jazz ,the piano played in that song is very eclectic
the long beach arena march 1973 live version is smashing proggy jazzy rock
Great doc. Alladin Sane is one the best 'sounding' records of all time, which is wild since it was recorded in such a haphazard way. The band is stellar, with Ronson, Bolder, Garson and Woodmansey all contributing top notch performances plus Ken Scott and David's flawless production bringing it all together. A perfect album that ranks alongside Dark Side, Zep IV and Revolver as the greatest of all time.
I never knew growing up that everyone wasn't raised on Bowie, Lou Reed, The Stones, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. I vividly remember in the 80's driving around town with my Dad while we sang David Lee Roth's cover of "Just a Gigolo" at the top of our lungs, too. Great memories!
Other pop/rock acts may gradually fade but Bowie still grows, an amazing talent, such a loss
He had such a creative mind. It was sad seeing how drug addicted he was
@Corby Dinsburger yes, it was good that he was sober most of the time but in the mid 70s he almost died
While Aladdin isn't my favourite Bowie album, its title track is my favourite piece of music ever recorded. i was so excited to see you doing a video about it, and you did not disappoint.
I agree! Aladdin Sane is an amazing piece of music! It literally sounded like it had beamed down from some exotic planet in outer space when I first heard it! The chords were strange and lush, the tune faltered and paused until it reached a big singalong chorus, and then Mike Garson's piano solo sounded like it was played by a manic coke-fuelled alien with shards of ice instead of fingers!
@@ColinProcter I went nuts the first time I heard it
This was excellent. Thank you. I was struck by learning that David Bowie's tour for Ziggy did not sell out in middle America. Such news shocks me as I never would have thought I could be so unaware of what the rest of the USA was like, but evidently I was.
I recall first hearing of David Bowie when I was in 8th Grade which would have been 71-72 time frame. I lived in Los Angeles county at this time, and as I recall, the Ziggy Stardust Album and his previous Album Hunky Dory from 1971, was in heavy rotation on Los Angeles radio stations.
The Ziggy Stardust Album introduced me to all of his previous work before the release of Alladin Sane. During this time frame, 1972 when I was a freshman in High School, all up and coming high school local Rock N Roll bands were playing covers of songs from these two Albums at house parties. Literally, I was hearing them every weekend. In the minds of my friends (universally) David Bowie was already elevated to the level of a Rock N Roll God. Right up there with Led Zeppelin or Jimi. Everyone I knew owned all of Bowie in their record collections. We listened to him as much as we would be listening to Zep, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Yes, or any of the bands at the time.
We also all considered that the "tear drop" on the cover of Alladin Sane was not a tear drop at all, but rather a drip of semen. Where we got the idea from beats me, but that is what we all thought.
Rest In Peace David Bowie, you are the soundtrack of my youth!
Could you please do a video on Bowie on his Berlin period, how the setting of the recordings shaped the music itself, it's collaborations and their importance, and their importance (I know this will probably never get seen but hey might as well try)
The most shocking thing to me in this video is the revelation than Hunky Dory was not a success. What an incredibly iconic album to go nowhere on first release. I knew Bowie wandered in the wilderness for awhile early in his career, but in my mind by the time he got to Hunky Dory he was already capital d capital b David Bowie. Really surprising.
The Bewlay Brothers and Quicksand are sublime tracks.
It is, was and remains my all time favorite Bowie album.
I see bowie I click
"I'm a simple man."
This album is so good, it brings me to tears on a regular basis
One word: Brilliant.
Time is my favorite Bowie song. Talk about Diamond Dogs next. That album is underrated.
Diamond dogs is a master piece but then again most of Bowie's albums are
OK boomer
An A Class brillient album from the Master...
Sweet Thing, my all time fav Bowie song,it's so gorgeous and dirty, I go back to DD over and over.
Great video, as always. David has A LOT of interesting ground to cover. The Berlin trilogy is probably the most interesting bit, but I love his 90s Outside tour with Nine Inch Nails.
David was always relevant. Not because he had to try, but because he was actually led the way. Thank you, David.
The song Drive-In Saturday also has lyrical references to EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENCOUNTER ("perhaps the strange ones in the dome can lend us a book") and SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION ("It's hard enough to keep formation") resulting from NUCLEAR DEVASTATION and PLAGUE ( "amid this fall out saturation"). Bowie truly WAS a songwriter of unprecedented imagination and originality. Hell, he was almost like Rock musics first sci-fi songwriter! While I'm on it, though this narrator in the video here failed to mention it, I find that the theme of this song (12:21) is strikingly similar to the plot of a certain 1981 cult film by the title Cafe Flesh? This movie even features characters named Mister and Mrs. Sane ( as in Aladin Sane ). So I just wonder whether that was some coincidence or if the makers of that flick weren't a bit inspired by Bowie ( this song in particular )?
I heard Bowie mention that driving from Seattle, in that black limo back in the day, he saw three domes on the horizon; the lyric for Drive in Saturday formed from this observation. The jewel in the lyric nevertheless is 'With snorting head he gazes to the shore, once thay raised a sea that raged no more, like the video films we saw...'
The visionary nature of the verse just gets to me every time i hear it
The album cover is still one of the most iconic album covers ever.
Bowie altered my life and I thank You for that David*
RIP Until I hear you again in person👨🎤
This is SO well researched!!
I'll admit freely that I'm basically a sucker for anything or anyone which rhapsodizes about David Bowie, but I think it goes almost without saying (though I'll say it anyway) that Trash Theory has nailed yet another Bowie retrospective.
Bravo, TT! I generally tend to quite enjoy just about all of your video output, but you're David Bowie videos especially are always guaranteed to get a view from me. This particular one, in my opinion, is the best so far. I hope you continue to achieve such excellent quality of work.
The Thin White Duke was the best-dressed man of all time. The short hair and tailored suits and the song Sound and Vision were the coolest.
I hadn't made the _Exile on Main Street_ connection to "Watch That Man." Nice catch.
I know I’m late,but David Bowie changes my life forever!! I miss him a lot and will continue until the day I die. I love him very much too!! 💯💯💯❤️❤️❤️
Me too!
Welcome to nirvana... I was fortunate to see him live four times, best live artist ever, listen to David Live, best live album ever..... he is so missed but his legacy will live forever
"Ziggy" was one of the first albums I ever bought. An absolutely brilliant album. "Aladdin Sane" was a worthy follow up. I have to disagree that the "Spiders" didn't rock hard. Mick Ronson's epic guitar was killer! "Watch that Man" will always be one of my fav Bowie songs.
Excellent Bowie video my favorite Bowie album is Scary Monsters but a Aladdin sane always remains in my top five and the cover like they say the Mona Lisa album covers.
HELL YEAH DAVID BOWIE
Do another Bowie era! Halloween Jack, Plastic Soul, Thin White Duke
Greatest album by far . Best song Watch that man. Title track and Drive in Saturday are close behind.
Not my fav Bowie effort but am currently obsessed with it. Thanks, you've read my mind.
thanks for this and the fact you put in clips would mean you didn't get monetised so true to what you do.
this Lps the bomb it put the stones to bed its a fantastic work that stands up today tomorrow and forever, this year the demos were auctioned I can't wait to hear an expanded version
Just one week after recording ended for "Hunky Dory", he begun the recording session of his epic "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars". It would be released six months later.
Fantastic analysis. You deserve every bit of success you find.
You could do a whole series on bowie characters (and I’d watch every episode), but I’d love to see an episode on his Station to Station character
Will you do a video on how Psychedelic Rock became Heavy Metal? I have practically been requesting you to do this video since about 2 months ago!! I would also love to see a video on In The Court of The Crimson King
Thanks for the idea. Appreciate your comments!
@@TrashTheory Oh. You're welcome I suppose. I'd love to see you do a video on it, but I understand if you are unable too
Don´t do it Trash Theory. Metal sucks.
@@EclecticoIconoclasta Can you just leave us alone?
@@EclecticoIconoclasta Dead fucking wrong. Go away.
My favorite album since I bought it when I was 13, it has accompanied me all my life.
The greatest artist of all time in my opinion.
David Bowie is my personal favourite singer. David Bowie is so great.
Another superb video essay! One small correction, though: the heroically mutton-chopped (and heroically talented) late Spiders bassist was Trevor Bolder, not "Tony."
I KNOW!!!! i was like "tony? no, it's trevor you poof!"
amazing video
I was 13 and had no comprehension of what I was listening too, my brain was too small. I'm 61 now and ...well I like it a lot more, but still not sure I fully 'get it'
I was crying when he died... for a man I'd never met, only seen twice from afar.
He guided me in my youth and soothed my head and heart in later years.
I'm thankful for that. World has gone to shit since Jan 10 2016.
He told the audience and the band "This is our last gig". Baffling.
Love your channel. Absolutely excellent videos. Thanks 👏👏👏👏
Bowie rode the Zeitgeist like the way we imagine riding in beautiful vehicles from yesteryear. Like the way planes and trains were so catered towards care for our aesthetic pleasure and comfort. This seems, I think, to draw a romantic slight concession that at least the illusion of Noblesse Oblige was once important to our infringing overlords.
I came to this video to learn more about the inspiration the band Creeper are using for their new era and I am thoroughly impressed!!!
you're my favorite documentary channel so far
What a great video, thank you so much!
Great vid/doc. Interesting and precise.
That was an amazing video about video, and this is coming from a Bowie FANATIC!! :-)
Amazing with this beat in the background
Excellent account. I learned a lot. Thank you.
really cool man, thanks for doing this video.
Great vid man! 👏👏
Never dug the stress on keys on AS, but Ronson and the Spiders are at their best.The guitar work directly inspired me to learn to play; Glam and Garage,- beautifully filthy.
You know some people say the Thin White Duke begins in the Young Americans era, and that's when he starts slowly lose his mind. No, I think Aladdin Sane is easily a glimpse of the violent and dark mental battle that will come to insue Bowie's mind in the mid to late 70's.
Interesting. Well put together.
I'm lucky enough to have original Aladdin sane album love it
i have a Bowie album signed by Garson; he's an incredible pianist!
Great video and research
love your channel!!! great way of understanding british music history. Hi! from Puerto Rico
On one of my last nights at primary school in June 1973 in Scotland we had a concert night. While we waited to go on-stage to sing some song or other our teacher gave the class paper and pens to doodle and pass the time. I remember drawing the cover of Aladdin Sane. Growing up in the 70s was great..
Nice mini documentary. Very enjoyable. You can never have enough Bowie.
Favourite look would be that 1974-75 fluffy haired Diamond Dogs/Young Americans era look.
Fell in love with Ziggy Stardust (and then all his previous works!), and saw the fantastic A-Lad-Insane tour, then moved on past David Bowie to other obsessions... On Aladdin, my fav song, by far, is "Lady Grinning Soul"; the piano work is stunning!
Thank you for this video. This got me writing again
I was lucky enough to get to see him in 1984 (I think) during his Serious Moonlight tour. Legend!😊
Ziggy was my favorite until Bowie passed away. Now I would say Major Tom because of his introduction at the beginning of Bowie’s career, the middle in Ashes to Ashes, and ultimately the end, in Blackstar.
I was a teenager through out the 70s and I must say it was the best time for music love all of it
Wmms and Cleveland were the start of Bowie in USA Cleveland rocks!
Yeah! Home of the buzzard!
More Glam Rock videos please!
The man who sold the world album is the best. After all, all the madman, the with of a circle, savior matcine...This is David Bowie. A big hello to all David Bowie fans from Slovenia.
Wow! Thank You for my favorite Bowie informative video so far! I want to try and find the words to describe how useful this video is in bringing Bowie to the masses, well to the: I only know the hits people and the Americans who missed or dismissed the British Glitter Rock era. Pinpointing Bowies influence on The Sweet for instance, who were very talented, fun & true plastic rock stars who had no problem staying as is, but check out The Sweet they are amazing may I recommend the song ACTION the sound effects, & frantic cartoon moments are so ahead of their time! As a British-American Bowie super-fan from Age 11 when living in Samoa, existing only on only one tv channel plus a weekly radio show: American Top 40 in 1976, TG Bowie & Queen had big hits and so began my obsession with both! So I was surprised to learn new things in this video,. I always loved Aladdin Sane even more than Ziggy but there is not that much written about the character or the album. Mike Garson is such a fabulous pianist, Ive always played the solo from Aladdin Sane’s title track for people, to demonstrate that and to find out it was just one take is almost unbelievable! Garson’s gorgeously fluttering piano in Lady Grinning Soul is once heard unforgettable, but getting people to hear these older records even once is difficult cos describing Bowies music is, as you can here, is lame at best, its the listening that brings the knowledge - which comes with deaths release as Bowie said on Hunky Dory (another masterpiece you draw attention to) and so I will kill this comment now.
I love it.
Keep up the great work! And if I may, here are some things I’d love to see on your channel: Of course, more Bowie, as well as Nick Drake, REM, The Replacements, and, if I could choose any contemporary artist, Benjamin Clementine.
You should do a separate video on glam rock!! Also I’d love to hear your takes on Roxy Music and their legacy
I know I am likely to get some stick here, especially as it is now a couple of years after this was created, but there a couple of things I feel compelled to mention. The way this is presented it implies (or is it just my understanding on how it is put?) that Tony Visconti was the bass player on Hunky Dory. He was not. It was Trevor Boulder. It states quite clearly on the album cover, but Boulder does not get a mention until the Aladdin Sane sessions are about to start. As for The Sweet's "facsimile" of Jean Genie. The two songs were released within weeks of each other on the same record label, by pure coincidence. There is a Mike Chapman demo of the track as he presented it to Sweet before they recorded it and would have been way before Jean Genie had ever been heard. One of life's weird coincidences. Last but not least (call me picky), when Bowie and the Spiders played their last show, Hammersmith was still the Odeon. Did not become the Apollo for many many years after. In fact many locals (including myself) still call it the Odeon!! Please do not view this as a slight on your work. I am subscribed to your channel and watch and listen to almost all your output. Just as this was going through (and I am a massive Bowie and Sweet fan incidentally) I felt I had to say something. Minor quibble. Great piece of work. Thank you
Amazing!
Various historical inaccuracies here: The most glaring of which -. British radio certainly did not support hard rock, in any way whatsoever. And certainly not Led Zeppelin. Rolling Stones? yes, but during the late 60's. The idea that UK radio ever supported hard rock as a form, or even played it, is just nonsense, never happened. It's possibly being misremembered now.
Even more-so during the 1980's, where they reduced the coverage to one show one show on a Friday night after 9, where overdriven guitar was heard. The Radio 1 monopoly really was that suffocating, taking the approach that if you ignore the music, it would eventually disappear. Bands now very highly rated internationally, like Sabbath, Purple, UFO survived from overseas sales and playing abroad. They had more or less no support at home. Bowies Ziggy Stardust phase just fitted into all that.
What's available now on CZcams is pretty well all that was broadcast on TV, thanks mainly to Bob Harris on the Old Grey Whistle Test. Until the 80's. It survived mainly on word of mouth, record and ticket sales.
He said US radio I believe
Isn’t his name Trevor bolder, not Tony bolder?
Yup
Indeed!
And he wasn't mentioned until after Ziggy as part of Aladdin Sane
Yes, it is.
Yep Trevor
I didn’t catch Ziggy Stardust because I was living in Texas, What a loss.
fantastic
That "long-haired lover from Liverpool" song is one of the most chilling things I've ever heard.
Super interesting, thanks!
It is eerie how much Bowie and Manson resemble each other, especially without makeup
Also, a video about how Fleetwood Mac recorded "Rumours" would be very interesting
Check out the book "Making Rumours..." by Ken Caillat--I came across it at the library and it was great.
Fantastic ! ... hugs from Brazil >>>
great video
Aaaaand... subscribed. I've loved many of your videos but this one nailed it down to a permanent need to see/hear more. My favorite (favourite) version of Bowie is whichever one I am listening to at the time. FYI: being "outed" as being a Bowie fan in the late 70s' will be forever tied to my being bullied, pushed into lockers, having my books knocked out of my hands and of course being labelled the same word used in Britain for a cigarette.
Another great video thank you. I'm no huge Bowie fan but I've watched so many of your videos you have a fantastically interesting way of putting things across that makes me want to watch things that otherwise I generally wouldn't. Keep up the great work I just know your spin on the Sex Pistols is coming one day ;)
.Many thanks for publicating that very interesting materiał about David Bowie and the other vocalists and musicians. Moreover, I'd like to mention that D.B. was in Warsaw Poland and visited a book shop with records situated at "Plac Komuny Paryskiej" /called at prezent time "Plac Wilsona" / in one of Warsaw's district "Żoliborz" and bought L P with Polish folk musik performed by Polish ansamble "Mazowsze". Result of that was "Low" L P with one of it's tracks called "Warszawa". Pozdrowienia z Warszawy Polska
It was July 3rd, not July 14th, when he announced his retirement of Aladdin/Ziggy.
He said on July 3rd 1973 that it was the last show they would ever do together.