Aladdin Sane, 50 years on: A deep dive inside Bowie's great album 

Released in 1973, the album of 'The Jean Genie' saw Bowie emerge with a harder sound, and an iconic cover with a surprise Irish connection
Aladdin Sane, 50 years on: A deep dive inside Bowie's great album 

A detail from the Aladdin Sane album cover by David Bowie. (Album picture by Brian Duffy)

With his flame-red hair, Kabuki-influenced stage clothes and make-up enhanced by shaved eyebrows David Bowie emerged as a new kind of pop star in the summer of 1972.

By the autumn, Aladdin Sane, a schizophrenic tendril of his Ziggy Stardust character, was being developed while touring America. Featuring such tracks as ‘The Jean Genie’ and ‘Drive-In Saturday’, the album of the same name delivered a much harder sound when it was released on April 20, 1973.

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