David Bowie - Aladdin Sane Pre

Rare First Italian issue in temporary sleeve

To speed up release and get the vinyl in stores, the album was issued in this temporary sleeve which could later be traded in for the final version with artwork.

Very rare to find a copy with the prerelease sleeve as these were generally traded in and destroyed

The back cover features "hand-written" copy stating: 'Per anticipare al massimo l'uscita, il nuovo Long-Playing di David Bowie viene momentaneamente fornito in busta provvisoria. In aprile sarà disponibile la busta definitiva che potrete richiedere gratuitamente ai vostri fornitori'.

Year Released: 1973

Genre: Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Proto-Punk, Art Rock

Description:

Aladdin Sane is the sixth studio album by David Bowie, released on April 13, 1973. It was Bowie's highly anticipated follow-up to his 1972 breakthrough, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Recorded in London and New York, the album was a rapid-fire creation, written mostly on the road during the grueling North American leg of the Ziggy Stardust tour. This experience of jet-setting and the surreal disconnect of fame gave the album its title, a play on the phrase "A Lad Insane." Bowie described the album as "Ziggy goes to America."

Musically, Aladdin Sane is a harder, more aggressive, and less theatrical record than its predecessor. While it maintains the glam rock swagger, it incorporates new elements of saxophone-driven jazz ("Aladdin Sane") and proto-punk ("Panic in Detroit"), foreshadowing the rawer sounds that would come to define punk rock. The album is notable for featuring new collaborators, including the legendary piano work of Mike Garson, whose avant-garde, free-jazz solo on the title track is a masterclass in improvisation.

The album's iconic cover art, featuring Bowie with a striking red and blue lightning bolt painted across his face, is one of the most recognizable and enduring images in rock history. The lightning bolt was a symbol of fragmentation and duality, reflecting the theme of a personality split by the pressures of fame and touring. It was the last album to feature Mick Ronson on guitar and Trevor Bolder on bass, cementing its place as the final album to feature the classic Spiders from Mars lineup. Despite its dark undercurrents, Aladdin Sane was a commercial smash, reaching number one on the UK album charts and becoming Bowie's first album to top the charts in his home country.