https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2y9inP4CqE David Bowie could have played it safe and milked Ziggy for all he was worth. He had a winning formula which had earned him fame at home and abroad, but he decided to stir things up a bit. Admittedly, the detour wasn't Bowie's most extreme -- the album cover, instantly iconic, is Ziggyesque, which was sure to put some listeners at ease, promise them they were in safe hands. However, 'Aladdin Sane''s scope is certainly wider than any of its predecessors in the Bowie canon. For the most part, the glam texture of Ziggy remains, while instrumentation and form diversify themselves to 'go native' in Bowie's new world of America. The paranoia of 'Diamond Dogs' was already beginning to trickle in ('Drive in Saturday' is as eerily dystopian as Bowie's following album), while the hedonism was truly gushing. The protagonist of 'Cracked Actor' is the album's most fascinating character, a washed-up Hollywood star deluded about the attractions of his waning fame, yet resigned to paying for his gratifications. The sound of 'Aladdin Sane' could not better reflect these themes of schizophrenia and debauchery in America. The rough harmonica and the dirty guitars immerse us in a world of trashy-glitz, taking us on a journey from the midwest to the Pacific. We've heard of the road movie, but 'Aladdin Sane' is a road album.